A Page From North Quabbin History: The Wendell railroad workers

The foundation of the boarding house run by Roxanna Day and her four daughters, from Orange, during the construction of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad.

The foundation of the boarding house run by Roxanna Day and her four daughters, from Orange, during the construction of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad. PHOTO BY JOHN WILSON

The working Culvert in Wendell was originally constructed by the Irish railroad workers in the mid-1800s.

The working Culvert in Wendell was originally constructed by the Irish railroad workers in the mid-1800s. PHOTO BY JOHN WILSON—

The remains of the quarry can be seen in Wendell. Granite from the quarry was used to help build the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad as well as provide granite for structures in Boston and Worcester.

The remains of the quarry can be seen in Wendell. Granite from the quarry was used to help build the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad as well as provide granite for structures in Boston and Worcester. PHOTO BY JOHN WILSON

Published: 10-09-2023 5:00 PM

By Carla Charter

A mystery of a sudden population spike in Wendell from 1847 to 1850 has led to the rediscovery of railroad laborer camps housing a majority of Irish immigrant workers during the construction of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad in Wendell. Guest Archaeologist Emeritus John Wilson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Retired), will be giving a talk at the location of these camps, now part of Wendell State Forest, on Nov. 4.

Wilson said in 2015 that he had learned about the book “Wendell Massachusetts: It’s Settlers and Citizenry 1752-1900,” written by Pam Richardson with co-author Thomas E. Sawin ( 1810-1873). Much of Richardson’s research includes work done by Sawin, so she listed him as a co-author.

“On Old Home Day I met her and bought a copy and read it,” said Wilson.

In the book, Wilson explained, Richardson had noted a spike in population in 1850 after previously declining for decades. The population dropped again in 1855. After reading this, Wilson became curious about what caused the spike and decided to do further research.

Sawin had left behind a number of sketch maps of the town. One had markings that read, “Irish huts.”

“One phrase on the map key said ‘Irish huts 1847- 1848’ and another ‘Irish Huts-15 in November 1847,’ Wilson explained. “Pam and I put our heads together and said ‘I know what they were doing—they were building the (Vermont and Massachusetts) railroad,’” he continued.

The original census-taker at that time first discovered the camps when he went to farmhouses that had been there for decades and discovered the railroad worker’s camps in between.

“I then looked into the census records and it was clear there were two (railroad worker) camps, one from 1847-1849 census and a second camp noted in the 1850 census. The fact that the camps fall into a census year is pretty rare. The census tells us how old the workers were, where they were born, what they did for a living,” Wilson said.

Many of the railroad workers were Irish immigrants who constructed turf huts similar to the ones the Irish may have once lived in back in Ireland. The sod huts were constructed with turf blocks which had been dug up and stacked wider at the bottom and narrower at the top to create walls and a roof. There was a post at each corner doorframe and if a resident had enough money, boards for the interior walls and floors. Sometimes a hole came out of the front for smoke or if they could afford it, a chimney. In some huts the floors had a hole with a board on top used for cold storage. Very few of these sites have been found, said Wilson.

Some of the huts housed as many as 12 people which could include a family with a couple of young children and possibly a widow or bachelor.

“I have a feeling these were friends or family members,” said Wilson. “It’s hard to tell, they were listed as ‘single men.’”

While the men worked for the railroad, the women were putting in gardens, feeding people, mending clothes and taking care of the family.

“It was really interesting to see the families stick together,” Wilson said.

The huts were very close to the granite quarries on the west side of Bear Mountain where stone was taken to build culverts and abutments for bridges, Wilson said. Along with providing granite for railroad structures, the quarries also supplied granite for structures as far away as Worcester and Boston as well, according to Jonathan Patton, staff archaeologist of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).

Along with 15 huts in the first camp, there was a farmhouse serving as a boarding house and run by a widow from Orange, Roxanna Day, with her four daughters. The men in the boarding house were fed every day and had real beds instead of straw-filled mattresses on sleeping platforms on a dirt floor, as was likely in the huts.

There were 16 huts in the second camp. Among the residents were four related families, all named O’Neil, who Wilson has been able to track through various locations in New England prior to and after leaving Wendell. Two of the huts housed two New England stonecutters. There were also three huts in a row between farmhouses, including a hut that housed a young couple with an infant son. The hut next door housed an elderly couple—the grandparents of the young couple—all who had left Holyoke.

“What happened to the middle generation? I have a feeling the woman lost her parents to a Cholera epidemic,” Wilson said.

A Cholera outbreak began in Holyoke in the early summer of 1849. Cholera, which is caused by contaminated water, was a lot more common in the urban areas, according to Wilson.

“Wendell was probably the safest place to be. The surface water was okay, you could dig a well, plant a garden and fish in the river,” Wilson continued. “We pretty much have a general sense as to where the first camp was—the second camp we haven’t found. It was somewhere between Farmhouse A and Farmhouse B.”

The main railroad line to Brattleboro was dedicated December 1850 and around that time everyone had been laid off. None stayed in town and left with the railroad. The huts themselves are no longer there as before. While leaving, the workers would take them down and salvage what they could, then move down the road and build a new one, according to Wilson.

Wilson has been working on the project since 2015, using mostly local census data, genealogical records and online research.

“A lot of the B&M records are hard to find.... There is not a lot of history on construction of the railroad as it was contracted out to private firms,” he explained. “The Irish were doing the work that you wouldn’t do unless you really needed a job.”

There were a lot of accidents on the railroad.

“They were using gunpowder to blow up rocks in the way. As a result people died in explosions, landslides while cutting banks, drownings during the building of the railroad and they were almost all Irish. As for the accidents, all the newspapers reported were that one Irishmen or a couple of Irishmen died. They were anonymous Irishmen,” said Wilson.“This is what makes it a personal mission. These people need to be credited for what they built across the country.

“The railroad is their legacy. The culverts they built are still there doing their job. There is a saying that you are still alive if anyone remembers your name after you are gone. I remember their names, it’s good for other people to know their names as well. Knowing their names makes them more real.”

Anyone who may have information on the worker camps in Wendell or its inhabitants can contact the Wendell Historical Society at info@wendellhistoricalsociety.org.

Archaeology Month is a statewide program overseen by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Each year during October, state, federal and local nonprofits have events such as this to highlight the discipline of archaeology and cultural resources of the state. DCR archaeology has done this for many years, according to Patton.

The hike to the railroad workers site and talk will be held on Nov, 4, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Space is limited to 20 people, teenagers and up. Other hikes will be scheduled if there is sufficient interest. Participants are asked to wear suitable hiking shoes/boots and bring water and bug spray. The moderate hike is approximately 1.5 miles over uneven and possibly wet areas. Please RSVP to DCR Staff Archaeologist Jonathan Patton Jonathan.k.patton@mass.gov Meeting and parking directions will be provided once RSVP has been received. Carpooling is encouraged.

Carla Charter is a freelance writer from Phillipston. Her writing focuses on the history of the North Quabbin area. Contact her at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.