” Ruinsville
Also known as West Parrish or Mundale section of Westfield,MA. I thought the title suits our present period of time.
We took a walk back in time with a large group using a map made in 1850 .Tony/neoc1 missed out on the walk so I offered to take him on his own walk and on the cache hide.
The little known/traveled area is part of Stanley Park wildlife sanctuary and there are old roads, canals, foundations and traces of old dams.
One of the dams was on the Little River at N42 07.099 W72 48.077 near a large pine tree and fallen logs, On the way to the cache area you can walk thru the old canal bed. The other dam was where Little River and Munn’s Brook come together. Just below where they come together there is remains of the large water wheel that was used to power the mill. As you drive along Granville road, a short distance before the junction of Granville Rd and Loomis Rd look down in the hollow you will see a large brown house and a smaller house with a green roof, these were the boarding houses for the old mill. Behind them is where the mill, a dam and the waterwheel was.
2/7/1670 John Munn received 10 acres along what is now called Munn”s Brook. During the early 18th century the area was called Hooppole. It was called this for the large number of powder-keg factories in the region using many lithe young trees, or hoop poles, which being split and shaved inside, were then bent and fashioned into hoops for the barrels.
1830’s. John Shepard owned and operated a carding mill. At the time there was a canal with 2 dams.
Late 1830’s, Westfield Paper Mills Company bought the properties, deepened the canal and enlarged the mill.
5/13/1840, the property sold to Cyrus W. Field, (of Atlantic Cable fame), for 9500.00 dollars.
5/7/1841, Field, being unsuccessful turned it back to Westfield Paper Mills Company. 1845 the mill was sold to Asa B Whitman. He was in the hardware business but what he manufactured in his mill is unknown.
1856, Whitman sold it to his brother Warren Whitman. Warren made cotton goods, twine, and clothes lines. The mill was called “The Twine Factory”
1865, property sold to Josiah S. Knowles and called “The Mundale Whip Company.
1881, property sold to Frank Osden and called “Osden Brother’s Whips.
2/1891, the mill burns down.
Nobody seems to succeed in this location and the place soon came to be known as “Ruinsville