nous; and they, in common with
the rest of the people, found themselves in serious financial
difficulties at the close of the war. Taxes were high and money scarce,
and the efforts of the authorities to collect the sums levied on the
inhabitants finally led to organized resistance, which has come down to
us under the name of Shay's Rebellion. With it the people of Fitchburg
deeply sympathized, and in the initiatory proceedings they took an
active, though a prudent part. In June, 1786, the town sent Elijah
Willard as a delegate to a convention at Worcester to discuss the
grievances of the people, and voted to defend his property if he should
be taken in person for his attendance, "provided he behaves himself in
an orderly and peaceable manner; otherwise he is to risk it himself."
Deeply sympathizing with the Shayites, the people of Fitchburg did
everything in their power to prevent the collection of taxes by the
authorities, short of armed resistance; and the consequence was that a
military company was quartered among them, much to their indignation;
and had they not soon been prudently withdrawn, bloodshed might have
followed.

The population of Fitchburg had not remained stationary during the war,
but had increased from 650 to about 1,000. At its close there was the
nucleus of a village scattered along the road near the river, now Main
Street. One might see Cowdin's tavern, Kimball's saw and grist mill,
Fox's store, a baker's shop, and half a dozen houses between the
American house and the upper Common. The meeting-house upon the hill
back of Main street was a small, shabby, yellow structure; the red store
of Joseph Fox was below, and in the rear of his store his house with
large projecting eaves. The mill and residence of Deacon Ephraim Kimball
were near by. Up the road, and near the present residence of Ebenezer
Torrey, was a bakery and a dwelling-house, and beyond, towards the west,
were two or three houses and a blacksmith shop. Pine stumps, hard-hack,
and grape vines were plentiful by the side of the road. Such was the
village of Fitchburg in 1786.

In addition, however, to this little centre of population there was in
the westerly part of the town, in the neighborhood of Dean Hill, a
village which boasted a tavern, a store, and a blacksmith shop, and
boldly sat up a claim of rivalship, and even superiority, to the little
cluster of houses in the sandy valley. Its people petitioned to the
General Court, to be se