Dunstable Village: Joint Grass Brook, Mill Street, and Fletcher Street

by A. Donald Kennedy

Editors note "Don" Kennedy was born in Dunstable in 1912, and lived here until his death in 1988. For many years, Don raised dairy cattle on his farm at the top of High Street, where he lived with his wife, Lucy. He was the state’s youngest selectman in 1934 at the age of 22, and remained active in town politics throughout most of his life. He was dedicated to protecting Dunstable farmlands from development. In this installment, Don gives us a bit of background on the area surrounding Joint Grass Brook, which includes Fletcher Street and Mill Street. --di

On June 26th, 1749 the Joint Grass families were, by a Court declaration, cut off from Dunstable. This was the area that lies west of Salmon Brook and on both sides of Fletcher Street. It included what is now Mill Street, and went west to the Nashua River. However, in July of the same year the families of John Swallow, Joseph Spaulding Jr., Timothy Read, Joseph Fletcher, Benjamin Robbins, John Spaulding, and Samuel Cummings, all petitioned the Court that they might again be annexed to Dunstable. This was so they would be able to vote on the location where the Meeting House would be erected. "Joynt Grass" was the name for that whole area lying along both sides of Fletcher Street, and including Hollis Street and west to the Nashua River, including where the Blood Cemetery was established about 1820. This area was also referred to as "The West Parish'. The stream that now is known as "Joint Grass rook" flows through much of this land, passing easterly by the northern base of Hound Hill. This hill came by its name because, after an Indian attack on Groton, two of the savages were killed here, having been tracked there by hounds set on them by the English. One house in this section of town that was standing then was the home of Deacon Joseph Fletcher, who in 1735 purchased a tract of six hundred acres in "Joynt Grass" at a price of 12 cents per acre. It is related that one evening when the Deacon "was absent at the Mill" his wife Elizabeth was so frightened by the screaming of a catamount in the tree outside the front door, that she hid in a barrel all night. In 1786 a school was kept in this house, and 8 shillings was paid to the owner for that use. This house is now owned by the Novak family.

A gun was brought back from the battlefield of Bunker Hill by one of the Dunstable participants. This gun was sold to Thomas Fletcher, son of Deacon Joseph, for eight barrels of cider. After his death the gun went to his son Francis Fletcher, who lived on Fletcher Street. (His house stood where the home of Paul Gay now is located.) This house burned about 1924 when the farm was owned by Charles Menut. The gun was used on this farm for many years and once killed two deer with one shot. It was the standard weapon that British troops were armed with at the time of the Revolution. It is a smooth-bore, and is commonly called a "British Brown Bess". Originally a flint-lock, this gun was at some time changed to a cap-lock. Equipped with a bayonet, and in the hands of a British Grenadier, it was a deadly weapon. In 1873 this gun was given to Charles Divol, who worked many years for Francis Fletcher. I remember Mr. Divol well. He was school janitor when I was in the first grade. In the early 1920s, Mr. Divol gave this gun to the Library, where it now hangs.

Joint Grass Brook was dammed at some time prior to 1844, and powered a mill which was operated by Daniel Swallow. This was both a saw and a Grist Mill, and gave the name "Mill Street" to the road that passed by it. The mill was later taken over by Daniel's son Elfred. After turning the mill wheel, Joint Grass Brook continued on to join Salmon Brook near Cog Wheel Island. I have talked with men who remembered taking grain to this mill to be ground into flour or meal. Among them were Charles D. Glover, Howard Brow and Francis Connolly. About 1922 the mill was sold to William Morgan and burned soon afterwards. This was the last Grist Mill to operate in Dunstable, and the mill stones make the monument on the Swallow lot in Central Cemetery.