THE HONORABLE FREEMAN TUPPER

 

          The Tupper family were very much part of the early blooming of this Liverpool area as a shipbuilding community and a great exporter of Nova Scotia lumber and fish to the world markets.

          Tupper Street in Milton is so called because the first family of this name had their homestead near today’s Memorial Hall. The route followers from Liverpool’s first settlement to go to the work at building the mills at “The Falls” was along the west bank of the “Great River”. Today this is West Street for the first mile. There the traveler would be halted because a cliff of ledge rock jutted out into the river stream.

          The native Indians at that time had an encampment on the highest land, they could see far out to sea, and their lookouts were aware of ships entering the harbor. Their trail was up what is now called Tupper Street, to then identified, Murray’s Hill. (Today we say Cunningham Hill.)

          The far side of the hill one came to another cliff, above a brook,             (Hollow Log Brook). This path then swung perpendicular to the river. There the first settlers built the Great Bridge. Once across the river a traveler could directly continue up Moose Hill (now Milford St.) and on towards the area east. The Milton Christian church was built on this path 100 years later, fifty years after the bridge had been washed away by a tidal wave and replaced.

          It was near here that the pioneer Nathan Tupper built his home. He was an early lumberman. He took an active part in community and was Sheriff of the county. His wife was a daughter of Elisha Freeman, Lydia Freeman. Their son was Freeman Tupper, (1802-1880). Freeman was a magistrate in 1838, and a member of the Legislature in 1858.

          Lumbering in a big way, and saw milling and shipbuilding followed upon this family purchasing a large section of Milton from the Estate of Simeon Perkins after his death.

          The area purchased would be identified now as all that land bordered on the east by the river, from today’s School Street on the north, to below Hollow Log Brook on the south and to the base line one half mile from the river. This included all buildings, and most importantly the newer sawmill and blacksmith shop.

          They immediately developed a new street from the old Tupper Street across the brook as it lies in the year 2000. The Honorable Freeman Tupper built his home on this new street; it exists today and is occupied by his descendant Christine Tupper. His brother Allen Tupper built next door, and that home is still standing and occupied. A third member of the family occupied and developed her home as an early enterprise, the existing home owned by Perkins. This is now the home of George Fraser in the year 2000. This early lady entrepreneur was Miss Experience Tupper.

           Freeman Tupper also thought it time to build a Congregational Church in Milton, and he made the land available on the southeast side of his new street. The “Church of The Pilgrims” and its parsonage became a fixture for 75 years.

          The now owned by Tupper’s Sawmill was very productive and markets were excellent for years. They developed their own shipyard and produced their own shipping, as well as building ships for others.

          This whole industry took a complete downturn after the local banks went bankrupt in 1870, the Tupper Mills and shipyard were not wiped out as many others, but markets seem to dry up overnight. The homes are there, the families became scattered, other industry evolved and by 1929 a new Paper mill was using the forest products in great quantities.

          The last Tupper sawmill had become run down and was sold to the new company who had it demolished in 1929. The sister mills on the east side of the river were lost to fire in 1931. Milton’s fame as a maker of lumber had come to an end.

          HHW