Part 1, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12
THE FIRST WELL--The first settlers in Watertown village built around the present Public Square as near as convenient to the big spring, which flowed out from the foot of the hill about fifty feet from the front of the entrance to the Woodruff House. As the families increased in numbers, some soon found they were too far from the spring to get all the water they needed without too much labor. The first well dug in the place was by HART MASSEY at his new house on the site of the residence of the late L. PADDOCK, Esq., on Washington Street. A man by the name of KNOWLTON was employed to dig the well which was 30 feet deep, and was always considered to be the best water in town--The premises were afterwards sold to JABEZ FOSTER. Soon after Judge Foster's occupation on the place, quite an incident took place in connection with this well of rather serious nature. While Mrs. Foster was employed about some work near the well, her daughter, EVELINE, then but two years old, by climbing up the well curb in some way was trying to get hold of the bucket attached to the chain, which passed over a wheel and down the well to the other bucket, when she lost her balance and fell head foremost down the well. Her mother saw her just as she went down, and giving a loud scream with a true motherly instinct, went down the well herself, to rescue her child not thinking of the danger and risk to herself. Some men at work on the roof of the house now owned and occupied by E. L. Paddock, which then stood on the margin of the street, heard Mrs. Foster's outcries, looked around, and saw her hastily disappear down the well. Their first thought was that she was going to drown herself down the well; the next moment they were on the way with all haste to see what was the occasion of so sudden and unusual a movement on her part, and to render assistance in her rescue, which they thought must be needed. On their arrival at the well they found Mrs. Foster with the child on her shoulders--She had by a hand over hand use of the well chain, and bracing her feet against the sides, had already go so near the top that they could reach down and assist them out. The child was not much hurt nor frightened, but the shock to the mother's nervous system was so great that she was confined to her bed for about two months afterwards.
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