Amesbury Carriage Maker Moses Dennett and the 1888 Carriage Hill Fire

Scott Dennis began researching his great-grandfather, Moses Dennett (1841-1930), about 20 years ago. Scott’s grandmother (also Moses’ daughter), Sallimae Dennett Brown, recalled Moses as an Amesbury carriage maker “ruined” by the Carriage Hill fire of 1888. Looking deeper into Moses’ story probably seemed natural for a professor of American literature and writing. He could search out more details to fill in his grandmother’s recollection, creating a permanent record for the family and a tribute to his great-grandfather.

Scott’s research was a slow process at the beginning. But materials available via the internet have allowed him to make remarkable progress in recent months. Now, Scott’s first report about Moses Dennett is ready for publication on the ACM website. “Moses Dennett, Amesbury Carriage Maker, and the Carriage Hill Fire” focuses carefully on events preceding Dennett’s business “failure” in 1893, five years after the greatest fire in Amesbury.

This led to the question: Did the 1888 fire “ruin” Moses as his granddaughter said? Scott’s conclusion isn’t a simple yes or no. It’s more complicated than that, but clearly explained in Scott’s report.

Seeking to answer what seems like a simple question led to further discoveries about Moses Dennett, his family and his life in Amesbury. Scott has collected information about Moses’ volunteer fire brigade, his house on Powow Hill, and other facets of what was a full life despite the failure of his carriage company. The stories of people from Amesbury’s past – their successes, failures and ability to continue in the face of adversity – help us appreciate the differences and the similarities between today’s world and life in the late 1800s. The ACM expects to publish more of Scott’s discoveries about Moses Dennett in the near future.

Meanwhile, you can read his well researched and illustrated report about Moses’ business dealings in “Moses Dennett, Amesbury Carriage Maker, and the Carriage Hill Fire” here on the ACM website.

About the Author

Scott Dennis researched and wrote “Moses Dennett, Amesbury Carriage Maker, and the Carriage Hill Fire.” Scott is a great-grandson of Moses Dennett by way of Moses’ daughter Sallimae Dennett and granddaughter Sally Brown, who grew up on Point Shore in Amesbury. Scott was born in Amesbury and grew up in West Newbury. He earned a PhD at Syracuse University and taught American Literature and Technical Writing at Virginia Tech before embarking on a second career as a computer programmer and IT manager for the federal government. Now living in Virginia, he’s on his third career in retirement, working on genealogy, which has helped keep him sane in these trying times. In researching Moses Dennett, he became aware of the excellent work being done by volunteers at the Amesbury Carriage Museum, and began a fruitful collaboration. The collaboration extends to many cousins with whom he has reconnected and who have helped bring Moses’ story to life.

Portrait of Moses Dennett from the cover of his carriage catalogue, circa 1886-1888. (Courtesy of Tim Kendall.)

Artist’s sketch of the 1888 Carriage Hill Fire in progress. (Boston Daily Globe, April 6, 1888.)

Scott Dennis, great-grandson of Moses Dennett, with his wife Bonnie.