Individual Details
Thomas Gibson Barlow MASSICKS
(12 Jul 1862 - 13 May 1899)
Civil engineer Thomas Gibson Barlow-Massicks was born in England and came to the Arizona Territory c. 1890, where he founded the Lynx Creek Gold and Land Company.
He had extensive mining claims in Yavapai County, Arizona, including the Catoctin Silver Mine. The Town of Massicks grew around the company’s hydraulics operation and ceased to exist when Massicks died of an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Barlow-Massicks held six U.S. patents for mining equipment, particularly for a gravel washing and amalgamating machine used in hydraulic mining.
Founded the town of MASSICKS in Arizona, USA and also died from accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound aged 36. Occupation mine and ranch owner. To get more info on this go to Google and search for Massicks. Established the first post office in Prescott Valley as a combination general store and post office in the historical town of Massicks.
'Castle on the Creek' offers colorful history
by Peggy Magee
It looks out of place . . . that 'Castle' in the new Fain Park in Prescott Valley. The Gay Nineties' architecture, prevalent along Mount Vemon Street, just doesn't fit in with the surroundings along Lynx Creek. Old houses conjure up visions of families gathered together for holidays and the warmth of togetherness and memories of the happiness shared with loved ones. If the walls of the 'Castle' could talk, you would expect to hear tales of joy and laughter. But these walls have a much different tale to tell.
The story of the 'Castle on the Creek' starts in England with the Massicks family and a man named William Pedley. William had been doing some work in San Bemardino, California in the 1880s. He filed some mining claims during his stay in that area and upon his return to England he married (in 1889) the sister of Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks, our 'Castle's' builder.
The Massicks family back in England had been involved with the mining industry. Thomas' father managed a local mine in Cumberland. Young Thomas was ripe for adventure. It is very probable that Pedley's tales of the American West lured Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks to Arizona. He was about 30 years old when he arrived in the Territory in the early 1890s.
By the mid-1890's the Lynx Creek Gold and Land Company with Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks as Vice-President had been incorporated in The Arizona Territory. He built the 'Castle' as a British Manor House to be utilized for formal entertaining. Thomas included in the floor plan a ballroom and a wine cellar. Not many houses in The Arizona Territory were designed with those features. Today, when you stand and look at the 'Castle on the Creek', you can almost go back and hear the music in the ballroom, the clipped British accents, the Chinese cook yelling at a stray chicken - times of joy and laughter. Thomas maintained close ties to his homeland. He made frequent business and pleasure trips to England. It was said that the 'Castle' was designed to remind Thomas of his family's home, 'The Oaks', in Britain.
Not all of the entertaining done at the 'Castle' was for business. Various items published in the local newspapers in the 1890s mention cricketeers as well as officers from Fort Whipple being wined and dined at the 'Castle'. Thomas never married. At first his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. & Mrs. William Pedley, helped oversee the property and hosted the social activities. But for whatever the reason, (possibly the failure of the dam that Pedley built), the Pedleys left and returned to England. It is suspected that there may have been a falling-out between the brothers-in-law. The Pedleys did return to the United States but not to Arizona. The son of William Pedley, when contacted twenty years ago, knew very little of Thomas and his many interests in Arizona. Subsequently the running of the house was left to servants. The culinary skills of his Chinese cook were known throughout the northern parts of The Arizona Territory. Thomas entertained investors from England and the eastern United States.
Besides operating the Manor House and the Lynx Creek Gold and Land Company, he was also an inventor. Many invitations to his home were extended to secure capital for his inventions. The 'Castle' was one way to show potential backers the prosperity and civility of Yavapai County and, of course, Thomas, himself. John W. McConnel, a merchant from Manchester, England, was a backer of the Bucyrus Steam Shovel, one of Thomas' patented inventions.
As the decade of the Gay Nineties was drawing to a close, so was the life of the 'Castle's' owner. One day Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks was driving in his buckboard after inspecting one of his mines. His six-shooter fell out of his holster, hit the floor of his buckboard and discharged. The bullet went through his kidney and entered his lung. He fought death for almost a year but he succumbed in April 1899. When Thomas died at the age of thirty-seven, so did the formality of the prim and proper British culture which had reigned in this little comer of The Arizona Territory. There is sadness in knowing that Thomas enjoyed his Castle for less than a decade and had such an untimely and painful demise.
Almost a century has passed since Thomas' death. The 'Castle' has had many occupants, but none as colorful as its first resident and builder. Many myths have been printed about Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks and his family. Those myths and the uncovered truths will be presented at the Northern Arizona Conference of Historical Organizations which is scheduled to meet October 18, 1997 at the Sharlot Hall Museum. Afternoon sessions begin at 1:30 p.m. and will have papers presented about Yavapai County history. Call the museum for details.
(Peggy Magee is on the Board of Directors of the Prescott Valley Historical Society. She teaches genealogy at Yavapai College and has been listed in 'Who's Who in Genealogy and Heraldry' and 'The World's Who's Who of Women'. She conducts genealogical and historical tours to the British Isles.)
Sharlot Hall Museum Cemetery Database:
Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks
Born: Cumberland, England 12 Jun 1862 Died: West Prescott, Yavapai Co., Arizona Territory 13 Apr 1899
Buried:IOOF cemetery. Plot: F-064 Marker: yes
Spouse: Unknown
Parents: Thomas Massicks & Mary Barlow
Occupation: civil engineer
Remarks: Known as "The Baron". Built "The Lynx Castle", a Victorian home about 13 miles east of Prescott off HY 69. "England, Beloved Son of Thomas and Mary Barlow Massicks/RIP" Municipal Records & Mercy Hospital Records
THOMAS GIBSON MASSICKS who also used the hyphenated BARLOW-MASSICKS. Again, he was not christened this way. I think he started it to impress the Americans and his father adopted it too. THOMAS was born 1862 and he died in 1899 in Prescott Arizona, USA. Thomas never married. A younger sister acted as housekeeper. He founded the gold mine town of MASSICKS near Prescott, at one time population 300. THOMAS was sent to the USA as a representative of Lancashire Investors. They never paid him the salary agreed upon so THOMAS took them to court on a miners lean and acquired the mine for the sum of US$1.00 (a true Massicks !!) He started his career as a Lawyers clerk - this is where he acquired the knowledge for the above. He also became a qualified engineer. In his short life the BARLOW-MASSICKS empire in the USA consisted of twenty one mines and licenses, ranching and orchard interests but unfortunately while coming back in 1899 from an inspection of one of the mines his pistol fell from its holster and landed on the bed of the buckboard he was driving. The pistol discharged and the bullet passed through his kidney and into his lung. He took eleven months to die.
He lived in what the locals called ' the castle ' alongside the Lynx creek in the town of MASSICKS, Arizona. The castle still stands and is inhabited but the town is now a ghost town.
from gravestone
from gravestone
This may not be his first entry into America, as he calls himself an American citizen
First Name: Thomas G.B. Last Name: Massicks Ethnicity: USA Occupation: Civil Engineer Last Place of Residence: Date of Arrival: Jun 03, 1893 Age at Arrival: 30y Gender: M Marital Status: Ship of Travel: Germanic Port of Departure: Liverpool & Queenstown Manifest Line Number: 0888 Pieces of Baggage: 8
Civil engineer Thomas Gibson Barlow-Massicks was born in England and came to the Arizona Territory c. 1890, where he founded the Lynx Creek Gold and Land Company. He had extensive mining claims in Yavapai County, Arizona, including the Catoctin Silver Mine. The Town of Massicks grew around the company’s hydraulics operation and ceased to exist when Massicks died of an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barlow-Massicks held six U.S. patents for mining equipment, particularly for a gravel washing and amalgamating machine used in hydraulic mining.
Founded the town of MASSICKS in Arizona, USA and also died from accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound aged 36. Occupation mine and ranch owner. To get more info on this go to Google and search for Massicks.
He had extensive mining claims in Yavapai County, Arizona, including the Catoctin Silver Mine. The Town of Massicks grew around the company’s hydraulics operation and ceased to exist when Massicks died of an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Barlow-Massicks held six U.S. patents for mining equipment, particularly for a gravel washing and amalgamating machine used in hydraulic mining.
Founded the town of MASSICKS in Arizona, USA and also died from accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound aged 36. Occupation mine and ranch owner. To get more info on this go to Google and search for Massicks. Established the first post office in Prescott Valley as a combination general store and post office in the historical town of Massicks.
'Castle on the Creek' offers colorful history
by Peggy Magee
It looks out of place . . . that 'Castle' in the new Fain Park in Prescott Valley. The Gay Nineties' architecture, prevalent along Mount Vemon Street, just doesn't fit in with the surroundings along Lynx Creek. Old houses conjure up visions of families gathered together for holidays and the warmth of togetherness and memories of the happiness shared with loved ones. If the walls of the 'Castle' could talk, you would expect to hear tales of joy and laughter. But these walls have a much different tale to tell.
The story of the 'Castle on the Creek' starts in England with the Massicks family and a man named William Pedley. William had been doing some work in San Bemardino, California in the 1880s. He filed some mining claims during his stay in that area and upon his return to England he married (in 1889) the sister of Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks, our 'Castle's' builder.
The Massicks family back in England had been involved with the mining industry. Thomas' father managed a local mine in Cumberland. Young Thomas was ripe for adventure. It is very probable that Pedley's tales of the American West lured Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks to Arizona. He was about 30 years old when he arrived in the Territory in the early 1890s.
By the mid-1890's the Lynx Creek Gold and Land Company with Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks as Vice-President had been incorporated in The Arizona Territory. He built the 'Castle' as a British Manor House to be utilized for formal entertaining. Thomas included in the floor plan a ballroom and a wine cellar. Not many houses in The Arizona Territory were designed with those features. Today, when you stand and look at the 'Castle on the Creek', you can almost go back and hear the music in the ballroom, the clipped British accents, the Chinese cook yelling at a stray chicken - times of joy and laughter. Thomas maintained close ties to his homeland. He made frequent business and pleasure trips to England. It was said that the 'Castle' was designed to remind Thomas of his family's home, 'The Oaks', in Britain.
Not all of the entertaining done at the 'Castle' was for business. Various items published in the local newspapers in the 1890s mention cricketeers as well as officers from Fort Whipple being wined and dined at the 'Castle'. Thomas never married. At first his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. & Mrs. William Pedley, helped oversee the property and hosted the social activities. But for whatever the reason, (possibly the failure of the dam that Pedley built), the Pedleys left and returned to England. It is suspected that there may have been a falling-out between the brothers-in-law. The Pedleys did return to the United States but not to Arizona. The son of William Pedley, when contacted twenty years ago, knew very little of Thomas and his many interests in Arizona. Subsequently the running of the house was left to servants. The culinary skills of his Chinese cook were known throughout the northern parts of The Arizona Territory. Thomas entertained investors from England and the eastern United States.
Besides operating the Manor House and the Lynx Creek Gold and Land Company, he was also an inventor. Many invitations to his home were extended to secure capital for his inventions. The 'Castle' was one way to show potential backers the prosperity and civility of Yavapai County and, of course, Thomas, himself. John W. McConnel, a merchant from Manchester, England, was a backer of the Bucyrus Steam Shovel, one of Thomas' patented inventions.
As the decade of the Gay Nineties was drawing to a close, so was the life of the 'Castle's' owner. One day Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks was driving in his buckboard after inspecting one of his mines. His six-shooter fell out of his holster, hit the floor of his buckboard and discharged. The bullet went through his kidney and entered his lung. He fought death for almost a year but he succumbed in April 1899. When Thomas died at the age of thirty-seven, so did the formality of the prim and proper British culture which had reigned in this little comer of The Arizona Territory. There is sadness in knowing that Thomas enjoyed his Castle for less than a decade and had such an untimely and painful demise.
Almost a century has passed since Thomas' death. The 'Castle' has had many occupants, but none as colorful as its first resident and builder. Many myths have been printed about Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks and his family. Those myths and the uncovered truths will be presented at the Northern Arizona Conference of Historical Organizations which is scheduled to meet October 18, 1997 at the Sharlot Hall Museum. Afternoon sessions begin at 1:30 p.m. and will have papers presented about Yavapai County history. Call the museum for details.
(Peggy Magee is on the Board of Directors of the Prescott Valley Historical Society. She teaches genealogy at Yavapai College and has been listed in 'Who's Who in Genealogy and Heraldry' and 'The World's Who's Who of Women'. She conducts genealogical and historical tours to the British Isles.)
Sharlot Hall Museum Cemetery Database:
Thomas Gibson Barlow Massicks
Born: Cumberland, England 12 Jun 1862 Died: West Prescott, Yavapai Co., Arizona Territory 13 Apr 1899
Buried:IOOF cemetery. Plot: F-064 Marker: yes
Spouse: Unknown
Parents: Thomas Massicks & Mary Barlow
Occupation: civil engineer
Remarks: Known as "The Baron". Built "The Lynx Castle", a Victorian home about 13 miles east of Prescott off HY 69. "England, Beloved Son of Thomas and Mary Barlow Massicks/RIP" Municipal Records & Mercy Hospital Records
THOMAS GIBSON MASSICKS who also used the hyphenated BARLOW-MASSICKS. Again, he was not christened this way. I think he started it to impress the Americans and his father adopted it too. THOMAS was born 1862 and he died in 1899 in Prescott Arizona, USA. Thomas never married. A younger sister acted as housekeeper. He founded the gold mine town of MASSICKS near Prescott, at one time population 300. THOMAS was sent to the USA as a representative of Lancashire Investors. They never paid him the salary agreed upon so THOMAS took them to court on a miners lean and acquired the mine for the sum of US$1.00 (a true Massicks !!) He started his career as a Lawyers clerk - this is where he acquired the knowledge for the above. He also became a qualified engineer. In his short life the BARLOW-MASSICKS empire in the USA consisted of twenty one mines and licenses, ranching and orchard interests but unfortunately while coming back in 1899 from an inspection of one of the mines his pistol fell from its holster and landed on the bed of the buckboard he was driving. The pistol discharged and the bullet passed through his kidney and into his lung. He took eleven months to die.
He lived in what the locals called ' the castle ' alongside the Lynx creek in the town of MASSICKS, Arizona. The castle still stands and is inhabited but the town is now a ghost town.
from gravestone
from gravestone
This may not be his first entry into America, as he calls himself an American citizen
First Name: Thomas G.B. Last Name: Massicks Ethnicity: USA Occupation: Civil Engineer Last Place of Residence: Date of Arrival: Jun 03, 1893 Age at Arrival: 30y Gender: M Marital Status: Ship of Travel: Germanic Port of Departure: Liverpool & Queenstown Manifest Line Number: 0888 Pieces of Baggage: 8
Civil engineer Thomas Gibson Barlow-Massicks was born in England and came to the Arizona Territory c. 1890, where he founded the Lynx Creek Gold and Land Company. He had extensive mining claims in Yavapai County, Arizona, including the Catoctin Silver Mine. The Town of Massicks grew around the company’s hydraulics operation and ceased to exist when Massicks died of an accidentally self-inflicted gunshot wound. Barlow-Massicks held six U.S. patents for mining equipment, particularly for a gravel washing and amalgamating machine used in hydraulic mining.
Founded the town of MASSICKS in Arizona, USA and also died from accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound aged 36. Occupation mine and ranch owner. To get more info on this go to Google and search for Massicks.
Events
| Birth | 12 Jul 1862 | Whitehaven, Cumberland |  | ||
| Christen | 30 Jul 1862 | Hensingham, Cumberland, England | | ||
| Occupation | 1890 | Captain - Tees Division of Volunteers Sub-Marine Miners - Bright Street, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire | |||
| Immigration | 3 Jun 1893 | Ellis Island, New York, New York, USA | |||
| Occupation | Abt 1895 | President of Lynx Creek Gold and Land Company - The Manor House, Lynx Creek, Prescott, Arizona |  | ||
| Death | 13 May 1899 | Prescott, Arizona, USA | | ||
| Reference No | 1612 | ||||
| Burial | IOOF cemetery, Prescott, Arizona, USA |
Families
| Father | Thomas Barlow MASSICKS (1832 - 1908) |
| Mother | Mary Ann NIXON (1832 - 1898) |
| Sibling | John Nixon MASSICKS ( - 1855) |
| Sibling | Horace MASSICKS (1857 - 1924) |
| Sibling | Mary Louisa Barlow MASSICKS (1859 - ) |
| Sibling | Elizabeth Barlow MASSICKS (1861 - ) |
| Sibling | Edith Alexandra MASSICKS ( - ) |
| Sibling | Marian Horsfall MASSICKS (1865 - ) |
| Sibling | Maud Askew Swainson MASSICKS (1874 - 1906) |
| Sibling | Alfred Millom MASSICKS (1867 - 1884) |
| Sibling | Clara Agnes MASSICKS (1871 - ) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Katherine Augusta MASSICKS (1856 - ) |
Notes
Occupation
Now at the end of N 4th St, Prescott Valley, ArizonaEndnotes
1. GRO, GRO Index of Births, Record Type: Microfilmed Index, Whitehaven 10b 519.
2. Roy Massicks, Roy Massicks, Recipient: Geoff Lowe, Address: Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Author E-mail:
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, International Genealogical Index, Url: http://www.familysearch.org, Batch No.: C043141 Source Call No.: 0090627 Printout Call No.: 6904853.
4. Roy Massicks, Roy Massicks, Recipient: Geoff Lowe, Address: Bay of Islands, New Zealand, Author E-mail: