USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Holden > Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Eddington : history and families > Part 4
USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Eddington > Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Eddington : history and families > Part 4
USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Orrington > Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Eddington : history and families > Part 4
USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Brewer > Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Eddington : history and families > Part 4
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Controversies arose regarding the fishing privileges. In the early grants both grantees were to share these rights; but as the years passed both grantees claimed them for themselves. The General Court of Massachusetts passed an act, February 6, 1807, declaring that all the fisheries were corporate property accord- ing to information from the Massachusetts records.
In 1798, Oliver Leonard was chosen as the first representative to the General Court from the town. The Oliver Leonard residence was about a mile above the Bangor-Brewer ferry on lot #53 upon which John Thoms had settled. Leonard obtained title to the farm while Thoms occupied it; but Thoms, for some reason for- bade him to take possession. He drew a line in front of his house over which he told Leonard to pass at his peril. Leonard did so and was shot and severely wounded. Thoms was then arrested and sent to Pownalborough, where he was tried, con- victed, and sentenced to "sit on a gallows." He later returned to Brewer and died there.
According to some records others who served the General Court from that time until 1820 were: Joseph Carr, Timothy Freeman, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, and Rev. Enoch Mudge.
Mail was important, then as always, and the post office will be discussed in more detail in a later chapter. However, the first post office was established in 1800 and Colonel John Brewer was appointed postmaster. He held the office for eighteen years. When the division of the towns took place this became the Brewer post office. In the same year a new post office was pro- vided for Orrington and Benjamin Nourse was given the office of postmaster.
CHAPTER V
THE INDIANS IN BREWER
In the days before our forefathers sailed up the broad Penob- scot to hew down the trees of the virgin forests and to build the foundation for what was to become the Brewer of today, the Valley was inhabited by members of the Tarratines and other Abenaki tribes. Several writers locate the famed city of "Norumbega", which Milton refered to in his Paradise Lost, at this point. One states that Brimmer Flats, opposite the mouth
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of the Kenduskeag Stream, is thought to be the site of this mythical city, often rather indefinitely refered to by the early voyagers to the Western Continent. The Penobscot River was first called "Norumbegue". On some of the old charts the bound- aries of Ancient Norumbega reached from Pemaquid to St. Croix and included Mount Desert Island and the Penobscot River Valley. According to some old French maps, the boundary of Acadia also commenced in this area.
There were no permanent settlements in this valley until after the construction of Fort Pownal. According to some au- thorities, this was due to the danger from Indian attacks. Readers will recall that under the discussion of Pownal's trip to the Brewer area, reference is made to an ultimatum which was made by him to the Tarratines, warning them against any attack on the settlers.
There is no record of further attack from that source and as the years passed a good relationship developed between the settlers of the town and the Indians. The so-called "Sand Bank" was a camping ground for the Indians long before Colonel Brewer began his settlement. This sheltered position offered a safe and convenient stop over for them in their journeys up and down the river. Records tell us that there were at times forty or more wigwams in the flat between Smith's Mill and the Toll Bridge during the summer. This was only one of the several spots in the town which was used by them as summer camping grounds. During this season they traveled down the river to the sea where they hunted seals. The camping grounds on the river made in-between stations for them.
The land held by the Indians in this town was deeded to them from the State of Massachusetts before Maine was set off. Ac- cording to the records on June 24, 1818, the Commissioners agreed that the Indians should have also for occupation, two acres of land in Brewer opposite Kenduskeag Point. Notes of the late Manly Hardy of Brewer show that other encampments for the summer were located; one at the site of the Old Stetson Marine Railway, and another in a beautiful oak grove at the site of the Dirigo Mill (on South Main Street near Burr Street). There were additional camp sites out near Whiting's Hill and in the woods near the Green Point Road. At this time there were no roads leading to these sites and the Indians traveled to their
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camps via a path through the woods. We find, in other records, that another camp was at one time located near the junction of Wilson Street and the Tannery Brook. Because of the changing geography of the city, neither the hills nor the brook exist today as they did at that time. The tannery brook was converted in later years to a trunk sewer.
One of the reasons for the coming of these Indians to Brewer was to carry on the fur trading business. Mr. Jonathan Hardy came here from New Hampshire in 1811. He, and later his son, Manly Hardy, were engaged in the fur trade. They were excellent friends with the Indians and both enjoyed a reputation for fair dealing. Both men became trusted advisors of the red men. Their dealings were always of such character that the Indians never lost their respect for the men. In fact, so much did they respect their judgment, that the Hardys were consulted many times in matters of tribal concern.
A winter encampment is said to have been made on the point of land where the dam is now located. During the time spent in this camp the Indians made moccasins, which were among the various types of goods which were later sold. There was an excellent market for the moosehide moccasins. These were sold largely to lumbering centers. We find mention of one order for a concern in Minnesota, for one hundred dozen pair of moccasins.
Molly Molasses, a familiar name in the Indian lore of this locality, was an Indian woman who died in 1867. She said that in the winter time the Indians hunted moose on Thomas Hill in Bangor, near the present site of the Stand Pipe. (water tower). In the fall of the year hunting trips were made to Kenduskeag in order that they could lay by their winter's supply of meat. She told this tale to Mr. Hardy and it is borne out in a statement written by Jacob Holyoke, who was born in Brewer in 1795. The late Miss Alice Farrington told of hearing her father tell of Molly Molasses coming to the door and saying "Piece pork?" or asking for molasses.
In a talk which was given by Mr. Manly Hardy on the "Life and Customs of the Indians" we find much interesting and valuable information on these aboriginal inhabitants of the area. Mr. Hardy was well qualified to write or speak upon this topic as he was practically brought up among them. He played with
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the Indian boys and learned from them their native skills of hunting, fishing, swimming, and handling a canoe.
According to his earliest memories, Mr. Hardy stated that the Indians were living in conical shaped tepees made from birch bark; but by the time he became a young man, many of them had forsaken this more primitive mode of life and were using canvas tents.
When working in the fields they wore their aboriginal dress, which, as Mr. Hardy expressed it, consisted of "a breach clout and a pleasant smile." When dressed for hunting the Indians wore leggings which reached to the thighs and an ornately trimmed buckskin hunting shirt. Hats or caps were not worn even in the most severe winter weather with the exception of the fact that when they were hunting they wore a sort of a fur hunting cap in the shape of a hood which came down over the wearer's shoulders and served the practical purpose of keeping the snow out of his neck. On occasions when there were tribal celebrations the men sometimes wore a head band of silver from four to eight inches wide. The tall beaver hats worn by the the settlers of that day were eyed with delight by the squaws, who took great pride in wearing them on all occasions of state. The rugged constitutions of these people is borne out in the fact that they never wore anything on their hands, even in the coldest weather of the winter. We are told, in Mr. Hardy's notes, that there was one man, the best deer hunter in the tribe, who went out in all sorts of winter weather with the breast of his hunting shirt open to the wind and the cold.
The Indian was a Socialist and the first principles of socialism must have come from him. All property was communal, at least as far as subsistence was concerned. Whenever a man returned from a successful hunting expedition, he carried his deer into camp and the entire tribe ate of it, each cutting from the animal as much as he wanted. It was a case of "all for one and one for all". If one family was fortunate enough to have a bag of flour anyone might dip out as much as he wanted. On occasion an Indian family might seat themselves for a meal when visitors would arrive. The family would immediately retire in favor of the visitors and sit by and watch their meal disappear. After the visitors had finished the family would prepare another meal if there happened to be enough food left for the preparation.
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Many people have conceived the idea that the Indian was a lazy individual. The opposite was usually the case. They dis- couraged laziness. They believed that every member of the tribe should do his share of the work. On a hunting trip if one member shot a deer it was the responsibility of the less fortunate one to carry it back to the camp. The men of the tribe did the hunting and fishing and provided the tribe with food. While the less fortunate member of the hunting party was carrying the deer or preparing it to leave until the return of the rest of the expedi- tion, the first man might shoot another deer. It then became the duty of the second man to care for that one also. In this manner one man might be continually taking care of the deer shot by his companion and never have the opportunity to shoot one for himself. If, when he was hunting alone, an Indian shot a deer he left it and returned to the camp, sending the young men of the camp out to bring in the prize. This was an unwritten law of the Indians, and one which they always recognized and obeyed.
We mentioned earlier that in the summer time the Indians went down to the sea to hunt the seal. They also hunted porpoise and other game. The trips were made in the Indian canoes. If someone in on canoe killed a porpoise he "flashed" another canoe. "Flashing" consisted of holding up a wet paddle and letting the sun strike it at such an angle as to throw a flash of sunlight which could be seen for a long distance. This was the aboriginal heliograph. The canoe which was flashed immediately stopped hunting and paddled to the first canoe. The porpoise was thrown to the second canoe to be cared for. This method assured that every man should do his share. If he was not as diligent in hunting as his brother, he was assigned to the less congenial task of caring for the game which the other had killed.
That Mr. Hardy's friendship with the Indians was appreciated was made manifest by the numerous articles made by them which were among his most precious possessions. Among them were an Indian pipe carved out of a slate-like type of rock, a powder horn, a silver ornament as large as a breakfast plate and pierced with a design in hearts, diamonds, and stars, and also an Indian crooked knife which was presented to him by one of his Indian brothers with the admonition that he was not to lose it.
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Between the years 1825 and 1850 we are told that the number of Indians in the town equaled, if indeed they did not outnumber, the white people here. There had been trouble in the Penobscot tribe over the sale of timber and other matters. This trouble caused a number of red men to go into voluntary exile from the tribe. These Indians settled in seven little settlements in Brewer. They were always peaceable and friendly and relations between them and the white settlers were of the best. John Neptune, Molly Molasses, and others were regular visitors to the Hardy home.
Indians camped in the woods on the back end of the Chamber- lain farm. When Joshua was a lad it was a thrilling adventure to be allowed to listen to the wild dark stories of old in which they recounted the meetings with the dreaded Mohawks, and told weird and ghostly tales of Katahdin, the storm god. One Indian superstition regarding Mt. Katahdin suggested that if a person advanced beyond the timber line he would disappear and never be heard of again. It was many years before an Indian could be persuaded to climb the mountain beyond the timber line.
In 1822 a society was formed in Bangor for the purpose of improving the lot of the Penobscot Indians. In July of that year Mr. Josiah Brewer took charge of a school in Old Town which was sponsored by this society. Mr. Brewer was ideally suited for the position. He loved the work and he had a kindly, patient, and persuasive manner which endeared him to the thirty children who attended the school. This made it possible for him to accomp- lish a great deal with them. He held the position for only a few months, however, as the society did not have sufficient funds to continue to maintain the school. Mr. Brewer then became a missionary to Syria under the American Board of Missions.
Many Indian names still in use are so familiar to us that we may forget their origin. Mrs. Eckstorm stated that "my father, the late Manly Hardy, used to cruise much with the Penobscot Indians along the coast and was told by them that the Marge- bagaduce (by any spelling preferred) meant ‘a bad landing place for canoes'." She mentioned that the old road that goes through Holden, passing the Town Hall and on up over Hart Hill, was the old road to Castine and was called the Bagaduce Road. This name was given especially to the mile of road be- tween the Town Hall and the Gilmore settlement. According
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to Mrs. Eckstorm, this "would be quite inexplicable were it not understood as a survival in a fragment only of a name of once much wider application."
We have long been interested and amused by the name "Segunkedunk" which never fails to bring forth chuckles when a listener hears it for the first time. The stream in South Brewer which bears this name was so called by the Indians because of its swift current. There are many Indian names in this vicinity but probably the most familiar one is that given to our county and river, Penobscot. According to the Indians, Penobscot or Penobskeag means 'the place of the rocks'.
The encampments are gone and with them the friendly red men. Gone, too, are their arts and skills, and their tales of weird excitement and fierce adventure; but we feel that they have left their mark and are an integral part of our town's history.
CHAPTER VI
THE WAR OF 1812
A serious setback to the economic development of Brewer occurred during the War of 1812. The citizens of the town, as a whole, did very little in the way of direct participation in the struggle. Since the British held undisputed occupancy of the waters of Penobscot Bay and River there was not much that could be done by the inhabitants of this area, save to take the position of non-combatants. However, this British control of the waters meant that ships were tied up and with the temporary stoppage of trade the other activities of the town were affected.
As far as actual suffering is concerned, the British expedition seems to have affected Brewer less than it did the other settle- ments. There have been some stories told about events which occurred during this time; but in the town itself there was little real fighting. It has been said that when the British ships passed Brewer Village, they shot a cannon up the road which led from the river to Main Street. The road is now known as Chambers Street. The shot penetrated the rear of the Chambers house which was located at the corner of Main Street and
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rolled harmlessly along the kitchen floor opposite where Leroy Chambers, then a small baby, was being rocked in his cradle.
The original Joseph Burr house was built on North Main Street not too far from the dam and on the opposite side of the street. Another anecdote of the war is told of this family. The Brig Adams of the United States Navy was being repaired at Hampden when word was received that the British fleet was ascending the river. The captain realized, of course, that they were after his brig and he set up cannon on the shore and prepared for an attack. The warning was sent out to the settlers who made ready to defend themselves insofar as it was possible. On a stormy night the enemy arrived. After only one exchange of shots the farmers ran and as the captain noted this he spiked the guns and burned his brig. The British sailed on up the river "taking liberties as well as food and drink". Joseph Burr Jr. was then a lad of sixteen. He climbed up on the roof of the Burr house to watch the activity. A shot from one of the vessels went over his head and buried itself in the ground beyond. It was later dug up; in all probability by the young man himself. Since the family realized that their enemy would take whatever they desired, all the food in the house was hidden beneath the floor boards. There was no cooking done while the British were in the river. When the ships left for the return trip to Castine, Mrs. Burr, deciding that they had fasted long enough, asked her young daughter to prepare some food. The floor boards were then removed, showing cheese, milk, and other articles of food. The cake which Eliza Burr then made, was known from that time forward as "The British Cake".
Before the appearance of the British on the river, Mrs. Nathanial Tibbetts had made several large cheeses. On being informed that the British were on the way, she decided to try to save her cheeses. She put them in the front room of the house, made a bed over them, and put one of her children in the bed. As some British soldiers were about to enter the room she said, "Now, gentlemen, you may enter that room if you wish, but my child in there has the smallpox." It worked.
Several men from Brewer enlisted in the service and went to the defense of Eastport from August 11 to August 31, 1812.
When the British fleet arrived on the river in September, 1814, the Orrington militia was ordered to Hampden for service,
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where they were on duty from September 2 to September 4. The eastern militia, during the battle of Hampden was under the command of Brigadier-General John Blake of Brewer. General Blake was a veteran of the Revolutionary War. He had a splendid record and his bravery was undoubted. Later, on May 15, 1815, he received the commendation of the Court of Inquiry.
On the seventeenth of August 1814, the United States corvette Adams with twenty-four guns and two hundred and fifty-eight men was damaged when it was driven upon the rocks at Isle au Haut during bad weather. Since she had successfully captured a ship, two brigs, and a schooner, she had become the target of the British cruisers. Under the command of Captain Morris she was brought up the river and anchored off the mouth of the Sowadabscook Stream in Hampden where she was to be repaired. The British soon heard that she was there and made plans to capture her.
Sir John Sherbrook and Rear Admiral Griffeth sailed with a British fleet from Halifax to take possession of the Penobscot Valley. Their plans included the taking of the town of Machias on the way here but they fell in with another sloop and were informed of the presence of the Adams on the river so they went directly to Castine and demanded the surrender of the fort there. As soon as this surrender was accomplished, Major- General Gosselin was sent to occupy the town of Belfast in order that the armed population there would not hinder the capture of the Adams or render any assistance in her defense. Captain Barry, in command of ships, and Lieutenant-Colonel John, with a detachment of artillery, were then sent up the river to Hampden. Their orders were to either capture or destroy the Adams.
Lieutenant Little and his detachment of militia had been forced to leave Castine on the arrival of the British fleet and he was marching overland up the river. He soon discovered that the British were keeping pace with him as he marched along and that a detachment was being landed in order to intercept him and his men. Little then left the main road and followed a route around Sweat's Hill in Orrington, arriving by nightfall at Goodale's Corner. There the Hon. Mr. Goodale provided him and his men with good quarters for the night. This detour prevented Lt. Little (of Bucksport) from joining the main body of militia
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at Hampden. Mr. Little, however, must have returned often to Orrington, for he later married the daughter of Mr. Goodale.
Captain Morris, when he learned that the British were at Castine, knew at once that the Adams was their objective. He communicated with Brigadier-General Blake and asked him to collect such forces as he could and come with them to Hampden. While the ship was under repair, her guns had been removed and they were now set up at various points of vantage along the land.
The British troops landed at Hampden on September 3 and were attacked by the American troops under the command of General Blake. Blake had succeeded in collecting about five hundred militiamen of Colonel Andrew Grant's regiment, and Captain Charles Hammond's Company from Bangor. The people of this area were undecided about putting up a defense and were more or less inclined to submit rather than to have the enemy take their possessions. Many of General Blake's men were unarmed and Captain Morris distributed muskets and ammunition from the ship's supplies among them. Many of the officers had had no previous military experience and the men were raw and undisci- plined soldiers.
When the British charged the hill in an effort to take possession of the guns, the inexperienced militiamen became panic stricken and fled. Captain Morris, seeing how things were going, ordered his men to fire the ship. So the ship was blown up by her own men, but the guns which had been placed on the shore fell into the hands of the enemy. General Blake was the last to leave the field. The affair resulted in a dismal failure as far as the men of this area were concerned; but it is no wonder that brave men failed in such an unequal contest.
A number of men were left in Hampden to hold the town and the British went on to Bangor.
Some records state that a group of seamen from the Adams opened fire on the British and succeeded in holding them off for a short time. Meanwhile, however, the militia had "fired and fled". During the encounter Captain Morris lost one sailor and one marine, who was too weak from illness to accompany the others in their retreat. The British had ten men either killed or wounded.
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As they were sailing up the river on the day when the Battle of Hampden took place, the men on the British vessels amused themselves by firing cannon balls at non-combatants on the east side of the river in Orrington. One of those was fired through the house of William Loud who lived near the ferry. They shot and killed a Mr. William Reed. According to the inscription on his gravestone in the cemetery at North Bucks- port, Mr. Reed was born at Snow Hill in Worcester County, Maryland, August 23, 1767. He was killed at Orrington by a thirty-six pound cannon ball fired from the English sloop of war, Sylph, commanded by Commodore Barrie on September 3, 1814.
The sloop continued up the river. Another cannon ball came so near the head of Mr. James Brooks that his hat was blown off. When the near-tragic event took place, Mr. Brooks, with his children and cattle, was hastening to seek the shelter of the woods. A short way farther along the river, a cannon ball was fired through the meeting house. According to the records of the Methodist Orrington Quarterly Conference, the meeting scheduled to be held that day was cancelled. The records read, "Sept. 3, 1814, the British troops coming up the river prevented Q. M. They shot a cannon ball through the meeting house this day."
The British marched on the way to Bangor from Hampden. There they pillaged the town. The Court House, taverns, and certain private homes were taken over as barracks for the enemy. Eight merchant vessels in the river at the time were either taken or burned. The citizens of the town were forced to swear allegiance and to give bond for their future actions.
Three unlaunched vessels at Brewer were burned following the activity at Hampden. One record states that there were twenty vessels in Bangor harbor at the time. This number includes the three unlaunched ones at Brewer. Fourteen of these were burned and six were taken away by the enemy. The British remained in Bangor about thirty hours and the damage done by them amounted to about $45,000.
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