USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Harrison > Centennial history of Harrison, Maine > Part 19
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A comical incident occurred soon after the hungry ban- queters had begun their attack on the menu. Col. Webb rode up in hot haste, and, evidently alarmed lest the religious introductory feature had been omitted, gave the command
"Grace before meat will now be said by the chaplain !"
To which President Hodgdon, his mouth full of cold chicken, sung out :
"That's already been attended to, Colonel!"
Among the toasts offered was this one by President Wil- liam Baker of Bridgton Academy, in which the lion's tail got another twist :
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"The Fourth of July! It 'rained' over us; which no British monarch has done for half a century."
By and by the column again formed and it marched back to the village proper, where it was dismissed. The festivities of the day were supplemented by a "grand dis- play of fireworks." There was no accident to mar the en- joyment, and the celebration was in all respects a decided success.
The chief actors in that jollification are no more. Colonel Webb,-who furnished six sons for the civil war, including the late sheriff of Cumberland county, Isaiah S. Webb- died quite a number of years ago; Mr. Farnsworth died more recently ; and Horace Billings passed away in May last, at the age of ninety years. * * Alas ! * they are for the most part a vanished throng.
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CHAPTER IX.
AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS.
W TE have no records extant of any agricultural organi- zation in Harrison previous to the fair of 1858, nor of any meeting of farmers for the discussion of farm topics, or for any other purpose whatever, but the great and won- derful success of that exhibition seems to have been the means of starting a great interest in agricultural matters. Very soon after the fair-perhaps that was the starting point-there seems to have been a move toward the organi- zation of some kind of a "club," or "society" of farmers, and a call was issued for a meeting of "the citizens of Har- rison for the purpose of organizing an Agricultural and Mechanics Club," and the meeting was held at the office of A. A. Strout, Esq., at Harrison Village, on December I, 1858. Benjamin F. Peirce was Chairman of the meet- ing, and Joshua Howard, Secretary. Almon A. Strout, Edward K. Whitney, and John Dawes were chosen as a committee to draft a constitution, after which the meet- ing adjourned one week.
For some weeks the work of organizing seemed to move slow, and at the next meeting the committee reported that they were not ready to submit a constitution, and the only business that was done was to discuss the follow- ing resolution: "Resolved, That the organization of an Agricultural and Mechanics Club will be of great benefit to the citizens of this town." The record says naught in regard to the decision of the meeting, but at the meet-
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ing held at the same place on December 15th, the com- mittee reported a constitution, and it was formally adopted as "The Constitution of the Harrison Agricultural and Me- chanics Club." The preamble is evidently the production of A. A. Strout, chairman of the committee, who was then just beginning the practice of law in Harrison, and is as follows :
"We, the citizens of Harrison and vicinity, desirous of advancing the interests of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, of exciting emulation, of enlarging our information, and of availing ourselves of the advantages of united effort in making improvement in these important branches of in- dustry, do form ourselves into a society, and adopt the following as our Constitution."
The constitution itself was evidently drawn by a prac- ticed hand, and in many respects was a model document. With the exception of two or three slight amendments in regard to the time for the election of officers, it remained intact as long as the Club was in existence. Almon A. Strout had been chosen Secretary at the previous meeting, in the place of Mr. Howard, who for some reason was unable to serve, and, following the adoption of the con- stitution, it was voted that he be authorized to receive names for membership, and that the permanent officers of the society be chosen at the next meeting.
The organization of the Club was perfected at the meeting held at Mr. Strout's office on December 29, 1858, by the choice of the following officers :
President - John Dawes.
Vice Presidents - Ezra T. Ingalls, Joshua Howard.
Secretary - Almon A. Strout.
Treasurer - Reuben Hobbs.
Executive Committee - Edward K. Whitney,
Charles T. Thomes, Cyrus Haskell, Stephen W. Blake, Samuel Thomes.
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Thus was brought into existence a somewhat famous farmers' organization, which for many years attracted much attention both at home and abroad, and was a pioneer in the matter of holding town fairs in this part of the State. Several weekly meetings were held at the various school- houses in the winter following the organization, and the very brief reports found in the records indicate a large attendance, and some very lively and interesting discus- sions, the topics being strictly agricultural.
The records of the Club are very incomplete and broken, and in places are badly mutilated by the deliberate cutting out of leaves for some unknown reason, but enough is left to show that the same officers were re-elected at the beginning of 1860, and that Nathaniel P. Harmon and Marquis D. P. Caswell were added to the Executive Committee. At this annual meeting it seems that the practice of meeting at the houses of the members was in- augurated as it was voted to hold the next meeting at the residence of Edward K. Whitney.
The next year is a blank so far as any record is con- cerned, everything relating to it having been destroyed, and no other source of information seems to be available. The next record that we have is of the annual meeting held on January 2, 1861, at which most of the officers were re-elected, the chief change being in the office of Secretary, S. Loton Weston being elected to that position. Several meetings were quite elaborately reported by the new Secretary, and some of the discussions must have been quite interesting. One meeting in particular discussed the topic - "How can we best protect our crops from Insects, Vermin, and the Feathered Pests?" Some thought that the birds should all be allowed to live in order that they might prey upon the insects; others advocated the wholesale slaughter of all if any way could be devised to do it; and still others advocated some kind of half way measures. The. record concludes thus: "It was final-
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ly decided to let each one fight his own battles as best may, and look out for his own crops." Rather a sensi- ble conclusion under the circumstances.
Dr. Weston served the Club as its Secretary through the years 1861 and 1862, but quite a portion of the do- ings during the time are a blank on account of the knife of the mutilator having made too free with the pages of the records. At the annual meeting of 1863, William V. Carsley succeeded the doctor as Secretary, the Ex- ecutive Committee was reduced to three members, and Edward K. Whitney, Nathaniel P. Harmon, and Franklin Walker were chosen to fill the positions.
Strange as it may seem, the records up to this point are entirely silent in regard to the fairs, though it is quite certain that some had been held, and tradition in- forms us they were very successful. In the record of the meeting for March 20, 1861, it was voted, "That the President inform A. A. Strout, the former Secretary, that it is the wish of the society to have a report of the Town Fair of 1860 printed."
At the annual meeting held on January 14, 1863, the matter of Annual Fair was brought up for discussion by the introduction of the following resolve: "Resolved, That the Annual Exhibition of the Harrison Agricultural and Mechanics Club, as conducted for the last few years, is eminently adapted to the interests for which it was intended, and to advance the general welfare of the town, and is therefore highly deserving of the fostering care and liberal patronage of every true citizen, whatever his profession or employment." The record of the next meet- ing tells us that the resolve was duly discussed at the next meeting, and that "all members present were of the unanimous opinion that the Fair and its results were pro- ductive of great good, and that all should do what they could to sustain it." Following the discussion Nathan Carsley, 2nd, was chosen to act in conjunction with the
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Treasurer in obtaining names and money in aid of the Fair. At the next meeting, Hon. Philander Tolman gave the matter another lift by delivering an address upon the subject - "Agriculture, and the Benefits derived from hold- ing Town Fairs."
It is evident that arrangements were made to hold a Fair on that year, but nothing appears in the records, not even the date decided upon until the report of the meeting of October 7th, which is given up entirely to the com- ing Fair. A committee of five was appointed to canvass the town "to see how much each family would do towards furnishing the table, and in aid of the Fair," Charles E. Stuart, Reuben Hobbs, John Johnson, Joshua Howard, and William C. Hill being the members of that committee. A committee composed of four ladies and four gentlemen was appointed to arrange the articles for exhibition in the house, the members being Mrs. David Frost, Mrs. S. Loton Weston, Mrs. J. G. Whitney, Miss Caroline Robie, David Frost, Philander Tolman, Franklin Walker, and O. G. Cook. Walter P. Harmon and Nathan Carsley, 2nd, were a committee of arrangements in the field. There was evidently a strong determination to preserve good order, as the following gentlemen were appointed as Po- lice for the Fair: Walter P. Harmon, Daniel Mayberry, Elliot Libby, Albert Burnham, N. H. Burnham, Cyrus Haskell, Albert Gray, Benj. Foster, 2nd, Ezra F. Foster, James P. Lowell, Charles E. Stuart, John Johnson, John Lombard, Smith Gilkey, and Benj. F. Stanley. Charles E. Stuart agreed to furnish the boards for the table, and for other purposes, and it was voted to furnish a free dinner, and employ the Bridgton Band for the Fair and for the meeting to be held on the next Saturday evening.
It appears that the Fair was held on October 21, 1863, and was very successful. Of course a free dinner and the presence of a first-class band was sure to call out a great crowd, and it seems that the weather was also favorable.
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The occasion seems to have been one of the "great days" for which Harrison is quite famous, and a "grand good time" was reported by everybody. A large exhibition in all departments is indicated by the list of "premiums" given in the report of the Secretary, there being one hun- dred and sixty awards in twenty-seven different classes. These so-called "premiums," be it understood, were simply awards of merit, and carried with them no money, or any- thing of value, not even the cheapest kind of a diploma. No entrance fees on articles for exhibition, no admittance fee, a free dinner, and a high grade band to furnish free mu- sic, was the program of the fairs of those days. The money t defray the necessary expenses was subscribed by the public-spirited citizens of the town, and the fodder for the stock on exhibition was brought by the owners of the animals.
A public meeting was held at the Free Baptist Church on the Saturday evening following the Fair. Bridgton Band was again on hand, and did "discourse most excellent music," after which the reports of the various committees were read making public the awards on the multitude of exhibits at the Fair. The closing number on the program was an address by A. A. Strout, Esq., on the somewhat singular subject: "The Benefits of Agriculture and Its Various Dependencies," which was without doubt able and interesting.
Doing so much as the Club did in 1863 appears to have very nearly exhausted its energies, though it did have life enough left to get together on the following January 12th, re-elect its officers, and straightway adjourn "sine die" without a lisp in regard to any future meetings. Nothing more was heard of this hitherto lively agricul- tural organization till April 6, 1866, when it again met and elected officers, but once more adjourned "sine die." Doubtless this suspension of business was not wholly due to having "overdone," but was in part caused by the
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depressing effects of the War of the Rebellion, which was at its height in 1864, with the life of the nation trembling in the balance, and the "flower of our population" being called to the front in large numbers, many of them to lay down their lives on the southern battle-fields.
Silence again reigned in the field of agricultural effort until October 8, 1868, when a small Fair was held under the auspices of the Club, which seems to have been most- ly out-of-doors. Granville Fernald, Assistant Secretary, who seems to have done all of the clerical work, reported fifty-nine entries of live stock, and thirty-two of field products and garden vegetables, the ladies who had done so much in the past taking no part. At the meeting held on the succeeding evening, the reports of the committees were given as usual, after which the Club proceeded to elect officers for the ensuing year, with the result that there was almost an entire "new deal." The new officers were as follows:
President - Caleb A. Chaplin. Vice Presidents - Edward K. Whitney, Cyrus Haskell.
Secretary - Granville Fernald.
Treasurer - Charles T. Thomes.
Executive Committee - M. F. Winslow, Cyrus C. Johnson, Samuel Abbott.
John Dawes, the retiring President, had been its presid- ing officer since the formation of the Club in 1858, making a continuous service of twenty years. He had long since become a familiar figure at the Fairs, and at all agricultural gatherings, had served faithfully in the field, and in very deed "grown gray in the service." The new President was a younger man, active and energetic, who had the ability to infuse new life into the almost dormant organization.
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For the time the public meetings of the Club seem to have been given up, but another Fair was held on October 8, 1869, which seems to have been almost entirely an ex- hibition of farm stock, and that quite limited. Fifty-nine entries of stock were reported, and only nine committees reported. This very small exhibition was in part due to bad weather and roads, and to a greater extent to a flag- ging interest, and a belief that the great effort that had been made in the past had not paid. Mr. Fernald, the Secretary, in his reports hints strongly at another reason. After summing up the show, and speaking of the almost entire lack of show indoors, he says: "It is hoped that when a suitable building shall be furnished, this branch of farming, as well as the products of mechanical skill and domestic industry and taste, may be more fully illustrated at each recurring Fair."
At the meeting held on October 9th of this year it was voted that the Executive Committee "make arrangements for a series of meetings during the winter," but this does not seem to have been done, as the next that we have record of is a meeting held on March 14, 1870, "for the purpose of reorganization." Here the old officers were mostly re-elected, excepting the Executive Committee, which now consisted of Nathan Carsley, 2nd, Benjamin Stuart, Alphonso Moulton. It was voted that "it is in- expedient to appoint any meetings during the present spring on account of the bad state of the roads," and the meeting adjourned "without day."
The Executive Committee succeeded in obtaining the use of the Free Baptist meeting-house for the indoor exhibitions, fairly successful shows were held in 1870 and 1871, the ladies again contributing their full share towards them. If we remember correctly it was at one of these fairs that the innovation of an "admittance fee" was first proposed, the Executive Committee stating that they were tired of doing so much work for nothing, and
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then being called upon to pay a part of the expenses out of their own pockets, as they had done on the previous year. This proposed change created an uproar at once, and caused a great eruption of generosity on the part of some of the members which proved only temporary. The proposed change in method of managing proved to be the entering wedge to the full adoption very soon after- ward of the system of making the Fairs self-supporting, without any resort to begging.
In 1872, the interest in the Club seemed to revive, and a series of nine meetings was held in various parts of the town during the winter and spring, of which somewhat elaborate records appear from Alphonso Moulton, the Sec- retary pro tem., of all of the meetings, who was a new man in the place, and seemed to take delight in doing lots of work for the Club "just for the fun of it." Lengthy reports appeared in the Bridgton News, and these reports became a regular feature of the News for a time, attract- ing considerable attention, the meetings being very success- ful, and the discussions quite interesting and instructive.
On January 1, 1873, at the annual meeting nearly a new board of officers was chosen, as follows :
President - David Frost. Vice Presidents - Asa P. Whitney, William Perley.
Secretary - Alphonso Moulton.
Treasurer - Reuben Hobbs.
Executive Committee - Nathan Carsley, 2nd,
James G. Whitney, Benj. F. Stanley.
The newly elected Secretary continued in the position as long as the Club was in existence, and also served in the same capacity when Harrison united with other towns in holding fairs. The last records that were made of the doings of the Club are under date of October, 1887, and are in his handwriting.
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The annual meeting of 1873 was the first of a series of about ten, comprising some of the best that had ever been held under the auspices of the Club. As there seemed to be a greater interest in the southern and central por- tions of the town, meetings were held at the Center school- house once in two weeks during the winter season, when the weather permitted, and there were also several very interesting and well attended meetings at Bolster's Mills. This was before the organization of the Grange, and the Club was an organization that was doing much to edu- cate the farmers, make them more successful tillers of the soil, teach them that they were capable of thinking and talking for themselves, and to fit them for member- ship in the more powerful and far reaching farmers' or- ganization that was, even then, in existence in the West.
There was a desire to do something to bring into exis- tence a larger organization than one confined to the limits of one small town, hence there was more or less talk in regard to joining with one or more outside towns in hold- ing fairs, and in 1873, a temporary union of Harrison and Otisfield was brought about, and a Union Fair held at Bolster's Mills, which was quite successful and sat- isfactory. There is no record of it in existence, but it is well remembered by some who took part in it that each town was represented on the temporary board of officers, Harrison taking the leading part on account of larger experience. It was found that it was impossible to create a permanent exhibition with such meager accommodations as could be furnished, and it was not deemed expedient to attempt anything further, although there was the best of feeling among the representatives of each town.
During 1874 there was another series of lively meetings of the Club, with good discussions, thoughtful essays, and reading of selections from noted writers. There seemed to be a disposition to go somewhat outside of strictly agricultural matters, and to select some topics that had
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more than a local interest, showing that the farmers were being educated up to the fact that they were capable of thinking for themselves, and of discussing in an intelli- gent manner some topics that had been heretofore left to politicians with the understanding that the farmers would cheerfully agree to whatever they decided upon. Early in the year the Club discussed this question : "Does the Condition of the Agricultural Interests of the Country Demand any Special Effort in behalf of the Laboring Classes?" The President and Secretary presented care- fully prepared essays on the subject, and their reading was followed by an earnest discussion, which showed that the members had been reading and studying. At the next meeting came the question which logically followed this one - "What can be done to Improve the Condition of the Laboring Classes?" - with essays by two of the mem- bers, and another lively discussion, in which one member took offense because some one had the temerity to reflect in some way upon some government official at Washington. Another topic before the Club soon after, showing that, even then, the farmers were looking ahead to educational matters, was this: "Resolved, That Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts should be taught in our Common Schools." Those who proposed this, and favored its adoption were many years ahead of the times, showing what the Farmers' Club had done to instill progressive ideas into the minds of its members.
In the latter part of that year the Order of Patrons of Husbandry began to attract attention, and was discussed a length at two of the Club meetings, some of the prom- inent members strongly favoring it, while others opposed it as a trap for farmers, and still others were in doubt. Before the close of the year two Granges had been or- ganized in the town, and it is quite certain that they had a decided tendency to lessen the number of Club meet- ings and the interest that had been taken in them for
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some time, as prominent members of the Club had become active in the new organization, believing that it could accomplish much more in some directions than the Club could ever bring about.
In 1876, it was decided to hold a Cattle Show and Fair at Harrison Village, using the Town House and the ad- joining grounds, and it proved to be the largest and most successful exhibition that had ever been held in the town, though it was managed upon principles different from those which had governed the former shows of this Club. At the meeting held on December 3, 1877, it was voted unan- imously that "Fairs should be held annually, and that they shall be governed by the same general principles under which the last two have been managed," and that they should be carried on in such a way as to be self- supporting. The fairs were held annually in 1877, 1878, and 1879, upon the theory that they support themselves without resort to begging, though there was some oppo- sition from outside sources. One member of the Exec- utive Committee, spurred on by some of this outside talk, made quite a flurry in the Club for a short time by pro- posing that the question of how to manage the fairs be submitted to the town at some town meeting, and that the Club be governed by the decision. This proposition was discussed very earnestly at two meetings, and then disposed of by the Club decisively voting that it was ca- pable of managing its own affairs, and intended to do so without any outside interference.
Early in 1880, the matter of joining with some of the neighboring towns in holding Union Fairs was again agi- tated, and as the opinions of the leading farmers seemed to be favorable to the project, the Executive Committee of the Club issued invitations to the farmers of Bridg- ton, Waterford, and Otisfield, to meet with the members of the Harrison Club at Harrison Village on April 5th to discuss the matter. Harrison and Bridgton were the
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only towns represented at the conference, and, although more time was given and further invitations sent out, no other towns responded to the call. The Bridgton dele- gates deemed it advisable to unite with Harrison in the holding of a Union Fair, and voted to do so under the officers of the Harrison Club, with the addition of three members of the Executive Committee, the full committee consisting of the following members: Nathan Carsley, Charles H. Gould, Albion Carsley, Robert A. Barnard, C. C. W. Sampson, Cyrus M. Segon.
Both towns entered into the matter earnestly, and worked together to the end. The Fair was held at the Town House, Harrison, and on the adjoining grounds, and was by all odds the largest and best show that had ever been held in town, though it was much crowded for lack of room. Financially it was also a success, paying all ex- penses and premiums, and having a small surplus remain- ing. So pleased were all with the success of the Union Fair that it was determined to organize a permanent so- ciety, to be known as "The Harrison and Bridgton Farm- ers' and Mechanics' Club," and this organization was per- fected at a meeting held at the Town House, Bridgton, on November 9, 1880. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, and the following officers elected :
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