Gazetteer of the state of Maine, Part 54

Author: Varney, George J
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Boston Russell
Number of Pages: 648

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The General Assembly of Massachusetts in 1763 granted 13 town- ships, each 6 miles square, lying on the east side of Penobscot River, to 13 companies, or proprietors, who were to lay out the townships, settle 60 families in each,-and make improvements,-which was done. The earliest regular settlement of the township commenced at Bangor in 1769; and settlements in other towns following year by year. From 1774 to 1779, John Herbert, the first physician in Bangor, was the principal speaker in the religious meetings, and in the winter taught school. The first minister that preached statedly in this county was Rev. Mr. Knowles, from Cape Cod ; who, about 1780-83, was with the people scattered along the banks of the river from Frankfort to Bangor. The next minister was Rev. Seth Noble, a Congregationalist, a native of Westfield, Mass., but who had resided in Nova Scotia ; where by voice and influence he gave support to the cause of the colonies, and was therefore forced to flec. He came to Bangor in 1786, and was engaged as a religious teacher at £100 per year. He was installed on Sept. 10, in that year, under some ancient oaks near the corner of Oak and Washington streets, Bangor ; Rev. Daniel Little of Wells, deputed by the church in Wells, giving him the charge and the right-hand of fellowship,-Mr. Noble preaching the sermon. He remained five years, and died in Ohio in 1807. The first Congregational church or- ganized in the county was at Brewer, Sept. 9, 1800. The Penobscot Congregational Conference was organized at Brownville (then in Penobscot County) in 1825, and embraced three ministers, 8 churches, and 400 members. Rev. Jesse Lee, the Methodist Apostle of New

* See article on Oldtown and that on the Indians in the first part of this work.

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PENOBSCOT RIVER AND BAY.

England, in 1793, spent a month in missionary work along the Pe- nobscot. In 1795 societies of the Methodists were organized in the county by Rev. Joshua Hall, of the New London Conference (Conn). Rev. Timothy Merrill was placed on the Hampden Circuit in 1799, and preached in Bangor. The first Baptist church was formed in Etna in 1807, by Rev. John Chadbourne of Shapleigh, missionary of the denomination in the county. About 1809 the first Free Baptist society of the county was organized in Dixmont. The first Episco- palian church was gathered in Bangor in 1834, and the first Uni- versalist church in Hampden in 1825. The Unitarian church at Bangor was organized in 1818, and the Swedenborgian in 1840. The Christian denomination formed their first churches in Exeter and Newport in 1815, and the Adventists in 1842-43. The production of lumber has always been the most prominent industry of the county. The first railroad in the county and state was the Bangor, Oldtown and Milford, incorporated in 1833, opened in 1836. This was discontinued on the opening of the European and North American Railway. The Maine

Central Railroad has 27 miles of its road, i. e. from Somerset County to Bangor in this county. The Dexter and Newport Railroad was opened in 1868 as a branch of the Maine Central. The Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad was chartered in 1861, the construction com- menced in the spring of 1869 and completed from Oldtown (where it connects with the European and North American Railway), to Blan- chard in the autumn of 1876. The length of this road in the county is 15 miles. The Bucksport and Bangor Railroad was chartered in 1870, the survey made in the autumn of 1872, the construction commenced in the spring of 1873, and trains began to run regularly over the whole length Dec. 21, 1874. Nine and one-half miles of its 19 are in Penob- scot County. It was formerly operated by the European and N. A. road, when it was broad gauge. An extension of this road to Ells- worth is likely to be made the coming season.

The military of this county were first called into active service in 1814, to repel the British forces ascending the river; again in 1839, they were called out in large force to aid in keeping the peace in Aroos- took County during the boundary dispute; and for a third time in the late civil war. The second Maine regiment, six companies of the Sixth Maine, the Eighteenth Maine regiment, and the First heavy artillery, were composed chiefly of regiments of this county. Monuments in honor of the fallen brave of this war stand in the cemeteries at Bangor, Brewer, Hampden, Dexter, Newport, and perhaps other places.

Penobscot River and Bay. The Penobscot River has well been called the main artery of the State. Its fluviatile dis- trict illustrates the geographical ideal of the river basin-appearing as a mere point at the mouth of the stream, and interior-ward expanding symmetrically upon both sides of the central channel, presently em- branching into subordinate basins, themselves disposed likewise about tributary streams, which in their turn break up into still smaller basins located upon still smaller tributaries, until the whole takes on the sim- ilitude of a mighty tree. The greatest length of the Penobscot basin from north to south is 160 miles, its greatest breadth, 115 miles ; area, 8,200 square miles. Eight hundred square miles discharge their sur- plus water into the main river, below its lowest water-power, at Ban-

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gor. The Penobscot country is less elevated above the sea than the Kennebec, and considerably less than the Androscoggin, as results from the subsidence of the whole State surface from west to east. Yet the northern portion has a mean height of 1,085 feet. The loftiest portion of the basin is at the head waters of the main river (west branch), which has an altitude of from 1,600 to 2,000 feet. The west branch is properly a continuation of the main river which, down to the Mattawamkeag, should be called the Upper Penobscot, as the river below should be called the Lower Penobscot. There are 1,604 streams represented upon the State map in the Penobscot system. The Mat- tawamkeag, its largest eastern branch, is 300 feet wide at its mouth, and the Penobscot 500 feet at the same point. The Piscataquis, the largest western branch, is 250 feet wide for 25 miles above its mouth. The mean width of the Penobscot for several miles above Bangor is about 800 feet. From the confluence of the Mattawamkeag to the open sea, the Penobscot has a length of about 120 miles; from the junction of the Matagamon to the sea, 132 miles; from its extreme head waters, about 260 miles; or including the windings, 300 miles. The main water-power section extends from Lake Chesuncook to Ban- gor, 120 miles, the fall being 900 feet, or via the Mattagamon, from Lake Mattagamon to Bangor, 115 miles, a fall of about 850 feet. The annual discharge is estimated at 319,800,000.

The number of lakes and ponds in the basin of the Penobscot, rep- resented upon the State map, is 467. Of these 185 are above the lower powers of the main Penobscot, and have a combined surface of 395 square miles. The volume of the river in the vicinity of Bangor as- sumed to be 146,250 cubic feet per minute for the 24 hours at the period of extreme low run, the power in the 92 feet of fall from Mil- ford to Bangor would be 55,600 horse-power gross, or 2,224,000 spin- dles for eleven hours a day.

Penobscot Bay forms a fitting entrance to its magnificent river. The head of the bay is 30 miles from the sea, the width for 15 miles from the sea is about 20 miles, while it is 8 miles in width at the head. The islands within it form several towns, and add to its beauty and interest. Everywhere there is sufficient depth for the largest vessels, and open water the year round to Bucksport, some six miles above the head of the bay. A marked feature of the lower bay is its granite islands, furnishing the best qualities of this stone in inexhaustible quan- tities. As far north as Frankfort and Bucksport, gneiss, schists, gran- ite and limestone intermingle, with the first predominating. Thence northward to the Piscataquis, mica-schist prevails, with granite about the Passadumkeag. North of Piscataquis succeeds clay slate ; but on the left bank, schist prevails to some distance north of the Mattawam- keag, where clay slate is struck. The last rock occupies much the larger proportion of the northern part of the basin, with granite abun- dant about Katahdin, and sandstone north-east of Moosehead Lake, and mica-schist at the head of the main river, west branch. Slaty rocks are largely in excess of all other forms, and at some points are of unsurpassed quality for roofing purposes. The basin of the Penob- scot is mountainous from the sea to above the head of the tide at Ban- gor, thence northward, gently undulating, to, into and throughout the region of the east and Mattawamkeag branches, until it is insensibly blended with the valley of the Aroostook. On the main river, above

CAMBRIDGE

BRICHER-CO-BOSTON

BOSTON AND BANGOR STEAMSHIP CO.,-FORMERLY SANFORD LINE.

4$8

GAZETTEER OF MAINE.

Nicatou, it is more broken, and is singularly diversified with lakes, ponds, swamps, streams, hills, valleys and detached peaks. The Ka- tahdin Mountains, the highest in Maine, affording a prospect charac- teristic and sublime from the vast breadth of level country overlooked, lie upon the left bank. Further west, the valley becomes merged with that of the Kennebec on the south, and the Allaguash on the north, and terminates on the north-west at the highland boundaries of the State, and in the swamps and lagoons which form the common reser- voir of the St. John and Penobscot.

At the period when America was still an unknown New World, Spanish, French, Dutch and English navigators alike praised Penob- scot Bay and River. The earliest Spanish explorer, Gomez, honored himself by naming the river " Rio de Gomez; " and others of his na- tion called it " Rio Grande," "Rio Hermoso,"-the great, the beauti- ful river. Thevet, the French explorer, visiting it in 1556, described it as " one of the finest rivers in the whole world." Samuel Cham- plain, exploring in the service of the French in 1604-5, enthusiastically says, "The river banks are covered with verdure, and here and there lovely stretches of meadow." Judge Godfrey of Bangor, who has studied deeply into the history of this region, says the name of this river was reported by the French in sixty different ways during their occupancy, to 1664. The principal spelling made use of was Panan- aushek. The Indian name was Penobsceag or Penobscoote, suggested by the rocky falls just above Bangor. From these, doubtless, the New Plymouth colonists formed the name Penobscot, by which this river was known to them as early as 1626. The Dutch were so well pleased with the region that they sent a man-of-war to it in 1676, and captured the French fortifications on the bay and river. The Dutch were driven off by the English, but the French held possession of a part of the river to 1745, when most of them removed to Canada. On the fall of Quebec, in 1749, the whole passed to the British crown, where the title remained until the Revolution placed it within the borders of a new nation.

The first steamboat on the Penobscot was the "Maine," Captain Cram, which arrived in Bangor, May 23, 1824. It ran to Portland during the summer season. The "Bangor," a larger boat, Captain George Barker, was put on the route in 1834. In 1849 small, flat-bot- tomed steamers commenced running above Bangor, affording oppor- tunity to observe the pleasing scenery of the navigable section of the river. The Sanford line of steamers, by the excellence of its boats and management, has possessed so long the steam transportation between this river and the west as to become historic in its interest. Started as a personal enterprise by Menemon Sanford, in 1845-36 years ago, -it formed soon after a union with the Kennebec Steamship Com- pany, the joint line becoming known under the name of the San- ford Independent Line. The first steamer put upon the line was the Penobscot, followed, in a few years, by the Boston, each about 600 tons burthen. In 1852 the lines were divided, the Penobscot boats re- taining the name of the combined lines. In 1859 the Menemon San- ford, of 900 tons, and the Kennebec, of 500 tons, were added to the line. In 1862 the Katahdin, of 1,200 tons, and 1867 the Cambridge, of 1,500 tons, were added, the six boats having been built by Englis in New York, for Captain Sanford. In 1875, the present company was

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formed with a capital of $500,000. The Sanford and the Boston, while under lease to the government, during the late war, were lost, the first on the Florida Keys and the second in one of the South Carolina bayous. The Penobscot was sold to private parties, and the Kennebec, while under charter to government, was lost or disabled so that she never returned to the company. The boats now on the line are the Cambridge, commanded by Capt. Otis Ingraham, the Katahdin, Capt. W. R. Roix, and the New Brunswick, Capt. F. C. Homer. Trips each way are now made daily, Sundays excepted, during the summer, be- tween Boston and the Penobscot, also Mount Desert, five days in the week, by connection with another line of steamers at Rockland. A new steamer of 1,500 tons is now building in the yard of Messrs. Smith & Townsend, at East Boston. Though the river closes by ice at Ban- gor, for 125 days on an average, each year, it is rarely frozen over so as to stop steam navigation below Bucksport, which being connected with Bangor by railroad, becomes a convenient winter-port for this noble city. Only from a balloon could a better view of Penobscot Bay be obtained of the shores than from the fine steamers that ply this river and along the coast. After passing Cape Ann eastward to the Penobscot the first land to be seen is the high and solitary Monhegan Island, visible to early risers on the boats; next Whitehead Point is noticed, and several islands, of which Dix Island, remarkable for its granite, is most interesting. Away to the right now are the ancient " Fox Islands," the two principal ones constituting the towns of Vinal- haven and North Haven ; the rugged and historic promontory of Owl's Head is passed, whose fog-bells are silent and whose flashing light grows more and more spirit-like in the dawning day; and then the city of Rockland gleams along the level line of her shore ; and among the hills perchance arises the scarcely-visible smoke from her numer- ous lime-kilns. Next Camden, nestling in a nook of the hills on a deep angle of the bay, is seen ; and north of the village Mount Battie and high Megunticook send their spurs down to the very shore. North- port, with its camp-meeting cottages and oak groves, is next noted -pressing out its bold shores; then the hill-side city of Belfast is seen smiling over its expansive bay. Beyond this, Sear's Island thrusts its level plain across the steamer's course, and breezy Fort Point, with its summer hotels, quickly hides the gleaming village of Stockton. Oppo- site the head of the high, barren Wetmore Isle (town of Verona), the granite walls of Fort Knox, with their dark port-holes, command re- spectful attention. Then the steamer feels the swifter current of Bucks- port Narrows, and a sudden turn reveals on the right the bright village of Bucksport, with the Methodist East Maine Conference Seminary at the height of the eminence, attracting the eye by its bold relief. The river now becomes more narrow and picturesquely sinuous, and vessels lumber-laden glide sea-ward leaving fresh odors of pine and cedar upon the breeze ; while on the left towers the granite mass of Mount Waldo, with Mounts Heagan and Mosquito nearly in line. Then the buxom village of Winterport presents itself to the eye, and we turn from it, and round the intrusive capes above ; then watch Hampden's long narrow village until we catch glimpses of Bangor and Brewer on their commanding hills, where our voyage ends. Descending the river, the same objects engage our attention until we reach the bold bluff of the Castine promontory on our left with its sea-ward looking village on

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the southern slope. North Haven and Vinalhaven with their rocks and woody points, are passed, and the long shores of Little and Great Deer Isles, and we reach the freer waters of Isle-au-Haut Bay, and dis- cover the bold shore and the mountain-saddle of Isle-au-Haut, the land's end of the eastern side of the noble Penobscot .*

Perham Plantation, in Aroostook County, lies in range 4, and is numbered 14. It is separated from Caribou by Woodland Plantation, and has Wade Plantation on the south. It is 64 miles N. N. W., of Houlton, via Caribou. The nearest railroad connection is at Caribou, ten miles distant. The Little Madawaska Lake lies on the northern border, and Salmon Brook Lake a little north of the centre of the town. The principal streams are Salmon Brook, West Branch of Salmon Brook, and West Branch of Caribou River. The plantation has one saw and shingle-mill.

In this plantation is a valuable iron mine, the ore yielding about 44 per cent. of iron, quite free from sulphur. The underlying rock is calcareous slate. The soil is loamy. and free from stones. Potatoes, wheat and hay are the leading crops. The usual trees flourish in the forests. There is a large quantity of land reserved for schools.

The first settlement in this township was made in 1860. It was organized as a plantation in 1867, being named in honor of Hon. Sid- ney Perham, subsequently governor of the State. There is a Baptist society here, who sustain a minister. There are three public school- houses, and the school property is valued at $1,100. The population in 1870 was 79. In 1880 it was 346. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $12,905. In 1880 it was $31,073. The rate of taxation was one cent on the dollar.

Perkins in Sagadahoc County, lies in the Kennebec River between Richmond on the west bank and Dresden in Lincoln County, on the east. Its length is about 34 miles and 44 in width. It bore the name of Swan Island almost from the time when it was first known until its separation from Dresden and incorporation under its present name in 1847. It lies 14 miles north of Bath, on the line of the Ken- nebec, Portland and Boston steamers. The nearest railroad station is at East Bowdoinham for the southern part and Richmond village for the northern. The town is mostly level, and is well wooded and fer- tile. When first discovered by Europeans, the island was the residence of Sebenoa, the sachem of the lower Kennebec. Col. Church and his men in 1692 had a conflict with a large body of savages at this place, in which the Indians were routed, some escaping to the mainland, and some to their fort at Teconnet, near Waterville.

The post-office for the town is Richmond. Perkins has one public schoolhouse, valued at $600. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $36,792. In 1880 it was $37,594. The population in 1870 was 71. In 1880 it was 78.

Perkins Plantation is situated in the southern part of Franklin County, between Temple and Carthage, and on the stage-line from Wilton to Weld. Originally it was a part of Carthage. Its

* For further information in regard to these points, see the towns in which they belong.

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PERRY.

dimensions are 3 miles from north-east to south-west, and 4 miles in a direction at right angles with this; but the south-eastern corner is notched by Washington Plantation (formerly No. 4), to the extent of nearly two square miles. The nearest railway station is at Farmington, 18 miles distant.

Originally, with Washington Plantation, it was a part of Carthage, but was set off and called Number 4. Its plantationn ame is in honor of Dr. Perkins of Farmington, who early owned the territory. The nearest post-office is Weld.

The plantation has a church of the Christian denomination. There are three schoolhouses, which, together with other school property, are valued at $600. The valuation in 1880 was $22,067. The population in 1870 was 149. In 1880 it was 134.

Perry lies on Passamaquoddy Bay, in the south-east part of Washington County. Robbinston bounds it upon the north and Pem- broke on the west. On the south is Lubee Bay and Eastport, and on the east is Passamaquoddy Bay. The town is about 72 miles in ex- treme length, and 5 miles is the greatest width, but following the inden- tations and projections of the shore it has about 40 miles of sea-coast. Nosahick Pond, or Boyden Lake, the principal body of water, is about 5 miles long and 2 miles wide. Little River, its outlet, is the prin- cipal stream affording several good mill sites. On these are saw-mills, manufacturing laths, staves, and boxes ; also a grist-mill and a carding- mill.

The shores of Perry are bold, and the adjacent waters deep; so that vessels of 100 tons can, in most places, lie so near as to be laden from the bank by wheeling the cargo from 50 to 80 feet. The tide rises here thirty feet. The surface of the town is free from large hills, but the southern part is very rocky and uneven. Pigeon Hill -- about 100 feet in height-is the principal eminence. The underlying rock is sandstone, and the soil gravelly loam. Hay is the leading crop; and there is a pretty good stock of cattle kept. Pine, spruce and cedar are the chief forest trees. Most of the eastern shore is well settled, but at no point is there much of a village. There is a good brick town hall, and the public property generally is in good repair. Private buildings, also throughout the town are mostly well cared for, and some are quite tasteful and attractive. The nearest railroad station is at St. Stephens, in New Brunswick, 20 miles distant. The town is 36 miles north-east of Machias, and 20 miles from Calais. The stage-line from Eastport to Calais passes through Perry.

This was formerly Plantation No. 1. The township was purchased of Massachusetts, 1783-4 by Gen Benjamin Lincoln and others, on condition that the proprietors should place here twenty settlers within a given time, and give to each 100 acres of land. The township was full of noble woods, and for many years the principal occupation of the people was getting out timber, spars, shingles and other articles, and transporting these to St. Andrews and Robbinston, and, later, Eastport, carrying thither these products, and bringing back provisions and rum. In 1808, the plantation felt very sensibly the effect of the wars in Europe. Buonaparte had stopped the shipment of timber from the Baltic by the English, and in consequence they sought for this necessary material on the shores of Passainquoddy Bay. Fed by

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the trade this business brought, St. Andrews grew up very rapidly, and surrounding places obtained some share of the inflowing wealth. This was then the El Dorado of the State. One man alone got out timber in ten days that brought him $300; and it was no uncommon event for a man to come home with $500 or $1,000 in his pocket, the proceeds of the sale of his lumber. Money could be obtained so much more easily by lumbering than by the slow returns of agricultural toil, that when the timber was gone, general poverty followed their waste- ful methods. Farming, coasting and the fisheries are now the principal occupations.

At Pleasant Point, forming the south-eastern extremity of the town, is a settlement of the Passamaquoddy Indians. [See article on Indians in the first part of this volume.]

Perry was incorporated Feb. 12, 1880. Peter Goulding and Rob- inson Palmer are mentioned as its most esteemed citizens. One hun- dred and thirty-one men were sent to the Union army from this town during the war of the Rebellion ; and of these 43 were lost. The Con- gregationalists, Baptists and Methodist have societies here, and the two first hawe church edifices. The number of public schoolhouses is eleven. The school property is valued at $2,200. The population in 1870 was 1,449. In 1830 it was 1,047. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $205,592. In 1880 it was $172,921. The rate of taxation was two per cent. in the latter year.

Peru lies on the south side of the Androscoggin in the eastern part of Oxford County. On the north, separated by the Androscoggin, are Mexico and Dixfield; on the east is Canton ; on the south, Hart- ford and Sumner; on the west, Franklin and Rumford. Worthley Pond, 3 miles in length by half a mile in width, lies in the southern part of the town, and two small ponds in the south-west are the source of the east branch of Twenty-Mile River. Near the middle of the town is a group of five large hills, of which the most notable are Poland Mountain and Tumble Down Dick, perhaps 1,000 feet in height. On the southern line is Ricker Mountain, with Stockwell Hill in the north- ern part. The rock is granite, and the soil a dark loam. The latter is quite free from stones, and ploughed fields are often found even to the top of the hills. Hay is the largest crop, and much attention is given to sheep raising and hop growing. The town has five lumber- mills, manufacturing long and short lumber, wooden bowls, etc. There are also found the other small manufactures common in rural-towns. The buildings generally throughout the town are in good repair, and the inhabitants seem thrifty. The nearest railroad connection is at Canton, 8 miles down the river from the centre of the town.

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Gazetteer of the state of Maine, Part 54

Author: Varney, George J Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Boston Russell Number of Pages: 648

Author: Varney, George J
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Boston Russell
Number of Pages: 648