USA > Maine > Piscataquis County > Guilford > Guilford, Maine, 1816-1916; proceedings of the centennial celebration June 17-18, 1916 > Part 3
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The first annual meeting after the plantation was organized was held at the school room so-called on Monday, the fifth day of April, 1813. Article ten in that warrant, reads :
To see if the plantation will agree to lay out any roads in the plantation this year.
Article eleven :
To see if the plantation will vote to make and repair roads this season.
Article twelve :
To see if the plantation will choose one or more surveyors of roads. Article thirteen :
To see if the plantaton will raise money to defray the necessary expenses of it.
In the doings of the plantation under the above articles, we find that the plantation "Voted to raise one hundred dollars to be ex-
Universalist Church.
pended on roads in this plantation this year, and the price of labor on the roads was fixed at one dollar per day before haying and seventy-five cents a day after haying, and that ten hours labor on the road be considered a day's work." At that plantation meeting it was voted to raise thirty dollars for the expenses of the plantation for that year.
On July 7, 1813, the first road in the plantation was accepted by the plantation. This was known as the River road and extended from Foxcroft town line to Abbot town line on the north side of the river.
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At the town meeting held on the twelfth day of September, 1825, the town voted to accept the road from the old meeting house to the bank of the river near the east end of the saw mill. At the annual meeting held March 15, 1826, the town voted to accept the road from Herring and Morgan's mill to the River road towards Moses Stevens.' The place called the Moses Stevens place is the same place formerly occupied by David Stevens near the Bangor & Aroostook Station. Moses Stevens was the father of David Stevens. On the twenty-fifth day of May following the acceptance of the road, there was an effort made to discontinue the road lead- ing through the land of Moses Stevens. The voters, however, at the meeting voted to pass the article. The road from the top of the bridge hill to Abbot on the south side of the river was ultimately laid by the County Commissioners upon the petition of John Works and others in the fall of 1838, as recorded in vol. 1, page 12, on the County Commissioners' records. In locating this road the County Commissioners began at Works' Mills, so-called, in the town of Abbot and run easterly and terminated at the point where said loca- tion intersected the road leading south from the bridge across the Piscataquis River to Parkman. The highway from Foxcroft to Abbot town line known as the River road on the north side of the river was located by the County Commissioners in the County of Penobscot in 1832. This road was located upon the petition of P. P. Furber and fortyone others asking for the location of the county road from the west line of Guilford on the north side of the Pis- cataquis River through the villages of Foxcroft and Milo to some point upon the Penobscot River. The record of this location is recorded in vol. 1, page 433, of the County Commissioners' records in the County of Penobscot. The road from Foxcroft Village to Guilford Village on the north side of the Piscataquis River was re- located by the County Commissioners of the County of Piscataquis on petition of Elias J. Hale and others in the fall of 1865. Under this last location the terminal point was six feet south of the south- west corner of the hotel kept by Howard Turner.
From the history of Piscataquis County written and published by Rev. Amasa Loring in 1880, I take the facts in connection with the religious meetings at Guilford Center and the church erected there. The two first settlers of Guilford, Robert Herring, Jr., and Robert Lowe, were members of the Baptist church. The former a deacon and the latter an elder. On January 7, 1813, Elder Robert Low
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organized a church of fourteen members at Guilford Center. This church had and enjoyed a healthy growth. At the date of the or- ganization of the church there were fourteen members as follows: Robert Herring, Nathaniel Greaves, Edward Magoon, William Stevens, Peter Cummins and Samuel Wharff by letter, Sally Her- ring, Abby Greaves, Jerusha Magoon, Hannah Bennett, Sally Cuni- mins, Sally Bennett, Pegey Bennett, Esther Everton. At a meeting of the church held on January 9, 1813, Robert Herring was chosen Deacon. On March 20, 1813, William Stevens was chosen Deacon. On March 18, 1815, voted to give Elder Thomas Macomber a call to become a pastor of the church and the first settled minister of the town. The lot upon which the meeting house stood was deeded to the Baptist church corporation of Guilford, January 27, 1833. It will be noted from the retirement of Elder Macomber that he oc- cupied the church but a short time. All of the church records prior to 1860, were burned at the time the buildings of Chandler G. Rob- bins were burned.
August 7, 1835, Rev. Daniel Burbank commenced his labors with the church. At that time he was a student. After his education was completed he was given a call to become pastor of, this church. On November 16, 1835, he was ordained. From 1838 to 1848, there are no records showing the name of any settled minister or ministers, but Elder Hall of Parkman supplied, also the Rev. Mr. Bradford and Kingman were pastors. In 1848, Rev. E. G. Trask became pastor of the church. Just the date that he began services and ceased to serve the people I am not able to state. He was, how- ever, located in Abbot in 1851. In 1866, Rev. A. M. Piper was pastor. The Rev. Mr. Piper moved to Guilford Village and lived here until the date of his death. In 1868, R. A. Patten supplied. Rev. A. B. Walker also supplied a part of the time between 1868 and 1869. The Rev. Mr. Bower sent to Guilford by the Domestic Mission also supplied the church in 1869. In 1870, the Rev. Mr. Piper acted as pastor for the second time. Rev. W. E. Noyes had charge of the church in 1871 and 1872. The years 1874, 1875 and 1876, the Rev. Sewall Brown was pastor. The greater portion of the time from that time to the present time there has been no set- tled pastor. Supplies have been furnished from time to time each year during that period of time. The church recently celebratedI its one hundredth anniversary.
In 1815, Elder Thomas Macomber first visited these people. He was invited to settle with them and received the ministerial lot as
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hereinbefore stated. He moved into Guilford in 1816. Soon after his removal a revival was held and the church receivedl additional members. From time to time revivals prevailed and members were added to the church. An extensive revival took place in 1827. At the time of this revival sufficient members were added to the church so as to increase its membership to more than one hundred. Mr. Loring states that this revival was the most extensive, protract- tive and effective revival the town had ever enjoyed.
In 1831, the meeting house at Guilford Center, being the first in town, was built. It was dedidcated July 4, 1833. Elder Macomber retired from active work as a pastor in 1835. During his ministry one hundred eighteen persons had been added to the church. As already stated he had the public lot of three hundred twenty acres which was reserved for the first settled minister. He did not receive any stipulated salary. In addition to performing his duties as pastor he had to perform manual labor in order to provide for the large family which he had. Ever after settling he continued to live in town until his death which was December 18, 1852. At the date of his death he was seventy-eight years old. He was highly esteemed not only 'by his parishioners but by the people of the town.
The greater portion of the village of Guilford is in lot eight, range one. The north line of lot eight, range one, is the north line of the house lot now occupied by Charles F. Scales, and the north line of the land formerly owned by Addison Martin. This line extended along at the brow of the hill at the north of School Street. The west line of lot eight is the division line between the land formerly owned by Benjamin Davis Bennett and the late Benjamin F. Hussey. The old road west of Leavitt's residence is also on the line between lots eight and nine. The west line of lot eight south of the Piscataquis River is just back of the buildings formerly owned and occupied by John Leavitt. All of lot eight, range one, north of the Piscataquis River was conveyed by Bowdoin College to Moses Stevens. Moses Stevens' residence was where the large two-story house now is near the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad Station. David Stevens, Henry M. Stevens and Charles W. Stevens are grandsons of Moses Stevens.
In 1825, the land now occupied by three of our public buildings, being our public hall and our two school buildings, was conveyedl by Moses Stevens to Addison Martin. At the date of that convey- ance and at the time of the location of the road known as North
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Main Street, all of the land on the east side of that road was a cedar swamp. For many years nearly all of the residences and all of the places of business were on the north side of the river. The land now occupied by the hotel was first occupied by stores. W. W. Harris, who was the first person to give life and impetus to the business in our village, purchased the land where the hotel now stands and moved a building from where the residence of Charles F. Scales now is, over the tree which is now the large tree near the Universalist church, to the lot stated and built a house for the entertainment of the people. Mr. W. W. Harris came to Guilford to work in the store run by his uncle, Nathan Woodbury, and also to look after the property interests of Mr. Nathan Woodbury. After coming to Guilford he was married and carried on an ex- tensive business in town. In the early part of the fifties he moved from Guilford to Foxcroft where he lived a few years and then went to Portland and lived there until the time of his death. He was one of the prominent men in Guilford and the first to give life and energy to the business in our village.
The land on the south side of the Piscataquis River where our village now is was conveyed by Bowdoin College to Amos Lambert on November 21, 1823. This conveyance included all of lot eight, range one, south of the river. The west line of this lot is back of the buildings now occupied by Mr. Johnson as hereinbefore stated. The south line is at the top of the high hill at the south of the village. The east line of this lot is now the line which divides the towns of Sangerville and Guilford.
On September 4, 1828, Lambert conveyed to Elias T. Aldrich and S. C. Britton a lot extending ten rods above the dam across the river at that time and fifteen rods south of the river; thence east thirty-two rods and north fifteen rods to the river ; thence west by the river to the first bound, containing three acres more or less. excepting the mill dam which joins said land. Aldrich and Britton were young men who came to Guilford and opened a store. In the old burying yard the wife of Elias T. Aldrich is buried. She died in 1828. There is a tombstone at her grave.
Upon the lot conveyed to Amos Lambert as hereinbefore described, Lambert built his buildings. These buildings were built upon the same spot where Henry Hudson now lives. Not long after the buildings were built Lambert sold his real estate and left town. It was said that his cattle all died with the murrain and
3
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for that reason he sold and moved away. Some years ago your historian started to dig a cellar under the barn on his premises. After digging but a short time the workmen came to a cellar which was all stoned. It evidently had been abandoned and not used for many years. Your historian was told that it was not an uncommon thing to have cellars in early times under the barn in which to store vegetables to be fed to the cattle.
The highway leading irom Guilford Village to Sangerville Village on the south side of the Piscataquis River was not located until the early 50's. He has been told that this road was located at the instigation of persons who lived in Sangerville and the opposition to the road was made by the people of Guilford Village. I am aware of the fact that the records show that there was a per- sistent fight at the time the road was located. This is an illustration that we can little know what may take place in the future. This street or road is now one of the principal streets or highways lead- ing to cur village.
For many years the residents of Guilford Center and the north part of Guilford came to the village of Guilford over what is calle1 the western road or described as leading past the residence of MIr. Frank H. Leavitt. Not until the 40's was the road known as the Wharff road opened and travelled. Major Stephen Ellis, one of the early settlers in our town, who settled and lived for many years on the farm known as the Horace Coy farm north of the Conner farm, told me that he was made to believe that the water existed to that extent that it was not feasible or practicable to build a road where the Wharff road now is. Therefore, he with others was opposed to the location of the road there. He believed that the people should continue to travel over the old rad, but we can now well see how in those early times with a dense forest on the land and as moist and swampy as it now is in places that it must have been wet. Your historian has found from the records that this road was located at different places. One of the locations of this roai brought the southern terminus to intersect with what is now High Street near the cld church on the hill.
The town of Guilfori was divided originally into eight school districts. This number of districts was recognized and maintained until the district system was abolished and the town system adopted.
District No. I. was known as the Low's Bridge district. This embraced all territory in the southeast corner of Guilford, and the
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school house was located on the north side of the highway leading from Guilford to Dover, and east of the road leading from the last named road to the road which extends from Guilford Center past the Brown school house to Foxcroft.
North 9 8 7 6 6 4 3 2 Tiers
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E. Nonha
W. Die athome
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Plan of School districts as Voted in september 1826
From the First Town Record
District No. 2, was Guilford Village. The limits of this district, extended east as far as the west line of the John Bennett farm and the E. B. Beals farm, north by the north line of the Loring farm, the south line of the Wharff farm and the David Stevens farm, west by the town of Abbot. east by the town of Sangerville, south by the line of Parkman and Sangerville.
The first school house was built on the west bank of the brook and the north side of the highway leading from Guilford to Dover. This school house was burned. On February 8, 1843, Thomas S.
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Pullen, who then owned and lived on the farm formerly occupied by David Stevens near the station of the Bangor & Aroostook Rail- road, conveyed to school district No. 2, Guilford, by Warranty Deed a part of lot 8, range I, bounded as follows: Beginning at the southwesterly corner of the school house in district Number 2, at the north line of the County road; thence northerly by said house 24 feet ; thence easterly by said house 45 feet; thence south- erly 24 feet, to the north line of the road; thence westerly on the north line of the road to the first named bounds, it being the same lot on which the building now stands.
The above description embraced the lot on which the school house stood near the station of the Bangor & Aroostook Railroad. It would appear that the school house had been built prior to the conveyance of the lot. This school house was used until 1881. the spring of 1881 the citizens of our village in school district Number 2, were convinced that it was necessary to have larger and better accommodations for the scholars in this district. The annual meeting of the school district was held on the fifth day of April, 1881. It was voted that the district build a school house the com- ing summer provided sufficient funds could be raised by subscription to build a hall in connection therewith on a suitable lot. The record shows that the vote stood twenty-one opposed to the motion and twenty-seven in favor. It was also voted that the district procure a lot for school house and hall, if a suitable one could be found and sufficient funds could be raised by subscription to build said hall. The vote upon this motion stood twenty-eight in favor and twenty-three opposed.
George W Pratt made all the motions in connection with the building of this school house. Henry Hudson was moderator, Otis Martin was clerk and Daniel Cimpher was school agent. There was at this time, considerable opposition in the school district to the building of a new school house, and there were those in our school district and village who were anxious to have a new hall. There were those in the district who desired better and more suitable rooms in which to accommodate our scholars in this district. In fact the number of scholars had increased to that extent that the one room in the old school house was not large enough to accommo- date the scholars. Those who desired a new hall and those who desired larger and better accommodations for the scholars by unit-
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ing, were able to carry the vote to build a building of sufficient capacity to accommodate the schools and the patrons of a public hall.
Henry Douglas, Robinson Turner, John H. Morgan, Samuel Webber, and George W. Pratt were chosen a committee to purchase the necessary lot upon which to build a school and hall building. The meeting then adjourned to Douglas Hall, April 9, 1881.
At the adjourned meeting the committee appointed, through Mr. Robinson Turner, reported that sufficient money had been raised by the citizens of the district to build a public hall in connection with the school house; that the committee had examined the Martin lot, so called, and found it a suitable lot for said school house and hall, that the lot could "be purchased for the sum of five hundred dollars, of which sum the builders of the hall will pay two hundred dollars and own two-fifths of said lot; that the district pay the sum of three hundred dollars and own three-fifths of said lot. The report was accepted and the district voted to build forthwith a new school house in connection with a public hall, the school house to consist of at least two rooms, outside entries and entrance and to occupy all the lower space in said building. The district is to build the build- ing and finish all complete outside, in connection with the owners of said hall and each is to bear one-half of the expense, and each is to finish inside, at its own expense, that part owned by each." Vot- ed to buy the Martin lot, so called, on which to erect the building and pay therefor the sum of five hundred dollars, of which sum the school district is to pay three hundred dollars and the hall, two hun- dred dollars.
Henry Hudson, Robinson Turner, Samuel Webber and George W. Pratt were chosen a committee to superintend the expenditure of the money and the erection of the school house, to investigate and allow accounts and draw orders on the town treasurer. Voted to sell the old school house and lot and that the committee be authorized and empowered to sell and convey the same.
In accordance with the facts herein recorded the building was erected on the Martin lot. Some years ago the town of Guilford purchased the hall and now owns the hall. A few years ago the hall was renovated, made larger and is now a credit to the town.
In ten years the population of our village had increased to that extent that the accommodations for our school became inade- quate. At the annual meeting of the school district held on the 13th day of April, 1892, there were articles in the warrant with refer-
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ence to the purchase of the new lot and the building of a new school building. At the meeting the district voted to purchase a lot and to build a new school building. A committee of three, consisting of John Scales, A. J. Goldthwaite and Henry Hudson were chosen to make an examination of the different lots which were available, ascertain the price of the same and to report at an adjourned meet- ing of the district. The meeting was adjourned to April 16, 1892.
On April 16th, the committee chosen made report to the school district. The committee examined seven different lots. The first lot examined was the one owned by Otis Martin. This was ulti- mately purchased.
To prepare this historical sketch has been a real pleasure to me. In doing it, I have lived over again my most pleasant associations with citizens of our town now dead, and have been delighted to delve into the earliest years of our town's history and have come more than ever to admire and respect Guilford's citizenship.
We should be proud of our town. In this Centennial we have all done our best to pay full credit to the memories of our men and women not now with us. In the words of another written for this occasion :
"Stout hearts were theirs, to them all hail! With pluck like theirs, we cannot fail;
God bless Guilford, with flags unfurled, To us, the best in all the world."
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SAMUEL WESTON'S LETTER
Samuel Weston's Letter
The following letter of instructions to Samuel Weston, Esq., from the committee for the sale of eastern lands, and a letter from Mr. Weston to the committee, both relating to the survey of certain townships of lands in Piscataquis County, of which Guilford is one, are appen ded to Mr. Hudson's paper. These are not only important in so far as they relate to Guilford, but are valuable documents in considering the history of all the towns and townships in the seventh, eighth and ninth ranges.
(EDITOR. )
COPY OF INSTRUCTIONS TO SAMUEL WESTON, ESQUIRE, MAY I, 1794.
In behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts the Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands to Samuel Weston, Esquire, Surveyor-Sir you are hereby Authorized and directed with Judicious Chainmen under oath to proceed and Survey three Ranges of townships between Penobscot River and the East line of the Million Acres located on the River Kenebeck and to be bounded West on the Said Million Acres South on the Sixth Range already Surveyed and a line to be extended east from the North East corner of township number one in the Sixth Range aforesaid to Penobscot River-Easterly on Penobscot River-and North on unlocated lands-all the lines are to be run and well Spotted and the corners of each township marked the Ranges to extend from east to west and to be numbered the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Range progressing northerly-and the town- ships to be numbered in each range and to be laid out Six miles Square excepting those bordering on Penobscot River-which townships are to contain as nearly the quantity of Six miles Square as the course of the River and the adjoining townships will permit-the number of Acres to be noted on the plan in each township which contains a greater or less quantity than six miles square-And you will Survey accurately the Western bank or Water Edge of Penobscot Rver so far as the three Ranges aforesaid join on the same-taking proper care in the whole of this Survey to inspect the Chainmen ascending and descending the hills and dales, and make such al- lowance as to have the lines hold out horizontal measure.
And you are to make Return of the Survey with Duplicate plans repre- senting the lines of the townships a border or margin of the adjoining lands, the Rivers, Streams, Lakes, Ponds, and the most prominent heights- and to be accompanied with such notes, minutes, and a field-book: as may be necessary to illustrate the Survey-Showing the quality of the Soil -- the growth of the timber, and the quantity of Land covered with water -Such Return to be made into our office at Boston or to either of the Committee
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SPRAGUE'S JOURNAL OF MAINE HISTORY
as soon as may be after the business is completed-for which Service you shall be entitled to receive including all expense attending this business when completed twelve pounds for each township Surveyed and returned in manner as aforesaid.
DANIEL CAREY, In behalf of the Committee.
Hallowell, May 1. 1794.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary, Boston, Sept. 10, 1895.
Compared with the Original and found Correctly Copied.
WM. M. OLIN. Secretary.
MR. WESTON'S LETTER.
Canaan, Oct. 15, 1801.
To the Committee for Sale of Eastern Lands.
GENTLEMEN :
In compliance with the directions forwarded on the back of the Resolve of the Gent. Court authorizing a resurvey of Township No. 4 in the seventh range north of the Waldo Patent, I have employed my Brother Stephen Weston who assisted in the Original Survey to perform that business. after first writing to the College Com. to know what was the ground of the ap- plication for a resurvey not knowing whether any error was supposed to be discovered in the contents of the Township or only in Numbering.
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