USA > Maine > Sagadahoc County > Bath > History of Bath and environs, Sagadahoc County, Maine. 1607-1894 > Part 40
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THE MAINE INQUIRER. Established 1824 by Thomas Eaton. Democratic. Succeeded by Mr. Harris in 1832.
THE GAZETTE AND INQUIRER. Consolidation in 1832 of foregoing. Whig. Harris first publisher; then Hamlet Bates until 1834; Josiah S. Swift untl 1836. Sold to Elisha Clarke.
THE LINCOLN TELEGRAPH. Whig. Continuation of Gazette and Inquirer with change of name. Elisha Clarke, editor and publisher, 1836 to 1846. Sold to Messrs. Chamberlain, Haines & Plummer.
THE TELESCOPE, an 1837 " yearling," run by James Nelson. Little known of it.
THE MAINE ENQUIRER. Established 1842 by John J. Ramsay. Democratic. John T. Gilman became partner of Ramsay in 1846 and Ramsay retired soon after. By Gilman name changed to Eastern Times.
THE EASTERN TIMES. Lineal successor of Maine Enquirer. Democratic. John T. Gilman and Elbridge Roberts; John T. Gilman alone; Joseph T. Huston 1847 to 1850; George E. Newman 1850 to April, 1856; a political syndicate, comprising H. W. Owen, Joseph S. Snow, et als., until sale of property to the Tribune, about 1857.
THE NORTHERN TRIBUNE, lineal successor of Lincoln Telegraph. Chamberlain, Haines & Plum- mer gave it the name in 1846; commenced publication of The Daily Northen Tribune in 1848; Haines retired in 1849, Chamberlain a few months later. George Ross joined Plummer: soon Plummer succeeded by Benj. K. Meeder. Meeder & Ross withdrew daily and substituted Tri-Weekly Northern Tribune. And again Meeder retired, leaving Ross sole proprietor. All these changes between 1849 and 18:2. In June, 1855, Ross sold to Geo. A. Kimball and the establishment was merged with the newer daily and weekly Mirror, preserving the Tribune name. Cobb & Kimball held proprietorship three months and sold (September, 1855,) to newly organized " Tribune Association." The Tribune Association comprised a large number of influ- ential Straight Whigs. Albert G. Tenney was editor; Wm. H. Whitman, business manager; R. R. Haines, general foreman; Simeon Drake and David Garland, chiefs in the job department, etc. Their plant very elaborate and the pay-roll surprisingly large. They published a daily and weekly edition. The Association held sway just two years, selling, September, 1857, to Elbridge Roberts and Elisha Clarke.
THE NORTHERN TRIBUNE AND EASTERN TIMES. E. Roberts & Co., publishers; Elisha Clarke, editor; consolidation of the Tribune and Times establishments, daily and weekly continued. Democratic. John T. Gilman succeeded Clarke (about 1860) and consolidated his People's Organ therewith. Finally (in 1862) E. Roberts & Co. sold to James M. Lincoln of the Sentinel.
THE WEEKLY MIRROR. Established in 1853 by Rufus R. Haines and Hiram L Wing. Whig in politics. A weekly when first established, but later The Daily Mirror was also issued. The successive publishers were H. L. Whiting, Edwin Sprague, and Charles Cobb. Joseph M. Hayes was foreman of the establishment. In June, 1855, Haines sold his interest to Charles Cobb, at the same time that Ross of the Tribune had sold to Geo. A. Kimball, and the Mirror and the Tribune were thus consolidated, the Tribune name being preserved.
THE SAGADANIOC REVIEW. Established in 1853 and published for a few months by J. S. Swift. Daily and weekly.
THE PEOPLE'S ORGAN. Established by John T. Gilman in 1857. Douglass Democrat. Merged with Tribune and Times upon purchase of Clarke's interest by Gilman.
THE AMERICAN SENTINEL. Moved to Bath from Damariscotta, 1854. Republican. Weekly. James M. Lincoln, editor and publisher, 1854 to 1862. Daily campaign paper issued in 1856. Paper merged with rival papers in 1862 and publication continued by Mr. Lincoln with no modification of name of weekly.
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HISTORY OF BATH.
THE AMERICAN SENTINEL AND BATH DAILY TIMES. Consolidation of all other Bath papers in 1862. Republican. James M. Lincoln, editor and publisher, 1862 to 1866, when he died. Property purchased of estate by Elijah Upton and Maj. H. A. Shorey, 1866, and published under same name, firm of Upton & Shorey, until 1869. Then purchased by W. E. S. Whitman and pub- lished by him 1869-70. Then purchased by Elijah Upton and published by E. Upton & Son 1870-88; the elder Upton " dying in harness " meanwhile. In January, 1889, property pur- chased by the Sentinel and Times Publishing Co. (H. A., A. C., and W. S. Shorey), and pub- lished by them 1889-92. Sold to John O. Patten, Jan. 1, 1893. No change made in name of paper during the period 1862-92, or about thirty years.
THE MAINE TEMPERANCE ADVOCATE. Published about one year, in 1869, under auspices of Grand Lodge of Good Templars, by Maj. H. A. Shorey, in the interest of Temperance and Enforced Prohibition.
THE BATH COMMERCIAL. Fen. G. Barker, editor and publisher. Continued but a short period.
THE BATH INDEPENDENT. Established by Charles D. Clarke. Local and Independent. Printed in Rockland; sold to E. C. Plummer, 1892; sold by Plummer to John O. Patten and consolidated with Times establishment, spring of 1893.
THE BATH DAILY TIMES AND BATH INDEPENDENT. John O. Patten, publisher and editor; assumed charge Jan. 1, 1893. Of the weekly edition, the Independent, C. D. Clarke, is editor and manager.
THE BATH ENTERPRISE. Joshua F. Upton, editor and publisher. Established 1889. Semi-weekly. THE MAGNET. Y. M. C. A. organ, published by the Bath Association. Established 1892.
THE BATH PHI-RHONIAN. Published by Bath High School.
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HISTORY OF BATH.
CHURCH EDIFICES.
The Popham Church. - The Popham Colony erected the earliest church edifice on the Kennebec River. This tenement was the first building completed by these colonists and was within the palisades of the Fort. It was rude in construction - made of hewed timber - and was destroyed in the conflagration, when the ware- house and other buildings were consumed, in the winter of 1608.
It is difficult to trace the history of the first meeting-house on the river after that of the Popham Colony. Tradition has located one on Preble Point, in which the Rev. Robert Gutch is supposed to have preached.
Capt. R. P. Manson, a gentleman over 85 years of age, living in Bath, and in his youth in Arrowsic, remembers seeing, in his youth, a stone foundation for a building, of which traces are yet seen, immediately north of the conspicuous clump of trees on the bluff at DOUBLING POINT,* the turn of Fiddlers into Long Reach, indicating the spot on which tradition says a frame of a church had been erected at an early day, and was undoubtedly boarded; at a later day it was sold to Benjamin Riggs, who took it down and re-erected it on his "Sagadahoc farm," at the lower end of Parkers Island, head of Sagadahoc Bay. According to tradition it had been intended for an Episcopal Church.
Pleasant Cove Meeting-house .- Col. Arthur Noble owned, at an early day, all the land that comprises the Morse farms, bordering on this Cove. Noble donated land for the building of this meeting- house, which was done by the Presbyterian Society in 1736, who occupied it until the completion of the Old Georgetown Meeting- house on Arrowsic Island. There is in existence a draft of a survey of the Pleasant Cove property, showing a one-story meeting-house, with steeple and facing easterly.
* Termed Doubling Point because in entering either Reach this point had to be doubled.
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HISTORY OF BATH.
At times when the Presbyterians had no minister, it was occupied by Episcopal preachers who were employed on the river as mission- aries from the Massachusetts diocese, and this probably continued after the completion of the house on Arrowsic. The first record of this church in the town records was March 15, 1740, and the town- meetings of Old Georgetown were held in the Pleasant Cove Meet- ing-house, from 1742 to 1762, as shown by the town records.
This building stood on a flat ledge immediately in the rear of the William Morse, now the James B. Morse, house. After its abandon- ment it was used for a carriage-house, as related by those who had lived on the place, and this author saw it in his youthful days. Scott Morse, who saw the event, stated it was blown down by a gale of wind, one of its falling timbers wounding an ox. This meeting- house had a double floor, a beading on its beams which were uncovered, and benches for seats.
The Old Georgetown Meeting-house .- This old church, a landmark of the last century, stood on an elevation that overlooks an extensive country-the Back River and a long stretch of the Ken- nebec above, and south as far as Seguin. It was of two stories with a porch, of a heavy timber frame, and never painted. The body of the church, as all in those days, was divided into square box pews. About six inches above the tops of these square pews was a railing against which the occupants could lean their heads. The pulpit was high, with a winding stair-way and a sounding-board. Two deacons sat in chairs in front of the desk, and high up in the gallery, opposite the pulpit, the choir sat in the "singing seats." The church never contained a stove. Foot-stoves were sometimes used by the women and reheated, between services, at some neighboring dwelling.
The congregation came on foot or horseback, the women riding on a pillion behind the man. The horse-block was an indispensable adjunct to a meeting-house before the days of carriages, the women springing with agility from them to the pillion. Many became so skillful in sitting on their pillions that they could maintain their equilibrium by merely grasping the crupper-strap for support. An historic high rock, at the rear of this church, was its horse-block.
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The site of the old building is now an orchard, adjoining the old Denny Cemetery. The land on which it stood was a GIFT FROM SAMUEL DENNY. It was first occupied for holding the annual town- meeting in March, 1763, and for church services in 1764, when Mr. Emerson came there to preach. The old meeting-house continued to be occupied after the swallows had entered, built their nests under the overhanging singing galleries, and flew around the room during service. It was abandoned after the church held meetings only at Phipsburg, whose church was built in 1802. The old church was built by the town.
The First Bath Meeting-house .- In 1756 there was not even an apology for a meeting-house or school-house in the whole Second Parish. The inhabitants, having now become a separate parish, determined to have a meeting-house, held a parish meeting and, after much deliberation, voted to build one. A committee appointed to select a site for the meeting-house, consisting of Jonathan Philbrook and others, were authorized to refer the matter to persons of some neighboring town in case they could not agree upon a location; consequently, failing to agree, persons of Brunswick were called in and decided upon a location, Nathaniel Donnell donating the nec- essary land, consisting of three-fourths .of an acre.
ITS LOCATION .- To more equally accommodate the people both of Bath and West Bath, which then constituted the Second Parish, they located the building half-way between the Kennebec and the New Meadows Rivers on a rise of ground immediately north of the old cemetery, a short distance south of "Witch Spring." It was raised, boarded, and the roof shingled the same year, 1756. The shingles were made and laid by Maj. David Shaw. It was about forty feet square with a porch. To construct it the men contributed materials and labor. The nails were made by hand in the black- smith shop of Isaiah Crooker, Sr., on High street. The only cash article required was glass, which was obtained from Boston, causing considerable delay, probably in consequence of lack of the necessary money. The house was never painted. By order of the General Court, a special tax for the benefit of this structure was authorized and Jonathan Philbrook was appointed collector. Finally, by the
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FIRST MEETING-HOUSE IN BATH, BUILT IN 1758. The one built at Arrowsic, in 176;, was substantially the same.
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latter part of 1758, this "meeting-house " was ready for its dedica- tion, but no record has been found of the event excepting the tradi- tion that the proceedings took place during winter severity, and the glow of feelings induced by the consciousness of having a church of their own imparted sufficient warmth to the people worshiping within its walls. It was said that Deacon Philbrook made the remark at a later date "that it far surpassed in size and architecture any other building at that time in Bath, and was regarded with great satisfaction by its builders." Parish and town-meetings were held in it until 1812, although religious services ceased to be held in it when the North Meeting-house was completed in 1802. It was taken down about 1822 and set up the same day at the "Lower Steam Mill" on "Trufants Point," where is now the "Shaw Mill," and utilized for secular purposes, remaining there about thirty years, when it was again taken down and rebuilt and used for the same purposes. Its true identity cannot now be vouched for.
By enactment of the General Court of September 10, 1804, incor- porating the " First Congregational Church of Bath," separate from the parish, the meeting-house ceased to belong to that church, and its possession fell to the society from which was formed the South Church and constituted the parish .- Groton.
The Old North. - The church and society of the parish having largely increased and become strong, the greater portion of its members being residents of Bath proper, and the old Witch Spring meeting-house having outlived its usefulness, the erection of a larger and more modern edifice, located in the village, became indispensable. Accordingly the society resolved to build a new meeting-house. The lot on the northeast corner of High and Centre streets was presented to the society by Edward K. Page. A contract was made with Martin Cushing and the building was completed in 1802. It was a capacious, two-story edifice, with gallery on three sides, pulpit in the east end, modern style of pews, a singing gallery, a porch, faced to the west contiguous to the street, and a lofty steeple in which was placed a bell, in 1803, which was purchased by subscription. This bell was rung for a long series of years as the
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town bell, and when the old church was abandoned and finally taken down the bell was placed in the steeple of the Universalist Church on Front street, opposite the Custom House, from which it was eventually transferred to the belfry of the City Hall, where it is still used for the city bell. "The building of this church settled the supremacy of Calvinism in Bath. One of the aged deacons used to relate, in the evening of his life, that when he first heard the bell ring in the steeple of the new meeting-house he was so affected that he wept for joy."-Groton. The building cost $10,000.
ITS FRONTAGE. - From careful sifting of concurrent facts, it is evident that the seceding members of the Old North Church who composed the church and society of the Old South did not take this step, as has been asserted, because the Old North was placed to face the west instead of the east. On the contrary, it would have been impracticable for the church to face the east, as its eastern end stood on the edge of a precipitous ledge, affording no convenient access on that side, while its entrance was directly on the street, fronting the west. Moreover Judge Groton, the earliest historian of the churches of Bath, never mentions this facing question as an alleged cause of disagreement, and he had every facility for ascer- taining the facts.
The Old North Meeting-house was the first in Bath to adopt a heating apparatus by putting in a wood stove. This was fifteen years after its erection. Mr. Ellingwood, who engineered the change and who was quite a mechanic, having learned to repair clocks and watches, had the stove at first placed in front of the pulpit, the pipe passing over the broad aisle and going up in front of the singers' seat to a brick chimney through the roof. Iron rods arose from some of the pew corners, which supported semi-ellipses across the aisles with semicircles on which to rest the funnel. The uprights extended above their connections with the ellipses, turning outward in the form of a scroll, which to youngsters appeared the very acme of beauty, and they regretted their removal, as was done subse- quently, while a new movement progressed, by placing two stoves near the doors, with their funnels passing under the galleries to a chimney in the southeast and northeast corners.
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The Old Brick, where Baptists worshiped, took in a stove in 1820, and the Methodist Meeting-house, where the Wesley Church now stands, commenced warming up in November, 1822. At first there was much opposition to placing stoves in churches. It has been stated that Mr. Ellingwood once related that when a stove was first put up in the North Church, and when there was no fire in it, a Mrs. Blasland who was in the church arose and went out, declaring that she could not stand the heat.
When the Old North became vacated, in 1844, the building was sold to James D. Robinson, who took it down and rebuilt it on his Union wharf, where it was utilized for storage purposes for some years, when it was again sold and moved intact on a gondola to the north part of the town, landed near the old ship-yard of the Pattens, where it now stands, in a dilapidated condition, having been long used for purposes connected with ship-building.
The Winter Street. - In 1843, prior to the ordination of Mr. Fiske, leading members of the church and parish came to the conclusion that a building of modern style and more centrally located was demanded. To carry out this purpose individuals, on February 1, 1843, inaugurated the undertaking as "proprietors," independent of the parish, the necessary funds to be raised by subscription, depending upon the sale of pews for reimbursement. This was readily accomplished, as on January 31, following, $5,250 had been raised and eight pews subscribed for. The site for the church was selected at the northwest corner of Washington and Winter streets, for which $1,350 were paid. The committee on building had full powers and consisted of George F. Patten, Thomas Harward, Caleb Leavitt, Charles Clapp, Jr., and Gilbert C. Trufant. By January, 1844, the edifice was completed. By selling the pews at auction the proceeds fully repaid the outlay incurred by the pro- prietors, "the house to be called the Winter Street Church." Its dedication took place February 1, 1844, Mr. Fiske preaching the dedicatory sermon. :
In 1845 it was found necessary to enlarge the accommodations of the church, and on March 7 George F. Patten, Richard Nutter,
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William M. Reed, G. C. Trufant, and Chas. Crooker were appointed a committee to make the enlargement, which was done by con- tracting the entry so as to add twenty-four pews, and by carrying back the singing gallery four more pews were added.
RENOVATION. - During the summer vacation season of 1890 a complete renovation of the interior of the church was made, re-ar- ranging the seats, adding new carpets, cushions, an elegant chande- lier, with a low pulpit, and fine new organ placed in the rear of the preacher's platform. The cost was $10,000, raised by donations.
REDEDICATION .- On Sunday, November 16, 1890, the church was rededicated, a large congregation attending. With much appropri- ateness the venerable Dr. Fiske made a dedicatory prayer. At the evening service there were brief and appropriate addresses made by the pastors of all the evangelical churches of the city.
CONFERENCE ROOMS .- For a long series of years the North Church occupied a room for lectures, conferences, prayer-meetings, and other church meetings, in the second story of the north wing of Dea. Nicholas L. Mitchell's dwelling-house, at the northeast corner of Oak and Washington streets, which was subsequently termed the upper conference room. Later the church was presented with a free deed of a hall in the second story of the building at the northeast corner of Centre and Washington streets, then termed Concert Hall. The donors of this property were Parsons Smith, John Smith, and Davis Hatch. When sold by the church it brought the sum of four hundred and twenty-five dollars, and the proceeds were appropriated to the purposes of Winter Street Church Vestry.
This room was used by the church until in 1864, when the present chapel was built on the north side of the church. In this chapel is an apartment devoted to the purposes of a pastor's study, in which is the church library for the use of the pastor. There is likewise a ladies' room, chiefly used for conference and prayer-meetings.
During Doctor Ellingwood's pastorate there was a school building where now (1894) stands a grammar school, on South street, that was used for a lower conference room. It had also a Missionary church building, where now stands the Corliss Street Church, and is
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now used for the lower grammar school, on the corner of Corliss and High streets.
THE PARSONAGE .- This society never owned a parsonage until the settlement of Mr. Folsom, when a house was purchased on the north section of Middle street, which was occupied by the pastor until 1889, when the fine house north and contiguous to the church was purchased and the other house sold. The attending expenses were defrayed by liberal donations from wealthy members of the church, together with funds raised by the efforts of the ladies of the church and society.
The Old South .- About the year 1802 a number of worshipers at the Old North, having become dissatisfied with the rigid Calvin- istic doctrines preached in that house, seceded from that society, and resolved to build a meeting-house of their own of a more imposing appearance than the North edifice. It was placed on a high hill on the east side of High street, some distance south of the other church, facing the east and overlooking a long stretch of the Kennebec. The location was a delightful one and long denomi- nated Meeting-house Hill. The master builder was . Tileston Cushing, a mechanic and citizen of considerable importance. Its foundation was laid in 1802 and the edifice completed in 1805, at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars. After having occupied this church thirty years, and a more central location becoming desirable, a movement was made that had in view the erection of a new church building.
By an act of the Legislature, March 23, 1835, "William M. Rogers, Jacob Robinson, Levi Houghton, and Samuel G. Bowman, and such others as may be associated with them for the purpose of providing a house of public worship in the town of Bath, were incorporated into a religious society by the name of the Third Par- ish of Bath," and at a legal meeting, May 11, 1835, of the parish the act of incorporation was accepted. At this meeting W. M. Rogers, Levi Houghton, and Jacob Robinson were appointed a committee to purchase the South Meeting-house, which was accord- ingly accomplished. This action was undoubtedly to transfer the
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ownership from the original stockholders to the organized Third Parish, although, individually, they were, undoubtedly, one and the same persons.
The Central. - At a meeting of the Third Parish, March 7, 1846, it was voted " to proceed to build a new house of worship for the' said parish," and William M. Rogers, John Patten, Jeremiah Robinson, Otis Kimball, and C. S. Jenks were chosen a committee to carry the vote into effect by selecting a lot, and " erect said house as soon as practicable." June 17, 1847, " the parish committee was authorized to sell the house of worship now occupied by the parish either at private or public sale." This was the Old South.
For raising funds to build the new church there is no mention in the parish records, but it is reliable tradition that money for the purpose was pledged by indvividuals, to be reimbursed by the sale of pews. William M. Rogers pledged one-quarter, John Patten and Levi Houghton the same, Jeremiah and Jacob Robinson jointly the remaining quarter. The church was built as it now stands, on the west side of Washington street, about one block from Centre street. The vestry is in the western basement. At a meeting of the parish, November 3, 1847, it was "Voted that the parish accept the house of worship recently erected by a committee for them."
The leading men whose names appear in the record book of the parish as taking an active part in parish measures were: John Patten, William M. Rogers, Levi Houghton, Gershom Hyde, C. S. Jenks, Jacob and Jeremiah Robinson, George W. Kendall, Otis Kimball, L. Warren Houghton, S. G. Bowman, John Bovey, William Torrey, John R. Houghton.
A committee appointed for that purpose reported the name of Central Church for this parish, which was accepted. The pews of the new building were sold at auction at remunerating prices.
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