USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Garland > History of Garland, Maine > Part 20
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The appropriations were five hundred and fifty dol- lars for schools, six hundred dollars for town charges, four hundred dollars for the support of the poor, and twenty-five hundred dollars for roads, to be paid in labor. The treasurer was instructed to hire five hundred dollars for the use of the town.
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HISTORY OF GARLAND, MAINE.
State Election in 1848
The State election of 1848 was held in the town house for the first time. All such elections had been held in the Center schoolhouse from 1816 to 1848. For governor, John W. Dana, Democrat, received ninety- three votes; Samuel Fessenden, Anti-Slavery, received seventy-six votes ; Elijah Hamlin, Whig, received thirty- one votes.
For representative to Congress, Charles Stetson, Dem- ocrat, received ninety votes; Jeremiah Curtis, Anti- Slavery, received seventy-eight votes; Israel Washburn, Whig, received thirty-one votes.
For representative to the State Legislature, Simeon Butters, Anti-Slavery, received ninety-four votes ; Isaiah Avery, Democrat, received eighty-five votes; Jeremiah Garvin, Whig, received sixteen votes.
For presidential electors, (election, November 17,) the Democratic candidates received one hundred and eight votes ; the Anti-Slavery candidates received fifty- eight votes; the Whig candidates received forty-one votes.
It will be noticed that the Anti-Slavery vote, which had been on the increase for several years, fell off largely at the presidential election of 1848. This was due to the fact that the Anti-Slavery candidate, Martin Van Buren, did not come up to the ideal of many of the Anti-Slavery voters of the time.
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The First High School in Garland
The first high school in Garland was opened under the instruction of Lyndon Oak, in the autumn of 1848, in the new town house which had just been completed. There were many bright girls and boys in town who were thirsting for instruction that was not afforded by the district school. The satisfactory attendance at this first term, inspired the hope that the school might be per- petuated, but there was no fund for its support. The town refused aid, and no help could be expected from the State.
At this juncture a young man of the name of Bryant, a brother of the late Mrs. Thomas Dearborn, who was on a visit here, offered to take the school, and accept its patronage as compensation in full for his services. His offer was accepted, and the result proved satisfactory.
The success of these preliminary efforts inspired the belief that with care in the selection of teachers, who combined ability to instruct with attractive personal qualities, the patronage of the school would nearly, or quite, pay its expenses. If, at any time, a deficit should occur, a few citizens of the village were pledged to pay it. Under the conditions which have been indicated, the school was maintained through a period of fifteen years with a draft of only five dollars upon private funds. The school was but little known beyond the limits of the town, but there are many men and women who have been, and are now filling useful and responsible stations, who are glad to acknowledge the usefulness to them- selves of the Garland High School of years ago. It had the effect of raising the standard of the district schools through the town. The teacher of the autumnal term was often retained as teacher in the winter term of the
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district school, to which advanced scholars of other dis- tricts had free access.
A Tornado
A tornado of terrible force passed through the north- erly section of Garland in the midsummer of 1848. Originating in the town of Ripley, it passed in an east- erly direction, veering slightly to the north, through Dexter and the northerly section of Garland into Atkin- Son. It was narrow of scope, but of irresistible force, demolishing buildings, trees, and making a violent dis- turbance of everything that lay in its way. Fortunately for Garland, no buildings were completely wrecked, but several mill logs in front of the Harriman house, in school district No. 1, were turned end for end, and one had the distinction of being deposited on the roof of Mr. Harriman's house. The barn connected with this house was turned half way round. A well known citi- zen of Garland is authority for the statement that a barn door made a mid-air trip from Ripley over the towns of Dexter and Garland into Atkinson.
The following slip from a newspaper describing one of the freaks of the tornado of 1848, whether fiction or fact, is not more remarkable than many well authenti- cated stories connected with it :
"It is related of Lamont Downing that in 1848, one pleasant summer's day, he was trudging along the high- way north of the pond near the line between Dexter and Ripley, when a hurricane came over the hills from the west. The air was oppressive and sulphurous and the sky black as ink. The path of the cloud was marked by all sorts of things from the Ripley farmhouses, flying
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overhead. The next thing the lad knew, he was caught up also and went sailing away with the rest of the flyers. Fortunately for him he had not gone far when he came into the thick top of a big elm tree which was twisted and wrung by the cyclone, and to this he clung with all his might. When the storm was past and folks came looking around to find who was killed, they discovered the boy lodged in the tree and had to get ladders to get him down from the perilous place."
On the day of the tornado the writer, accompanied by a friend, was at Silver's Mills in Northeast Dexter, after a load of lumber for the Garland town house, then in process of construction. The lumber had been loaded, and the team was ready to start, when the sudden appearance of a fearful looking cloud, surcharged with the wrecks of houses and barns, pig pens and hen coops, driven forward on the "wings of the wind" with terri- ble velocity, suggested the propriety of a temporary halt. The storm having passed, the team was started, but it soon came to an enforced halt by trees that had been blown across the road. Axemen soon came to our relief and removed the obstruction which enabled us to get our load of lumber safely to its destination.
Garland in 1849
The annual meeting for the transaction of town busi- ness was held in the new town hall on March 12. Lyndon Oak was chosen moderator. The officers for the year were Charles Reynolds, town clerk; Daniel M. Haskell, Luther Rideout and Andrew M. Haskell, select- men and assessors; Lorenzo Oak, treasurer; James J.
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Chandler, collector; Joseph T. Knight, Edward H. Pierce and Daniel M. Haskell, superintending school committee. The compensation of the treasurer for keeping and disbursing money was fixed at five mills per dollar, and of the collector, James J. Chandler, two and one half per cent.
The appropriations for the year were six hundred dol- lars for schools, two hundred and fifty dollars for town charges, four hundred and fifty dollars for the support of the poor and two thousand five hundred dollars for roads, to be paid in labor. A special meeting was held on May 3, at which Aaron Hill, Lyndon Oak and Stephen D. Jennings were appointed a committee to cooperate with committees of Charleston, Dover and Corinth in efforts to effect the discontinuance of the northeast county road which was laid out in 1846.
The State election was held September 10, 1849. For governor, John Hubbard, Democrat, received one hun- dred and eleven votes; Elijah L. Hamlin, Whig, received forty-two votes; George F. Talbot, Anti- Slavery, received fifty votes.
John Hubbard was the successful candidate for gov- ernor. Hon. Nehemiah Bartlett of Garland was elected State senator. For representative to the Legislature, Loring D. Hayes, Democrat, received sixty-nine votes ; George Curtis, Anti-Slavery, received sixty-seven votes; Daniel M. Haskell, Whig, received thirty-eight votes.
Loring Hayes had a majority of the votes in the class, and was elected. At a meeting for town business on the day of the State election, (September 10) Lyndon Oak, George Curtis and Samuel W. Knight were appointed a committee to select a location for a cemetery, the site of which should be in convenient proximity to the village. As the result of this action, the cemetery now known as "Maple Grove Cemetery" was established.
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Garland in 1850
The annual town meeting of 1850 was held March 11. Andrew M. Haskell was chosen moderator. The officers for the year were Charles Reynolds, town clerk ; Daniel M. Haskell, Sylvester Abbott and Andrew M. Haskell, selectmen and assessors; Charles Reynolds, treasurer, whose compensation was fixed at two mills per dollar ; James J. Chandler, collector, compensation two and one half per cent. ; Joseph T. Knight, E. H. Pierce and Moses G. Gordon, superintending school committee.
The appropriations were six hundred dollars for schools, three hundred dollars for town charges, three hundred and fifty dollars for the poor, twelve hundred dollars for roads, to be paid in labor, and a cash appro- priation of three hundred dollars for the same purpose. The selectmen were authorized to appoint an agent to expend the cash appropriation.
Autumnal Elections of 1850
The meeting for the election of governor and other officers was held September 9. For governor, John Hubbard, Democrat, received one hundred and twenty votes; William G. Crosby, Whig, received fifty-seven votes ; George F. Talbot, Anti-Slavery, received nineteen votes.
For representative to Congress, Hastings Strickland received nineteen votes ; Israel Washburn, Jr., received sixty-nine votes; Charles Stetson received one hundred and seven votes.
For representative to the Legislature, Samuel
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Woodman, Democrat, received one hundred and thirty votes; John L. Hodsdon, Whig, received fifty-eight votes; Simeon Butters, Anti-Slavery, received six votes.
Garland in the Contest for United States Sen- ator in 1850
In 1850, Loring D. Hayes, Esq., of Garland, repre- sented his class in the House of Representatives. Another citizen of Garland, Hon. Nehemiah Bartlett, was a member of the Senate. At this session of the Legislature there occurred a political contest of the gravest character.
It involved the question whether the influence of the State of Maine should be used for, or against, the fur- ther extension of slavery. The parties to this contest were the hunker Democrats, who with pliant knees were ready to kneel to the behests of the slave power, on the one side, and the Democrats who were unalterably opposed to yielding another acre to the withering blast of slavery, on the other side. The candidate of the opponents of slavery was Hannibal Hamlin.
Mr. Hamlin had made himself obnoxious to the slave power by his earnest and uncompromising opposition to the further spread of slavery. One of his most grievous offences was that he had instigated the passage of a resolve by a previous Legislature, instructing Maine's delegation in Congress to oppose all measures favoring the extension of slavery.
The balloting, which began on June 20, was followed by a long and exciting contest. As it progressed, Anti- Slavites, Whigs and Free Soilers, were drawn to the sup-
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port of Mr. Hamlin. The balloting which began June 20, was terminated by a dramatic incident on July 25. On the first ballot of that day, Mr. Hamlin lacked one vote of an election in the House. Loring D. Hayes, member of the House from Garland, was an enthusiastic friend of Mr. Hamlin, but, unfortunately, he was dan- gerously sick with typhoid fever at his boarding-house. He had sent word to friends, "Any time my vote will elect Hannibal Hamlin to the United States Senate, I will come to the House if you have to carry me on my dying bed."
When the result of the first ballot was announced, a score or more of men dashed out of the House in an instant, and bolted into Hayes' room. Picking him up, bed and all, they moved as fast as it was safe to the House. When they appeared with the sick man on his bed, pandemonium reigned for a time among the Anti- Slavery Democrats. The next ballot was taken amidst breathless excitement, and when it was announced that Mr. Hamlin was elected on the part of the House, his friends were wild with joy.
Mr. Hamlin's election in the House was soon followed by his election in the Senate. The importance of this result will be appreciated when it is remembered that the following two national administrations were completely dominated by the slave power. The writer is mainly indebted to the Life and Times of Hannibal Hamlin for the facts contained in this sketch.
Garland in 1851
The annual meeting of 1851 was held March 10. Lyndon Oak was chosen moderator. The officers for the
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year were, Lorenzo Oak, town clerk; Luther Rideout. Daniel Silver and Andrew M. Haskell, selectmen and assessors; Lorenzo Oak, treasurer, compensation for receiving and disbursing, five mills per dollar; Samuel W. Knight, collector, compensation nineteen mills per dollar; superintending school committee, Daniel M. Haskell, Edward H. Pierce and Lorenzo Oak.
The appropriations were six hundred dollars for schools, four hundred dollars for town charges, two hun- dred dollars to support the poor and two thousand dol- lars for highways.
Garland in 1852
The annual meeting of 1852 was held on the eighth day of March. Stephen D. Jennings was chosen moder- ator. The officers for the year were, William F. Haskell, town clerk; Andrew M. Haskell, Daniel Silver and John K. Haskell, selectmen and assessors; Lorenzo Oak, treasurer, compensation five mills per dollar ; James J. Chandler, collector, compensation eighteen mills per dollar ; Joseph T. Knight, superintending school com- mittee.
The appropriations for 1852 were six hundred dollars for schools, three hundred dollars for town charges, two hundred and fifty dollars for the poor, two thousand five hundred dollars for roads, to be paid in labor, and a cash appropriation of one hundred dollars.
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Autumnal Elections of 1852
The legal voters of Garland assembled September 13, 1852, to ballot for governor and other officers. For governor, John Hubbard, Democrat, received one hun- dred and ten votes; William G. Crosby, Whig, received sixty-one votes ; Ezekiel Holmes received eight votes ; Anson G. Chandler received eighty-five votes.
William Crosby was elected governor.
For representative to Congress, Israel Washburn, Whig, received one hundred and eighteen votes; Isaiah Waterhouse, Democrat, received sixty votes; Hastings Strickland, Democrat, received eighty-one votes.
Israel Washburn was the successful candidate.
For representative to the Legislature, Luther Rideout received one hundred and thirty-nine votes; Joseph T. Knight received one hundred and eleven votes.
The town balloted for presidential electors on Novem- ber 2, 1852, when the Democratic candidate received ninety-three votes, the Anti-Slavery candidate, sixty votes and the Whig candidate received thirty-eight votes.
Garland in 1853
The annual town meeting of 1853 was held on March 14. Stephen D. Jennings was chosen moderator. The officers for the year were, Lorenzo Oak, town clerk; Andrew M. Haskell, S. D. Jennings and Eleazer Burnham, selectmen and assessors; Lorenzo Oak, town treasurer ; E. H. Pierce, superintending school commit-
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tee; Jacob W. Haskell, collector of taxes, compensation two per cent. The selectmen were appointed highway surveyors and field-drivers.
The appropriations for 1853 were six hundred dollars for schools, three hundred dollars for town charges, three hundred dollars for the poor and one thousand nine hundred dollars for highways. Lyndon Oak, Luther Rideout and Daniel M. Haskell were appointed to ascer- tain whether a suitable home for the residence of the poor could be procured at reasonable cost.
Autumnal Elections of 1853
For governor, William G. Crosby, Whig, received forty-five votes; Anson P. Morrill, Temperance and Anti-Slavery, received fifty-seven votes ; Ezekiel Holmes, received sixty-one votes ; Albert Pillsbury, Democrat, received ninety-three votes.
For county commissioner, Daniel M. Haskell received one hundred and forty-one votes; Joseph Chadbourne received one hundred and two votes; Francis W. Hill received ten votes.
For representative to the Legislature, Allen C. Tibbetts received one hundred and fifty-one votes ; Thomas K. Holt received one hundred and four votes.
Mr. Holt received a majority in the class.
Garland in 1854
The annual meeting of 1854 was held March 13. Artemas Merriam was chosen moderator. The officers
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for the year were, William F. Haskell, town clerk ; John G. Jones, Joseph F. Knight and John K. Haskell, select- men and assessors; Lorenzo Oak, treasurer; Jacob W. Haskell, collector of taxes. Compensation of treasurer for receiving and disbursing was fixed at five mills per dollar. Compensation of collector was two per cent.
The appropriations of 1854 were for schools, seven hundred dollars; for town charges, two hundred and fifty dollars; for support of the poor, three hundred dollars, and two thousand six hundred dollars for high- ways. Highway surveyors were authorized to bargain with real estate owners, who held lands bordering upon badly drifting roads, to reduce the height of their fences to lessen the tendency of snow to drift.
The town voted to remonstrate against the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and the selectmen and town clerk were instructed to formulate and forward the remon- strance. There was an article in the warrant calling the meeting, to see if the town would vote to purchase a hearse. The action upon this article was to leave the matter to the judgment of the selectmen and clerk. This was the first action of the town relating to the purchase of a hearse.
The Autumnal Elections
For governor, Anson P. Morrill, Temperance and Anti-Slavery, received one hundred and thirty votes; Albion K. Parris, Democrat, received one hundred and twelve votes; Isaac Reed, Whig, received twenty-eight votes.
Mr. Morrill was elected.
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For representative to Congress, Israel Washburn, Jr., Whig, received one hundred and fifty-seven votes: Samuel H. Blake, Democrat, received one hundred and thirteen votes.
For representative to the State Legislature, Lyndon Oak, Anti-Slavery, received one hundred and thirty-four votes; Thomas K. Holt, Democrat, received one hundred and thirty-two votes.
Mr. Holt received a majority of the votes in the class.
Garland in 1855
'The annual meeting of 1855 was held March 12. Artemas Merriam was chosen moderator. The officers for the year were, William F. Haskell, town clerk ; A. M. Haskell, John Batchelder and William S. Haskell, selectmen and assessors; Lorenzo Oak, treasurer; Jacob W. Haskell, collector; J. C. Lawrence, superintending school committee. The compensation of the treasurer was one half of one per cent., and that of the collector two and one half per cent.
The appropriations of 1855 were eight hundred dol- lars for schools, five hundred dollars for town charges, two hundred dollars for the poor, two thousand dollars for roads, to be paid in labor, and a cash appropriation of one hundred dollars.
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Autumnal Elections
The autumnal elections of 1855 were held September 10. For governor, Anson P. Morrill, Temperance and Anti-Slavery, received one hundred and seventy-one votes ; Samuel Wells, Democrat, received one hundred and one votes; Isaac Reed, Whig, received nineteen votes.
For senators, William R. Hersey received one hundred and seventy-three votes ; Abner R. Hallowell received one hundred and seventy-three votes; Lyndon Oak, received one hundred and seventy-two votes; the Democratic can- didate received one hundred and one votes; the Whig candidate received nineteen votes.
The Democratic candidates were elected.
For representative to the Legislature, Noah Barker received one hundred and seventy-five votes ; F. W. Hill received one hundred and seventeen votes.
Garland in 1856
The annual meeting of 1856 was held on March 10. Artemas Merriam was chosen moderator. The officers for the year were, Isaac W. Haskell, clerk; Lorenzo Oak, William S. Haskell and Noah W. Johnson, select- men and assessors; Franklin Taylor, treasurer; Amasa Hatch, Jr., superintending school committee. Leonard Skillin, collector of taxes, compensation two and one half per cent.
It was voted to raise the sum required by law for schools, one thousand dollars for town charges, three hundred dollars to support the poor, two thousand three
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hundred dollars for roads, to be paid in labor, and cash appropriations of one hundred dollars each, to be expended on the northerly end of the North road, and a like sum for the county road from Holt's Mills to the eastern line of the town.
Clouds in the Political Horizon
Ominous clouds rising from the southern political horizon were viewed with apprehension by the citizens of every northern state. The slave power of the South had long been engaged in the desperate attempt to break down the barriers that protected the northern states from the curse of slavery, and now, the national adminis- tration was pledged to aid in this attempt.
At this juncture the political party, known as the Republican party of Maine, was originated.
It drew into its ranks recruits from all political parties.
United States Senator Hannibal Hamlin, who had always exerted his transcendent powers of intellect and influence in opposition to the inroads of slavery upon free soil, was induced to accept the nomination for gov- ernor. Entering at once upon the work of the cam- paign, he addressed large and enthusiastic crowds at the centers of population through the State.
Autumnal Elections of 1856
For governor, Hannibal Hamlin, Republican, received one hundred and ninety-three votes; Samuel Wells,
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Democrat, received one hundred and three votes ; George F. Patten, Straight Whig, received seven votes. Mr. Hamlin was elected.
For State senators, William R. Hersey, Republican, received one hundred and ninety-four votes; Abner R. Hersey, Republican, received one hundred and ninety- four votes ; Lyndon Oak, Republican, received one hun- dred and ninety-four votes; Amos M. Roberts, Demo- crat, received one hundred and four votes; Stephen D. Jennings, Democrat, received one hundred and four votes; O. Pearson, Democrat, received one hundred and four votes.
For representative to Congress, Israel Washburn, Jr., Republican, received one hundred and ninety-five votes ; Abraham Sanborn, Democrat, received one hundred and two votes.
For representative to the Legislature, Artemas Merriam, Republican, received one hundred and ninety- three votes; Thomas K. Holt, Democrat, received one hundred and eight votes.
Mr. Merriam received a majority in the representative class.
The Republican candidate for senator was elected.
Presidential Electors
Balloting for presidential electors occurred on the fourth of November, 1856, with results as follows: The Republican candidates received one hundred and eighty- seven votes; the Democratic candidates received eighty- seven votes; the Straight Whigs received seven votes.
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Garland in 1857
The annual town meeting of 1857 was held on the ninth day of March. Russell Murdock was chosen moderator. The officers for the year were, Thaddeus P. Irish, town clerk ; Lorenzo Oak, Noah W. Johnson and Samuel Skillin, selectmen, assessors and overseers of the poor ; Franklin Taylor, treasurer; Lyndon Oak, super- visor of schools; James J. Chandler, collector of taxes, with commission of two and one half per cent.
Appropriations of 1857
For schools, the amount required by law, six hundred dollars for town charges, five hundred dollars for the poor, two thousand five hundred dollars for roads, a cash appropriation of one hundred dollars for the road running in a southeasterly direction to the town line and of one hundred dollars to be expended on the Notch road.
Autumnal Elections of 1857
This election was held September 14 with results as follows: For governor, Lot M. Morrill, Republican, received one hundred and fifty-three votes ; Manasseh H. Smith, Democrat, received one hundred and two votes.
For senators, the Republican candidate received one hundred and fifty-three votes; the Democratic candidate received one hundred and four votes.
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Stephen D. Jennings of Garland was a candidate for the Senate.
For representative to the Legislature, the Republican candidate received one hundred and forty-nine votes ; the Democratic candidate received one hundred and seven votes.
Garland in 1858
The annual meeting of 1858 was held on the 8th day of March. Artemas Merriam was chosen moderator. The officers for the year were Thaddeus P. Irish, town clerk; Lorenzo Oak, Samuel Skillin and T. J. Shaw, selectmen, assessors and overseers of the poor; Lyndon Oak, supervisor of schools ; James J. Chandler, collector of taxes, and two and one half per cent. was voted him for the service, he agreeing to allow a rebate of twelve and one half per cent. for the amount uncollected at the end of a year from the date of his bills.
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