USA > Maine > Piscataquis County > History of Piscataquis County, Maine : from its earliest settlement to 1880 > Part 16
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After the municipal regeneration of the town, prosperity returned to its chastened and wiser inhabitants. Land be- came saleable, population increased, and schools were revived.
Elder Spencer Horne contributed materially to the recov- ered prosperity of this town. He came in when it was stranded, opened a store near Judge Orne's residence, run a successful business, collected the taxes, and aided in wiping out its old incumbrances. After Judge Orne's death, he pur-
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HISTORY OF PISCATAQUIS COUNTY.
chased, his homestead, but in a few years sold it and left town. When residing in Bradford, he became owner of a part of the McGregor mills in Orneville, and by falling upon a circular saw, when at work in them, was instantly killed. In early life Elder Horne was dissipated and wayward. But a religious change reconstructed his whole character. He was ordained as a "Christian " minister, and preached when his services were desired.
Elder Gershom Lord, another "Christian " minister, pur- sued a successful business in this town. He purchased and enlarged the Porter mills, ran them, kept a store, and had a cooper's shop. After a few years he sold out to Mr. Nason, and recently these mills have passed to Judson Briggs. Elder Lord resided in Milo, after several removals, and died there, highly esteemed, in 1876.
This town never settled a minister, and its public reserves all go to support common schools. Judge Orne. took no in- terest in the religious condition of the people, and though they had many resident preachers, they have never em- ployed the labors of an educated and elevating ministry.
In 1841, the name of Milton waschanged to Almond, and, the next year, again changed to Orneville, in honor of its temporal saviour.
The mills .built by Judge Orne were burnt a few years since, but have been rebuilt and are in successful operation. The Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad passes by them. Hallowell, Clark & Co. run them, sawing out boards and shingles, spool timber, and also manufacturing excelsior.
Mr. J. A. Hoxie, a grandson of Benjamin Sargent, the first settler of Milo, and son of Allen Hoxie, emigrated to Evansville, Wis., and has edited and published the Evans- ville Review. He has kindly furnished the writer with facts drawn from the records of the Sargent family, carried thither by Mrs. Alice Cooke. He was a native of Orneville, passed his boyhood and obtained his education there.
The population of Orneville in 1870, was 575, its valua- tion, $80,062.
CHAPTER XXIII.
GREENVILLE.
GREENVILLE, Number Nine, Range Tenth, is situated at the southern extremity of Moosehead Lake, called usually Foot of the Lake, and in a business point of view is nearly identical with the lake itself. It has ever been the base of supplies for the lumbering operations on the lake and its tributaries, it is the starting point of explorers, fishing par- ties, hunters and tourists, and this, too, is the chief place of its steamboat navigation. The commencement of lumber- ing on the margin of. the lake and of the settlement of Greenville was nearly coeval, and aided each other in open- ing roads.
This township was a public grant, the south half to Thorn_ ton Academy in Saco, previous to 1820, the north half, after- ward, to Saco Free Bridge.
Nathaniel Haskell of Westbrook purchased the Academy Grant, and commenced its settlement. On this there was some very good farming land.
Wilson Pond is included in it. Wilson Stream, its outlet, has some very beautiful cascades, and some very good mill privileges also. The northern part has been valued more for its timber than for agricultural pursuits. When this part was lotted out by H. K. Stanton, in April, 1830, it was found that the lake covered a few of its ranges on the west side. The State gave Saco Free Bridge Company 4,000 acres, to be selected from any unappropriated wild land, to offset this deficiency. Strange to say, they selected. that amount in the Elliotsville township. A. Greenwood Esq.
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HISTORY OF PISCATAQUIS COUNTY.
lotted the south half into two hundred acre lots, in April, 1825.
FIRST SETTLEMENT. In the summer of 1824, Nathaniel Haskell and Oliver Young cut down ten acres of trees, and John Smith, Mr. Haskell's son-in-law, six acres on an adjoin- ing lot. The next summer, Mr. Haskell cleared his first opening, and felled seven acres more. He also cut out a part of the road leading from Nelson Savage's mill to the lake. By this time, Cowan, Littlefield and others began to lumber on the lake, and to have supplies hauled in by sled- ding over this road. In 1826, Haskell and Young raised the first crop in town, and put up a house, and the next summer, cut the first hay. In the spring of 1827, he moved Mrs. Waldron, a widowed daughter, and two children, the first family that settled in the township. A sister of Mrs. Wal- dron spent the summer with her, but left in the fall. For more than a year afterward, she did not see the face of anoth- er woman. She eventually married Oliver Young, and still resides in Greenville, now, 1880, eighty-four years of age. Mr. Young settled on a lot adjoining Mr. Haskell's, and Mr. John Smith sold out his possession, and gave up moving there. Mr. Darling eventually settled on it, and died there recently. William Cummings was the next to move in a fam- ily, and Isaac Sawyer, Mr. Shaw, and Mr. Tufts were the next comers. A few years later, Samuel Cole came, in 1831 Edmund Scammon moved in, and John Gerrish soon after.
In 1829, Messrs. Varney, two brothers from Windham, built a saw-mill on the Wilson Stream, so that boards and sawed lumber became obtainable, and in 1830, Mr. Haskell ... also put in a small grist-mill.
Mr. Haskell had not made full payment to the Trustees : of the Academy, and some questioned the safety of his titles. But he effected a compromise with the Trustees, by relin- quishing the unsold land to them, and this bar to the sale of land was removed. Mr. Phineas Pratt, for many years pre- ceptor of Thornton Academy, and Samuel Cole then pur- chased this wild land, but it run Pratt into bankruptcy.
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Mr. Haskell continued to reside in town until his death, ex- cept a short absence with one of his children. The State granted him six hundred acres of wild land, to reward him for breaking in to that remote township, in his old age, for which, he received $600, and he would have accepted Sugar Island also, if the Legislature had been generous enough to bestow it upon him. He returned to Greenville, only a short time before his death, and there expired, Nov. 29, 1843, aged eighty-four, and was buried in the- soil he so earnestly adopted.
In 1832, Samuel Cole and Isaac Whitcomb built a saw- mill on Eagle Stream, a branch of Wilson Stream, and this passed to Oliver Young. At a later date, Samuel Cole put up a saw-mill on Bog Stream, near West Cove, which was eventually burnt. But now all these mills have been aban- doned.
All the earlier settlements were on the East Ridge, from one to three miles distant from the lake. Up to 1832, only six or eight families had settled in town, though the lake business had steadily increased. In 1830, Mr. John Gerrish began to clear an opening on the South Ridge, and the next year moved his family there. A new road was then cut from the foot of the lake, by Mr. Gerrish's, to the settlement on the Whitney tract, from which one already extended to Monson. This opened a new line of travel to the lake. It was less hilly than the old route by Savage's mill, and the teaming turning this way. Mr. Gerrish soon had neighbors. New settlers came in. Mr. Hogan put a small steamboat for towing rafted logs, upon the lake, in 1836, and large sail boats also came into use. This boat made a pleasure excur- sion to Mt. Kineo, on the 4th of July, 1836. Rev. John Ba- ker, J. Stockbridge Esq., and many others from Monson and vicinity were in the joyful party. An impromptu celebra- tion was resolved on, Rev. Mr. Baker giving an extempore oration, which Stockbridge and others supplemented with spicy toasts, speeches and outbursting cheers. To the lake, the mountains, steamboating and Greenville settlement, this
of po
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was a "red letter day," and the company separated at its close, feeling that it was indeed a great occasion.
Up to 1835, the site of Greenville village was covered with its primeval forest, except what had been cleared for roads, camps and piling places. In the spring of that year, Henry Gower cleared a spot, and erected a two storied ho- tel, where the Lake House now stands.
The drift of land speculators, the following summer, gave it an extensive patronage. Mr. Gower felled a large open- ing that summer, and cleared up the site of the village. He opened the first store there, in 1836, which his brother Charles continued to occupy for several years.
In a few years a larger and more powerful steamboat was built, and launched upon the lake, which the increasing lum- bering all around the lake required.
In 1831, the township was organized as Haskell's Planta- tion. In 1836, Feb. 6, it was incorporated as the town of Greenville. In population and capital it has been steadily increasing ever since. The first birth in town was a son in the Tufts family, and the first death, Mr. Edmund Scam- mon's, Feb. 4, 1837.
In 1846, the increase of travel and business called for more hotels. That year, Eveleth and Whitcomb built the Eveleth House. It has been once burnt and rebuilt upon the same spot. In 1847, these men opened another store in .the place, and, in 1848, J. H. Eveleth left Monson and joined his father here. This store was burnt, May, 1869, but soon rebuilt, and has been continued to the present year, and now a third large general store has been added.
In 1858, another good step was taken. The people united in erecting a meeting-house. The next summer, it was fin- ished in a neat, tasteful style, and dedicated Dec. 1, 1869, Rev. E. B. Webb D.D. going from Augusta to preach the dedication sermon. In Jan. 1, 1874, largely through the ef- forts of Rev. Mr. Cameron, it was surmounted with a bell, whose pleasant peals, first rung out on that day, call the
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church-goer, be he resident or stranger, to the worship of the Most High.
In 1848, five ranges of lots from the north side of Wilson were annexed to Greenville. There are now four school dis- tricts in town, one having a graded school at the village, with a neat two-storied school-house. The public school fund now amounts to $800, with a lot of wild land still to be sold. Within a few years, a steam- saw- and grist-mill have been running at the foot of the lake, and I. R. Gerrish has a saw- mill on an inlet of Wilson Pond.
The prospect now is, that a railroad from Canada, passing by Megantic Lake, will be put through to West Cove, about two miles from the foot of Moosehead Lake, and thence to Blanchard, opening a new line to St. John. A telegraph line from Oldtown to Greenville and the Kineo House, along the line of the railroad, is under contract, and its construc- tion is now in progress.
Sadly we record that Mellen Shaw, a highly esteemed business man of Greenville, in a temporary estrangement of reason, terminated his life on March 4, 1880.
Greenville has several mechanics, but neither lawyer nor doctor has located there.
In 1870, the population of this town was 369; its valua- tion $66,707.
CHAPTER XXIV.
SHIRLEY, WILSON, ELLIOTSVILLE.
SHIRLEY lies north of Blanchard, and is also on the Bing- ham Purchase. Its ridges have an excellent soil, and are beautiful for agriculture, while its river courses abounded with a giant growth of pine and spruce, as good as any found in the county.
It is well watered. The main branch of Piscataquis River rises in the township north of this, within four miles of Moosehead Lake, and flows southward through Shirley. It passes through a bog, at the lower end of which, there is a good mill privilege, which was early occupied. Into the north-west part of this town the Bog Stream enters, and flows south, uniting with the Piscataquis in Blanchard. This stream has, by a little expense in damming, been made suffi- cient to float out the excellent pine logs which grew upon its banks.
This township was purchased by Messrs. Shaw and Jabez True, in the winter of 1829. Mr. True lotted out the east half, began to clear an opening, preparatory to building mills, and took measures to introduce settlers. He soon had a saw-mill and clapboard machine in operation, also built a large barn, and cleared up a large opening. The west half of the township he sold at a large advance, and then pur- chased Mr. Shaw's portion, and found himself able to go into more desirable business .. In the spring of 1833, he exchanged his mills and some other property with Rich- mond Loring and Isaac Smith, for real estate in Guilford village, they moving into Shirley, and he engaging in mer- cantile business in Bangor, with a brother already estab-
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SHIRLEY.
lished there. In this the Trues were successful. In the civil war, Jabez was appointed paymaster in a Maine regi- ment, and at its close settled in Portland. A few years later he died in that vicinity, leaving a good estate to his surviv- ing family.
FIRST SETTLEMENT. In 1825, Joseph Mitchell came with Eben and David Marble, who were settling on the Whitney tract, and settled on a lot on the east side of Shirley. About the time Mr. True began to make an opening, Capt. C. Cush- man cleared an opening and built a framed house in the northern part of the town, hauling boards to cover it, from Monson, on the snow crust, upon a hand-sled.
Mr. True introduced quite a colony from Poland, who set- tled in the east part of the town, and others came in, so that, by 1832, there was quite a growing settlement. He had a post-office established, "True's Mills," himself being post- master, and had the mail carried to Monson in a private way.
Loring & Smith in the summer of 1833 put up a building for a grist-mill and clapboard machine.
The next spring, March 9, 1834, the township was incor- porated as the town of Shirley, J. Kelsey Esq., who was then in the Legislature, selecting the name of his own native place, instead of Somerset, for which the inhabitants had petitioned. At that time there were about twenty-five vot- ers. Elder Orrin Strout was chosen town clerk, and Charles Loring one of the selectmen. As the valuable pine timber on the west half had not then been cut to much extent, the people petitioned for a "set-off" of the reserved lands. The petition was in due time granted. After the annual town meeting of 1835, the legally constituted board of trustees of the school lands proposed to the proprietors of the west half, to quitclaim their right to these reserved lots for their mon- eyed value, without having them set off, as by law provided. The owners readily accepted the offer. That half township of wild land, although some of its timber had been already cut, was held much higher then, than the present value of the whole town of Shirley. So, from this portion, by that timely
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HISTORY OF PISCATAQUIS COUNTY.
move, more than $2000 was secured for a permanent school fund. From the other half, and from the part of Wilson eventually annexed, it has been increased to $2,800,-the largest in the county. As there are but three school dis- tricts in town, the income of this fund, with what they are compelled to raise by law, furnishes means to have as many months of school kept annually, as the scholars can well attend.
In the fall of 1834, a bridge was built across the stream at the mills, and a good beginning made in laying out and open- ing roads. In the summer of 1835, the town built a large school-house, which is still standing and used as a town-house.
A. T. Loring and I. Phillips opened a small store, in the spring of 1836, but they soon dissolved, and Mr. Loring left town. Oliver Eveleth then opened a store, and put a shin- gle mill in operation, employing other men to manage them. This store was continued for many years after Mr. Eveleth's death, Mitchell & Sturtevant occupying it, but now it is closed.
In the winter of 1835-36, the timber in the west half was sold by the owners, to certain parties from Bangor and Oro- no, on the stump, and an immense amount was cut. In sub- sequent years, the more scattering was picked up, and that half township, which was once valued at $50,000 and up- wards, is now thoroughly stripped and wholly unoccupied.
The mills in Shirley have passed to several different owners. Loring & Smith sold one half of their lumber mills, in 1834, to Amasa and Asa T. Loring; in 1835 Smith sold his remain- ing share to Isaac Phillips ; the next year, A. and A. T. Loring sold out to R. Loring and I. Phillips; a few years la- ter, R. Loring sold to John Gerrish, who soon sold to Oliver Eveleth ; and eventually, Eveleth and Mitchell owned them. Mitchell and Sturtevant operated them for many years. They have now passed to Blackstone and Neal, who still are running a saw- and grist-mill, and shingle and clapboard ma- chines, which saw out a large amount of lumber annually.
By the Legislature of 1848, the west half of Wilson was
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WILSON.
annexed to Shirley. This brought in a hotel, the Shirley House, at Shirley Corner, then kept by P. S. Merrill Esq., another mill privilege, now improved by the Sprague mills, another Post-office, Shirley, enlarged their school districts, and increased their population. Though this town has good farming lands, long schools, and lower taxes than others, and good facilities for lumbering, it does not advance in wealth or population, as might be expected.
The Sprague mills, on the Little Wilson, in the east part of the town, are now, 1879, run by John Stacy. In these are two clapboard machines and a shingle machine.
Should the Railroad be extended from Blanchard to the lake, which now seems to be assured, it will pass by Shirley mills, and increase their business facilities.
The Huff silver mine is now favorably spoken of, and may prove to be a source of profit to its owners.
The post-office at Shirley mills has been continued from its first establishment.
According to the last census, the population was 206, the valuation, $56,220.
WILSON.
WILSON, originally Number Nine, Ninth Range, lies be- tween Monson and Greenville. A portion of its soil is good for agriculture, a part was well timbered, and a part hilly, and other parts unfit for settling. The Wilson Stream, issu- ing from Wilson Pond, in Greenville, passes through this township, affording good mill privileges.
William C. Whitney purchased 3000 acres in the south- west corner of this township, known as the Whitney tract. The rest of it was granted to the Massachusetts Medical So- ciety, and 3000 acres in Number Eight, Ninth Range, was included in this State grant. H. W. Fuller Esq. of Augusta purchased this whole medical society grant for $3000, and. this township took the name of Fullerstown. It was lotted out by A. Greenwood Esq.
EARLY SETTLEMENT. In 1824, Eben and David Marble
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HISTORY OF PISCATAQUIS COUNTY.
commenced clearing on the Whitney tract, and in 1825 moved their families there. The same year, 1824, Nelson Savage cleared an opening near the the center of the town- ship, and built a saw-mill on the Little Wilson Stream, and the next year, Messrs. Carter and Atwood also cleared open- ings in that vicinity, and in 1826, moved their families.
Other settlers entered north of the Whitney tract, and others began in the east part of the township. F. F. Gates became owner of one-half of Savage's mill, but he soon dis- posed of it. The road first cut out to Moosehead Lake passed by this mill, and for several years all the travel and teaming to the lake went this way.
A post-office was established, Nelson Savage, postmaster, and the mail was carried to Monson for the income of the office. In the winter of 1835, a part of the inhabitants peti- tioned for the incorporation of the township, while those on the west side petitioned to be annexed to Shirley. Both pe- titioners had leave to withdraw. The next year, a petition for the incorporation of the township was granted, and in March, 1836, it became the town of Wilson. The settle- ment did not increase, the public burdens bore heavily on the few inhabitants. So, in 1848, on petition of the inhabi- tants, a strip containing five ranges of lots on the north side was annexed to Greenville, about one-half of the remainder to Shirley, the residue to Elliotsville.
Savage's mills were abandoned in 1858, and have gone to decay, and all in that neighborhood left their farms and re- moved to other places, after that road to the lake was aban- doned. H. W. Fuller sold one-half of his purchase to E. T. Bridge Esq., and afterward it was sold to several different parties. On the Little Wilson, between Savage's mill and its mouth, there is a stupendous fall of eighty feet perpen- dicular; over which clapboard-cuts have been driven, but many of them would be split and quartered from end to end. Mr. Savage continued to reside there until 1858, then he re- moved to Monson, and that settlement was depopulated.
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ELLIOTSVILLE.
ELLIOTSVILLE.
ELLIOTSVILLE also has faded from the list of towns in this county, but it once had a place in it. Though now in the twilight of its brighter days, it has a history. As primarily run out by John Boardman, it was Number Eight, Ninth Range. It has two lofty mountains within its limits,-Boar- stone and Peaked Mountains-,while Ship Pond lies in its south-eastern part, and vents its surplus waters into Sebec Lake. The Wilson Stream crosses the south-west corner of it, and therein receives the Little Wilson: these united make very good mill privileges. But limited portions of its soil are good for agriculture; other portions had a fair amount of pine and spruce timber; and other large portions are waste and useless.
GRANTS AND PROPRIETORS. A strip on the west side, nearly a mile wide, was included in the grant to the Massa- chusetts Medical Society, to equal the 3000 acres in Number Nine of that township, sold to William C. Whitney.
The Vaughan tract was the next granted. In February, 1812, the State of Massachusetts granted to the heirs of the late William Vaughan, one full half township of wild land, for services which he had rendered to the State. A . person of this name resided in Portsmouth, N. H., who took an ac- tive part in projecting and pushing forward the expedition to Louisburg, in 1745, and this may be the individual. These heirs selected the northern part of this township, on the east of the Medical tract, and in 1814, 11,520 acres were conveyed to them by the State authorities, including the usual reserves for public uses.
By the Saco Free Bridge Co., Capt Ichabod Jordan was ap- pointed to select and locate four thousand acres, to make up the deficiency, and he took that amount on the south of the Vaughan tract. Two other small parcels in the south part, on either side of Ship Pond, remained, which Elliot G. Vaughan Esq. and a Mr. Watson eventually purchased. The Vaughan heirs early sold an undivided part, amounting
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HISTORY OF PISCATAQUIS COUNTY.
to 4,333 acres, to C. H. Vaughan, to raise money to pay the expense of obtaining and locating the grant.
This reduced the amount held in common, to about seven thousand acres. Some of their owners sold out their shares, and eventually Elliot G. Vaughan Esq. became chief owner.
FIRST SETTLERS. Capt. Jordan had an opening felled on the Free Bridge part, in 1824, and Joseph and Eben Sawyer from Buxton also made beginnings. Joseph Sawyer was the first to move his family in, and fifty acres of land were giv- en to his son Joseph, in consideration thereof. In 1826, S. G. Bodfish from Norridgewock moved on to the lot which Capt. Jordan cleared. In 1828, John Drake and E. Briggs from Buckfield came in, also two Messrs. Burnell from Port- land, relatives of the Vaughan family. E. G. Vaughan Esq. took quite an interest in settling the township. He early erect- ed a saw-mill, and started a clapboard machine on the Wilson Stream, and eventually settled his family there. He worked up a large amount of timber in these, while clap- board-cuts were also driven out on the Ship Pond and Wil- son Streams. Mr. Vaughan's mills and house were not up- on the Vaughan tract, but nearer the southern part of the township.
E. T. Bridge Esq. built a grist-mill on the Wilson, above Vaughan's mill, on the eastern side of the Medical tract.
Mr. Vaughan, hoping to promote the sale of his land, pre- maturely procured the incorporation of the town in 1835, and named it Elliotsville, perpetuating his own name. They were troubled to collect the non-resident taxes. A large amount of non-resident land was advertised and sold at auction, and this discouraged, rather than encouraged, set- tlement.
A county road was located and opened to Monson, school districts were established, a school fund secured by the sale . of reserved lands, and the settlement promised well, except that it was small, and the non-resident taxes were not paid willingly.
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