USA > Maine > Knox County > South Thomaston > History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine, from their first exploration, A. D. 1605; with family genealogies, Vol. I > Part 39
USA > Maine > Knox County > Rockland > History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine, from their first exploration, A. D. 1605; with family genealogies, Vol. I > Part 39
USA > Maine > Knox County > South Thomaston > History of Thomaston, Rockland, and South Thomaston, Maine, from their first exploration, A. D. 1605; with family genealogies, Vol. I > Part 39
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49
Not long after the formation of this company, the citizens received a hint of its utility by a fire which broke out about three o'clock on the morning of Dec. 10th, in the rear and roof of the building owned by J. D. Wheaton, in which the Post Office was kept and also the offices of Messrs. Farley and Cleland, together with the broker's office of J. Swan. A fire-engine, still owned by an individual, with no organized company to take charge of it, was brought to the spot, and, by its aid, the partially consumed marble manufactory of S. Dwight, but three feet distant, together with the adjacent buildings, mills, and cotton factory, was saved. The princi- pal loss fell upon Mr. Wheaton. Most of the letters and papers in the Post and other offices were saved, except Mr. Cleland's, and his valuable law library, which was insured for $500. The building burnt, stood on the site of the store now owned and occupied by S. Waldo
After the open winter before spoken of, with little or no snow, it is remarkable, that the warm weather continued, with drought in April and heavy rains in May, succeeded by a fine growing season, with good crops, and no frost till Oct. 12th. At that time, a cold snap occurred, producing ice and frozen ground, but was soon followed by mild weather, which con- tinned, without snow, to the very close of the year.
On the 9th of June, 1828, John Smith, one of the Hessian soldiers, who remained in the country after the revolutionary
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war, living in the upper part of Cushing, having taken pas- sage here on board the sch. Milo, for Boston, was knocked overboard shortly after leaving Greeu's wharf, by the fore boom, and drowned, at the age of 80 years. Capt. Simon MeLellan, Jr., of this place, in command of the schooner Mary, at Richmond, Va., while returning from another vessel to his own, on the evening of Dec. 18th, was knocked down, rob- bed, and thrown into a lighter, where he was found the next morning, with fractured skull and many wounds, but died without recovering his senses to give any account of the mat- ter. On the 22d August, Oliver Gay, at the age of twenty- one years, whilst drilling out the tamping of a charge in the lime quarry, had his hands dreadfully mangled by its acci- dental explosion, and a piece of the rock driven through the side of his neck, cutting the large artery. He was led a few rods towards a house, but soon fainted from loss of blood, and in a few moments expired.
1829. On the 9th January, the cotton factory at Mill River, was, between 11 and 12 o'clock at night, discovered to be on fire, the flames having already spread so rapidly through the whole building, as at once to preclude all hope of saving it, and soon producing such a heat as to prevent all near ap- proach. The engine however was brought out, and so skil- fully managed by the Mill River Engine Company, now fully organized under the command of Wm. K. Stevens, as to pre- serve the neighboring buildings, and even the factory store, only twelve feet distant, already on fire. Nothing was saved from the factory, which had been lately purchased and fitted up with new machinery by Isaac Snaith, - McGee, and Thomas Thacker, from Dover, N. H. ; who, though partially insured, were thought at the time to be losers to the amount of $15,000. It was not known how the fire originated, but subsequent events in connection with Mr. Snaith and the Thomaston Bank, led some to doubt whether the fire was not kindled intentionally by the owners. In addition to the Engine company, the old Fire company still continued its op- erations, and, at the annual town meeting this year Fire- Wardens for the first time were chosen, fourteen in number.
The cause of temperance had now made such progress in the State, that the legislature passed an act giving towns the power to grant or to withhold as they thought proper the au- thority of the selectmen to license innholders and retailers to sell ardent spirits. But this town, at their September meet- ing, voted to grant such authority ; and the licenses this year granted, viz., 3 innholders, and 30 retailers, show that the
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traffic here, had not yet become disreputable. In the follow- ing year, however, 1830, a different result was arrived at; when, Sept. 30th, the town voted not to allow the selectmen to grant any such licenses.
Among the marine disasters of this year may be mention- ed the death, March 15th, of Capt. Josiah Spalding, of the schooner Leo, at the age of 36, who, when forty miles S. W. of Monhegan, wind blowing N. W. with a heavy sea, was knocked overboard by the parting of the tiller rope, and, be- ing incumbered with overclothes, perhaps injured by the til- ler or benumbed with the cold, disappeared before assistance could reach him. The schooner Ann, Capt. Reuben Mos- man, loaded with lime and bound to New York, left Chatham early on March 22d, and, a violent storm coming on, was wrecked on the eastern shore of Nantucket. The crew at- tempting to make their way to some place of shelter from the fury of the storm, the first mate and the steward, sons of the captain, became exhausted with fatigue and cold. Finding that they were unable to walk, the captain, with the energy and fortitude of an affectionate father, bore them alternately on his shoulders for about a mile ; when one of them died in that position, and the other he found dead when returning to take him up. After this, Capt. Mosman was barely able to crawl upon his hands and knees to the house of which he was in search. Another of the crew, George Hart of St. George, also perished. The two young brothers were buried side by side, in the same grave. Our shipping at this time was still occasionally troubled by pirates, the lingering re- mains of those nests nurtured by the late war with England ; several vessels from here being chased and fired upon near the Florida Keys. On the 17th of April, three boys at the Shore village, Joseph Guptill, seven years old, Isaac Spear, six years, and Charles Marshall, four years, were poisoned by eating, as it would seem, of the root of Cicuta maculata, or American hemlock ; that plant being found near where they were at play, and some of the same, to appearance, be- ing thrown from the stomach. The eldest recovered, after severe vomiting ; but the other two were thrown into most violent convulsions and died, one in twenty-eight, the other in forty-six hours.
The year 1829 commenced with a severe spell of weather. On Friday, Jan. 2d, the mercury at sunset stood at zero ; on Saturday, sunrise, 6º below ; noon and sunset, 2º below : on Sunday, sunrise, 18" below ; noon, 6º below ; sunset, at zero ; and on Monday, sunrise, 14º below, noon and sunset, 6º above.
31*
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
Two great snow storms, one late in February, and the other the first week in March, blocked up the roads and retarded the mails two or more days, each. Shortly after, a fine deer, weighing 200 lbs. was shot by Lincoln Levensaler of this town -probably the last slain here of these rare and beauti- ful tenants of the forest. A severe drought prevailed in July and August, during which some 400 acres of wood and un- cleared land were burnt over in the north-western part of this town and Warren.
A second sail-loft was about this time established at Brown's wharf, or graving ways, by Richard Elliott ; who, six years later, removed to Colson's stand at Fort wharf. Other es- tablishments of the kind have been since set up in this neigh- borhood, by G. K. Washburn in 1835, on Central wharf, and by Tobey & Dunn in 1856, on O'Brien's wharf; besides sev- eral at the eastern village, now city of Rockland. At that place Gen. George Thomas from Vinalhaven had been en- gaged since 1827, or before, in his successful career of ship- building. Col. Healy, who had for many years been the principal shipbuilder and business man at Mill River, launch- ed, Nov. 10th, of this year, the brig Pensacola, - the last of his operations in that line. Using materials and employing workmen from this and the neighboring towns, his business had been a great public benefit in stimulating the industry and increasing the wealth of the community. In the course of it, besides the large amount of lime and other products required for outward bound freight, he had built one ship, twelve brigs, five schooners, and one sloop, amounting in all to 3390 tons. It was, therefore, to the general regret, that his beneficial course of business should have been, by unforeseen reverses, brought to a premature close, - particularly so, to the immediate vicinity of Mill River, then the general centre of business for the whole town, St. George, and Cushing, but from which it began, after this time, to remove eastward to the Shore, and westward to the Bank corner, Prison corner, and neighboring wharves.
-4
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ROCKLAND AND SOUTH THOMASTON.
CHAPTER XIX.
NEW CHURCHES, NEWSPAPERS, AND PARTIES.
1830. Ox the 26th of March occurred a memorable high tide and storm of wind and snow, which blocked up and for many days rendered impassable the roads on shore, and destroyed vessels and lives at sea. The schooner Thomas of this town, having left Herring Gut about two hours before the storm commenced, with a cargo of lime, was supposed to have been unable to enter Boothbay harbor from the thickness of the weather and severity of the gale, and was subsequently found, sunk keel uppermost in fourteen fathoms water, six miles E. S. E. from Seguin light. Those on board, who thus sank to a watery grave, were the master, Capt. John Spald- ing ; two seamen, Wm. Thompson, and John Barrett; and two passengers, Capt. Edward Crockett, and Albert Baker ; all, except the last, of this town, and leaving wives and chil- dren to deplore their untimely fate. This disaster was fol- lowed, May 2d, by that of Capt. Jas. Sayward of this place, who sailed in the schooner Fame of Warren, from Gloucester for Norfolk, with a cargo of 179 tons of granite, and was last seen off Cape Cod, in a gale and heavy sea, with pumps at work. From the 16th to the 24th July it was unusually hot, - the mercury ranging from 90º to 98º. A four days' rain succeeded, drenching the parched earth, and accompanied with cold which rendered flannels and over-coats comfortable. Severe gales were experienced in August and September ; in one of which, the schooner Bradford, nearly new, Capt. John Lindsey, which left this place for Richmond, Va., Aug. 12th, with a cargo of lime, was thought to have foundered, when five days out at sea, with the loss of all on board ; of whom, besides the worthy master, this place had to lament Thos. J. Bentley, mate, and perhaps others not recollected.
According to the census, taken here by Henry C. Lowell, the town had increased in population, since 1820, fifty-nine per centum ; and in that respect stood, we believe, the second town in the State.
American independence was this year celebrated at East Thomaston village, by the supporters of Jackson's adminis- tration, then in the full tide of increasing popularity. The decorations of the brick meecting-house; chapel services by Mr. Woodhull ; reading of the Declaration by E. S. Hovey ; the oration by Mr. Ruggles; the procession conducted by Col. Meservey ; and the dinner provided by Jeremiah Berry,
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
on an open green, shaded by an awning, surrounded by ev- ergreens, and presided over by Albert Smith, marshal of Maine, - combined to give an eclat to the occasion, alike honorable and gratifying to the young men of that village who made the arrangements.
1831. Some accessions were this year made to the Thom- aston bar. Hermon Stevens from Waterville, who had grad- uated at that college and studied law with Hon. Timothy Boutelle of that place, came, in the autumn of this year, opened a law office at the Shore village, and is still in the practice in Rockland. Henry C. Lowell, also, a native of the place, having read law at intervals with his brother Hon. Joshua A. Lowell of East Machias, and also, it is believed, with Hon. J. Thayer of Camden, opened an office here not long after, and soon, by his talents, industry, and suavity, gained an eminent standing in the profession. Jonathan Cil- ley, who had, since leaving Mr. Ruggles' office, been in the practice at Mill River, was at this time fast rising in popular favor ; having this year been chosen moderator, town agent, and representative to the Legislature, in the room of his late instructer, who had for many years filled all these offices, but had now been appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and in March commenced his judicial labors at the term in Warren under favorable auspices and to the general satisfaction.
Mill River, Mosman's, and Oyster River bridges having been carried away or badly injured by the late freshets, the town voted that the second should be repaired at discretion of the selectmen, and the first rebuilt thirty-five feet wide, on the most favorable terms obtained by means of sealed proposals. The last was also rebuilt, and made passable for carriages by April 22d.
In the fall of 1831, Edward Robinson, and Wm. Singer, having concluded their prosperous and exemplary course as shipmasters, began business in company by establishing them- selves on Fort wharf, one half of which they purchased, the other part remaining in the hands of the heirs of H. J. Knox and J. Gleason. They established a commodious warehouse for storage, and did a kind of wholesale business in corn, flour, salt, and other bulky articles; burnt lime from the Beech Woods quarry ; and began ship-building, by launch- ing, in 1832, the ship Brunette. By their influence and that of others, the tide of business began to flow up street and culminate about the bank corner, which soon began, though unsuccessfully at first, to make demands for a removal of the
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ROCKLAND AND SOUTH THOMASTON.
post office to that locality. Spring business throughout the town was lively, especially in lime. Highly admired chimney pieces, taken from our quarries were this year manufactured for the new State House at Augusta, by Hon. J. O'Brien, whose marble factory, together with that of Cul. Dwight, an- nually furnished large quantities of such articles, which then found a ready sale as far south as New Orleans. A new ho- tel, named the Lime-Rock, was this year put up at East Thom- aston by Messrs. Joseph and Charles Thorndike.
The severest gale known for years occurred Jan. 15th and 16th, with badly drifted snow; and March 30th there was an extraordinary fall of rain, -carrying away Oyster River bridge. The Thomaston Register of April 1st says, " the whole of Mill River was completely under water, and serious apprehensions were expressed by some that our lime kilns would all go to sea. We saw a boat with a number of men in one place towing a house ashore." The spring was back- ward, the summer cool, and the fall free from frost till Oct. 28th. A storm, Nov. 22d, did considerable damage, espe- cially at the Eastern village. The tide was said to have risen two feet higher than was ever known before, and, being driven in by the strong east wind to which the harbor there is ex- posed, nearly destroyed several wharves, gullied and washed away the earth quite into the town road, and drove three ves- sels ashore, two of which were wholly lost, and the third left high upon the rocks. The damage was variously estimated at from $5,000 to $11,000. The cold in the greater part of December was remarkably severe, and occasioned much suf- fering, especially at sea. Capt. Oliver Robinson in the sch. Billow got into the George's River with himself and crew so badly frozen that their caps and boots could only be removed by cutting. The Lafayette, Capt. Crockett, took fire off Cape Cod from her lime; and, after closing the hatches, the captain and crew remained on deck forty-eight hours, without food or any but their ordinary clothing. They were badly frozen, but made out to get back into East Thomaston harbor, where the fire was extinguished.
The Fourth of July was duly observed by a procession from the Knox hotel, through Main and High streets to the Mill River church, where, with the usual services, an oration was delivered by Mr. Cilley, and an original spirited ode sung ; after which a repast at the Knox hotel, provided by J. Balch, was partaken of with the usual sentiments. David Kelloch, Col. B. Burton, and other revolutionary soldiers, were in the pro- cession, and added much to the interest of the occasion.
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
1832. The centennial return of Washington's birthday was celebrated at the Cong. church, Feb. 22d, by the Thom- aston Athencan Society, when the Farewell Address of the pure minded patriot was read by M. R. Ludwig, and an ora- lion given to a large and attentive audience by Wm. J. Far- ley. Besides the Athencan, other literary associations, and especially debating clubs and lyceums, were got up in differ- ent parts of the town and continued according to the talents of the members and the interest they were able to excite. One of these was formed at Wessaweskeag as early as 1828, and, for a time exciting considerable interest there, was fol- lowed by another at Owl's Head; which, having somewhat declined, was revived Dec. 6, 1832, by the choice of S. G. Adams, president, G. Emery, Jr., clerk, and Messrs. Nat. and Jos. Pillsbury, John and Daniel Emery, J. W. Dodge, J. Post, and others, debaters. Besides this, we have found no record of any others, till 1839, when the George's Debating Society was organized by the choice of Col. Starr, president, and E. Vose, secretary. The Wessaweskeag society was re- vived the same year, when Jesse Sleeper was chosen presi- dent, and Capt. H. Spalding, secretary. All these, in their time, contributed much to improve the young, and bring out latent talents.
In March, the Thomaston Coal and Mineral Company, which had slumbered for the last twelve years, was re-awak- ened by an Act of the Legislature .; but the doings of the year seem to have been mostly confined to the sale and transfer of stock, which in December took a prodigious rise ; viz. : from 25 cts. to $7 per share. During 1833, its oper- ations for discovering coal were resumed and carried on till the weather rendered a cessation expedient. Boring was commenced at the bottom of a shaft twenty feet deep, for- merly dug by the company, on the old Killsa farm west of the Meadows, then occupied by Capt. R. Robinson; and a depth of 100 feet was reached by a 4} inch auger. There, ob- structions occurred, and an iron tube 50 feet in length was in- serted, when boring was continued 40 feet further with a 3} inch auger ; but obstructions again arising and the season be- ing far advanced, it was thought best to suspend operations till the next spring. The whole distance penetrated was 183 feet, through the following strata ; viz. : slate, 40 feet; clay, 34; slate, 33; sandstone, 13; clay, 12; and slate, 51 feet ; at an expenditure, including apparatus, of $958.65. En- couraged by the indications thus far observed and a dona- tion of 8100 from Mr. Bussey, the company renewed the
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work in 1834, but found the perforation filled up to the height of sixty feet, principally with clay; which, from its constant working in, it was found almost impossible to remove. But, erecting a building forty feet in diameter as protection against the rain, they continued the operation with a one- horse power, and a succession of smaller and smaller tubes and augers, for nearly two months, when it was thought best to desist, probably from want of funds ; after having expended $258,88. The last meeting of the company was held, as usual, at the house of Col. Dwight, July 25th; at which, the means of prosecuting the further search for coal were con- sidered. Mr. Loring was authorized to sell the remaining shares of the company at $20 per share, and here the pro- ceedings of the company, so far as the records show, came to an end. Expectations of finding coal have been subse- quently excited, especially in 1836, when, in consequence of specimens fished up in George's River, boring operations were tried on land of Capt. D. Lermond, in Warren, in which A. Rice and others of this town participated.
A cold winter of good sleighing was broken by a heavy rain-storm March 12th, accompanied at evening with sharp lightning and much thunder, -during which the wife of John Chaples in St. George was killed instantly. There was a high freshet, the last of May, damaging bridges especially at Mill River; and on the 23d severe cold, producing ice in brooks and killing martins and tender birds.
At town meeting, May 7th, it was voted to raise the bridge near Ulmer's mill-dam three feet higher, and to raise $800 for securing the shore road, to be expended under direction of Wm. Heard, J. O'Brien, and J. Spofford, who were empow- ered to receive proposals for carrying the same into effect. This being the second time this road was put in jeopardy by the action of a sea storm, a sea-wall was now constructed with timber and filled in with earth by Jere. Berry, who gave a bond for its security ; which seems to have led to some con- troversy with the town, on its being again, in 1837, broken up by a tempest. The matter was amicably settled, however; and the work was rebuilt and loaded with a heavier mass of rock and carth. This, with other repairs in 1839, 1841, and 1843, proved effectual till 1861, when it was re-constructed, of wood and granite."
For the last ten years the maintenance of the poor of the town had been annually set up at auction, and given to the
* Messrs. J. Spofford, and J. Spear.
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HISTORY OF THOMASTON,
lowest bidder ; but this year, after various propositions made on the subject, the town voted that " the overseers procure a house and land, for the present year, for maintaining the town paupers, and employ an agent to take charge of the same.'
On the 24th July, at a meeting called by request, a Board of Health was appointed for preventing the introduction and spread of the Asiatic cholera, - a disease then newly intro- ' duced into the country, which was raging in many of our sea-ports and sweeping off its unhappy victims with frightful rapidity. A vessel having arrived from New York with a young man sick on board, with all its symptoms, Dr. Kellogg, chairman, was immediately sent for, and, recognising the case, ordered the vessel off into quarantine. The captain and own- ers very reluctantly obeyed, but, the next morning, would not be satisfied without the concurrence of the whole board. Drs. Kellogg, Ludwig, and Merrill, accordingly repaired on board, and, having no doubt about the nature of the case, very free- ly expressed their opinion and repeated the order. But, aris- ing to depart, they found the captain had ordered his boats to be hoisted in, and coolly told them "if we have got to stay here, you have got to stay with us." Blank looks ensu- ed among the officials, but they finally escaped from their " durance vile" by sufficiently impressing on the mind of the captain the heavy penalty he would incur by such a high handed procedure. This, it is believed, was the only official act the board was called on to perform."
At the September meeting, the re-election of Jonathan Cilley and Elkanah Spear to the popular branch of the Legislature was violently opposed by a large portion of the party to which they belonged, headed, we believe, by their former friend and supporter, Judge Ruggles. This gentleman, according to the Democratic Review, appears to have imbibed the idea that his claims to an election to the Senate of the United States did not receive all the aid which he expected, from the influ- ence of his late pupil. Believing this want of support on the part of Cilley was owing to his predilection for some other aspirant to the same office, and deeming it a breach of grati- tude due to himself, Mr. Ruggles did not hesitate, now that Cilley was brought forward as a candidate for re-election to the Legislature, the present year, to exert the whole strength of himself and his adherents against him. Caucuses and anti-caucuses were held, and charges of defection from the
* Dr. R. M. Ludwig, and town records.
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ROCKLAND AND SOUTH THOMASTON.
party were made against Cilley, to repel which he called down his friends Hodgman and Counce from Warren to tes- tify to what they had seen of his course in the Legislature. Their testimony in his favor was resented on the part of his opponents by withholding their suttrages from Mr. Hodgman as a candidate for the State Senate; - he receiving in this town hut 285 votes while the other candidates on the ticket received 447 or 450. The Democratic party being thus divided, and somewhat weakened by the withdrawal of many who, having supported the administration of Mr. Adams, were now, together with many of the old Federal party, mar- shalled in support of Henry Clay, under the name of National Republicans, led on in this town by Wm. J. Farley, it was not strange that the town found it difficult to effect a choice for representatives, which, as the law then was, required a ma- jority of the votes cast. Accordingly on the first trial, Cilley and Spear had 298 and 287 votes; their democratic oppo- nents, H. C. Lowell and Isaac Brown (2d), 150 and 144; and R. Robinson and I. Kimball, national republicans, 206 and 205. No choice being effected, the meeting was ad- journed five times in succession, generally by vote; once by the selectmen, without a vote; and the last time, Dec. 3d, with an interval of only one night. Of the meeting, which according to adjournment was to be held the next day, Dec. 4th, at nine in the morning, nothir g appears on record. The reason of this blank in the records is not apparent; but it is certain that a meeting was held on that day and that Messrs. Cilley and Spear obtained a certificate of election. Their right to a seat however was contested on grounds of ille- gality ; and a majority of the House decided the election of Mr. Cilley to be void. This decision was not made till Feb. 19th, and it does not appear that any further effort was made to fill his place the present year. The hostility of the Rug- gles party continued, as did also the exertions of Cilley to overcome it; and in 1833 no choice of representatives was had on the first trial ; though ou a second, held one week later. in consequence of the small attendance of the national republicans, or Whigs, as the friends of Mr. Clay began to be styled, Spear and Cilley were elected by a decisive majority. Mr. Cilley continued to be equally successful until his election to Congress, after having represented the town in the Legis- latime for five successive years Nor was this division in the Democratic party confined to Thomaston. The approaching election of a United States Senator made its influence felt, in some degree, throughout the State. By its means, R. P. Dun- VOL. I. 32
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