USA > Maine > Waldo County > Belfast > History of the city of Belfast in the state of Maine v.I, 1770-1875 > Part 58
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Fish Street was accepted in 1807, as follows: "beginning at the north-westerly angle of John Merriam's house " situated on the easterly side of Main Street ; running north, eighty-seven degrees
1 The city authorities seem to have overlooked the fact that there was another street by that name.
2 It occupied about the site of Martin P. White's store.
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east, thirty-six rods, to low water of the river :1 to be three rods wide, and to lie on the north side of said course."
It seems to have been also laid out without name, but not ac- cepted, in 1803.
In 1873, " so much as is east of a line drawn from the north- west corner of the Foundery lot, so called, to the south-west corner of the lot recently occupied by D. Lane's office," was discontinued.
Franklin Street was accepted as follows, in 1828: "beginning at a stake in the west line of Church Street, thirteen feet from the north-east corner of the house occupied by Capt. James Douglas,2 and three rods from the junction of Church Street with the Bel- mont road ; thence south, forty-seven degrees west, sixteen rods, to a stake at Court Street; thence south, fifty-six degrees west, twelve rods, to the north-west corner of Paul R. Hazeltine's house- lot : to be three rods wide, and to lay on the northerly side of said line." In 1839, it was laid out to Congress Street. In 1841, the town voted to extend and accept it to the Stanley road, provided the owners of the land claimed no damage.
Front Street was located in 1835, as described in the following transcript : " beginning at a stake at the south side of Fish Street, and one rod and nineteen links from the north-east corner of Jo- siah Farrow's house; 8 thence running south, five degrees east, nine rods and three links, to a stake two feet from the south-east corner of Joseph Smith's house ; thence south, twenty-two and a half degrees east, twelve rods and ten links, to a stake nineteen links from the corner of the house formerly of James W. Web- ster ; 4 thence south, thirty-six degrees east, forty-five rods, to a stake in the south-east side of Pearl Street continued : to be two rods wide, and to lie on the easterly side of the aforesaid lines." The town voted " to accept Front Street, from Spring Street to the contemplated Fulton Street, on condition that there is no damage claimed of the town." The same year, it was voted to accept Front Street, " beginning at Fish Street, to Spring Street, over land of Josiah Farrow, land claimed by the heirs of Benj. Palmer, land of Peter Rowe, and land of Mansfield & Bigelow."
1 At the September term of the District Court, in 1840, Josiah Farrow was indicted for a nuisance in obstructing Fish Street with lumber, a wharf, and a storehouse. It appearing that the obstruction was below high-water mark, Judge Allen held that, as no town way could be legally laid out below high-water mark, without legislative authority, the defendant must be discharged.
2 Where Peirce's Block stands.
8 Opposite the Foundery lot. It was destroyed in the great fire of 1865.
4 At the corner of Spring Street.
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Extension and widening of Front Street, Sept. 5, 1870 :-
Westerly side. Beginning at the intersection of Spring and Front Streets, eighteen links from the south-east corner of house owned by Newell Mansfield; thence north, fourteen degrees, twenty minutes, west, twenty-two rods, fourteen links, to iron bolt in ground at the point of intersection with Main Street, near north-east corner of N. Mansfield's store; thence north, forty-six degrees, forty minutes, west, ten rods, twenty links, to iron bolt fourteen and a half links northerly of south-east corner of L. A. Knowlton's store; thence north, sixty-six degrees west, twelve rods, ten links, to outer post in south-east corner of piazza of S. S. Lewis's store, at or near the Belfast Common.
Easterly side. Beginning near the south-west corner of M. R. Cooper's store, at iron bolt in ground ; thence in direct line, fifteen rods, twenty links, to south-west corner of Belfast Foundery ; thence westerly, in direct line, six rods, seven links, to intersection with Main Street and iron bolt, making road at this latter point three rods wide ; thence on curve made by three rod radius from bolt near Mansfield's store, to notch cut in the front of office occupied by Daniel Lane, Jr .; thence in direct line, eleven rods, two links, to iron bolt, thirty-three links westerly from south-west corner of R. Sibley's store, making road at this point three rods, fifteen links wide ; thence in direct line, twelve rods, twenty-three links, to bolt near the north-west corner of Jonathan Foss's store, mak- ing road at this point four rods wide; thence in direct line to south-west corner of depot for freight, three rods and twenty links, more or less, till an intersection is made with land to be occupied by the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad Company. It was graded and opened to the depot, the same fall.
Feb. 13, 1871. Line of street changed, giving Mr. Sibley six feet more on North Street, and thence to present location near easterly corner of Knowlton's store.
Fulton Street was laid out and accepted in 1835 : " beginning at a stake standing in the south-west corner of Cross Street, and ten rods from the south-east side of Summer Street; thence run- ning north, fifty-two degrees east, twenty rods, to a stake : to be three rods wide, and to lie on the south-east side of said line."
Green Street was laid out and accepted in 1808, as follows : "beginning at a stake and stones on High Street, eight rods southerly of William Morrill's1 south line; thence on an east
1 Where David Peirce lives.
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course to high-water mark at the river : to be three rods wide, and lying on the south side of said course."
Grove Street was accepted in 1839, according to the following transcript : " beginning on the westerly line of Church Street, thirteen feet from the southerly side of William T. Colburn's house (now Captain R. T. Emery's) ; thence south, fifty-six degrees west, sixty-five rods and nine links, to Congress Street : to be three rods wide, and to lie on the southerly side of said course."
High Street was first located and accepted in two portions, in 1802 : the one from Little River bridge to Nesmith's Corner, and the other from Nesmith's Corner to the upper bridge. In a tran- script of the original survey, the first portion is designated as "the town and county road from Little River to Sandy Beach," as after reaching Nesmith's Corner it formed what was afterwards the lower part of Main Street to the shore. The following is a description of the first portion : -
Beginning at a stake at the south-east corner of said bridge ; thence north, fifty degrees east, four rods, to a stake ; thence north, twelve degrees west, twelve rods and seventeen links, to a pine stump marked H .; thence north, twenty-four degrees east, one hundred and nineteen rods, to a stake in Captain James Wey- mouth's lot, the foregoing line being so far the eastwardly line of said road ; thence beginning four rods westwardly from the last-mentioned stake, at right angles with the last-mentioned course, and on the eastwardly side of said road at a stake; thence north, eleven degrees west, one hundred and ninety rods, to a stake near the north-east corner of Thomas Nesmith's house, on No. 46, first division of lots in said town; thence north, fourteen degrees west, one hundred and forty-four rods, to the line between lots Nos. 42 and 43 of said first division to a stake; thence north, six degrees west, fifty-eight rods, to a stake on lot No. 41 in said division ; thence north, nine degrees west, one hundred and twelve rods, to a stake at the school-house; thence north, twenty-three degrees west, thirty-one rods, to a stake at a great rock ; thence north, thirty-five degrees west, to the north-east corner of James Miller's orchard, at a stake, six rods and fifteen links ; thence north, forty-four degrees west, seventy-six rods and ten links, to a stake at the north-east corner of David Gray's land, at the place where said road forms an angle with the town and county road leading to Davistown.
The second portion is described on the town records as follows : -
.
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1802, June 7. A Survey of a town road accepted from Hopkins & Nesmith corner, opposit the Guide post,1 Northwardly a cross part of lot No. 36 of the first Division of lots; and also No. 35 of the same Division, to wit, Begining at a Stake on the West- wardly side of said road, at the angle it makes with the County road leading towards Davistown ; thence north, 69º west, 24} rods, to a stake; thence north, 56° west, 9 rods, to a stake ; thence north, 40° west, 35 rods, to a Stump and Stake, marked near the top of the Hill on Lot No. 35 aforesaid ; thence north, 35° west, 44 rods, to a Stake on the line between James Mansur and William Morrill's land ; thence north, 19º west, 207 rods,to a stake in Abner M:Keen's land; thence north, 9º west, 27 rods, to a stake, where the road turns down to the Bridg; thence Begining on the Eastwardly side of the road at a stake, north, 14° west, 34 rods, to a Stake; thence north, 3º east, 13 rods, to a stake near the east side of the bridg.
A change in the location of the latter part was made the next year "from Nesmith's Corner to Thomas Whittier's house, now known hy the name of High Street," according to the following transcript : -
" Beginning at a stake fourteen feet in front of said Nesmith's dwelling-house, opposite George Hopkins's dwelling-house; thence north, fifty-four degrees, thirty west, forty-eight rods, to a stake and stones opposite said Whittier's house, making the north- easterly line of said street as now laid out, and the street exactly four rods wide." This is the first recognition on the town records of any street by name.
It will be noticed that the original location of the south-easterly portion of this road was extremely crooked. Through the in- fluence and exertions of Hon. Nathan Read, it was straightened in 1809, by the following vote of the town :-
1809, May 1. Voted to accept the alteration in the town way leading from Capt. James Miller's house to Little River, as follows : (to wit), beginning at a stake and stones near the gun-house, on the line between lots Nos. 38 and 39, on the westerly side of the road; running thence south, 12}º east, over lots Nos. 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, and to a stake and stones on, No. 52, about five rods from the west side of the pres- ent road ; and from said stake and stones on a true sweep to the present road as now travelled, and as the road now runs to
1 The guide-post was about two feet from the corner of the spot now covered by the store of David Lancaster.
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HISTORY OF BELFAST.
Little River bridge. Said road to be on the easterly side of said course, and to be five rods wide, with the following exceptions : to wit, so much of said way as may interfere with the main bodies of the dwelling-houses of Mr. Thomas Nesmith and Capt. Jesse Holbrook and also the well of the said Jesse, is not to be opened until the said Thomas and Jesse may find it convenient to remove them.
Voted to discontinue so much of the now travelled road as may be useless to the town for a road by said alteration.
A second alteration was made in 1813, as follows :-
" Beginning at a stake near the dwelling-house of Captain Eph- raim McFarland's, on the north line of lot No. 39 in the first divi- sion ; thence south, nine and one quarter degrees east, about five hundred and fifty-six rods, to a stake on lot No. 52 in said divi- sion; thence south, twenty-five degrees west, about eighty-four rods, to the town line, at the centre of Little River bridge. Said road to be five rods wide, and to lie on the easterly side of said course."
In 1874, the road from the junction of Church Street, near James P. White's, to Little River, was named Northport Avenue.
James Street was accepted Sept. 6, 1869: running at right angles with Congress Street; beginning at the south-easterly cor- ner of land owned and occupied as a residence by George O. Bailey, in the line of Congress Street, and running south, sixty-one degrees west, on the sontherly line of said Bailey's land, to land owned by S. A. Howes; thenee across the land of the said Howes, in the same line of direction, to the line of division between the said Howes and Jonathan Foss, the distance being ten rods on the line of Bailey, and twenty-three rods, twenty links, on the land of the said Howes; thence, in the same line of direction, on land of the said Foss, sixteen rods, nine links ; thence making a curve of twenty- four degrees to the west line, the space of ten rods; thence on a direet line, eighty-five degrees west, to the southerly side of the Stanley road, the whole distance from the point of beginning being ninety-eight rods and ten links. The street proposed to be three rods in width, more or less, the southerly bound being readily established by measuring the width of the proposed street from the northerly bound, established by the foregoing survey. Ac- cepted on condition that no damages are claimed or allowed.
Main Street was laid out and accepted in 1793, and is the first located road which is now a street. It commenced at Sandy Beach,
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at a white pine-tree near high-water mark ; thence, running by the south-west corner of Esquire Weeks's lot, it formed the Davis- town road, and ran by Steep Hill Brook and Little Meadow Brook, and the south line of lot No. 61, to the town line. It was not at first designated by any name. In 1803, it is first mentioned on the town records as " Main Street." From the corner of Church Street, the Davistown road was originally but two rods wide. It was ex- tended to four rods in 1806.1 The following is the original loca- tion of record :-
1793, July 16. Voted that the Road laid out from Sandy Beach to the Town line is Excepted as Apears by Transcrip.
A Transcrip of A Road Laid out from Sandy beach to the Town Line. Begining at Sandy beach at a white pine tree marked H., near high-water mark, running thence south, forty-seven degrees east, ten Rods ; Thence South, ten Rods; Thence south, thirty-four degrees west, thirty-two Rods, to a Hemlock tree at the old High- way ; Thence Continuing South, thirty-four degrees west, sixteen Rods, to the leading Road on the South Side of Lot No. 36, First division ; thence West, to a yallow Birch tree on the South-west Corner of Esquire Weeks's Lot ; Thence south, sixty-five degrees West, one hundred and ninety-five Rods, to a rock-maple tree marked H .; thence West, thirty-eight Rods to a rock-maple tree Marked H., Westerly side of the Steep hill Brook, so Caled, on the line Between Lots No. 96 and 72; Thence, seventy-six Rods, to a Hemlock Tree Marked W .; Thence north, eighty-seven degrees west, one hundred Rods; Thence south, seventy-five de- grees west, sixty Rods, to the Little Medow Brook ; Thence south, seventy-nine degrees west, forty-two Rods, to a white maple tree Marked H .; Thence West, sixty Rods, to a white maple tree Marked H .; thence north, sixty degrees west, sixty Rods, to a Beach tree on the Line Between Lots No. 65 and 66; thence north, seventy-five degrees west, to a Beach tree marked J. M. on the south Line of Lot No. 61; Thence Continuing north, seventy-five degrees west, one hundred and eighty-eight Rods, to a Beach tree Marked I. M., on the Town line.
1 The land at the corner of Main and Church Streets, where the store of Alden D. Chase stands, and for several rods in the rear of it, and half, at least, of the width of that portion of Church Street, was then a quagmire; on the site of the "Republican Journal " building grew flags, of the species producing cat-tails. The water from this quagmire oozed off through a gridiron bridge across Main Street, the eastern end of which was not far from the store now occupied by Dr. Sylvester. In 1858, when gas- pipes were laid down in the streets of Belfast, the pine logs that formed this hridge were uncovered, at the depth of four feet. - Crosby's Annals.
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HISTORY OF BELFAST.
The portion from Nesmith's Corner to the shore appears to have been located anew in 1802, as follows : beginning at a stake at the corner near the guide-post, on the southwardly side of the road leading down to the ferry at Sandy Beach, north, forty-one degrees east, thirty-three rods, to a stake ; thence north, forty-five degrees east, twenty-one rods, to the shore at a stake ; thence north, sixty-nine degrees west, nine rods and seven links, to James Nes- mith Esq.'s land : this line making the castwardly side of said road, which is three rods wide.
The portion between High and Church Streets was more definitely located in 1802.
1802, June 7. Survey of a road accepted from David Gray's and George Hopkins's Corner, opposite Nesmith's Corner, in lot No. 36 of the first division of lots, near the guide-post, beginning at a stake, being said Gray's north-east corner on the south wardly side of said road ; thence south, forty-seven degrees west, fifteen rods, to the leading road between lots Nos. 36 and 37 of the first division of lots at a stake : said road being three rods wide.
1805, April 5. Voted to accept the report of the committee in favor of John Durham and Robert Miller, in giving them at the rate of sixty-five dollars per acre, not exceeding one rod off the width of each of their lots, in widening the road from two rods to four rods wide between lots Nos. 36 and 37, first division, from Edmund Brown's westwardly corner to the head of said lots on their several lands, (to wit) one rod off of each lot the whole dis- tance from said Brown's Corner to the head of said lots.
The upper part of the road, or what is now called Belmont Avenne, was widened in 1806, according to the following vote : -
1806, Aug. 19. Voted to accept the road as laid out by the selectmen from the head of the road leading from McDonald's and Brown's towards Davistown, to the head of the first division lots, to be four rods wide.
Return of the leading road from Belfast Beach, so called, to the plantation of Davistown. Beginning at a stake one rod north- westerly of a large oak stump standing at the head of the road leading from McDonald and Brown's store, towards Davistown ; running west, three hundred and forty rods, to a stake. Said road to be four rods wide, and to be one-half on each side of said course.
After the fire in 1846, which destroyed the Babel, that portion of the street from High Street to Washington Street was widened
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by consent of the owners of land. No location or acceptance appears on the records.
The lower portion was further widened in 1863, as follows : -
1863, April 6. Beginning at a point where, on the easterly line of Washington Street, a continuation of a line marked by the front side of the brick buildings on the northerly side of Main Street, between High Street and Washington Street, intersects,the said easterly line of Washington Street, and said point being eighty- one feet from the Whittier building on the opposite and southerly side of said Main Street ; thence running north, forty-one degrees east, parallel with the northerly line of Main Street, as laid out by the selectmen of Belfast, April 24, 1807, five rods and thirteen feet, to an iron bolt on the easterly line of land of A. J. Morison, and to the westerly line of land owned by H. J. Anderson, and eighty-two feet from a wooden building on the opposite and southerly side of said Main Street, meaning that the land between the two lines above named be a part of Main Street.
In 1868, the municipal officers ordered " that the lower end be changed so as to pass by the southern corner of L. A. Knowlton's store, within ten feet of the same; and also that legal steps be taken to establish the legal line of said street as surveyed by George Woods from the Pote store to W. A. Swift's shop." No record of such a change appears.
1874, Sept. 7. Ordered, that the portion of the street known as Main Street, lying between Front and Congress Streets, be, and hereby is, named Main Street : said name to be applied to both branches of said Main Street, which intersect with Front Street ; and that the portion of said street lying between Congress Street and the Belmont town line be, and hereby is, named Belmont Avenne.
Market Street was accepted by that name, " according to tran- script," in 1803. No transcript is to be found. It was again accepted in 1807, as follows : "beginning at a stake and stones on the north side of the Davistown Road, running north, thirty- two degrees east, fifty-nine rods, over High and Pleasant Streets : to be three rods wide, and to lie on the northerly side of said course." The name was given from the fact that "the market place, or common," granted by Varnum and Badger, was at the foot of the street.
Middle Street was located and accepted in 1807. Its location was as follows: " beginning at a stake and stones on the south
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HISTORY OF BELFAST.
side of Green Street, so called, running south, twenty-five degrees east, thirty-four rods, intersecting the Bridge Street. Said street to be three rods wide, and on the westerly side of said course."
Miller Street was accepted May 25, 1824, as follows : " be- ginning at the northerly corner of William Avery's house-lot, at the west side of Church or Centre Street; thence south, fifty-six degrees west, ninety-four rods ; thence west, one hundred and ten rods, to the junction of the road leading from John Wilson's dwelling-house to Robert P. Pote's : to be four rods wide on the northerly side of said line; the first section of it, ninety-four rods, to be called Miller Street." Summer Street, from Church Street to the shore, was called Miller Street, from and after Nov. 5, 1855. (See Summer Street.)
Mitchell Street, on the east side of the river, was ordered by the Board of Aldermen, Nov. 2, 1874, to be accepted as a town way as follows : "beginning at an elm-tree on the southerly side of the Searsport road, so called, at the south-westerly corner of land of W. O. Alden and his children, and running south, five and three-fourths degrees west, fifty-seven rods and five links, to the shore. Said street to lie on the south-easterly side of said line, and to be three rods in width." The name is not given of record, but it is thus designated on Sanford and Leggett's map.
Morrill Street was approved and allowed as follows, in 1833 : " beginning on the northwardly side of Federal Street, at its junc- tion with Main Street ; thence north, forty-one degrees east, per- pendicular to the south-east line of Main Street, twelve rods and ten links, to the westerly line of Fish Street : to be three rods wide, and on the northwardly side of said course." The name was changed to Main Street in 1835.
North Street was a part of Main Street until 1835, when the town voted "to change the name of what is now called Main Street from the bend near the house of P. H. Smith to its termina- tion near Crosby's Wharf." Although this name was never gen- erally applied, it was officially retained until 1874, when a vote of the city council restored the old designation of Main Street.
Northport Avenue. (See High Street.)
Park Street was located and accepted in 1824, as follows : " be- ginning at the west side of High Street, at the south-easterly corner of Ezra Ryan's land ; thence south, fifty-six degrees west, parallel with Miller Street, to the south line of lot No. 38: to be three rods wide, and on the southerly side of said line." It was
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extended to Congress Street in the same course in 1839, from High to Union Street in 1847.
Peach Street was approved and allowed in 1826, as follows : "beginning at a post in the north-east side of Church Street, said post being the most westerly corner of the parcel of land conveyed by Philip Morrill by his deed recorded in Hancock Registry, vol. 49, page 199; thence running north, fifty-six degrees east, twenty-five rods and four links, to a post in the side of the read leading to Northport : to be two rods wide, and wholly on the north-westerly side of said line."
Pearl Street was located and accepted in 1824, as follows : " be- ginning at a stake on the west side of Church Street, and twenty rods from Miller Street, south line; thence south, fifty-six degrees west, parallel with Miller Street, to the south line of lot No. 38 : to be three rods wide, and to be on the southwardly side of said line; also, to be extended north, fifty-six degrees east, to the west line of High Street." Its extension from Church to High Street was accepted in 1831, and from Court to Congress Street in 1846. It was extended "from High Street north, thirty-one degrees east, to the west corner of the Widow Doyle's house ; thence north, sixty degrees east, to high-water mark," in 1852.
Peirce Street was accepted in 1827, three rods wide. In 1831, it was " approved and allowed" as follows : " beginning at the westerly end of the new toll-bridge, at high-water mark; thence south, fifty-five degrees west, fifty rods, to High Street. Said course to be the centre, and said street to be four rods wide." It is erroneously designated as North Street on the map of Waldo County. The name was given from Captain David Peirce, who owned the land which it crossed.
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