USA > Maine > Waldo County > Belfast > History of the city of Belfast in the state of Maine v.I, 1770-1875 > Part 68
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88
47
738
HISTORY OF BELFAST.
was disbursed to one hundred and forty-four families. The sum of $17,185 was appropriated for building purposes, and aided in erecting fifty new houses. By order of the city government, the following public acknowledgment of assistance was made : -
CARD.
With feelings of deepest gratitude for the great aid rendered during the terrible conflagration of August 24, and for the gener- ous contributions since, with sensibilities profoundly touched by the expressions of sympathy towards her in this time of her calamity, the City of Belfast returns her heartfelt thanks to the fire-engine company and citizens of Searsport, the engine com- pany and citizens of Castine, the Mayor, Chief Engineer, and fire- men of Bangor, who responded so quickly and rendered such valuable assistance upon that day; to her sister cities, Bangor, Rockland, Portland, and Augusta, who have shown their kinship by their generous contributions since ; to her sons, who, though afar off, have remembered her, as also to the strangers, heretofore unknown, but henceforth to be remembered, who have so freely and promptly sent forward their gifts; and, in short, to all, each and every one, who at home or abroad, at the fire or since, have rendered aid or manifested sympathy.
By order of the City Government.
WM. C. MARSHALL, Mayor.
BELFAST, Sept. 2, 1873.
Various rumors existed as to the canse of the fire. The verdict of a sheriff's jury, composed of Hiram Chase, Charles Moore, and Seth L. Milliken, found, after a long and exhaustive investigation, that the disaster originated on board of a schooner at Haraden's Wharf. Sparks from the funnel of the stove ignited the building which was first discovered in flames.
The accompanying plan of the burned district shows the loca- tion of the buildings destroyed.
LIST OF BUILDINGS DESTROYED. On Front Street and the Wharves.
Storehouse on Haraden's Wharf, where the fire originated. The second story was occupied by Joseph Dennett, as a sail-loft.
Storehouse of R. Sibley & Son, used as a United States bonded warehouse.
PLAN OF THE
BURNT DISTRICT, 1873.
FRONT
J.W.
& Co. O.FREDERICK
W.B.SWAN& CO.
D. LANK .//////////
BUFFORD'S LITH. BOSTON.
FEDERAL
J.MILLI KEWW.
FOUNDRY Co.
MATHEWS & Co.
CUNG. HAUON.
MAN FIELD
SPRING ST.
W.R.COOPER.
PHILO BATES
IS.WALKER
SIMPSON'S
J.
DENNETT. U. M.R. CULLINAN.
ST.
MILLER
MIT.COTTRELL
STREET.
T.J.FARROW .
LGILLUM ARS.M.
BRACKETT'S BRIG.
BLACK HALL
S. ARRASLE
THOMPSON
A. KNOWL
HAZEL TINE.
PATTERSON
-TON.
JEWETT.
J.
GE WIGHT
WURDE
HIGH
PEARL ST.
B
ONN. %
F.GILMORE
ALBUSWALKER
-
M.J. BURT.
ST.
-GON.
SKN.
J. GILM NAE.
LG.R.GARTER
COMMERCIAL
DO. GILMORE.
L.Y. CITTRE LL.
ST.
MRS.
MARY COLMES.
S.H.GRAY
ST.
PARK
T.GARTER.
MARY M.HALL.
1.W.
PARKER
H.A.CARTER.
MISS FROTHINGNAM.
What D.W. DYER.
A.FAUNO
!
C.D.M.KO
CROSS
WHARF.
C.P. CARTER & CO.
SHIP YARD.
UNION
STEPHEN J.GOODELL
D.W.DYER & SON.
ST.
SANFORD'S WHF.
E.K.BOYLE.
D. HANADEN.
R. SIDLEY & SON.
ST.
ST.
739
FIRES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Store of R. Sibley & Son.
J. W. Frederick & Co.'s ship-chandlery store.
Frank B. Frederick's store, occupied by Pitcher & Gorham.
William B. Swan & Co.'s two stores, and a long line of store- houses on wharf. In the second story of one of the latter was the sail-loft of Charles R. Thombs.
Daniel Lane's office, and storehouse on wharf.
Belfast Foundery Co.'s buildings. The main one was of brick, three stories high.
Mathews & Co.'s storehouse.
M. R. Cooper's buildings in lumber-yard.
William Pitcher & Son's store, and storehouses at head of Simpson's Wharf.
Two tenement-houses, owned by Treadwell & Mansfield, near corner of Spring Street.
On Federal Street.
House and barn of John Milliken.
On Spring Street.
House of A. Bates.
" owned by Lewis A. Knowlton.
" owned by Newell Mansfield.
" of Mrs. Margaret Haugh.
On Cross Street, North Side.
Double tenement brick house of Charles M. Keen.
House of S. Walker.
House and barn of M. A. Cullnan.
Two buildings in Carter & Co.'s ship-yard. A brig being built for Captain Horace W. Brackett, in this yard, was also burnt.
House of James Crosby.
Blacksmith's shop of George E. Wight.
On Cross Street, South Side.
Stable of Charles O. McKenney.
House and barn of Benjamin Hall.
House of William Hill.
On Miller Street.
House of T. J. Farrow.
House and barn of Joseph Dennett.
740
HISTORY OF BELFAST.
House and barn of Mrs. Cottrill. House of S. B. Gillum.
Union Street, North Side.
House of Mrs. Mary Black.
" Simeon A. Larrabee.
"
" ,, Mrs. L. Davis.
" Amos Knowlton.
" John Bird.
"
'Two tenement-houses of John Stephenson. House of George R. Carter.
" James Goodell.
" " L. T. Cottrill.
" , S. H. Gray.
Union Street, South Side.
House and barn of Henry Patterson.
House of Fred Gilmore ..
"
" Mrs. Mary J. Burt.
" „ Mrs. Mary A. Coombs.
Pearl Street.
House of William Aldus.
" „ Benson Walker.
" , J. Jewett.
„, David Durgin.
Buildings of Marine Railway of David W. Dyer & Son (at - foot of the street).
Commercial Street. 1 House and barn of Fred. Gilmore.
High Street.
House and barn of James Gilmore.
" " " Thomas Carter. 1
"
" " Mrs. Mary M. Hall.
" " 2 Israel W. Parker.
" " " " Henry A. Carter.
" " Miss Ellen P. Frothingham.
" " " " David W. Dyer. 1
"
Asa Faunce.
"
"
" , E. K. Boyle.
741
FIRES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT.
1873, Sept. 4. The carriage-shop of Joshua Towle, at Poor's Mills, in Ward No. 4, was burnt.
Sept. 10. Fire Companies Nos. 2 and 5 went by steamer "C. B. Sanford " to Vinalhaven, as guests of the E. P. Walker Company. They were not permitted to take their engines.
Oct. 9. At about eleven o'clock in the evening, fire broke out in the building known as the "old bowling alley," in the rear of Phoenix Row, occupied by the Howard Manufacturing Co., as a steam-saw and planing-mill. The upper portion of the building was consumed. Loss three thousand dollars, on which there was no insurance.
Oct. 16. House of Edmund Stevens, on the east side of the river, between the upper and lower bridges, destroyed, with a portion of its contents. Cause, a defective chimney. Loss, six hundred dollars. No insurance.
Dec. 15. At half-past seven in the morning, the court-house took fire, in the south-easterly corner, from an overheated stove, and was slightly damaged.
Dec. 21. A house on Cedar Street, occupied by James Greer and R. L. Stone, was partially burnt. Damage, about one thou- sand dollars, which was covered by insurance.
1874, April 10. Early in the morning, a hay-barn of Woods, Mathews, & Baker, and of Reuben Sibley, in the rear of Main Street, below the Granite Block, together with three hundred tons of pressed hay, were burnt. Other buildings were saved by great exertions. The loss was over six thousand dollars, upon which the owners had a partial insurance.
1874, May 11. At midnight, the storehouse of John Peirce, at the west end of the lower bridge, was destroyed with its con- tents. Loss, three hundred dollars. No insurance.
1874, May 10. The city authorities offered a reward of $500 for the detection and conviction of incendiaries.
1874, July 4. Washington Co. No. 5, with their engine, made an excursion to Bucksport.
1874, Sept. 20. The grist and stave mills of Robert Patterson, at Poor's Mills, were burnt. Loss, three thousand dollars. In- sured for two thousand dollars.
742
HISTORY OF BELFAST.
CHAPTER XLIV.
ASSOCIATIONS AND SOCIETIES.
Masonic Institutions. - Belfast Lodge chartered. - Installation of Officers. - St. John's Day celebrated. - First Masonic Funeral. - Hall in Court-house occupied. - Address by Hiram O. Alden. - Anti-masonic Party. - Charter of Lodge surren- dered. - Suspension of Communications. - Phoenix Lodge. - Corinthian Royal Arch Chapter. - Timothy Chase Lodge. - Visit of Portland Knight Templars. - Hall enlarged. - Public Installation. - Odd Fellows. - Passagassawakeag Lodge iu- stituted. - Dedication of Halls. - Addresses. - Excelsior Encampment. - Charter surrendered. - Bible Societies. - Young Men's Christian Association. - Agricul- tural Societies. - Farmer's Club - Mechanics' Association. - Miscellaneous Organi- zations. -- Independent Order of Hog-reeves. - Festival. - Club of Thirty. - Original Members. - Mechanics' Relief Association.
F REEMASONRY 1 was first introduced in 1817, by virtue of a charter 2 from the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, under which the Belfast Lodge was opened at the house of John Huse. On the day of the installation of officers, a procession proceeded to the Academy, where public ceremonies took place, and an address was delivered by the Rev. John H. Ingraham, of Thomas- ton. The association continued to prosper, and numbered thirty- three members the year after its organization. In January, 1818, Masonic Hall, in the "Old Babel," which stood on the site of the Marshall Block on Main Street, was first used for communications.
The festival of St. John the Baptist was first publicly cele- brated in 1823. The brethren were escorted from their hall to the Unitarian Church by the Light Infantry ; and after hearing an address from Manasseh Sleeper, Esq., they repaired to Wilson's Hall, at the corner of Main and Common Streets, where dinner was served, and "the day spent in a proper spirit of joy, benevo- lence, and masonic feeling." 8
1 The account of the Belfast and Phoenix Lodges is derived from the valuable his- tory of those bodies, hy the Rev. John L. Locke, published in 1863, in a pamphlet of twenty-five pages.
2 The petitioners were Timothy Frisbie, Charles C. Chandler, Thaddeus Hubbard, Manasseh Sleeper, James Gilhreth, David Webster, Asa Edmunds, Charles Hall, Thomas Whittier, 2d, Samuel Jones, Elijah Torrey.
8 Gazette.
743
ASSOCIATIONS AND SOCIETIES.
In 1824, the Lodge was incorporated by the Legislature. Jon- athan P. Alden, Samuel Tyler, Samuel Jackson, William Tilden, and Job White are the persons named as corporators.1
The first Masonic funeral was that of Elijah Torrey, one of the founders of the Lodge, who died July 27, 1825, aged forty-nine years. A discourse was delivered by the Rev. William A. Drew. Sixty brethren were present on the occasion.
In 1826, the hall in the attic of the old court-house, which had been obtained from the town, was occupied. On the 12th of Feb- ruary of that year, the officers were publicly installed, and an ad- dress delivered on the occasion by H. O. Alden, Esq., which was published.
On the 26th of June, 1826, the anniversary of St. John was a second time commemorated. Delegations from various neighbor- ing lodges attended. The fraternity listened to an address from the Rev. William A. Drew.
The reputed murder of Morgan, in the year 1826, near Fort Niagara, N. Y., for divulging the secrets of the order, implicated the whole fraternity, and for several years suspended its growth. So strong a current of feeling prevailed, that it was turned to political purposes. A numerous anti-masonic party was formed, which sought ascendency, not only in the several States, but in the general government. During its existence, the Belfast Lodge ex- perienced the depressing influence of the excitement; and in Janu- ary, 1828, it was unanimously voted to surrender the charter. A few months afterwards, a petition was granted for its restoration, under the name of the " Phoenix Lodge ;" but, the anti-masonic ex- citement continuing, the hall was leased for a school-room, and no communications were held from June 30, 1831, to Nov. 26, 1838. Several years elapsed before the former prosperity of the order was regained.
In 1846, an act of incorporation was obtained, the leading peti- tioners being Frye Hall, Samuel Haynes, and Timothy Chase. "From this period commences a season of continuous prosperity."
In 1862, by an agreement with the Central School District, the attic of the High school-house was leased to the Lodge and Royal Arch Chapter, for the term of ninety-nine years, in consideration of the Masons constructing, at their own expense, a French roof on the building, and keeping it in repair during that time. The work of renovation commenced in June, and was completed dur-
1 Acts of Maine.
744
HISTORY OF BELFAST.
ing the following November, at an expense of $1,175. The room afforded by the change is nearly twice as large as in the old quar- ters, the new hall being fifty feet by thirty, and fifteen feet high.
Timothy Chase Lodge, No. 126, named from our venerable and respected fellow-citizen, Major Timothy Chase, was organized in 1864.
King Solomon's Council of Royal and Select Masters, No. 1, was established in 1854.
Corinthian R. A. Chapter, No. 7, was organized in 1848.
ODD FELLOWS.
The Passagassawakeag Lodge No. 15, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted June 7, 1844. Among the conditions of membership, it was provided that "the candidate shall be a believer in Supreme Being, Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things. He shall not be under the age of twenty-one years, a man of good moral character, . . . having some respectable means of support, and exempt from all infirmities which may prevent his gaining a livelihood. No smoking or refreshments except water are allowed in the Lodge rooms." 1
For several years, the organization was in a flourishing condi- tion. Their first hall, over the store of Oakes Angier, No. 2 Phoenix Row, was publicly dedicated on the evening of Sept. 18, 1844. Rev. Nathan C. Fletcher delivered an address.
An address upon the principles of the order was delivered at the Baptist Church, Dec. 27, 1844, by the Rev. Richard Wood- hull, of Thomaston, and on the 29th of Jannary, 1846, on the same subject, by the Rev. Frederick A. Hodsdon, followed, March 12, by a similar discourse at the Baptist Church, by the Rev. Cyril Pearl.
On the 21st of March, 1846, the Lodge dedicated their new hall (formerly Phoenix Hall) with the customary ceremonies. Mr. Woodhull was the orator of the occasion. L
Excelsior Encampment No. 10 was organized April 15, 1847, by Allen Haines, Esq., of Bangor.
The first one of the order who was buried under its funeral rites was David Robinson, who died Oct. 15, 1846.
Two years after its institution, the Lodge numbered about two hundred members. The claims for charity subsequently became
1 Constitution and By-laws.
745
ASSOCIATIONS AND SOCIETIES.
greater than it could bear, and in 1857 its charter was surrendered to the Grand Lodge.1
BIBLE SOCIETIES.
At a meeting of seamen and other inhabitants, held Sept. 25, 1820, "The Auxiliary Marine Bible Society " of Belfast and vicin- ity was formed. A contribution of seventy-five cents constituted yearly membership; five dollars, life membership. The first offi- cers were Colonel Daniel Lane, president ; Ebenezer Poor and John S. Kimball, vice-presidents; Ralph C. Johnson, treasurer; Rev. Wil- liam Frothingham, corresponding secretary ; Bohan P. Field, re- cording secretary ; Captains Hutson Bishop, Ezra Ryan, and Josiah Simpson, Dr. Herman Abbott, Dr. William Poor, Peter H. Smith and Alfred Johnson, Jr., directors. The organization was immedi- ately recognized as a branch of the American Bible Society, which voted a donation of one hundred Bibles and Testaments. On Christmas Day, 1821, a discourse was delivered before the society by the Rev. Mr. Frothingham.
A county society was organized at the court-house, March 26, 1828, by the choice of Alfred Johnson, Jr., president ; Rev. Na- thaniel Wales, vice-president; Rev. Stephen Thurston, correspond- ing secretary ; and N. M. Lowney, Esq., treasurer. Colonel Philip Morrill presented twenty Bibles for distribution. The society has maintained its existence to the present time.
YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.
This was organized June 5, 1873, by the choice of Charles F. Ginn, president ; Alfred G. Ellis, treasurer ; John S. Fernald, secre- tary; and John Smith, librarian. A room in Hayford's Block has been fitted up, at which weekly meetings are held.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES.
The Hancock Agricultural Society was incorporated in 1822. Among the original members were Ebenezer Poor, William Crosby, Alfred Johnson, Jr., and William White, of Belfast. The
1 The organization exerted an extensive influence in Church and State for several years. On the day of the annual Fast in 1847, a sermon entitled "Odd Fellowship to be avoided," was preached by the Rev. Stephen Thurston, at Searsport, and created a deep sensation. The sermon was afterwards published in pamphlet form, at the request of Phinehas Pendleton, Jr., and thirty-four others. "The bare announcement of my intention to examine the claims of the institution to confidence and patronage," re- marked Mr. Thurston, "waked up a state of feeling, the like of which I never witnessed in our little village."
746
HISTORY OF BELFAST.
second annual cattle-show and fair was held here Oct. 16, 1824. George Watson, Esq., delivered an address ; and a public dinner took place at Sleeper's Hotel. The show was held in a vacant lot next below the Frothingham house.
After the division of the county, measures for a new society were taken, which resulted in forming the Waldo Agricultural Society, March 27, 1829; Ebenezer Everett, of Montville, being chosen president, and James White secretary. At the anniver- sary in 1831, an address was delivered at the Unitarian Church by Hon. William Crosby, and in 1832 by Hon. Alfred Johnson, Jr. The exhibitions of fancy articles and products of the soil were in the town hall ; of cattle, on the common. For several years after the last-named exhibition, no annual fairs took place.
The society was reorganized July 3, 1847; and a fair was held October 20, at Belmont Corner. Since then, the annual exhi- bitions have been held in Belfast, in the grove on Congress Street, in Bradbury's field, in the Smith field, on Wilson's Hill, and from 1860 in the grounds of the society. Rev. Nathan C. Fletcher de- livered an address before the society in 1849, and Rev. William A. Drew, of Augusta, in 1850.
In 1860, a parcel of land on Belmont Avenue was purchased for holding the annual exhibitions, and afterwards surrounded by a fence. Within the enclosure is a trotting-park with a half-mile track. The first exhibition on these grounds was held Oct. 10-12, 1860, when the fees taken amounted to $595.
In 1869, George E. Brackett delivered an address before the society, which was published in the " Progressive Age " of Octo- ber 10.
A " Farmer's Club " was organized in January, 1860, with the following officers : president, Howard Murphy; vice-presidents, William N. Hall, George Woods ; secretary, Stephen G. Bicknell; treasurer, Isaac E. Hills.
MECHANICS' ASSOCIATION.
The mechanics met to form a society July 14, 1831, which was reorganized Nov. 9, 1841, and the following officers chosen : -
BENJAMIN KELLEY, President. CHARLES TREADWELL, }
EDWARD BAKER, Vice-President.
LUTHER FAXON,
JAMES P. FURBER, Treasurer.
NICHOLAS PHILLIPS,
Trustees.
BENJAMIN GRIFFIN, Secretary.
EBENEZER EDWARDS,
JOHN W. SHERWOOD, Librarian.
GARDINER BROOKS, 7
The place of meeting was at Masonic Hall, in the old Babel.
747
ASSOCIATIONS AND SOCIETIES.
MISCELLANEOUS ASSOCIATIONS.
" The Musical Library Society " existed here in 1823, and " The Belfast Lockhart Society " in 1833. In October, 1859, the first session of the Waldo County Musical Association was held, one hundred members being in attendance. The first officers were William Pitcher, president; Hiram Bass, vice-president; William O. Poor, secretary ; Augustus Perry, treasurer.
Among the various associations which have ceased to exist, are the " Round Robin Club," organized in 1828; the " Wash- ington Benevolent Society," 1 before which Judge Crosby delivered an address in 1812, at the west meeting-honse; the "Female Benevolent Society," which gave a fair at Academy Hall, Oct. 25, 1837; the "Belfast Anti-Profane Swearing Society," instituted, on the east side of the river, in March, 1842; 2 the " Seaman's Friend Society," 3 in 1843; the " Belfast Young Men's Society," in 1844; and the "Union Benevolent Society," established in 1846.
A custom formerly existed at the annual town meeting of selecting as field-drivers, or hog-reeves, those of our townsmen who had been married during the year. At the town meeting in 1850, this custom was departed from by the adoption, with considerable merriment, of resolves recommending the choice of certain staid bachelors. The individuals thus elected held a meeting for organization, and took the required oath of office in due form. They afterwards added dignity to their position by a festival at the hall previously occupied by the Sons of Temperance, over the store of S. A. Howes. A baked boar's head, of the largest dimen- sions, adorned the table. An address was delivered on the occa- sion by William H. Simpson, and a poem 4 by the late George B.
1 This organization was for political purposes, and was connected with others of the same name and nature through New England. The number of members here in 1813 was sixty-seven.
2 An address was delivered before this society by Rev. Darius Forbes, on the 22d of April, 1842.
8 Captain William Flowers, now of Bangor, was the secretary.
4 A few couplets may indicate the nature and tenor of both performances : -
"Hog-reeves of Belfast ! listen to my lay, Ye Hogarths and Pigmalions of the day ! No longer wear the bare-legged Muses' clog, Dismount from Pigasus and mount the Hog! No longer idly seek the Golden Fleece,
Unsheath your shining hlades and go for Greece !"
Crosby's Annals.
748
HISTORY OF BELFAST.
Moore. Each member of the association was furnished with a commission, bearing the device of a hog in the place of a seal.
The " Club of Thirty," for social purposes, was organized Jan. 1, 1864. Ezra Bickford, William H. Burrill, Hiram Chase, Philo Chase, B. W. Conant, William H. Conner, William Crosby, J. G. Dickerson, Wakefield G. Frye, Joseph F. Hall, Axel Hayford, Charles B. Hazeltine, Calvin Hervey, Asa A. Howes, Samuel A. Howes, Albert G. Jewett, Alfred W. Johnson, S. S. Lewis, Wil- liam C. Marshall, William H. Mclellan, Seth L. Milliken, Nahum P. Monroe, Daniel S. Moody, Azro Russell, William H. Simpson, Samuel G. Thurlow, George F. White, and Joseph Williamson were the original members. H. J. Anderson, Jr., and Daniel Lane, Jr., joined soon after. The association occupied rooms in a wooden building on Church Street, two doors west from the court- house, until December, 1866, when the present quarters in Hay- ford Block were dedicated.
In January, 1873, the workmen in Mathews Brothers' sash and blind factory formed a union among themselves, known as the " Mechanics' Relief Association," with a secretary, treasurer, and relief committee. An assessment of twenty-five cents per week constituted a fund ; and when any member is unable to work, through sickness, he is entitled to relief.
749
THE TEMPERANCE REFORM.
-
CHAPTER XLV.
THE TEMPERANCE REFORM.
Excessive Use of Ardent Spirits. - Quantity of Rum imported. - Judge Crosby's Ac- count of Drinking Hahits in 1804. - Novel Remedy for Intemperance. - Retailers. - License Duties applied to support of Paupers. - First Temperance Society. - Its Influence. - Licenses first refused by the Town. - Temperance Addresses. - County Temperance Society. - Opposition to the Canse. - Condition of Temperance in 1830. - Belfast Society .- Report of Secretary .- Ravages of Intemperance. - Licenses again granted. - The Washingtonian Movement. - Moral Suasion. - Society. - Names of Members. - Beneficial Results of the Reform. - Temperance Fair. - Organiza- tions in 1842. - Ladies petition Retailers to abandon the Traffic. - Celebration of Washington's Birthday. - Address of Judge Johnson. - Sons of Temperance. - Rechabites. - Temperance Board of Town Officers. - The Maine Law. - Addresses by E. H. Chapin and Neal Dow. - Various Temperance Societies.
TEMPERANCE ORGANIZATIONS.
F ROM the first settlement of Belfast " down to a time which is within the memory of men still living," ardent spirits were more or less used in every family. On all public occasions, such as trainings, raisings, and even at religions gatherings, they were universally furnished. Mechanics and laborers always expected their regular eleven and fonr o'clock drinks. Although there were many who did not partake of liqnor as an established beverage, a refusal to join in a social glass was considered as indecorous as the omission to offer it. In an account-book kept by the truck- master at Fort Pownall, from 1772 to 1775, nearly one-third of the charges are for rum. In 1774, when Deacon Tuft was chosen to carry a petition to the General Court, the town expressly stipu- lated that he should find "Vitels and Drink for himself," the two being regarded as of equal importance.1 The quantity of rum . consnmed on the Penobscot as late as 1799, may be conjectured from the imports at Castine, then the only port of entry. Almost every week, the arrival of vessels from Jamaica is recorded, with cargoes consisting exclusively of that article. The Duke de
1 Town records.
2 Castine Journal.
750
HISTORY OF BELFAST.
Liancourt, who made a tour through the Waldo Patent in 1796, expressed surprise at finding General Ulmer, an opulent citi- zen of Duck Trap, unprovided with "suitable supplies of bread and rum."1 When Judge Crosby came to Belfast, in 1802, he found " the products of the West Indies almost as plenty as water. If any one became inclined to intemperance, there was a simple and sovereign remedy. This was to drink a half-pint of rum, in which an eel had been immersed and excoriated. Within a few days after my arrival, I was called to see the greatest drunkard in the place. He was then under the operation of this eel-water, and it was supposed he was dying. But he recovered. At that time, there were no restraints upon the sale or drinking of ardent spirits, nor any lectures or homilies on the subject. Yet I must say that there were fewer drunkards than now. To me, this is inexplicable. I therefore leave it to casuists to settle." 2
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.