Saco Valley settlements and families. Historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional, and legendary, Part 24

Author: Ridlon, Gideon Tibbetts, 1841- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Portland, Me., The author
Number of Pages: 1424

USA > Maine > Saco Valley settlements and families. Historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional, and legendary > Part 24
USA > New Hampshire > Saco Valley settlements and families. Historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional, and legendary > Part 24

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).

Dedication of a Saw-Mill .- The day of trial came at last, as it will to all beneath the sun. Ample provisions were made for the dedication; the importance of the august occasion demanded that some imposing ceremony should be inaugurated as the proper recognition of the achievement. Spirit- ual inspiration was considered indispensable at the time of which we write, and large supplies of a variety of liquors were landed on the mill-brow. One of the most winsome young ladies of the plantation, beautifully dressed, was selected to deal out the beverages, and many times during the day must her warm cheek, as well as the casks, have paid tribute to the tastes of her patrons.

Old men with locks like snow, who had their birth in England, leaning upon their staff, robust matrons, blushing maidens, and happy children were assembled upon pieces of timber near the mill to view the novelty of the new enterprise and share in the festivities of the occasion.

Practically, the whole affair had been proven a success by the master- builder the previous night, while others were unsuspiciously sleeping, that any chance for a hitch at the critical moment might be obviated in season, without the embarrassment of exposure to public gaze.

To convince the public of the practicability of this mechanical under- taking an invitation had been extended to every family within several miles around to be present at the "h'isting o' the gate." Several heavy men had been stationed upon the ladle-boards of the great wheel, and another at the saw-gate with a lever to "give her a start" when the water was turned on. The master-workman was placed in the position of honor at the gate-head upon the bulwarks. When every man was at his post, and silence had been enjoined, the proprietor slowly mounted the staging that had been erected for the purpose and addressed the assembled pioneers. He called attention to the growing needs of the plantations round-about and illustrated the advantages of saw-mills and corn-mills by reminding them that they were domiciled in small log-cabins, all too restricted for their growing families, and that they had been obliged to send their bread corn to Boston for grinding in a windmill at considerable expense of shipping and loss by extortionate toll; he dwelt with evident pleasure upon the almost boundless resources of the forest adjoining and pointed to the beauty of the grand old pines under whose shadow they had gathered ; he proudly alluded to the master-workman, whose great skill and careful execution of his important task had been the factors of success in this great enterprise; and then, after an impressive silence, he mentioned with the most profound pathos of voice and language the enormous responsibility

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assumed by the proprietors and the financial risks involved in a venture so novel. Now he turns upon the platform and directs the attention of the spec- tators to the mill itself; it was, he said, a monument to New England enter- prise, the music of which would be new, absolutely new, in this country and cheering to all who were identified with the progress of the colony. This saw-mill, with the corn-mill soon to be erected, would prove the most valuable adjuncts to the material equipment of the settlement, secure its permanency, and bring wealth and comfort to every home. Continuing, he drew word pict- ures of the stately, well-finished and furnished houses that would soon sup- plant the close, uncomfortable dwellings now inhabited by the settlers; of the large, warm barns that would arise to afford storage and shelter their cattle. Having closed his more public address, he turns to the master-workman, whose lever of hornbeam was already adjusted upon his brawny shoulder, and, with upraised hand and commanding voice, shouted, "H'i-st the gate." Like a good sailor he responded, "Aye, aye, sir!" at the same time raising the ponderous gate planks and turning the head of boiling, foaming water upon the great wheel. For a moment, while power and friction were contending for the mas- tery, the whole mill frame groaned and trembled under the herculean strain; but the several parts of machinery duly responded to the moderate revolutions of the water-wheel, the saw-gate slowly rose and fell, and the savage-looking saw gradually found its way into the soft fibre of the advancing log. For a time all lookers-on were overwhelmed with amazement at the startling spec- tacle; but when the enthusiasm of the excited people could no longer be restrained, shout after shout rang through the resounding forest, and when the oft-repeated question, "Will she run?" had been materialized into the answer of "There she goes," all retired from the scene satisfied that the first water-power saw-mill in New England was an assured success.

It has not required any strain of the imagination to find materials of which the foregoing description has been composed; it is all true to fact and in strict accord with the conclusion naturally reached by a retrospective survey of the time and conditions to which the elucidation relates; it is calculated to stimulate the apprehension of such as cannot well appreciate the hardships, deprivations, and heroic exertions of those pioneer settlers who opened the fore-gates of enterprise and materially assisted in ushering in our present era of agricultural, commercial, and educational prosperity.

Mills in Saco and Biddeford .- As early as 1650, Roger Spencer, a prominent business man of that time, had a saw-mill in Biddeford, which then included Saco, and in January of that year the town of York granted liberty to John Davis to build a saw-mill on the Great Falls of Saco river, with accommodation sufficient for that business, the most convenient that can be fixed upon next to Roger Spencer, with timber and meadow sufficient for his work. There is said to be no evidence that Davis ever built a mill on the

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privilege specified. Is it not, then, a little singular that a John Davis owned a saw-mill and grist-mill on the east side of Saco river, May 25, 1752, of which I find mention in his will of that date?

In June, 1659, Richard Vines granted a tract of land in Biddeford to Lieut. William Phillips, a man of wealth, who moved from Boston the follow- ing year and built a house below the falls, which was garrisoned. The year following his settlement in Biddeford, he purchased one-fourth of Spencer's mill, and the next year employed Capt. John Alden, his son-in-law, to build another mill, conveying to him a fourth interest in the same when it was finished. In 1667 Lieutenant Phillips conveyed one-half of the island, against the mills, to Capt. John Bonython for Soo pine trees suitable for merchantable boards.

In 1680 Benjamin Blackman built a saw-mill on the east side of Saco river, at a point subsequently called Blackman's Falls, and purchased one hundred acres of land, which embraced all the privileges on that side of the river. In 1681 he petitioned for liberty to cut timber on the Common for the accommodation of his saw-mills. Three years later he purchased a tract on the river, containing 640 acres, of John Bonython ; and the year following 100 acres, of James Gibbins, extending three miles and a half above the falls. From the records it appears that Blackman was acting as agent for a company at Andover, Mass., that had planned to improve the entire water-power on the east side of the river; bat in the absence of evidence to show that this vast scheme was ever fully carried out, it has been plausibly assumed that the troubles with the Indians prevented it. The improvements made by Black- man, and his associates, Shief and Walker, were abandoned during the Indian wars and only a few families remained about the falls. Upon the foundation laid by these early proprietors, an enterprising company erected quite exten- sive mills soon after the resettlement of the town.

In 1691 Capt. George Turfey built the "lower mill," so-called. This was repaired and kept running until 1814, when it was carried away in the great freshet. The "Eddy mill" was subsequently built nearly on the same site.

Samuel Walker, a resident of New Jersey, sold out his two-thirds of the Blackman mills in 1716, to William Pepperill, Jr., a young man who had been extensively engaged in the lumber trade and merchandising at Kittery. The following year he purchased the other third of this mill of Mr. Blackman's son-in-law, the conveyance including the timber standing on 4,500 acres of land northwest of the mill. William Pepperill sold half of this tract to a mill-wright and speculator in lumber, of Hampton, named Nathaniel Weare, not long after it came into his possession, and to Humphrey Scamman, Jr., of Saco, mariner. These two gentlemen, in part payment for the property, built a large, double saw-mill on the old Blackman privilege, and a large house for the use of the millmen, one-half being owned by Pepperill.

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This mill property, and an adjoining tract of land a half-mile square, was divided by the proprietors in 1717. Pepperill had the saw and frame next to the land with a landing-place for his lumber there. Scamman and Weare had the saw and frame on the river-side. The agreement specified that each of the owners should do his part to keep the mill in repair. The great mill-house was also divided. Captain Scamman carried on the lumber business here till his death, in 1734, when the estate was divided between his children. Smith, in his journal, mentions the burning of the saw-mills in Saco by the Indians, in 1745; the garrison and the Scamman mill were also probably destroyed at this time. Mr. Weare sold his three-fourths of the mill and land to Richard Berry, John Elden, and John Selea, in 1731, and subsequently one-eighth to Thomas Dearborn; the remainder, to Abraham Tyler and Jeremiah Moulton. The two last disposed of their share in 1737.

In 1740 Samuel Cole, of Biddeford, sold a share of a saw-mill to Thomas Wheelright, of Wells ; this was a part of milling property included in privileges embraced by twelve acres of land purchased in 1720, on which he built a saw-mill, afterwards called "Cole's mill." He soon after sold another quarter to Benjamin Gooch, of Wells. In the spring of 1741 the three proprietors just mentioned united in building the well-known "Gooch mill" on the island of that name.

On Feb. 9, 1747, William Cole, of Biddeford, millman, conveyed to Joseph Woodman, James Scamman, and John Tarbox, all of Biddeford, yeo- men, one-quarter part of a saw-mill standing on Saco river in said town, and on that part known as "Cole's spout." Also, one-quarter share of one near the other, but higher up on the river, at a place called "Jordan's creek." Ephraim Stimson and Benjamin Gooch had conveyed one-eight share of a saw-mill on "Jordan's creek," June 10, 1746, to Joseph Woodman. This was on the west side of Saco river and called the "Upper mill." About 1750 these saw-mills gave employment to a large number of men, and, conse- quently, there was a considerable settlement in that part of the town.

Col. Thomas Cutts came from Kittery to Saco in 1758 with only one hundred dollars in ready money. After a careful survey of the water-power and various mill privileges, he decided to locate on Indian island and make that the seat of his lumber business. He purchased a small undivided part of this island in 1759, it being but one-fourth of Weare's original share. Here he built a small house in which, according to the custom of the time with merchants, he fitted up a room in one end for a store. On this spot he made his abode, and from his small beginning added acre to acre and mill to mill, till he became one of the most extensive dealers in lumber and general mer- chandise in the whole country. Soon after the confiscation of the property of Sir William Pepperill by the government, during the Revolution, Colonel Cutts purchased a large part of the estate, including the saw-mill.

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Mills in Buxton .- The earliest mention of a saw-mill in the township called Narragansett, No. 1, now the town of Buxton, was July 19, 1738, when the proprietors voted that if a saw-mill was built it should be set up on Saco river. No mill was erected at that time. On April 11, 1739, the proprietors voted to pay Dea. Jonathan Fellows thirty pounds, "old tenor," to help him build a saw-mill on lot 12, in Narragansett, No. 1. He failed to build accord- ing to agreement, but the first mill in town was evidently built on this privi- lege, as will appear. At a meeting of the proprietors held June 18, 1740, a bounty was voted to Samuel Chase "to enable him to build a saw-mill on Gains is brook," in this township. This was the small stream that has been known as the "Hains Meadow brook" from as early as 1763 down to the present day. This saw-mill was only built on paper. In 1742 a committee was chosen at a proprietors' meeting to agree with Stephen Mighill and others about a saw-mill to be set up in the township, "both as regards the building, sawing, and when the mill shall be resigned back to the proprietors." At a meeting of the proprietors held May 31, 1743, it was voted that Thomas Gage and Stephen Mighill should be released from their obligation on their refunding the money they had received in part payment. On Nov. 17, 1742, Nathaniel Mighill, of Rowley, took oath that he visited Narragansett, No. 1, the week previous, and saw a saw-mill erected there, and that the mill-wright said he desired to get it to go in three or four days. In 1744 a bounty was voted Thomas Gage and Stephen Mighill "on their keeping a good saw-mill running in the township." Failing still to keep their pledge, the proprietors voted to sue Gage and Mighill if they did not immediately carry out the con- dition of their bond and build the saw-mill. Stimulated by this threat, the two engaged Joseph Woodman to build a saw-mill on Stackpole's brook; this was in 1750. This first saw-mill built in the township was on the east side of the Salmon Falls and Saco road. No other mills are known to have been put up till 1761, when John Elden, of Narragansett, No. 1, Jeremiah Hill, of Bid- deford, and Joseph Leavitt, of York, built a saw-mill and grist-mill on Little river, where Daniel Leavitt's mills have since stood. There were two saw- mills here in 1762, and in 1767 Captain Bradbury conveyed to his son William one-eighth of his interest in what he designated the " upper saw-mill, which stands by the side of the grist-mill." The saw-mills and corn-mills on this stream were kept in repair many years.

In 1769 the proprietors granted a mill privilege on the Saco river at Sal- mon Falls to Dea. John Nason, Capt. John Elden, Isaiah Brooks, and Jabez Lane. This company built a double saw-mill and grist-mill, and the proprie- tors soon after gave them a deed of four acres of land which embraced the mills. There were three grist-mills and no less than three saw-mills in opera- tion in town as early as 1772, and it was no longer necessary to carry the corn on the shoulder 'to Saco for grinding, or to build dwelling-houses of logs.

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On Jan. 30, 1786, there was an article in a call for a proprietors' meeting to see if they would grant a mill privilege from the common and undivided lands on Bog brook, so-called, to William Walkinshaw, John Smith, Nathaniel Hill, and Benjamin Donnell, Jr., to see how much land they would grant for said mill privilege, and if the proprietors would lay out a highway to said mill. In the meeting held on the 15th of March following, it was voted (inter alia ) to "pass over" the article relating to this mill privilege, and this is the last mention of a mill (?) on that stream for many years.

The first saw-mill erected on the east side of the Saco, at Moderation, was built between 1790 and 1795, by Nathan Elden, Sr., who, at the same time, opened the first store there. He was succeeded by his son Nathan, who greatly extended the business, building and maintaining a grist-mill, and con- tinued successfully for about twenty-five years, being well and widely known as "Squire Elden." In 1814 he sold one of his saw-mills to Joseph Hobson ("Deacon Joe"), and interests to Jabez and Jeremiah Hobson about 1820; and in 1822 he sold a further interest in saw-mills and privilege to Oliver Dow, who had been a clerk in his store, and who continued in the lumber business and in trade until far advanced in life. Tobias Lord, who subsequently settled at Steep Falls, commenced business at West Buxton about 1828, and on Nov. 2, 1831, Nathan Elden conveyed to him a single saw-mill which he had lately built.

George W. Lord engaged in the lumber business at West Buxton in 1848. He had previously lived there when carrying on wool-carding and cloth- dressing ; after which, he was engaged in the lumber trade and milling at Limington and Bonnie Eagle before returning to Buxton. Mr. Lord con- tinued successfully during the remainder of his days and extended his business gradually until he acquired wealth.

Gideon Tibbetts owned a saw-mill on Buxton side of the river at Modera- tion, in 1814, which was carried away by the great freshet which swept the mills and bridges from the Saco that year. This mill stood near the site of the present grist-mill, a little farther up the stream ; it moved down river whole to Bar Mills, where it crushed one of the saw-mills; then drifted down upon some rocks and went to pieces.

Mills in Hollis .- The first saw-mill and grist-mill known to have been built in the plantation of Little Falls, now Hollis, were erected by a primitive stock company on the stream issuing from Young's meadow pond, since known as Whale's pond, called Young's meadow brook, afterwards Ridlon's brook, and latterly known as "Aunt Judy's brook," and Martin's brook. These mills were about midway between the present carriage road and the Saco river, and were built by Thomas Ridlon, James Redlon, John Bryant, Ichabod Cousins, and Daniel Field. The grist-mill here was running years before there were such at Moderation. It was this mill to which Robert Mar-

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tin brought his corn to get it ground, after bringing it from Saco to his home in the Elwell district, Buxton, the same day. He said he carried the grist to the east bank of the Saco, thence across to Ridlon's mill by a raft. When it had been ground, he carried it two miles to his home by the same route, and sat down to rest while his wife baked him a cake. He drank some milk before leaving his home for Saco in the morning, and took no other nourishment until he reached his house on his return ; then he had another draught of milk.

The first set of stones made for this mill were lost through the ice on Sebago pond when being drawn by an ox-team from Baldwin. It was a year before another set was ready for use. From the time the grist-mill was com- pleted for many years nearly all the inhabitants of Phillipsborough, Limington. and Buxton had their grain ground at "Ridlon's mill." It was an interesting spectacle when fifteen or twenty horses were hitched to trees about this mill, some being unladen and others ready to start with their burdens, while those who were waiting for their grists collected in a group to discuss the prospects of their harvests or narrate the latest adventure of the settlements.

The saw-mill was not built until 1790-1. This was above the grist-mill. Both were driven by "overshot" wheels. The saw for the saw-mill was brought from Haverhill, Mass., through the woods, on horseback. Fancy the undertaking ! The first saw-mill at Bar Mills was built in the summer of 1795. being raised on the roth of September of that year. It was built by John Woodman and others.

From old documents in my possession it appears that William Walkin- shaw, Matthias Redlon, and Simon Gile were engaged in building a saw-mill on the west side of Saco river, on Moderation falls, as early as 1790. The bands for the base of the mill were framed and raised before the river had frozen over, and while at work there Thomas Ridlon, son of Matthias, slipped upon the frosty timber and fell into the falls. He was almost instantly carried under the ice, and those who saw the accident did not expect to see him again alive. Below where the present bridge spans the river there were "rips " that remained open during the winter, and here, seeing the light shine through the opening, Mr. Ridlon sprang out upon the ice, and to the astonishment of the workmen was soon at work on the frame. During the winter Walkinshaw and his associates in business, assisted by a considerable force of men and teams, cut and hauled the timber for their mill frame. Ephraim Sands, the well- known hewer, though advanced in years, was the master-mill-wright, and here wielded his enormous broad-axe for many a day. So correct was his eye, and so accurate his stroke, that he refused to have his timber "lined." At every blow he carried his axe through the slab from the top to the bottom, and thus hewed more in a day than two ordinary axemen. How long this mill was operated by the three original proprietors I do not know, but from 1786 to 1795 Matthias Redlon was engaged in the lumber trade in a small way, as

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proved by his book of accounts in my possession. On June 10, 1795, he con- veyed one-sixteenth part of a double saw-mill on Moderation falls to William Walkinshaw for "twenty-one pounds lawful money." Simon Gile continued running a saw-mill on Hollis side several years after the beginning of this century.

As elsewhere mentioned, mills were early built on the Killick brook, near the outlet of the Killick pond, and some time after these were removed to Bonnie Eagle a mill was built on the same stream, on the Limington road, where the Stephen Estes mill has since stood. A saw-mill and grist-mill were also built on the stream that enters the head of the Killick pond, at North Hollis, but they have been dismantled.

We have been informed of a saw-mill in the lower section of Little Falls plantation, now Hollis, owned and run by Samuel Haley and his son Noah; this was located on "Deep brook." I do not know when it was built nor how long maintained.

The first saw-mill and grist-mill built in Limington is said to have been on the Little Ossipee, on Chase's falls, since known as "Chase's mills," not far from the Saco; and some kind of mills have been running there for about a century. Mills were early built, how early has not been ascertained, at South Limington, on Nason's falls, since known as " Hardscrabble," and more or less lumbering has been carried on there ever since. A grist-mill was also long kept running there. Other small mills were built on some of the larger brooks, but these have been allowed to decay.

In Pearsontown, now Standish, the first mill was built by Ebenezer Shaw in 1762. At a proprietors' meeting held at the house of Edward Ingraham, in York, June 9, 1752, a committee was chosen to lay out to some persons a tract of land, including a stream for the purpose of building a mill. Mr. Shaw received the privilege, and 200 acres of land, as "an encouragement," where the well-known "Shaw's mill" has since been maintained, and immediately set about preparations for building. At Bonnie Eagle a saw-mill and grist- mill were owned by Samuel and Robert McDonald as early as 1790. Samuel sold out his share and moved to Chatham, and a son, now living, rode on the horse behind his father when they went from Standish to that remote wilder- ness. The following notice, found in a copy of the old Eastern Herald, of date " March 4, 1794," speaks for itself :

"STANDISH. To be sold, a saw-mill on Saco river in the town of Standish. Said mill, if well attended, will saw 600 M boards yearly. Also a grist-mill on the premises well furnished.

ROBERT MCDONALD."

Probably John Came succeeded the McDonalds here, as the "Came mill " stood on the same site and privilege, on the "island " there. Job Burnham, an early mill-wright and dam-builder, owned a saw-mill many years on the

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Limington falls, on Standish side of the Saco, and was succeeded by his sons; the dam and mill are now gone.

Tobias Lord, Esq., early engaged in the milling and lumber business at the Steep falls, where his son of the same name now owns, but we have no data.

The first grist-mill in Cornish was built by Asahel Cole, in 1777, on the outlet of Hosac pond, near his house. A grist-mill was soon after built on the outlet of Long pond, called the "Hough mill"; this had a good water- power. A saw-mill was built on the same stream by John Durgin, in 1796. A grist-mill was built on Little river, that runs through the village, in 1780. The planks from which the spout was made for carrying the water from the dam to the wheel were dragged through a bridle-path from Limerick with an ox-team. There were no boards on the mill-frame when the wheel was set a-running. When the mill was not in use the hopper was turned upside down, and the curbing covered with flakes of hemlock bark. Mr. Thompson built a saw-mill on the same stream in 1784; both mills were swept away by spring flood in a few years. He then put up a grist-mill and saw-mill below the falls on the same stream, the former driven by a "tub-wheel." The miller said, in 1818, that he could grind but one bushel of grain in an hour. The saw-mill was driven by a "flutter-wheel," which turned so slowly that the teeth of the saw could be counted when "she" was in full cut. When it was necessary to pass down the mill-bed the millman went through the saw-gate, when in motion, without much haste, or danger to his head. In 1790 Thompson built a mill for wool-carding and cloth-dressing.

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Saco Valley settlements and families. Historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional, and legendary, Part 24

Author: Ridlon, Gideon Tibbetts, 1841- [from old catalog] Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Portland, Me., The author Number of Pages: 1424

Author: Ridlon, Gideon Tibbetts, 1841- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Portland, Me., The author
Number of Pages: 1424