USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Waterville > The centennial history of Waterville, Kennebec County, Maine, including the oration, the historical address and the poem presented at the celebration of the centennial anniversary of the incorporation of the town, June 23d, 1902 > Part 30
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One of the strange things about the records of this society, wonderfully well preserved as they are, is that great pains was taken to record the list of premiums offered with the committees of awards, but no record was kept of who won the prizes. This omission will readily be seen as a serious defect as the historian of to-day is unable to pick out the names of the successful exhib- itors, as he might have done had the list of the winners been recorded. But one vote recorded is worthy of more than a pass- ing notice, and that is where the trustees vote that unless an animal exhibited possesses superior merit no awards shall be made to such animal, but if the owner desires, a statement shall be made and published that such an animal was the best one shown at the exhibition. Let the average agricultural fair man- ager think for a moment what the commotion would be if such a rule should be enforced by one of our Maine societies to-day, and yet who shall say that it would not have a salutary effect on exhibits as well as exhibitors.
If space would permit, we could fill the entire limits of this hook with interesting data taken from the records of this society. ne item that catches our eye is a vote of thanks passed at a meet- g of the trustees October 4, 1859, to Col. Thomas S. Lang for 's liberality in always giving to the society all purses won by his rses, and as the record adds, "He ever strove to win all the 'izes that he could in order that the society might be the more nefited thereby."
In January, 1854, it was voted to appoint a committee to ascer- n what grounds could be secured for a track, and upon a vorable report the grounds located in the southern part of the `y were purchased and a fine half mile track constructed ereon. Later this track was leased to the Waterville Horse ssociation for their annual exhibition. The original lease of is property is pasted in the records before us, and is well
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worthy a word of attention. We think only one of the men whose names are upon it is alive to-day. It bears the signatures of Ira R. Doolittle, J. A. Judkins, Gideon Wells, T. S. Lang, J. L. Seavey, Foster S. Palmer, Asher Savage and Ruel Howard, and is dated August 22, 1863. We think Mr. Savage is the only survivor of this list of notable men of their day. This horse association was short lived and only lasted a few years, just how many it is difficult to ascertain as we have been unable to find any records of the society whatsoever.
The North Kennebec Agricultural Society survived the drain upon it made during the War of the Rebellion and gave success- ful exhibitions each year until the early '80's, when owing to the multiplication of societies in the nearby towns included in its original territory, the interest began to decline, until finally the annual fairs were given up and the track leased to private parties and the property was finally sold for the enlargement of our present beautiful cemetery.
Hon. Timothy Boutelle, and Mr. Joseph Percival should prob- ably be mentioned first among those who had to do with the beginning of stock husbandry in Waterville. Col. Reuben H. Green of Winslow, who was in his day one of the best known breeders in the State commenced breeding Durham stock, and to him undoubtedly the early farmers of the town are indebted for the introduction of the best Durham blood brought to Maine. Mr. Percival and his brother were the first to introduce Devons into Kennebec county. The Jerseys, now so popular among us were first introduced by Dr. N. R. Boutelle, Levi Dow, W. A. P. Dillingham, Henry Taylor and Samuel Kimball. Hon. Timothy Boutelle and John D. Lang of Vassalboro introduced the first Ayrshire stock. From these beginnings many of our farmers of moderate means were able to obtain valuable specimens of their several breeds, and the success of agricultural operations in this vicinity are largely due to them. In addition to bringing their Durhams to Waterville Col. Green was one of the first to bring the Bakewell breed into this State. The full blooded Merinoes that have been the means of making so many good dollars for breeders in Waterville and elsewhere were first introduced by Dr. N. R. Boutelle, E. Maxham and other enterprising farmers in the nearby towns. Joseph Percival of this town and Warren
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Percival of Vassalboro, were the first to breed Cotswold sheep with any degree of success. We have present with us in this community to-day in the person of Mr. Geo. E. Shores, now in his gIst year, one of the men who has ever been in the front rank of agricultural effort in this section. Mr. Shores was born on his father's farm in the western part of this town, the father having moved here from Berwick just a hundred years ago. The mother of the subject of this sketch rode on horseback from the river to their farm, following the spotted line. Mr. George Shores was born in 1812, and came of good hardy stock. His mother lived to the age of seventy-five years, and his father died at the age of eighty-two. In 1867 Mr. Shores left his farm, which he had developed into one of the best in town and came out to the village as it was then called to live. He purchased a large tract of land running from College avenue to Main street covering what has long been known as Oak hill. This farm of 160 acres has been cut up into building lots and but little of the original purchase is left. Mr. Shores has always lived a very active life and has seen the town grow from a straggling village with a few poorly cultivated farms scattered here and there to a thriving city with all the modern improvements surrounded with the best and the most highly cultivated farms. He is to-day the connecting link between the old Waterville and the new. He was years ago associated with the late Hall C. Burleigh, then of Fairfield in the cattle business. They went to Compton, Canada, and purchased a number of valuable Hereford cattle for breed- ing. They were the first of the breed in this section and natur- ally attracted no little attention. This stock then purchased has been the foundation stock for a majority of the Herefords since bred in this section. Mr. Shores was a large exhibitor at all the fairs and at one time sold a pair of white faced yearlings for the astonishing sum of $300. He also purchased the stallion Somerset Knox and after keeping him a short time, sold him to New York parties for the fabulous price in those days of $2,700. Mr. Shores is enjoying unusually good health and his family hope to have him with them for a number of years yet to come. He enjoyed the centennial celebration with keen zest and rode the entire route of the procession without any signs of fatigue.
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Waterville has for more than a century been prominent as a centre for the breeding and ownership of valuable horses and it seems very appropriate that she should have within her limits to day among the many valuable horses born and bred on her soil one whose name is known not only through the length and breadth of this country but even across the sea, and it seems most appropriate and fitting that the portrait of such an animal should adorn this book. It will easily be guessed that the horse referred to is the veteran Nelson 2.09 now in his 20th year.
Nelson, 2.09, is registered No. 4,209. He was sired by Young Rolfe, 2.2114, he by Tom Rolfe, 2.331/2. The dam of Nelson was Gretchen, by Gideon 145. He was bred and is now owned by Mr. C. H. Nelson of this city, who has trained and developed him, and driven him in all his great races. He was a great colt and attracted much attention even as a two-year-old, when he won the two-year-old stake race for Maine colts at the Maine State Fair, Lewiston. As a three-year-old he won the Maine State Fair cup for fastest three-year-old, also the cup for fastest stallion of any age, taking a record of 2.2634-the fastest half mile track record to that date and for several years afterward. As a five-year-old he won the New England stake for five-year- olds. When seven years old he lowered his record to 2.1412. In 1890 he was worked at Franklin Park, Massachusetts, and shipped to Bangor in August, where he started to lower the half mile track record, which he did, trotting in 2.1514. From Ban- gor he started on a long journey to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and from there to Kankakee, Ill., where he trotted a full mile in 2.12, which at that time was the world's stallion record. Two days later he lowered the record to 2.1112, and two days later than that at Rushville, Ind., he circled the oval track at that place in 2.1134. One week later at Terre Haute, Ind., he cut the record down to 2.1174, and twelve days later at Cambridge City, Ind., he again lowered it to 2.1034, after which he was shipped to Maine, when with one week's rest he was shipped back to Chicago, where he was the idol of the great horse show, after which he returned to his home at Sunnyside Farm for the winter. In 1891 he again went west, where he was greeted on every side with the utmost enthusiasm, wherever he appeared. The floral tributes bestowed upon him were most profuse and elegant, and
1
" NELSON." 2.09.
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such as a prima donna might well be proud of. He commenced his tour, which was nothing short of a triumphal procession at Saginaw, Mich., and continued at Detroit, Grand Rapids, Free- port, Elgin, Rockport, Independence, Iowa, Richmond and Cam- bridge City, Ind. At Grand Rapids he lowered the record to 2.10, and again returned to Maine to spend the winter. In 1892 he was driven many exhibition miles on New England tracks, and at Trenton, N. J., lowered the half mile track record to 2.1134. In 1893 he made his present record of 2.09 at Rigby park, Portland, since which time he has trotted exhibition miles before large concourses of people on different tracks in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and at St. John, N. B. To-day he holds the world's stallion record to high wheels over oval track and has probably trotted more fast miles than any horse in the world.
Nearly a century ago another Waterville horse made fame and fortune for Waterville in the historic old town of Charleston, Mass. The late Hall C. Burleigh used to delight to tell the story of O. B. Palmer, a relative of his, who seeing a purse of $1,000 posted for any horse that could trot a mile in three minutes started for Boston with the chestnut gelding that they called Zuarrow. He made the mile in 2.57 an unprecedented record for that day, and received his purse besides several wagers that he had made on the result, having full faith in the capacity of his horse to accomplish the feat. He afterwards sold the animal and the name was changed to Boston Blue, and as such the Waterville horse won great renown. The grounds of the North Kennebec Agricultural Society in the zenith of their days were the scene of many a spirited contest between horses of note. Although Col. Lang did not reside within our town, he was located so near that Waterville got the benefit of his ownership of the great Gen. Knox as well as Gideon and others of his most celebrated steeds. It was at this track in October, 1867, that Gilbreth Knox, then owned by J. H. Gilbreth of Fairfield, trotted a half mile in the remarkable time of one minute and fifteen seconds, but probably the most remarkable race ever trotted over the Waterville track was the contest between Gen. Knox and Hiram Drew, a horse no less celebrated in his day. This event
22
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occurred October 22, 1863, and although it came when the excite- ment over the war was at its height a very large concourse of people from all parts of the State gathered to witness the contest, which is recalled even to this day by the oldest lovers of racing as one of the great events of their lives. Both horses had a great many friends everyone present being a partizan and the contest waged hotly until the last deciding heat had been trotted when Knox was declared victor.
In the above we have written wholly of the past, but there is a present and a future for Waterville agriculture, and perhaps there has been no time in the last century when so much thought and intelligent calculation was given to agricultural operations as at the present time. We have not space to go into details as to who is doing the work of to-day, but should not be doing our subject justice did we not mention the fact that at Sunnyside Farm, the home of the great Nelson, there is to-day one of the largest breeding establishments to be found in northern New England, and one cannot travel far enough east or west, north or south to get beyond the reputation that the good horses at this farm are making not only for our town, but for our State as well. Pass- ing a little way farther up the street toward Oakland, we come to the farm of Mr. R. H. Union, who is largely engaged in breed- ing Jersey cattle and Ohio Improved Chester swine. Mr. Union has a very large patronage for his products in the city, and is doing a very prosperous business.
At Mountain Farm Mr. G. F. Terry is breeding Jerseys and Chester White swine, also cultivating a very large growing orchard, with the best of results.
We might mention a long list of others who are doing good work and keeping up the reputation of our town as one of much importance agriculturally considered.
The records of the town show that in 1850 Waterville included what was afterwards set off as West Waterville, had a popula- tion of 3,964, in 1860 it had increased to 4,392, with 870 polls, while the real estate was valued at $1,348,330. To-day Water- ville has a population of 10,332, and the assessors report the val- uation of 1902 as follows : Polls, 2,618; real estate, $4,274,325 ; personal property, $934,838, or a total of $5,219, 163.
CHAPTER XV.
THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES OF WATERVILLE.
By REUBEN WESLEY DUNN, A. M., President of the Somerset Railroad, and Treasurer of the Dunn Edge Tool Company.
Waterville seemed destined by her situation to become a manu- facturing center. On the east flows the Kennebec, the outlet of the largest lake in Maine, as well as of numerous smaller bodies of water. A fall of nearly forty feet between the principal power at Fairfield and the bay, as it is called, has been estimated as capable of developing 8,000 h. p. In the west part of the town is found the Messalonskee, the outlet of the lake of the same name into which are discharged the waters of East, North, McGrath, Ellis, Great, and Long ponds or lakes lying partly in Smithfield, Belgrade, and Oakland. This stream flows northerly about four miles with a fall in that distance of about 150 feet of which about 100 feet are in the village of Oakland and within less than a mile from the outlet. Turning to the east and then to the south it empties into the Kennebec about two miles below Ticonic Falls. As it passes through Waterville it makes a further fall of about 100 feet. The flow of water in this stream is far more constant than in the Kennebec. It has been esti- mated that by controlling the dams at the foot of the several lakes and carefully storing the water when abundant and letting it down in the dry season, the power on the Messalonskee would be about 25 h. p. for each foot of fall.
Note. The writer of this chapter is indebted to the History of Kennebec County published in 1892 by H. W. Blake & Co. of New York, for much valuable informa- tion.
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There were no railroads one hundred years ago, and naviga- tion on the Kennebec, open but about two-thirds of the year, was limited to boats of small capacity. Hence but little attention was paid to manufactures till after the problem of transportation had been solved. Local demand for bread stuffs and lumber called for the erection of grist mills and saw mills which naturally were the first manufactories in Waterville. The power on the Messa- lonskee was the first to be utilized. About twenty-five years before Waterville's separation from Winslow, Dr. McKechnie constructed a dam and built and operated a mill for grinding grain and sawing lumber at what is now known as Crommett's Mills. The site is now occupied by the pumping station of the Maine Water Company. A few years later, but also some years before the close of the 18th century, Asa Emerson, whose name has ever since been associated with the stream, built a dam and a saw mill on the site below the foot of Silver street recently occupied by the Webber & Philbrick Foundry and Machine Shop. About the same time, or perhaps a little later, Silas and Abijah Wing built a dam on the last privilege on the Messa- lonskee or Emerson stream, some distance below the present plant of the Union Gas and Electric Company. Here they erected and for some years operated a saw mill and a grist mill. In about 1810 Samuel and Joseph Hitchings purchased this property and later Samuel Hitchings added another building for the manu- facture of wool carding machines, and for turning bed posts. Not long after, on this same dam, Deacon Daniel Wells built a carding and clothing mill for which Samuel Hitchings made the machinery. All the buildings and machinery on this dam, except the carding mill, were swept away by the great freshet of 1832. A grist mill at West Waterville was carried away at the same time. This is the only time that high water has ever done any considerable damage on this stream.
While these developments were in progress near the mouth of the stream, Jonathan Coombs had built a dam at the outlet, and sometime before 1800 was sawing logs and grinding grain for . the settlers in the west part of the town .* The Coombs mill has
* In writing of the manufacturing establishments in Waterville, we have in cluded the industrial enterprises of West Waterville, now Oakland, since that town was a part of Waterville until 1873.
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been worn out and replaced, destroyed and re-built, and changed owners several times, but the grist mill still exists and continues to do business at the same old stand. The saw mill, as well as the carding and fulling mill on the same dam, also built by Mr. Coombs, gave place some fifty years later to the Ellis Saw Com- pany, and fifteen years after to the Hubbard & Blake Scythe and Axe Factory.
Very early in the 19th century, Leonard Cornforth settled in West Waterville, now Oakland, and built a dam, a stone grist mill, a saw mill, and a carding and clothing mill on the site now occupied by the scythe finishing shop and axe shop of the Dunn Edge Tool Company. Bed posts and wagon hubs were turned by Clark Stanley in the basement of this saw mill in 1834. A bark mill and a tannery owned by Nahum Warren was operated on this dam in the early part of the century. In this bark mill Holbrook and Richardson placed axe machinery and were the first to make axes on the Messalonskee. Just before the middle of the century, Passmore, Young & Taft purchased the bark mill, axe factory and fulling mill, and in 1849 began the making of scythes. This property passed through several hands and numerous changes, till with the saw mill and grist mill it was purchased by Reuben B. Dunn and in due time became the prop- erty of the Dunn Edge Tool Company.
About 1830, or a little earlier, James Crommett built a saw mill, grist mill, carding and clothing mill on the east side of the stream at Crommett's Mills. These mills were operated with various changes, by the Crommetts, B. P. Manley, James S. Craig, Greenlief L. Hill, Mr. Allen, Fred Bailey, Jeremiah Fur- bish, W. S. B. Runnels, Bangs Bros., Mr. Dane, Hayden & Robinson, A. G. Bowie, Fuller & Haynes, and others. From 1872 to 1878 Mr. Furbish did a large business here in manufact- uring doors, sash and blinds. On the same side of the stream and a short distance below, Winslow Marston made friction matches from 1858 to about 1890. Those who were connected with the fire department during those years will remember how frequently they were called upon to extinguish the fires caused by Winslow's matches.
About the same time that James Crommett was building the mills which gave his name to that locality, James Stackpole,
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Erastus O. and Sumner Wheeler were building and operating a saw mill on the west end of the same dam on or near the site of the first, or Dr. McKechnie mills. More than forty years later (1873) Henry R. Butterfield purchased this privilege and half of the next dam below. Here for some years he made shovel handles. He also erected, in 1875, a building which was occu- pied for a few years by W. H. Dow & Company in the manu- facture of furniture. In 1880 the Fiber Ware Company pur- chased this shop and made fiber ware tubs, pails, wash basins, etc., till their works were burned in 1884.
Probably few of the present citizens of Waterville are aware that a cotton mill was built in this town forty years before the Lockwood Company was heard of. It was about 1830 that Windsor & Barrett erected a factory for the manufacture of cotton goods on the privilege next below the James Crommett mills and on the same side of the stream. But it was opened and operated as a carpet factory. A Mr. Gilroy was the manager, and in this mill were made genuine Wiltshire goods of such excellent quality that it is said that his customers did not live long enough to wear them out. Fine all linen table cloths were also woven in this factory, which are well remembered by some who are still living in Waterville and vicinity.
Mr. Gilroy was followed by Israel Johnson who converted the factory into a shop for the manufacture of woolen mill machin- ery. In 1836 Wm. Pearson and Sons bought the property, added more buildings and established a large tannery. Some years later they sold out to the Plaisteds of Gardiner who con- ducted the business on a large scale. From 1854 till 1865 the tannery was shut down, when H. S. Ricker and Son purchased and refitted it. It has been run with more or less regularity by Mr. Ricker until recently. This privilege, in connection with that formerly occupied by Winslow Marston's match factory, has been purchased by Frank Chase who is building a dam and a woolen mill.
THE WATERVILLE IRON WORKS.
In 1833 Joseph P. Fairbanks, of the family who built the famous Fairbanks scales, came here from St. Johnsbury, Vt., and with Arba Nelson built a dam and foundry on the former site of the Asa Emerson saw mill below the foot of Silver street.
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Fairbanks, Nelson and Company (the "Co." were two others of the Fairbanks family) operated here for a few years when they were succeeded by the Waterville Iron Manufacturing Company. John Webber and Fred P. Haviland were stockholders and directors in this company, and in 1843 purchased the whole prop- erty. The business was largely increased and conducted by them and their sons after them for many years. From 1873 to 1882 the proprietors were Frank B. Webber, Chas. T. Haviland, and Frank B. Philbrick. Mr. Haviland then retired, and Messrs. Webber and Philbrick have since been the sole owners of the business. They were burned out in August, 1895. The follow- ing year they removed to their present location on the bank of the Kennebec river about one-eighth of a mile north of Temple street. Here they erected new shops, much larger and more con- venient than those which had been destroyed, and fitted with all the modern machinery and appliances adapted to the business. They now employ about thirty men and their annual pay-roll amounts to about seventeen thousand dollars. They derive the power for running their machinery from a twenty horse power electric motor, and the electricity is supplied by the Waterville and Fairfield Light and Power Company. Under the name of the Waterville Iron Works they carry on a general foundry and machinery business, but much of their work is in making pulp mill machinery.
The next enterprise to be established on the Messalonskee, was a tannery built by Alfred Winslow in 1836 on the Coombs dam at West Waterville. The product of this tannery for several years was manufactured into boots by Mr. Winslow and Wm. Jordan, who gave employment to twenty-five men. This prop- erty after passing through several hands was purchased in 1887 by the Dustin and Hubbard Manufacturing Company. This company was succeeded in 1892 by the Oakland Machine Com- pany. Ten years later the Oakland Woolen Company was organized and at the present time is erecting a woolen mill on this site, which the machine company has vacated for that purpose.
In 1849 Joseph Bachelder who had been making chairs for several years in a wooden building just north of the present site of the Flood block on Maine street in Waterville, removed to
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West Waterville. He located his factory on the west end of the Coombs dam where the manufacture of chairs and settees has been conducted by him and his sons to the present time.
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