USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Gardiner > The centennial of Gardiner; an account of the exercises at the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, June 25, 1903 > Part 2
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being Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, one of the leading spirits in the settlement of this part of the country. At that time he was forty-two years of age, and was an enterprising, energetic man, with sound judgment and practical business talent. He was educated for the medical profession, established the first drug store in Boston, and from it accumulated a large fortune.
To induce settlers to locate it was necessary to protect them from the Indians, and accordingly in 1754 the Company induced Governor Shirley of Massachusetts to erect a fort at Winslow, the blockhouse of which is still standing, and the Company themselves built Fort Weston at the place which is now Augusta. In December of that year Dr. Gardiner pur- chased what is known as the Cobbossee Contee Tract, which includes the site of the present city of Gardiner and some of the adjoining towns. No doubt he was attracted to this spot by the stream of water, which, with a fall of one hundred and thirty feet in less than a mile, was tumbling over the rocks, plainly indicating to him its future usefulness in driving machinery ; and he was also influenced by the fact that the depth of water in the Kennebec at this point showed that it was the head of navigation. He was chosen moderator of the Plymouth Company, and devoted much of his time and fortune to the development of these lands. He ran one of the first packets from Boston to the Kennebec, and was largely instru- mental in the settlement of Pownalboro. A year or two later, nearly a century after Brown's attempted settlement, he brought a small company of laborers here, and founded the plantation called Gardinerstown ; this was probably the first time that women and children came to this place. The settlers came up the river in boats, and, we are informed, landed in the cove north of the outlet of the Cobbossee Contee River, not far from the present foot of Spring Street. Hanson's his- tory tells us that Jonathan Winslow, the first white child native to the settlement, was born on the 23d of March, 1761, and that his parents then lived just west of the Bartlett and Dennis grain store on Water Street. Dr. Gardiner then built what is
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OLD POWNALBORO COURT HOUSE. Built 1761. Fac-simile of "Great House " built by Dr. Gardiner, 1763.
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known as our lower dam, erected a sawmill and a gristmill, also a fulling mill, a wharf, and several stores, and soon had an annual rent roll of about $6,000. He built a mansion known as the "Great House," a reproduction of the old Court House still standing in Dresden, and located it where the Gardiner Hotel afterward stood.
Ilis son William, who was his local agent, planned to erect a large dwelling, which was begun but never finished. This was located near the site of the Esmond homestead. He also had plans made for an extensive park to be laid out in the English fashion, and to extend from his dwelling to the river ; but these plans were never carried out.
Probably the first census of this region was taken in 1764, when the enumeration in Gardinerstown, including all above Pownalboro (now Dresden) was two hundred. At that time Pownalboro, the largest place on the river, had a population of nine hundred. In 1763 the inhabitants erected a substan- tial bullet-proof blockhouse for protection from the Indians. It was located near where the Universalist Church stands.
The gristmill was the only one in this part of the country, and settlers for from some thirty to fifty miles around were accustomed to come to it in their dugouts, by the water ways in summer, and on their snowshoes in winter, bringing their bags of corn to be ground.
Dr. Gardiner was an ardent Churchman ; here he soon erected a Church edifice which he had dedicated by the "Frontier Missionary," Rev. Jacob Bailey, and in his will he left a liberal annuity toward its maintenance. Dr. Gardiner was a royalist, and upon the breaking out of the Revolutionary War remained faithful to the mother country. His family with others of prominence left Boston upon its evacuation by the British in March, 1776, and went to England, where they remained until the close of the war. It must have been a severe struggle for him to sail away almost penniless, abandoning his vast pos- sessions in Maine, besides a large amount of valuable real and personal property in the city of Boston; but his course was
в.
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that of many other wealthy men of the country who remained loyal to the established government rather than trust to an untried one. After peace was established he returned to this country, settled in Newport, R. I., and remained there prac- ticing as a physician until his death in 1786, at which time the flags of that city and those upon the shipping in the harbor were displayed at half-mast, and the newspapers spoke of him as one of their leading and most honored citizens.
On February 4, 1779, the legislature of Massachusetts incorporated the town of Pittston, taking its territory from the plantation of Gardinerstown, which extended from Bow- doin to Hallowell, and until the 17th of February, 1803, when another act was passed incorporating all that part of Pittston lying on the west side of the Kennebec River as the town of Gardiner, the history of Pittston is our history.
The greater part of Dr. Gardiner's property descended to his son, William, and at his death in 1787 to his grandson, Robert Hallowell, who was also the grandson of Benjamin Hallowell, for whom our neighboring town of Hallowell was named. Robert Hallowell was born in England, February 10, 1782; came to this country in 1792 ; received his early educa- tion at Andover ; entered Harvard College at the age of fifteen, and graduated in 1801. His health was extremely delicate and for a long time it was feared that he would not live, yet he reached the age of eighty-two years, making his home in this place until his death, which occurred in 1864. He attained his majority about the time of the incorporation of the town ; he then assumed the name of Robert Hallowell Gardiner; and, as he was the principal owner of the land, the town was named in his honor.
From 1775 to 1803 the growth of our town had been slow, and for the most part unsatisfactory. During that period the title to the land had been in doubt and in dispute, and many men of influence who might otherwise have settled here made their homes in Hallowell and Augusta. Over a quarter of a century had elapsed since Dr. Gardiner's departure, and during
ROBERT HALLOWELL GARDINER. Born 1782, Died 1864.
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HISTORICAL ADDRESS, JOSIAH S. MAXCY.
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that time no one had properly attended to the business interests of the proprietor. Gradually the mills, dams, dwellings, and wharves went to decay, tenants abandoned the property, and intending settlers were obliged to become squatters ; so, incred- ible as it now seems, when Robert Hallowell Gardiner came into possession of his estate there were only eleven families settled here who had titles to the lands they occupied ; all the others, eighty-six in number, had improper titles or were squatters. At that time there were only one or two houses on Church Hill, which was covered with a thick growth of pine ; and the valley of the Cobbossee was a dense forest, as was all of the country back from the Kennebec, with the exception of an occasional farm. No carriage road led out of our town in any direction, and within our limits there was only one ; this, less than a mile in length, extended from the New Mills to the river.
We can readily see what a problem confronted the heir, then a mere youth, in poor health, born and bred in luxury, accustomed to the society of the best literary people in Boston, but with no business experience or training, with no wise friend to advise or direct him, in this new country where he had come into possession of these vast landed estates, without ready money or sufficient income to develop them. He treated the squatters equitably and generously, either buying their improvements at an appraisal or selling them the land at a very low figure. His course was in marked contrast to the treatment accorded the squatters by some of the other members of the Plymouth Company ; burning of buildings and even murder followed their attempts to dislodge the settlers ; and a reign of terror was inaugurated that, for a time, threatened the lives of members of the Company. Mr. Gardiner immediately repaired the dams and mills built by his grandfather, and offered liberal inducements for manufacturers to settle here. He found the " Great House," built by Dr. Gardiner for his own use, in bad condition ; many of the clapboards and much of the boarding had been stripped off and used for firewood by its tenants ;
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he repaired it, and for many years after it was used as our town tavern. Since there were then no stores of any account in Gardiner and people were obliged to go to Hallowell for hardware, dry goods, and many other necessities of life, one of Mr. Gardiner's first acts was to build for our merchants what were, for that time, commodious stores.
It is doubtful if there is in existence at the present time a single dam, mill, wharf, factory, or store, that was here when our town was incorporated ; and, with the exception of a few dwellings erected prior to that date, not a single stone or piece of timber now remains on its old location to tell the story of those days.
When Mr. Gardiner came into possession of his property the land had not been surveyed, except in large tracts by the Plymouth Company, and one of his first acts was to employ an old Revolutionary soldier, Solomon Adams, to attend to this for him. He was engaged for several years upon this survey, and his map was completed and dated December 30, 1808. So accurate and conscientious was he in his work, that we have yet to find a single case where the land ever fell short of his measurements.
Just a word as to the condition of the country when our fathers gathered in the old "Church house" on the 21st of March, 1803, for their first town meeting. We had hardly recovered from the effects of the long and devastating war for our independentes. Opportunities for the education of youth were almost unknown, and with the greater part of the settlers it was a struggle for mere existence. Steam as a mode of con- veyance, either on land or on sea, was unknown. Communi- cation between different settlements was limited, and each community depended almost wholly upon its own exertions for its food, its clothing, and the other necessities of life. The pitch pine and the candle furnished artificial light, and the tinder box was in constant demand. Improvements have come so rapidly and so naturally that it is hard for the younger
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stoves were unknown, and for heating and baking they depended upon the large old-fashioned fireplace in the kitchen, where the family would gather each evening after the day's work. Machinery was scarcely known ; so that nearly all labor on the farm, in the house, or the factory, was performed by hand, and the laborers toiled day after day from early morn until late at night. The great cities of the land had not been built ; the vast regions west of us were unknown; and the northern part of our own State was indicated upon the map as an unex- plored wilderness. No one then could have dreamed of the useful machinery which has since appeared, and of the various appliances which electricity would supply to man to lighten his labors and improve his condition. The bright future now so well known was then wrapped in mystery.
Under the laws of the time property qualifications were necessary for voting, and no one could exercise the franchise who did not have within the Commonwealth a freehold estate of the annual income of three pounds, or other estates of the value of sixty pounds ; and by this restriction, although we had a population of about six hundred and fifty, the number of our voters was limited. The record of our first meeting does not show the number, but at a meeting held a few days later thirty-six voters were present, and it was probably about this number that participated in the formation of our town one hundred years ago.
By the act of incorporation the warrant for this first town meeting was issued by Jedediah Jewett, a justice of the peace, and directed to Dudley B. Hobart, "one of the principal inhab- itants," who was chosen moderator and presided at that meet- ing. Barzillai Gannett, Dudley B. Hobart, and William Barker were elected selectmen. At that time Mr. Gannett was probably the most useful and influential citizen of the town. He was our first postmaster, and held that office until 1809, when he was elected a member of Congress. He held several other offices of trust and importance, and was a well- known figure in our early history. Dudley B. Hobart was
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also a man of considerable prominence, being a son-in-law of General Dearborn. He was Gardiner's first representative to the General Court. Major Seth Gay was chosen town clerk, a position which he held with credit for nearly half a century. The action of that meeting was similar to those of many others held in subsequent years, and is interesting to the reader of to-day. They raised $1,000 for the building and repairs of highways, $200 for schools, $200 for preaching, and $200 for debts and expenses, or $1,600 in all. They voted "that the money for preaching be laid out at the Church house," and then added " that the persons who regularly attend publick worship under the Methodists or Baptists shall be allowed to lay out their proportion of money raised for preaching in paying preachers of the aforesaid parishioners." They chose Ichabod Plaisted a committee for the Methodists; James Lord and Abraham Cleaves a committee for the Baptists. They con- tinued by taxation to raise money for religious purposes until the year 1812; a custom which in all probability existed in few places in this country. At this meeting they chose twenty- three surveyors of lumber, showing that the lumber industry must have been our principal one. They also chose nine hog- reeves (an office that was filled by the newly married, or the extremely bashful members of the community; and these officials must have been a necessity, as one year they chose twenty-seven) ; six tything-men, to see that the Sabbath was properly observed and to compel attendance at church and obedience when there ; and also a fish committee to look after our fishing industries, which at that time were large and important. Fence viewers and field drivers to look after stray cattle were chosen then, and continue to be chosen to this day. At an adjourned meeting held a few days later they bid off the support of their only town charge to the lowest bidder for three shillings and six pence per week (eighty-seven and one- half cents) and cautiously added, "provided Pittston, which is legally responsible for his support, does not bid lower." Evidently there were misunderstandings in regard to such
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ALLEN DWELLING. - Built by Barzillai Gannett, 1806.
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matters, then as now. In that year the largest resident tax, $28.56, was paid by Joseph Bradstreet. Mr. Gardiner's tax was $175 ; and the whole amount assessed was about $800, only about one-half the amount appropriated at their first meeting.
These old records were well kept; it is fortunate indeed that they have been preserved, and they will become of increas- ing interest as the years go by.
Nothing illustrates the growth and changed conditions of our country better than its improved modes of transportation. In 1775 the mail came by packet in summer, and was brought once a month by men on snowshoes in winter. In 1787 one mail a week was received at Portland, and the Government was asked to extend this service to the towns on the Kennebec, sending there twice a month; but the Government officials replied "that they could not send so far into the wilderness." In 1794 mail came once a week on horseback from Portland, by the way of Monmouth, crossing the river at Smith's Ferry and continuing to Pownalboro and Wiscasset. In 1808 it came by suze from Portland to Hallowell, and was then brought to Gardiner from Hallowell in the pocket of any one of our citizens who happened to be coming this way. Our roads were so badly constructed that it was not until 1812 that the Government officials consented to send the mail directly to Gardiner, and the stagecoach which carried it was probably the first to make an appearance here. George Washington died on December 14, 1799 ; and the news of his death reached Gardiner on the first day of January, 1800, eighteen days later. Swiftness of travel increased so rapidly that the news of the treaty with England in 1814 came through from Philadelphia in five days. Now we can easily breakfast in Gardiner, and take a not over-late supper in that city of Pennsylvania.
The first railroad in this country was built in 1827; and the people of the Kennebec, always progressive and interested in the developments of this section, early investigated its advantages. In 1830 Mr. Vaughan, of Hallowell, delivered a lecture on railroads, which subject he had studied in England ;
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and in the course of his remarks he said "that he hoped to see the time when a man would be able by this mode of convey- ance to see the capitals of Maine and Massachusetts on the same day." Gardiner early took a leading part in the building of a road from Portland. In 1836, upon an application origi- nating in this city, the Kennebec and Portland Railroad was incorporated, with authority to construct a road from Portland to Augusta. Nothing was done, however, until 1845, when a committee was appointed to receive subscriptions, and George Evans, of Gardiner, was made president of the company. At a grand rally held in Augusta for the purpose of creating enthusiasm, Mr. Evans was the principal speaker, and in the course of his remarks said that, "eight years before, an engineer had made a survey and estimated that on account of the severity of our winters a road could be operated only two hundred days in the year, but he felt sure that this estimate was too small, and he would change the number of days to two hundred and ninety." He also remarked that "some might think the estimate of one hundred and fifty passengers daily from Augusta to Portland extravagant; but he asked them to consider the throngs which crowded the decks of the steamers to Boston." He then added, "The truth is, that steamboats and railroads not only accommodate but make travel." As sufficient money to build the road could not be raised from individuals, it was necessary for the towns to loan their credit ; Augusta, Hallowell, and Gardiner voted large sums which assured the completion of the project. The first train of cars arrived in our city in December, 1851, and was hailed with great rejoicing on the part of our citizens. In 1852 a railroad, to cost $272,000, was surveyed from Gardiner to Monmouth, a distance of seventeen miles, but the necessary capital to build it could not be secured.
Gardiner was always a place of diversified industries : and we can enumerate over thirty different ones that have been extensively carried on here in the past, but, ou account of
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The first two mills built were a lumber mill and a gristmill, and both of their industries have continued here uninterruptedly ..
Mr. Gardiner was not what the world terms a successful business man ; he was not an accumulator of money. He was a gentleman and a scholar, possessing fine literary and artistic tastes, and of the productions of his pen any one might be proud. Inheriting these vast landed possessions of thousands upon thousands of acres scattered through some forty-five towns in our State, had he possessed keen business instincts he might easily have been one of the rich men of the country. Soon after coming into possession of this property he erected expensive stone dams upon its heretofore unused privileges, and later spent vast sums of money in the purchase of flowage rights to enable him to store the water necessary for the oper- ation of the mills, -sums of money greatly in excess of the amount that was received for the privileges when sold. During his residenge of over sixty years in this city he was actively identified by name and by his financial aid with nearly every business enterprise that was projected in the community. In 1806, Mr. Gardiner, with others, built the first paper mill, which proved a very profitable investment; for, although paper was then made by hand, the profits for the first eleven years were three hundred and seventy-five per cent., in addi- tion to the repayment of the original capital with interest. This, however, was soon lost by his experiments upon the introduction of machinery. One of the hand paper-makers of the olden time, who has lived in our city his fourscore years and ten, daily walks our streets ; and with his pleasant word and cheery face is always a welcome companion. Mr. God- ding's life is a fine example for the youth of to-day, plainly showing what industry, perseverance, and good habits will accomplish. There is another among us, the last example of the old-time merchants, who has followed his present occupa- tion for nearly seventy years. The life of Amasa Ring links the business customs of the past with the present, and by honorable dealing has always commanded the respect of our community.
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Mr. Gardiner also built a fulling mill, a furnace, forge, nail and spike factory, a pail and tub factory, and a starch mill, some of which were financial failures. Of sawmills there were many ; at one time he had thirteen upon the lower dam, and year after year their repairs, taxes, and insurance greatly exceeded their income. Time and again he aided enterprises that proved disastrous, and his losses by fire, flood, and fail- ures were enormous. He was one of the largest investors in the stock of the Kennebec and Portland Railroad, which invest- ment proved a total loss. Twice in his lifetime his principal manufacturing industries on the lower dam were swept away by fire; yet he bore his losses with the best of grace and apparently with little concern. No one now questions that he made a mistake in not disposing of his water power instead of retaining and leasing it. The burden of supporting it and of fostering new and untried enterprises would then have been on other shoulders, and he would have reaped his profits in the increased value of his lands.
In 1835 a land speculation craze swept over this country, and as indicating the absurd values placed upon property, we find that the lower dam was then bonded to George Evans, Parker Sheldon, and a promoter from New York, by the name of Usher, for the sum of $200,000, a price that seems incred- ible in these days; but the bubble burst before the sale was effected.
For years shipbuilding was one of our principal indus- tries. In 1784, while we were known as Pittston, our first schooner was built upon the banks of the Kennebec River, at a place called "Agry's Point," where the Independent ice houses were afterward erected. A small water power sawmill was built near the Agry shipyard, receiving its power from a dam on the stream that flows from Nahumkeag Pond into the river ; this dam was probably abandoned a century ago, but its location is still discernible. Around this mill and dam was a settlement known as Colburntown, and for a time it was a place of considerable activity and of some importance. A
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SOPER DWELLING. Built by Jeremiah Colburn, Pioneer of Colburntown, 1753.
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few years later the shipyards were located further up the river and many of our citizens became interested in the business.
The names of Grant, Bradstreet, Stevens, Clay, Cooper, Young, and others became famous as builders, and white-winged messengers carried their flags all over the seas. Originally Gardiner was the headquarters of steamboat navigation upon our river, and remained so until within a few years. Captain Nathaniel Kimball, of this city, was one of the pioneers of this industry, and greatly contributed to its prosperity. He was followed by the Bradstreets and our well-known Captain Jason Collins, whose success as a steamboat manager has made him so justly noted.
In looking over old records we find that in 1807 Mr. Gardiner secured an act of the Massachusetts Legislature, incorporating himself and thirty-four others into a Locks and Canal Company, to build a canal to transport freight and passengers from the Kennebec River through the Cobbossee Lakes into the Androscoggin, and thence into the Rangeley Lakes regions. In order to build this it would have been necessary to divert some of the waters of the Androscoggin into the Cobbossee, against which proceeding the mill owners at Brunswick protested, and, as soon as the work began, pre- vented its completion by an injunction. The cost of this canal was estimated at $60,000; surely a large enterprise for those days, but if it had been built its influence upon the pros- perity of this community must have been considerable.
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