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 3
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When Mr. Gardiner came here in 1803 he occupied the house built by his father, Robert Hallowell, about 1786, and now standing in Randolph. Although it is in the centre of the town, at that time there was no other dwelling within half a mile of it. In 1810 spacious grounds on the western side of the river were artistically laid out by him, and he erected a large wooden dwelling where the stone mansion now stands. This was destroyed by fire in 1834; the stone house was built and first occupied in 1842. "Oaklands " has always been kept as a beautiful park ; is famous all over New England ; has ever
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been the pride of our town ; and fortunate indeed have we been in the free use of its driveways. Mr. Gardiner was always a liberal and generous entertainer, and nearly every one of note who journeyed in this part of the State was most hospitably received by him. In the early days, when the Judges of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts came to Maine on their annual circuit, those who were his personal friends would often pass one Sunday with him in his beautiful home on the banks of the Kennebec and the following one with the Vaughans at Hallowell. He numbered among his friends Webster, Chancellor Kent, Prescott the historian, Judge Story, Choate, Otis, Longfellow, Hawthorne, Dr. Kirkland, then President of Harvard, many professors of the University, and numerous other literary men of the day ; these were entertained by him either at his winter residence in Boston or in his home upon the banks of our river.
In 1847 President Polk, together with the future Presi- dent Buchanan, and other noted men of those times, visited him, and upon that occasion Mr. Evans made one of his happiest and most telling addresses. President Polk said that "nothing on his journey had so pleased and affected him as Mr. Evans' remarks."
Illustrious visitors appeared here in 1794, when Louis Philippe, afterward King of France, and Talleyrand, the wily old statesman, both of whom were in exile, visited General Dearborn and remained with him for several days.
In 1775 General Washington issued an order to Major Reuben Colburn, of Gardinerstown, to build two hundred bateaux for the transportation of Arnold's troops from this point on the Kennebec River along the various water ways to Quebec. Upon the arrival of the fleet which brought the sol- diers from Newburyport, it was ascertained that these boats were not sufficient in number to carry the men and their sup- plies, and the expedition was delayed a week, while twenty additional boats were hurriedly constructed. We are informed that during this delay General Arnold made his headquarters
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OAKLANDS.
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at the house built by Major Colburn in 1765. This house, in a good state of preservation, is still standing on the east bank of the river, and has always been in the possession of the Colburn family.
We are informed that the first instructor of children in this region was one of our carliest settlers, Master William Everson. He had previously taught in Boston ; but there his methods did not keep pace with the times, and he emigrated to Gardinerstown, where the inhabitants were less critical. Here he taught from house to house wherever he could find employment.
In those days the education of children was considered of little importance, and preaching and teaching were strangely mixed. In 1783 it was voted "not to pay for any schooling"; but in 1785 the selectmen were "appointed as a Commity to hire a Schoolmaster and Fix the Wards; who is to teach School ; and Reed a Sermon over every Sunday." In the year 1787 it was voted "that Thirty Pounds be raised for School- ing, to be paid in Lumber or anything that the Schoolmaster will Receive." And in 1791 it was voted "to Raise Eighty Pounds for Schooling, to hire a person to keep school and preach nine months."
The first schoolhouse in Gardiner was a rude wooden building of one room, without lath, plaster, or paint - rough inside and out. This was situated on Water Street, near where the brick gristmill now stands. Previous to the erec- tion of this building a school had been kept by a man named Hoogs in the southeast lower room of Doctor Gardiner's "Great House." In 1803, when Gardiner was incorporated, the only public school building within the present city limits stood at the corner of School and Dresden Streets, upon the lot now occupied by Augustus Bailey.
Sometime in the early part of the century a private school building was built by subscription, located upon the lot on Dresden Avenue where the Cox dwelling now stands. Our townsman, Mr. William W. Bradstreet, attended this school,
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and distinctly remembers its appearance. Among other stu- dents was Delia Tudor Stuart, a relative of the Gardiners ; she was afterward the mother of Charles Stuart Parnell, the famous Irish statesman.
Probably one of the first technical schools in this country, . if not the first, was the "Gardiner Lyceum," which was established by Mr. Gardiner and others in 1822. Before this school was opened letters were sent to prominent statesmen and literary men all over the country, asking for their advice and suggestions ; many encouraging replies were received, among others letters from ex-Presidents Adams and Jefferson, with both of whom Mr. Gardiner was personally acquainted. The purpose of this school was defined in a memorial address d to the legislature, asking for a charter for "a school for tea. .- ing mathematics, mechanics, navigation, and those branches of natural philosophy and chemistry which are calculated to make scientific farmers and skillful mechanics." The first board of trustees were Robert H. Gardiner, Peter Grant, Sanford Kingsbury, Frederick Allen, John Stone, and Edward Swan. Mr. Allen almost immediately resigned, and Mr. Evans, who was deeply interested in the project, was elected in his place. The old stone building which the Lyceum occupied was erected in 1822; also a large boarding house for the use of the students. Dr. Benjamin Hale was elected principal and an able corps of instructors was selected ; among others Dr. Ezekiel Holmes, who later became Dr. Hale's successor. A workshop operated by water power was fitted with machinery for the use of the students, and a lot of land was utilized by them in agricultural experiments. In addition to a cash contribution Mr. Gardiner liberally aided the enterprise by large grants of land. He obtained an annuity from the State of $1,000 for a period of six years. The Governor of the State, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and other prominent men made up its board of visitors, and for several yeurs it was a flourishing institution. When the State withdrew its aid Mr. Gardiner became responsible for its support and
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GARDINER LYCEUM.
FROM AN OLD PRINT.
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annually advanced the necessary sums for its maintenance, but upon his refusal to continue this, it was obliged to close its doors. The building was then used for our town High School, and was destroyed by fire in the fall of 1869. It was an insti- tution that should have been perpetuated, and was capable of accomplishing a vast amount of good in the State.
We will speak briefly of several important events which happened from time to time, and which affected the business and social interests of our community. In the early history of the town the people were obliged to attend to their banking interests in Hallowell ; but in 1814 they organized the Gardiner Bank, and its directors were among our substantial business men. In 1834 they organized the Gardiner Savings Institution. These two banks have remained in existence ever since as state and national institutions, and have always been among the most honored and well-known organizations of their kind in Maine.
In 1818 Moses Springer, Jr., who was somewhat of an astronomer, began compiling the now famous "Maine Farmer's Almanac," making his own calculations and weather predictions. As there was no printing office in Gardiner he was obliged to have this work published in Hallowell, which town for years was the literary and publishing centre of the Kennebec Valley. It was not until October, 1824, that our first newspaper appeared. This was called the "Eastern Chronicle," and was ably edited by Parker Sheldon. In 1828 Dr. Ezekiel Holmes published a scientific magazine, called "The New England Farmers' and Mechanics' Journal." It had able articles relat- ing to agriculture and scientific subjects, and it illustrated clearly and plainly the principal inventions that appeared in the year of its publication. Its comments on the new steam carriage which they expected would attain a speed of ten to eleven miles an hour, on the proper length of rockers for chairs, on the different styles of road carriages, and on simi- lar subjects, are amusing to the reader of to-day. During the infancy of the temperance movement the ablest and probably
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the most radical of its organs came from an office in Gardiner ; and one of its fearless editors, Mr. Hiram K. Morrell, still lives in our city.
In the early years of the century an epidemic of spotted fever occurred, which was general in this place in 1818 and proved serious. It was so prominent and attracted so much attention that Dr. Enoch Hale, Jr., an uncle of Edward Everett Hale, published a large volume graphically describing it and giving a minute history of twenty-three of his cases.
The beautiful old Episcopal Church of this city was built in 1820, of stone brought in boats down the stream from Litchfield, and at that time was called one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in the country. In its tower still swings the old bell whose echoes for upward of eighty years have floated over our little valley, daily calling our people to their morning toil and evening rest. When this church was built there was only one other Episcopal Church conducting services in Maine, the one in Portland.
Our first library was started in 1841 by the Mechanics' Association, which was composed of some of the ablest mechanics and young business men of the city. They had a fine debating society ; year after year they carried on an able course of lectures, and were an important factor in the char- acter-building of our youth. Their library was followed in the fifties by the Gardiner, Pittston, and Farmingdale Library ; later, in 1881, they were both merged in the Gardiner Library Association, whose history is familiar to us all.
In 1797 Augusta built the first bridge that ever spanned the Kennebec; and it was nearly sixty years later before Gardiner, to the great advantage of our business interests, followed her example.
Illuminating gas appeared in the beginning of the century, but it was not until 1854 that works were erected in our city. Though with regard to improvements we were in advance of most of the cities of our size in the State, yet our people were so conservative that for a long time our streets were not
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EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
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lighted, and in the first years of its existence the enterprise was a financial failure.
On Gray's Wharf was stored by the Tudors in 1821 the first ice ever shipped from our river; and this was probably one of the first instances in the world's history of the storage of ice for shipment. On account of freshets which destroyed the houses, the enterprise was soon abandoned, but was renewed by James L. Cheeseman in the late sixties. In the following years large fortunes were made by those engaged in the business, and our city soon became the headquarters of this immense industry.
In 1820 Maine became an independent State. The people of Gardiner voted several times upon the question of separa- tion from Massachusetts, sometimes for and sometimes against ; but the final vote was unanimous. At that time the population and wealth of Gardiner were below those of Augusta, Hallowell, or Vassalboro; yet the average individual wealth of our citi- zens was sixty per cent. above the average of each person in Maine. West Gardiner left us to become an independent town in 1850; and again a part of our territory was carved off in 1852, when Farmingdale desired and obtained a separate existence.
We dropped our democratic town government in 1850 and assumed the dignity of a city, whose fiftieth birthday we fittingly celebrated three years ago.
We wish that we had time to say a few words concerning the temperance movement which swept over the country some sixty years since, and in which our citizens took a prominent part ; of the anti-slavery agitation carried on in the fifties ; and of the trying days during the Rebellion, for Gardiner did her part in the war, and her men and boys have always responded when called.
Our later history is well known. One after another improvements have crept in, wonderful in their day, but soon accepted as a part of ourselves, until we possess nearly all of the comforts and luxuries of modern civilization. Our busi-
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ness street has been paved, our roads have been improved, and our park beautified. An electric light plant has been established and a water system introduced. We have bought and removed the toll from our bridge ; have built a railroad to Togus; and by subscriptions have established industries that greatly aid and benefit us. Our paper industry, which is nearly a century old, is in the hands of strong and able men, whose buildings and machinery are of the best. The storage of our water system has been greatly enlarged and now fur- nishes us with an abundant and almost unfailing supply.
Our churches and school buildings are in good condition, while the recent erection of fine business blocks gives our city a substantial and permanent appearance. There is very little poverty among us. Year after year our dwellings have been improved, and our many neat, attractive homes now speak of the happiness and contentment of our citizens. Our people have ever been brave when confronted with trouble. Three times, in 1844, 1860, and 1882, disastrous fires have swept away our leading manufacturing industries ; but each time they have been restored in new and better buildings. In years past the waters have carried away our logs and lumber, swept over our wharves, risen into our stores, and demolished our bridges ; but each time we have risen to the emergency and quickly repaired our damage. In the creation of new indus- tries we have worked shoulder to shoulder; and while Gardi- ner in the past has been known as an enterprising, wide-awake business centre, it depends upon ourselves to maintain that reputation if we would be successful.
Pages might be written of the brave men and women who had homes here in days gone by, and labored for the success of this community. Before and during the Revolutionary period our ablest citizen was Joseph North, who lived in our old "Gay Post Office Building," so-called, the old building which was removed a few years ago and which was built about 1762. He was our representative to the Provincial Congress in 1774, was afterward an officer in the Revolutionary War, and was
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then appointed one of our judges. It was a great loss to this community when he moved to Augusta.
What a commotion must have been excited in our little hamlet when, at the close of a September day in 1775, Arnold's fleet sailed up our river and dropped its anchor near our shores ! Accompanying that disastrous expedition was a young and brave captain, who through that toilsome march to Quebec was one of its sustaining spirits. After serving with distinction through the Revolutionary War, his thoughts reverted to the bright picture of our shores, and he returned to build a home in our midst. He was an able, vigorous man, who became the leader of our community and did much to quell the lawlessness of those days. An intimate friend of Washington, of Jefferson, of Madison, and of Monroe, each of these Presidents gave him positions of trust and of impor- tance. Washington made him Marshal of the District of Maine ; Jefferson in 1801 made him his Secretary of War; Madison in 1812 appointed him Commander in Chief of the United States Army ; and Monroe sent him as Minister to Portugal. He was our first representative to Congress, and he was a man who commanded the admiration and respect of all who knew him. Fortunate indeed was it for this little community that he settled in our midst, for General Henry Dearborn was one of the strongest men of his times, and he has an honored place in our country's history.
For eighty-seven years there lived in this neighborhood one of the brave Revolutionary soldiers, Nathaniel Berry, who was distinguished for having been one of Washington's Life Guards. At his death, which occurred in 1850, he was accorded a military funeral, and upon that occasion George Evans delivered an eloquent eulogy to an immense concourse of people who assembled to honor the soldier's memory.
In my early business career it was my great privilege to meet daily one of nature's noblemen, Robert Hallowell Gardi- ner, 2d, or, as he was more familiarly known, Mr. Hallowell Gardiner. He was born in this city in 1809; and, with the
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exception of a few years passed in the South, lived here the greater part of his life. Quiet, gentle, and unassuming, but generous and sympathetic in the extreme, he was always will- ing and anxious to do all in his power to alleviate the distress of the unfortunate ; and we believe that he never refused his aid in a worthy cause. He dearly loved his ancestral home, with its beautiful hills, its winding valleys, and its magnificent trees, and could not bear to part with any of it. When asked to sell to the railroad the gravel bank known as "Mount Harry," he answered, quietly and sadly, "No, I cannot sell Harry ; he has been with Tom and Dick all of his life. They would miss him; they would be lonesome without him." To his poetic and imaginative nature these hills were as things of life. The world was better for his cheerful presence and noble nature, and we cannot believe that he left behind a single enemy.
Then the. was Dr. James Parker, our only physician in 1803, a succes .nul practitioner and influential citizen. He was greatly interested in politics and was our representative in Congress in 1813; also Frederic Allen, for years one of our leading lawyers; and besides those already mentioned there were the Gays, Grants, Byrams, Shaws, Swans, Bradstreets, Jewetts, Sheldons, and many others who were prominent in those carly days.
In 1847 the Episcopal Society of Maine unanimously elected as their first Bishop the Rev. George Burgess, of Hart- ford. He was consecrated upon his thirty-eighth birthday, and immediately came to this city, where, in addition to his duties as Bishop, he was made Rector of Christ Church, which position he held until his death, in 1866. He was deeply interested in all that concerned the political, the moral, and the spiritual life of our city. For several years he served upon our board of education, and by his suggestions and his per- sonal influence did much to increase the efficiency of our schools. During the dark days of the Rebellion, when men trembled for the safety of the Union, he had implicit faith in the Government ; with his voice and by his pen he aided and
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In 1847 the Episcopa cted as their first Bighe
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THE RT. REV. GEORGE BURGESS. First Bishop of Maine.
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encouraged those who were battling with treason. In his daily life in our city, or when attending his duties in his church, he was ever kind, considerate, and thoughtful, making no distinc- tion between the rich and the poor, the learned and the ignorant, the godly and the erring. He was beloved by all who knew him; his life and his example were an inspiration, not only to his parish, but to our entire community. Upon the wall of the old stone church which he loved so well, and wherein so many of his useful hours were spent, is engraved an epitaph which in a few words fittingly describes this noble man.
"Learned, judicious, saintly ; Living for Christ and the Church ; Loving all, beloved by all ; Faithful in every trust, even unto death."
George Evans was born in our neighboring town of Hall- owell in 1797. He graduated from Bowdoin College at the age of eighteen, and then came to this city, where he studied law with Frederic Allen. Upon attaining his majority he was admitted to the bar, and during his residence of over forty years in our city he was among the ablest lawyers in this State. At the age of thirty-two he was elected a member of the National House of Representatives, where for twelve years he served with great distinction, and was then chosen United States Senator. Upon the financial questions of the country he became one of its first authorities ; and in statesmanship he was considered a peer of Clay, of Calhoun, and even of Web- ster, who was his intimate friend. Probably no man of greater ability has ever represented Maine in the halls of Congress, and through him our State, as well as our city, gained a repu- tation both national and lasting.
Many words of praise could be said of Judge Danforth, the conscientious jurist, who passed the greater part of his life in our city ; of Noah Woods, who aided so many young men and women in their efforts to obtain an education, and of many others, who, at home among us in this beautiful Kennebec Valley, never became famous, but whose lives are as sacred and as well worth the telling as those which we read in history.
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It is a long journey from the first trip over our water ways in canoe or sailing vessel, from the spotted trail thread- ing the wilderness, from the sound of the ax that nearly two hundred and fifty years ago broke the forest stillness, down through the ages to a city teeming with life and activity ; a toilsome journey, filled with anxieties, burdened with cares, and saddened by losses ; a journey during which nothing but the hope of a bright future could have sustained its travelers. The younger generation, surrounded with all the comforts and luxuries of home, with all the privileges and advantages of schools and churches, with a government that guards and pro- tects them, can never realize the trials and dangers of the past, or how much we of to-day owe to our ancestors' indomitable patience, patriotism, and courage. The brightness of the future lies beyond ; no human eye can penetrate it, no pen can write or tongue describe it, neither can the wildest dream or flight of imagination foretell its mysteries ; all is veiled, and we must trust the same overruling Providence that directed in the past, to guide us safely through storm and sunshine to our haven of rest.
After a selection from the band the following pictures, illustrating men and scenes of bygone days, were displayed upon a screen in the rear of the hall.
Doctor Sylvester Gardiner. Old Post Office. Saint Ann's Church.
. Gardiner Lyceum. General Henry Dearborn. Robert Hallowell Gardiner. George Evans. Bishop Burgess. Robert Hallowell Gardiner, 2d. Judge Danforth.
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THE. HONORABLE GEORGE EVANS.
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POEM, HENRY S. WEBSTER.
Thanksgiving Dinner, G. A. R. Hall. John Godding. Amasa Ring.
Then followed a poem by Henry S. Webster, entitled
THE COMING OF THE SQUIRE.
Little Gardiner lay snug by the Cobbossee shore, Not the Gardiner we know, but the Gardiner of yore, An infant just dropped from the motherly lap Of Pittston, then taking her afternoon nap, A custom she had in the year Eighteen-three, And which she still has if the truth is told me. If I were an artist with paint or with pen, I would show you a picture of what we were then ; You should see a plain hamlet with mill, inn, and store, Perhaps two of the last - I am sure there weren't four - About threescore of houses, built mostly of logs, Half of them had chimneys, the other half - dogs ; Streets which led up to pathways for man or for cow - But led not, like ours, to an annual row ; Some tillage where crops were exceeded by stumps, For waterworks nothing but wells without pumps - A plan which involved, as my judgment imparts, More burning of houses, less burning of hearts ; A little low church built of wood, not of stone - It was low because High Church was then quite unknown - Where they held their town meetings and sometimes had prayers ;
And walled pastures like Wall Street, where bulls fought with bears.
The people - but them I'll not try to describe, My pen is too skittish, it might jeer or gibe,
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And here I see many, both women and men, Whose kindred quite likely were living here then ; And I fear, should my Muse be too free or too " fly," That the blood in their veins might mean blood in their eye. So I thought I'd select a convenient occasion, Adapted somewhat to the style of narration, And bring on the stage just a few of the folks Who then will be free from all scurrilous jokes ; For they'll speak for themselves, and if you are offended, You may settle the score, not with me, but with men dead. Eighteen hundred and three was the year, as I've heard, When the scene I'm about to exhibit occurred. Should you wish - and some people are taken that way - To know with exactness the month and the day To which this discursive description relates, Ask Clason - you know that he's partial to dates ; In fact, one might say in a jocular mood
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