USA > Maine > Franklin County > Farmington > The history of Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, 1776-1885 > Part 15
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In July, 1847, at an informal meeting held in the court- house, John L. Cutler and Francis G. Butler were designated a committee and instructed to wait upon the legislature, then in session, and procure a charter for a line of railway from Farmington to Kennebec River. This committee, upon gaining a hearing before the committee on railroads, were told that it was an invariable rule to require a preliminary
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
survey of the proposed route, before hearing the prayer of any petition. The Farmington gentlemen were nonplussed at this announcement, not being prepared to meet so formi- dable an obstacle so near the close of the session; but George S. Green of Boston, an eminent engineer, happened to be in Augusta at this time, and his counsel was imme- diately sought. He agreed to make such a preliminary survey in two days as would satisfy the committee on railroads, and his services were at once secured. He started from Augusta, taking what was then called the eastern route, through the towns of Sydney, Belgrade, Rome, Mercer, and New Sharon, to Farmington, and returned by the western route, through Vienna, Mt. Vernon, and Read- field, to Augusta. Mr. Green made his report, and, after an extended hearing, the committee on railroads granted the petitioners leave to bring in a bill incorporating the Frank- lin and Kennebec Railroad Company, which passed both branches of the legislature, and was approved July 30, 1847. The passage of the bill was violently opposed by the friends and parties interested in the Androscoggin and Kennebec road, for they had previously obtained a charter and put portions of their road under contract to build.
A meeting of the corporators of the Franklin and Ken- nebec Railroad Company convened at Farmington, on the fifth day of October, 1847, with Dr. Dexter Baldwin, of Mt. Vernon, in the chair. Hon. Nathan Cutler was elected president of the corporation, and Francis G. Butler, treas- urer. John L. Cutler, Joseph Johnson, William Cothren, Dexter Baldwin, William Morgridge, Edward Swan, Samuel Daggett, William A. Drew, and Samuel K. Gilman, were chosen an executive committee, and were instructed to em- ploy a skillful and competent engineer to survey the route designated in the charter.
Gen. F. W. Lander* of Salem, Mass., as chief engineer, was engaged to locate the best line for a railway between the towns of Augusta and Farmington. He commenced at
* He died in battle during the war of the Rebellion.
RAILROADS. 189
Augusta, thence through the towns of Sydney, Belgrade, Rome, Mercer, and New Sharon, to Perham St. in Farming- ton, making the distance thirty-seven miles. Gen. Lander's bill for survey, including wages to assistants, and all ex- penses amounted to $1, 167.91, and was paid by a few indi- viduals, mostly Farmington men. Subscriptions to the stock of the road were opened, and the citizens of the town sub- scribed about $40,000. But this enterprise was superseded by the Androscoggin road, whose charter authorized it to start from Leeds, on the "upper route," with Farmington as its objective point.
Among the many railroad meetings held about this time in the various towns, perhaps none is more worthy of note than the one held at Mercer, on the 18th of February, 1848. The town of Mercer was in expectation of being the point where the arms of the Franklin and Kennebec road were to branch, one to the upper Kennebec, and the other to Farm- ington, consequently great efforts were put forth to have large and interesting meetings.
The people of Farmington were desirous of making as much of a display as possible on the occasion, and left the village in a procession preceded by a mock steam boiler mounted upon a horse-sled. This machine had been ar- ranged by "Joe" Warner, a gentleman of African descent, who had displayed it in the streets of the Village before taking his position at the head of the procession. It was particularly noticeable for the immense volumes of black smoke which issued from its smoke-stack on the journey. Upon entering the town of Mercer, the procession was greeted with the joyful acclamations of the populace, amidst the ringing of bells, beating of drums, and discharge of musketry. There was a large and enthusiastic attendance, and the mass-meeting was addressed by various speakers, among whom were: David Bronson and W. A. Drew of Au- gusta; Daniel Howes and Edwin E. Dyer of New Sharon ; J. L. Cutler, F. G. Butler, and Hannibal Belcher, of Farm- ington. The good people of this quiet hamlet were very hospitable and opened their doors wide, bidding the multi- tude "eat, drink, and be merry."
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
The following song was composed and sung by Mr. G. W. Chase, on this occasion :
"A song I'll sing in jingling rhyme, And beat it out in railroad time ; The words perchance will make you pucker, But the tune is good, 'tis Old Dan Tucker. So clear the track both wit and sage, For railroads now are all the rage.
The Yankee boys so fast do grow, That stages now are all too slow ; The teams are good and shine like stars, But they 're much too slow for the railroad cars ; Then get out of the way with your snail-like stages, They 're only fit for the darker ages.
The Pine State boys are not behind,
The rest of all the Yankee kind; They 're right on hand with wills so strong, They soon will bring the cars along; Then clear the way for a railway station, Yankee boys beat all creation.
New Sharon's sons are stout and steady, Their banner tells us they are ready ; They 've a spade and pick-axe and a sledge, That they are true these mottoes pledge ; Then clear the track for railway travel, Sharon's boys can shovel gravel.
Mercer is with you, hand and heart, Her banner says she'll do her part ; Her sturdy sons are up and drest, They 'll work on the route they think the best. Then cheerily on, no lazy shirkers, Mercer boys are railroad workers.
The old Kennebec is right on hand, With a six-horse team and a fine brass-band, They shout and tell us as they come, Hurrah ! the work goes bravely on, Then clear the track, all are singing, And the engine bell is ringing.
Skowhegan must to her interest 'wake, For the Anson road is sure to take, Her road must unto Mercer come, And then both stocks can blend in one ; So clear the way with shout and song, For the Anson cars will soon be along.
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RAILROADS.
Madison, Rome, and Norridgewock,
Must all take shares in the railroad stock, While Belgrade, Starks, and Farmington, Will rally strong till the work is done ;
Wood up the fire-keep it flashing,
We soon shall see the rail-cars dashing.
Let all true friends in the Pine Tree nation Haste to the Franklin and Kennebec station ; Quick into the cars get seated, All is ready and completed. Put on the steam, all are crying, And the railroad flags are flying."
A survey was made for a line of railway from Farming- ton Falls through Chesterville to a point near Livermore Falls, to which the Androscoggin road had previously sur- veyed its line, by W. A. Williams, an experienced engineer. In a report dated at Lewiston, May 26, 1847, he made the length of the line eighteen and three-fourths miles, and esti- mated the cost of building at $15,410.06 per mile. This project did not enlist the favor of capitalists so far as to warrant the undertaking.
A railroad convention was held at the court-house, Jan. I, 1851, at which Francis G. Butler was called to the chair, and Alanson B. Farwell acted as secretary. The convention was ably addressed by Rev. Isaac Rogers, F. V. Stewart, and D. C. Morrill, of Farmington; Sewall Cram, and J. G. Hoyt, of Wilton ; P. M. Stubbs, of Strong, and Ensign Otis of Leeds. The committee appointed to negotiate with the directors of the Androscoggin road for the extension of their line to Farmington Center Village, consisted of the following gen- tlemen : Samuel Belcher, Leander Boardman, Philip M. Stubbs, Harrison Storer, John Rowell, John E. Baxter, and David Mitchell.
At this time the Androscoggin Company was putting portions of its road under contract to build, and it dragged its slow length along under many financial embarrassments until June 20, 1859, when the first train of cars arrived at West Farmington. The citizens of the Center Village hav- ing contributed liberally to aid in building the road to West
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
Farmington, with the expectation that the Androscoggin Company would extend it to the Center Village, naturally felt aggrieved that the terminus should remain at West Farmington. Accordingly, in the autumn of 1869, at a meeting of the Farmington Village Corporation, called for the purpose, it was voted to raise a committee to negotiate with the Androscoggin Railroad Company in regard to ex- tending the road across the Sandy River, a distance of 4200 feet ; and also to petition the legislature for an act authoriz- ing the Village Corporation to raise money in aid of this project. The committee designated for this purpose were : Francis G. Butler, Samuel Belcher, and Hannibal Belcher, and they entered into successful negotiation with the direc- tors of the Railroad Company to extend the road as above described, and to run and maintain the same for a period of ninety-nine years, for the sum of $15,000. They were also to build a passenger and freight depot at a cost of not less than $10,000, the Village Corporation to pay the land dam- ages, amounting to about $5,000. The committee procured from the legislature, an act approved Feb. 1, 1870, by which the assessors and treasurer of the Village Corporation, upon being authorized to do so by a vote of two-thirds of legal voters present and voting at a legal meeting, might issue the scrip or bonds of the corporation to such an amount, not exceeding thirty-five thousand dollars, as the Corporation might determine. At a meeting of the Farmington Village Corporation, convened at the court-house, Feb. 25, 1870, it was voted, one hundred and forty-six to one to authorize and empower the assessors and treasurer to issue bonds for $20,000, and also to instruct the committee to accept the proposition of the directors of the Androscoggin Railroad Company.
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The committee, in pursuance of the vote passed at this meeting, closed the contract on the 15th of April, 1870. The Company at once broke ground at West Farmington, and the road was opened for public travel Sept. 15, 1870, when the first train of cars arrived at the Center Village.
The assessors and treasurer of the Farmington Village
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RAILROADS.
Corporation, in pursuance of the vote aforesaid, issued the bonds of the corporation for $20,000, payable as follows : $5,000 July 1, 1885 ; $5,000 July 1, 1890; $5,000 July I, 1895; $5,000 July 1, 1900; with semi-annual interest on the whole, from July 1, 1870. The Corporation paid the interest on the loan for a time, and then defaulted. Some of the holders of over-due coupons sold and transferred them to Eben F. Pillsbury, of Boston, who commenced suit in the United States District Court at Portland, and judgment was rendered for plaintiff in May, 1881. The defendants appealed to the Supreme Court at Washington, where the case is now pending.
The people of the northern part of the county were almost equally interested with the people of Farmington, in all the early efforts made to secure railroad facilities. The people of Strong and Phillips, especially, gave hearty co-operation in the building of the Androscoggin road. The town of Phillips is to North Franklin what Farmington is to the southern part of the county, the natural center of trade, and of all those industries which tend to build up substantial wealth in a community. A natural desire was therefore felt by its citizens to enjoy the benefits and conveniences of rail- road communication. The desire was especially manifest after the completion of the railroad to the Center Village at Farmington, and the question of a road to Phillips began to be discussed in earnest. The difficulties of building a road were felt to be very great. The grade is heavy between Farmington and Phillips, and many bridges must be built.
The whole region through which the road must pass, is mountainous, with deep gorges and many ravines. Fortu- nately, at the time of the discussion concerning the road, Phillips counted among its citizens some of the largest capi- talists in the county, who were also men of enterprise and energy. In 1878, the discussion assumed a tangible form. An unusual opportunity was presented to purchase the property belonging to a bankrupt railroad between the towns of Bedford and Billerica in Massachusetts. This road was built upon a gauge of two feet, and seemed in every way
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
well suited to the purposes of the projected railway. The sentiment of the people of Strong and Phillips, as well as of the back towns, was found to be favorable to the enterprise. A temporary organization was effected for the purpose of securing subscriptions to the stock, and up to March 24, 1879, $60,000 had been subscribed, including $14,000 voted by the town of Phillips, and $9,000 voted by the town of Strong. The company was permanently organized at Phillips, April 8, 1879, under the name of the Sandy River Railroad Company, and the officers elected as follows: President, Abner Toothaker ; directors, Abner Toothaker, Nathaniel B. Beal, William F. Fuller, A. L. Brown, Philip H. Stubbs, Stephen Morrill, Samuel Farmer. The books were then formally opened for subscriptions, and arrangements made for building the road. A contract was subsequently made with P. and R. Shanahan, of Portland, to build the road bed, and ground was broken at Farmington, the 5th of June fol- lowing. These contractors failing to perform the whole work, the northern section of the road, from Strong trestle to Phillips, was let to P. Maney, of Lewiston. These con- tractors finished the work within the time specificd, but in a manner so unsatisfactory that some litigation ensued. Trouble was also experienced in purchasing the Bedford road. Objections were made by parties interested, to remov- ing the rails, and only a portion of them were ever received. The rolling stock, however, was delivered.
The building of the road was done under the supervision of Mr. Geo. E. Mansfield, a very competent engineer and architect, who had had some experience in the construction of narrow gauge railroads. Its original cost was about $120,000. The town of Rangeley voted $1500, and Madrid $1200 in aid of the enterprise, and bonds were issued to the amount of $50,000 to supplement the amounts subscribed in stock. The first train of cars ran from Farmington to Phil- lips, Nov. 20, 1879, and was received with every demonstra- tion of joy. The road has proved successful beyond the hopes of its warmest supporters.
The interest on its bonds has been promptly paid, and it
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RAILROADS.
has demonstrated beyond a doubt the practicability of op- erating roads of very narrow gauge. At the time this road was built, only one other road was in existence of so narrow a gauge, and that in the mountains of Wales. It has also secured a large share of the summer travel to the fishing- grounds of the Rangeley Lakes.
In 1883 and 1884, considerable discussion was had and several meetings held regarding the building of a narrow gauge railroad to Kingfield. Two routes were proposed. One route was to leave the Center Village at Farmington, run through New Vineyard, West New Portland, and thence to Kingfield. The other route proposed was to leave the Sandy River Railroad at Strong Village, and thence pass through Freeman, Salem, and thence to Kingfield. Although many citizens advocated the first route as being more advan- tageous to the interests of Farmington, the second was obviously the more desirable, all things considered, and was finally adopted.
The Franklin and Megantic Railroad was organized in 1884, and the building of the road put under contract. It was completed the latter part of the year, the first train arriving at Kingfield Dec. 3, 1884.
CHAPTER XI.
A RECORD FROM 1850 UNTIL 1860.
Increase in Population. - Growth of the Village. - Fire of 1850. - Village Charter Obtained. - Sandy River Bank Chartered. - Misfortunes of the Bank. - List of Officers. - Freshet of 1855. - Riverside Cemetery Opened. - Franklin Patriot Established. - Bear Killed. - Fire of 1859. - New Village Charter Obtained. - Fire-Engine Purchased. - Engine House Built. - Village Supervisors. - Appearance of the Small-Pox. - Condition of the Town in 1860.
THE increase in the population of the town from 1820 to the present time, has been largely confined to the Center Village. Every farm was taken up as early as 1810, and though some of these farms have been divided, the larger size of families in the earlier history of the town makes it probable that outside of the village, Farmington has increased in population little if any during the last sixty years. Farmington Falls also remains in nearly the same condition that it was when Maine became a sovereign State. With the exception of the churches and the Union school- house, few buildings have been erected except to replace older structures. In 1850, the Village had grown large enough to demand a village government and village ordi- nances. No provisions existed for extinguishing fires, although the citizens had from time to time discussed measures to provide suitable appliances. Before 1850, a meeting was held at which it was voted to purchase an engine, fire-hooks and ladders for use at fires, but it does
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THE GREAT FIRE.
not appear that anything was ever done beyond passing the vote. The most serious fire which ever occurred in town, took place in 1850 and forcibly called attention to the previous neglect. At that time, the square on Main St., between Broadway and Exchange St., was occupied by a brick store on the corner of Main St. and Broadway, and several wooden stores above. A hotel was situated at the corner of Broadway and Pleasant St., and several shops and a dwelling-house on Pleasant and Exchange Sts. The fire was first discovered a little past midnight, on August 7th, in the store owned by Francis Knowlton and occupied by True G. Whittier, which stood on a portion of the ground now covered by Knowlton's block. The conflagration rapidly spread in all directions and the citizens, destitute of proper appliances, were able to do but little toward staying the flames. Fortunately the night was calm, hardly a breath of air stirred, and by great efforts the fire was arrested at Stoyell's brick store on the south, but every other building on the square being of wood, and cheaply built, was burned. The loss was estimated at $18,000, about half of which was covered by insurance, and was divided among the various individuals as follows :
True G. Whittier, loss on stock $1500, insured for $ 1000; B. R. Elliott, jeweler, loss on stock $150; J. E. Ham, tailor, loss on stock $200; Mrs. M. M. Stanley, milliner, loss on stock $600; D. Beale, Jr., store and stock, $3,500, insured $2,000; Miss D. Tebbitts, milliner, loss on stock $200; Richard Hiscock, store and stock, $3,000, insured $1200; G. R. Stanley, jeweler, loss on stock $200; Keith and Field, loss on stock $1000, insured $1000; Leander Boardman, vacant store, $600; George T. Soule, loss cabinet shop and stock, $1200, insured $700; William Tarbox, harness-maker, loss on stock $100; Samuel York, dwelling-house and out- buildings, $700, insured $500; Elliott C. Marvel, shoe-maker, loss on stock $200; Henry Johnson, furniture and livery stock, loss $300; John Titcomb, store occupied by Keith and Field and George R. Stanley, $1000, insured $750; Francis Knowlton, two large stores, one small store, Frank-
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
lin House, stable, etc., loss $3,000, insured $1575; H. B. and J. A. Stoyell, damage to stock $500, fully insured.
Although this fire resulted in a heavy loss to the owners of buildings and stock, and was regarded as a very serious disaster to the place, the appearance of the village ultimately was much improved by the substantial brick buildings with which the old structures were replaced. With commendable enterprise the owners of the stores set themselves imme- diately to rebuild. Mr. Knowlton erected three brick stores the following year, and Richard Hiscock, Daniel Beale, and Leander Boardman, also soon built brick stores upon their lots. Mr. Titcomb sold his land to Morton and Wright, who put a brick store on the site now owned by Abbott Belcher, and Dr. Allen Phillips built a brick store, afterwards burned, on the lot now occupied by William Tarbox's store. Mr. York also rebuilt his dwelling, but the hotel lot is still vacant.
The extent of the disaster was such as to fully arouse the citizens to the need of taking some active measures to prevent its repetition. The legislature was in session at the time, and, in answer to a petition, immediately granted a charter to the Farmington Village Corporation, which was approved August 28, 1850. The residents on lots Nos. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28, on the east side of the river, which lots represented the limits of the corporation, met in conven- tion October 21st, to vote upon the acceptance of the charter. The sentiment was favorable to such action, and a code of by-laws, drawn up by Hon. Samuel Belcher, was adopted. The officers elected were as follows: Supervisor, Epaphras Johnson ; clerk, J. F. Sprague ; treasurer, A. W. F. Belcher; assessors, F. G. Butler, Ebenezer Childs, and Levi M. Williams. A committee was also appointed to ascertain the cost of a fire engine. The interest in this corporation gradually died out as the events which called it into being faded from mind, and it does not appear that its organization was kept up. Certainly no engine or other apparatus for extinguishing fires was purchased.
The charter of the Sandy River Bank to be located at
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SANDY RIVER BANK.
Farmington, was approved by the governor March 16, 1853. The capital stock was made $50,000, and the bank was organ- ized October 14th following, by the election of Samuel Belcher, Theodore Marston, Leander Boardman, J. R. W. Johnson, J. S. Milliken, Francis Smith, and John Trask as a board of directors. Hon. Samuel Belcher was elected presi- dent of the board, and Thomas G. Jones appointed cashier. Mr. Jones was a native of Eastport, and had been but a short time resident in town. The larger part of the stock was originally taken by Chicago parties, and as a consequence the larger part of the loans was made to these stockholders and their friends. These debtors failed to meet their paper at maturity, and after much delay, finally proposed to meet the cashier in New York, and pay their entire indebted- ness. Mr. Jones met their representatives as proposed, in the summer of 1855, and received from them certain time drafts, checks, etc., purporting to be equal in value to the in- debtedness ; but upon maturity the paper all went to protest. Regarding the transaction as a deliberate swindle, the bank at once commenced a suit against these western debtors, which was tried in the United States District Court at Chicago, at the January term of 1857. J. A. Linscott, Esq., who had succeeded Mr. Jones as cashier, and Hon. Samuel Belcher the president, managed the case for the bank, and engaged Hon. George Evans of Portland, to make the plea. Mr. Evans began his plea at the opening of the court in the morning, and at its close the court adjourned, he having occupied the entire day in his argument. The result of this trial was a verdict for the plaintiff, but the judgment was for a much smaller sum than was claimed. The loss on the notes, together with the expenses of the suit, which were very heavy, swept away about one-fourth of the bank's capital. The citizens of Farmington, who had not generally subscribed to the stock of the bank at its organization, now resolved to make the interests of the bank their own. An act was obtained from the legislature, approved April 9, 1859, authorizing the increase of the capital stock to $75,- 000. In the summer of 1859, this new stock was taken up
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
and paid in and the bank, as thus constituted, continued until March 18, 1865, when, under the provisions of the national banking act, approved June 3, 1864, it was converted into a national bank, known as the "Sandy River National Bank of Farmington."
The presidents of the bank have been :
Samuel Belcher, from October, 1853, to October, 1861, when he resigned.
Francis G. Butler, from October, 1861, to July, 1874, when he resigned.
Joseph W. Fairbanks, from July, 1874, to January, 1878.
Francis G. Butler, from January, 1878.
The cashiers have been :
Thomas G. Jones, from October, 1853, to October, 1855. Joseph A. Linscott, from October, 1855, to October, 1858. Timothy F. Belcher, from October, 1858.
Oct. 13, 1855, occurred the third of the great freshets, which have from time to time devastated the valley of the Sandy River. After an unusually heavy equinoctial storm, during which the ground became thoroughly saturated with water, a rain began to fall on Friday, the 12th of October, and continued in torrents during the night and following day. The river, already swollen, rapidly rose and overflowed its banks, reaching a point Saturday night above the high- water mark of 1820. At Farmington Falls the water rose twenty-two feet above low-water mark, a higher point than it had ever previously, or has since reached, at that place. The east half of the Center bridge was carried away and swept on to the interval below. At Farmington Falls, two saw-mills, a machine shop, and paint shop were carried away, and the grist-mill much damaged. In the upper part of the town the injury was not so great, but the crops, particularly corn, which stood in the shocks, were seriously injured, throughout the northern part of the county, by the unprece- dented length and severity of the storms.
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