USA > Maine > The history of Maine, from the earliest discovery of the region by the Northmen until the present time; including a narrative of the voyages and explorations of the early adventurers, the manners and customs of the Indian tribes, the hardships of the first settlers, etc > Part 39
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[For the chapter which follows, we are indebted to the pen of Rev. Prof. Edward Payson Thwing of Brooklyn, N.Y. It is from personal observation that he has been able to give so graphic a description of scenery which charms every beholder.]
A PARTY of gentlemen at Venice were discussing the relative attractiveness of localities visited by them. It was conceded that Italy abounded in magnificent scenery ; but one of them, not an American, affirmed that the finest prospects he had ever enjoyed were at
PORTLAND AND CASCO BAY.
Latrobe, the English traveller, writes, " Imagine our surprise and delight when we found, in unsung and neglected Portland, scenery that for beauty, variety, and extent, far exceeds any views of the class in the States." He adds that the panorama on which the eye feasts at the Observatory on Munjoy Hill is equalled by nothing in America, except at the citadel of Quebec.
The Forest City still keeps the bulk of her beautiful trees ; and the palatial edifices that have risen from the ashes of the fire of 1866 attract admiration, not only as architectural embel- lishments, but as evidences of the enterprise of her people. The Custom House, Post-Office, City Hall, and Hospital, the cathedrals, churches, school edifices, and many of the elegant private residences that adorn the slopes of either hill, present
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an imposing appearance to the stranger entering the harbor. Nor is the view less picturesque from the bay in the rear of Portland, or from the grand promenades of Bramhall's Hill and Munjoy, looking seaward, or in the direction of the White Mountains.
The location of the city, its healthfulness, and the beauty of its surroundings, with its matchless harbor and bay gemmed
JOLE
PORTLAND OBSERVATORY.
with three hundred and sixty-five islands, and its abundant railroad facilities, make its future growth and prosperity certain.
Two lines of railway have long connected it with Boston; but the new extension of the Boston and Maine Railroad along the seashore opens a delightful route for the summer tourist, while the short line from New York, via Worcester, Nashua, and Rochester, reduces time and trouble, besides conducting
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him through the diversified scenery of Southern New Hamp- shire, and so along the valley of the Presumpscot to Portland. The excellent facilities for steamboat travel between New York or Boston and the Forest City are all that can be desired by
U.S. ION. 5.5. RUCH
CITY HALL, PORTLAND.
those who believe that the summer resorts of Maine are equal to those of more pretentious claims.
In Longfellow's poem, "My Lost Youth," the poet tells in verse of the charms of his native place,-
" The beautiful town that is seated by the sea."
In the recently published volume " Portland Illustrated," by John Neal, the tourist will find every thing necessary to guide his steps in the city, or the charming environs. A brief sketch
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will now be given of the seashore resorts. Drake's "Nooks and Corners " is the completest manual for the New England coast, and is indispensable to a full outfit.
SEASHORE RESORTS.
The Isles of Shoals are eight in number, and part of them belong in Maine. The cairn on the summit of Appledore is said to have been erected by Capt. John Smith in 1614; and tales of
RUSSELL.RICHARDSON.SO
CUSTOM HOUSE, PORTLAND.
Capt. Kidd and his treasure, Black Dinah and her divining rod, Philip Babb with his ghostly knife, besides more recent trage- dies, invest these wild, rocky islets with peculiar interest. The distance from main land is but nine miles, and steamboats con- nect with the Eastern Railroad at Portsmouth. Pullman cars run on all through trains on this road. Invalids to whom a sea- voyage has been recommended, especially those suffering from hay-fever, find in the salubrious climate of these islands entire
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relief, and enjoy the benefits of a sea-voyage without its dis- comforts.
Appledore and Star Islands have each a large and elegant hotel, with every facility for bathing, fishing, and sailing. The florist and naturalist only need Celia Thaxter's dainty little vol- ume to tell them where to find the haunts of the sea-anemones, the scarlet pimpernel, the crimson sorrel, the purple pea, and
POST OFFICE, PORTLAND.
the varied finny tribes, bonito and blue-fish, the slender pollock, the thrasher, and porpoise. Her exquisite pictures of scenery, and her tragic tales of storm and shipwreck, are full of interest to the tourist.
Kittery, one of the oldest towns, has many attractions ; among them the U. S. Navy Yard, Fort McClary, and the mansion and tomb of the Pepperells, the old church and parsonage. There is a new hotel at the Point.
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From Kittery, along the shore northward, there are delightful views of ocean, mountain, and river. Near the site of the ancient city of York, Mount Agamenticus towers ; and but a short ride from the cars is York Beach, two miles long and five hundred feet wide. The views from "The Pulpit," the topmost point of Bald Head Cliff, rising a hundred feet abruptly above the sea, from Cape Neddock, " The Nubble," and Boone Island, attract many visitors.
Wells Beach, six miles long, is much frequented, being so near the new railroad from Boston, and in the neighborhood of trout-
THE CLIFFS, CAPE ARUNDEL, ME.
streams and woods, where the sportsman finds the snipe, the ,curlew, the woodcock, the partridge, and other game. Ample private and public accommodations are had for guests. Passing northward, and crossing Mousam River, Kennebunk is reached. Twenty-five minutes ride in easy coaches brings one to the Port, and Cape Arundel, where is one of the finest summer resorts on the Atlantic coast.
Unlike Newport in elaborate beauty or tiresome convention- alities, it offers a peculiar charm for those who prefer the grander primitive attractions of forest and shore, the beauty of
BOSTON & MAINE RAILROAD BRIDGE, SACO, ME.
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native wildness, and the restful quiet of simpler living, with unfettered communion with Nature herself. Unlike almost all watering-places, it has neither the hot land-breeze nor the bitter east winds direct, but, facing the south-west, a uniform, equable and invigorating air, night and day. There are three beaches in crescent curves, suited for riding or bathing, bold headlands with rifts and chasms, volcanic beds, " The Blowing Cave," - a huge watery cannon sending out explosions, - spouting rocks, a ruined fort, "Hermit's Retreat," and other localities that will be appreciated by the naturalist, the artist, or idler in search of healthful repose. Cape Porpoise, the Goose Rocks, and the White Mountains fill up a picture of enchanting loveliness when evening comes, -
" With sunset purple, soothing all the waste."
A number of literary and business men from Boston have en- joyed cottage life here the past three years; but recently the name of Cape Arundel has so widely spread, that the veteran hotel-keeper of New England has opened a spacious and com- fortable hostelry, in connection with which ample provision is made for fishing, riding, bathing, or sailing.
Keeping along the coast a few miles farther, the cars stop at Biddeford and Saco, from either of which cities the " Pool " and Wood Island may be reached, -delightful retreats, with groves where picnics gather, and quiet nooks that look out over the blue Atlantic. There is also a waterfall on Foxwell's stream, sixty feet in height, with varied and wild scenery.
Old Orchard is quite a populous village, which has sprung up by magic, as it were, since the new route of travel passes this favorite watering-place. A hard, smooth beach extends nine miles, and so wide that a dozen or more carriages may drive abreast. Several hotels and a score of smaller houses are open during the season. Pine Point, Prout's Neck, Blue Point, are easily accessible.
Old Orchard has been a place of summer resort for two hun- dred years. The orchard that gave the name, long ago disap- peared ; and but three gravestones remain over the dust of the ancient colonists that once found there a home. The scenic
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and historic mingle their charms in this romantic spot. The sequestered loveliness of Fern Park, near the site of the Old Orchard House, has hardly a parallel in the country. To the natural beauty of a hillside forest, are added graceful arbors, rustic retreats wrought by cunning art, and embellished with quaint conceits ; while the trees along the avenues bear on wooden tablets elegant extracts from English and American poets. The Oratory, the Astronomer's Seat, the Parson's Lodge, and the monument to Mr. Bull the projector, are among the most interesting objects.
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, ME.
The Methodists have wisely chosen Old Orchard for camp- meetings, both local and national. They own about fifty acres of land, pleasantly diversified and shaded ; also a fine auditorium formed by natural circular slopes, and capable of seating twenty thousand people. A large number of permanent cottages have been erected, and streets laid out. It bids fair to be a successful rival of Martha's Vineyard.
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Short excursions from Portland to the islands of Casco Bay, White Head, Cape Elizabeth, Harpswell, and Freeport, will de- lightfully employ the leisure of one's summer days. Eastman's " Eastern Coast Guide," Mr. Kellogg's "Elm Island Stories," and Mrs. Stowe's " Pearl of Orr's Island," will make the trips more enjoyable. An excursion by rail through Westbrook, Gorham, Alfred, and Rochester to Alton Bay, with sixty miles
RUSSELL
ROSON-5
WHITEHEAD CLIFFS.
sail on Lake Winnepiseogee, can be made, and the tourist: return the same evening to Portland.
The route to Brunswick and Bath, by the Maine Central Rail- road, thence along the line of the Knox and Lincoln Railroad to' Rockland, and the steamboat excursions daily made from Bath to Boothbay, present charming attractions. From Owl's Head up the Penobscot to Bangor, unfolds a panorama of beauty
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which an eminent Harvard professor declared surpassed the storied Rhine.
Camden is a popular resort, and the drives about the lake and mountain are justly admired. Our missionaries from the East have remarked that the Syrian hills seemed pictured in the western shores of the Penobscot at this point. The view from Mount Megunticook, fourteen hundred feet high, is pronounced by a well-known author one of "indescribable grandeur." The appearance of Belfast from the river is imposing. Passing Searsport, Stockton, and Fort Pownal, the stranger is impressed with the scenery at Bucksport Narrows, where the Penobscot makes a sharp bend, and the high, bold headland is guarded by Fort Knox. Its powerful batteries effectually close the river to a hostile fleet. Chains, too, have been stretched across the Narrows in bygone days, as an additional protection. From this point to Bangor there are constant surprises at each turn of the winding stream. Frankfort and Winterport and Hampden in turn appear. The latter is the home of the late Vice-Presi- dent Hamlin. Here the frigate " John Adams " was run ashore and burned in 1779.
Bangor is a beautiful city, diversified with valley and hill and river. It has handsome streets, with fine drives, particularly on the Hampden road and to Mount Hope cemetery. The outlook from the seminary tower is a commanding one, as is that from the opposite heights beyond the Kenduskeag. The tourist will gladly linger here many days. A few hours' excursion brings him to Castine, rich in historical interest, beautiful in situation, and peopled by families of high culture. It was settled two and a half centuries ago ; and many valuable relics remain of the significant epochs of its religious and military history.
Sedgwick and Deer Isle and Isle au Haut present charming views, and are well worthy a visit by those who love fine scenery, or would grow ruddy on healthful fare and by invigorating air. Constant communication is had by steamers with Portland.
Mount Desert is too well known as a summer resort to need description in detail. Stages connect at Bangor, and reach the island over Trenton Bridge ; but the stranger ought not to fail of going one way, at least, by Portland steamer. He will find
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it a pleasant trip to stop at South-West Harbor, and cross the island leisurely on foot or in the saddle to Bar Harbor ; not omitting the ascent of Green Mountain, from which Katahdin is seen, one hundred and twenty miles distant as the bird flies, while seaward the prospect is enchanting. The writer has feasted his eyes on some of the fairest scenes on either side the Atlantic, but never saw the equal, in all respects, to this " bright mosaic of island and bay," as Clara Barnes Martin has felicitously described this landscape.
In his legend of " Mogg Megone," Whittier tells of the objects that meet the gaze of the traveller looking from the summit of this mountain.
" Beneath the westward turning eye A thousand wooded islands lie ; Their thousand tints of beauty glow Down in the restless waves below. There sleep Placentia's group ; There gloomily against the sky The Dark Isles rear their summits high ; And Desert Rock, abrupt and bare, Lifts its gray turret in the air, Seen from afar, like some stronghold Built by the ocean kings of old; And faint as smoke wreath, white and thin, Swells, in the north, vast Katahdin ; And, wandering from its marshy feet, The broad Penobscot comes to meet And mingle with its own bright bay."
This is but one of the attractions of this island. There are thirteen mountains and thirteen lakes, few of them bereft of story, all interesting alike to the student of geology, the sports- man, the florist, and the artist. Blue-bells, morning-glories, white and yellow water-lilies, the twin-flower, the mountain- cranberry, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and huckle- berries, with other fruits and flowers in their season, abound to an extent which leads the delighted visitor to regard the name of the island a strange misnomer. The memory of a month at Mount Desert, at the noontide of the year, is itself a summer idyl, and will combine the elements of choicest interest and most enduring pleasure.
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The views in and about Machias, Eastport, Quoddy Head, the dark palisades of Grand Menan, and the Old Friar, a tall columnar rock of striking profile, with distant views of the Chamcook Hills and the valley of the St. Croix, seen from the ramparts of Fort Sullivan, are among the last of the number- less picturesque attractions that clothe the seashore of Maine. As this coast line measures three thousand miles, followed throughout its manifold irregularities, it is obvious that this brief monograph can record but a small portion of what could be said of this feature of the attractiveness of Maine as a summer resort.
MAINE LAKES AND MOUNTAINS.
" Two voices are there: one is of the sea, One of the mountains ; each a mighty voice."
Lake Sebago and the beauties that skirt our " American Switzerland " in that neighborhood first demand attention. During the season of travel, one can leave Boston in the morn- ing, dine in Portland, and reach the summit of Mount Pleasant before tea, having enjoyed thirty miles' sail in the midst of scenes of incomparable beauty. The visitor who has made Portland his summer home can take the mountain and lake excursion in a day, and return at evening. The line of the Ogdensburg Railroad passes along the suburbs of Stroudwater, Deering, and Westbrook, near the birthplace of the lamented Gov. Andrew at Windham, up the beautiful Presumpscot, till suddenly Lake Sebago bursts in view, - a broad, blue expanse of water, fourteen miles long, with the Rattlesnake Range, Mount Pleasant, and Mount Washington, in the dim distance.
Two stanch steamers connect with the trains. An hour is consumed in passing over the lake. Indian Island, the " Notch," Frye's Island, the Cave, - a favorite haunt of Nathaniel Haw- thorne in his boyhood, - and the " Images," a curious mass of rocks rising some seventy feet above the lake, are a few of the noteworthy objects. But the famous passage of the Songo is the great delight. Here you must sail six miles and make twenty-seven turns to advance about two miles in a direct line. The passage of the Lock, the novelty of the zigzag progress up
r
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the narrow river, the sylvan beauty of the overshadowing trees and swallow-haunted banks, all make this part of the trip a vivid pleasure. Two miles across the Bay of Naples, and you reach Chute's River, which opens into Long Lake. Nine miles' sail in view of the Harrison Hills, farms, and woodlands, brings
LAKE SEBAGO.
the tourist to Bridgeton wharf. A short ride to the village, and thence a few miles farther to the base of Mount Pleasant, intro- duces him to some of the most attractive views of valley, lake, and hillside. The summit is 2,018 feet high, and commands a circuit of three hundred miles. Fifty lakes may be seen ; and the view of villages, rivers, and mountains is much preferred to
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that of Mount Washington. A new and spacious hotel affords every comfort to those who tarry over night to behold the sunset and sunrise glories. Coaches to Brownfield accommo- date those bound to North Conway and the West by the new railroad through the Notch. Between the mountains and Lake Sebago are many pleasant villages, where, along the banks of the winding Saco, in full view of the White Hills, families from the city have made their summer home. Baldwin
BONNY EAGLE FALLS, BUXTON, HOLLIS AND STANDISHI, ME.
and Cornish and Brownfield are thriving towns ; and the easy access to them by the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad has now given them a new importance.
The view from Mt. Cutler and other elevations in Hiram, the summer residence of the writer, is admired by artists, em- bracing, as it does, the grand amphitheatre of mountains from Chocorua to Mount Washington, with Kearsarge in the fore- ground, a bold pyramid 3,367 feet in height. The "Great
LISBON FALLS, LISBON, ME.
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Falls " of the Saco, Ossipee River, Lovewell's Lake where Pau- . gus fought, - the wily Pequaket warrior, - and other romantic localities, are in this neighborhood. Fryeburg is a popular re- treat, and environed with hills, clothed not only with Nature's Tyrian drapery, but with traditions of early days, enshrined in ballad and in story. Here Daniel Webster taught school, and here the well-known James R. Osgood, Esq., of Boston, was born.
The opening of the Crawford Notch to railway travel is a result at which tourists by the Portland and Ogdensburg Road may congratulate themselves; for, says Civil-Engineer B. H. Latrobe, " I do not hesitate to say that no railway, on this side of the Rocky Mountains at least, can compare with it in the magnificence of its mountain scenery."
The Valley of the Androscoggin next claims notice. From Brunswick to the mountains, the river is highly picturesque ; and the towns that line its curving banks on the route of the Maine Central Railroad are pleasant haunts for summer days. The Falls at Lisbon are of striking attractiveness. The scenery around Auburn and Lewiston is romantic in the extreme. The busy industries of these cities, their tasteful private and public edifices, and the beauty of their environs, may well beguile the traveller hastening northward.
Mechanic Falls and Paris are also towns of growing impor- tance, and Paris Hill has few superiors in scenic beauty. Thence along the line of the Grand Trunk Railway, Bryant's Pond, Bethel, and Gilead attract hundreds by their peculiar charms, which Harry Brown, J. B. Hudson, and other Maine artists, have transferred to canvas, and authors like Starr King to prose. Rumford Falls are pronounced by a recent author " the grandest of any in New England." Both the upper and lower falls present features of striking grandeur. From Bethel to Umbagog Lake is a charming ride. One should visit Megal- loway River beyond Umbagog, as well as the Rangeley Lakes, still farther in the wilderness around old Saddleback.
The township of Rangeley is named from a former owner, and is situated on the north shore of the Oquossoc Lake. It was incorporated in 1855. The primitive wildness of the region, the trout-streams and hunting-grounds, attracted the
UPPER FALLS, RUMFORD, ME.
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attention of Jay Cooke and other gentlemen from Philadelphia and New York. In 1869 they rented land, and built a large establishment at Indian Rock, three miles from the nearest settler. They have been known as the " Oquossoc Angling Association."
Rangeley Lake is ten miles long, and Greenvale Plantation is at its head. F. A. Morrill of New Sharon has published views
LOWER FALLS, RUMFORD, ME.
of this interesting district as the eleventh series of his "His- torical Views of Maine."
The towns that lie in the luxuriant valley of the Sandy River are places of Arcadian beauty. Who needs to be told of Farmington and " Old Blue," or of " Little Blue," where the Rollo Books were penned, or of the institutions of learning that have given a literary celebrity to a town so favored in natural
LIVERMORE FALLS, LIVERMORE, ME.
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attractions ? Weld, - the early home of the publishers, nestling among the mountains and beautified by Webb's Pond, five miles long, - Phillips, and Mount Abraham are much visited in summer months. Wilton, Jay, Livermore, Monmouth, and Winthrop can boast of natural advantages as summer resorts in the midst of a lake district of no common loveliness. Thc
CASCADE AT WEST WATERVILLE, ME.
establishment of seminaries, as the Female College at Kent's Hill, and the State schools at Hallowell, have helped to make known the conspicuous charms of natural scenery enjoyed by the central population of Maine.
The Kennebec Valley, from Merrymeeting Bay to Moosehead Lake, is a favorite route, and with the excellent facilities for
-
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travel is every year becoming more popular. Richmond is a camp-meeting resort. Gardiner, Hallowell, and Augusta, built on the high slopes along the river, present a striking appear- ance. The public buildings at the capital, and drives to Togus, the quarries and other suburbs, well repay the visitor for the time required. Vassalboro', Winslow, and Norridgewock add historical interest to their natural attractions. Waterville is the seat of a flourishing university. The cascade on the Ken- nebec at West Waterville, where the craggy ledges of granite intercept the rush of the stream, is very striking. Ascending the river, the stranger is reminded, as on the Penobscot, of the immense importance to Maine of her lumber interests. The frequent ice-houses also suggest the rise of that branch of industry. At Skowhegan the river makes a bend westward ; and the views from this pleasant town are noteworthy. Few places in Maine have shown more enterprise than Dexter, in developing its water-powers, which, as elsewhere in the State, constitute the chief source of wealth.
Of Moosehead Lake, with its broad, sparkling waters and emerald isles, Mt. Kineo, Chesuncook, and the numberless lakes that surround the grand, solitary Katahdin, it is only needful to say that Lowell's Moosehead Journal in his " Fireside Travel," Flagg's "Woods and By-ways," and particularly " Life in the Open Air " by Winthrop, will fully delineate the charms of these solitudes, and prove most convincingly the claim for superiority in this regard, which the Pine-tree State has a right to make.
Then there is the vast Aroostook, stretching from the Matta- wamkeag to the St. Francis, one hundred fifty miles, with its marvellous but undeveloped resources, its primitive forest grandeur and isolation ; as noble a domain as the Adirondack region, and deserving as hearty laudation, alike on the score of its picturesque scenery, its balsamic air, and its abounding attractions for artist, or angler, or sportsman ; in short, for all who, wearied by care, study, or the clamorous demands of fashionable follies, seek a restful and joyful life in the open air.
CHAPTER XXVI.
MAINE IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.1
Military Condition of Maine - Proclamation of the President - Prompt Action - The Greeting in New York - Welcome in Washington - Stove-Pipe Artil- lery - Testimony of Gen. Sickles - Gen. Hiram G. Berry -The Liquor Shops - The Seventh Maine complimented - Sufferings of Camp-Life - Colored Regiments - Testimony of Gen. Naglee -Gen. Dow - Toils of a Campaign - The Sharp-shooters - Lieut. Hill- Batteries of Light Artil- lery - Courage of New Recruits.
T HERE is perhaps no one of the loyal States which can claim pre-eminence over the others in its conduct during the civil war. All did the best they could, and all did nobly. Maine certainly was not in the rear of any of her sisters in this respect. The patriotic spirit of her whole population was roused to the utmost when the first gun of foul rebellion was fired upon our national flag at Fort Sumter. Israel Washburn, jun., was then in the gubernatorial chair; and it could not have been more worthily filled. In many towns, in less than twenty-four hours after the tidings of the revolt were received, full companies of volunteers were formed, ready to march. The first company which filled its ranks, and was accepted by the governor, was the Lewiston Light Infantry. In Cherryfield, four hours after the enlistment roll was opened, fifty volunteers had entered
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