USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > The history of Portland, from 1632 to 1864: with a notice of previous settlements, colonial grants, and changes of government in Maine > Part 51
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2 Arthur Savage the controler, who lived in a house which stood in the rear of the Casco Bank.
3 In 1820 the number of chaises owned in town was ninety, and fourwheeled carriages ten. In 1830, chaises, one hundred and one, carriages, sixteen. In 1863 the number of one-horse carriages in the city, returned to the United States assessors, as exceeding seventy-five dollars in value, was two hundred and sev- enteen, and of two-horses fifty-seven. We may suppose that the number would be largely increased by including those valued for taxation under seventy-five dollars.
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TRAVELING.
of travel in the early part of this century. The roads were poor and the modes of conveyance not luxurious. A traveler to Boston for instance, who was desirous of dispatch, even as late as 1830 or 1840, would take the mail stage which left Portland at two o'clock in the morning, and if the roads were in good order, he would reach Boston by ten o'clock at night, with aching head and bones and at a cost of ten dollars stage fare. If he took the accommodation stage, he would be two days on the passage, stopping the first night at Portsmouth ; the stage fare was eight dollars, charges on the road would make it ten dollars. On the eastern roads it was still worse. The postman's horn and his loud rap at the door of persons go- ing in the mail coach, were heard an hour before the appointed timelfor starting, that there might be no delay ; and the rumbling carriage would roll up to the houses of the half-waked passen- gers and pack them in with heavy baggage until the springs would groan with their weight. How great a change has been wrought in the ease and rapidity of locomotion by the intro- duction of steam and the rail.
The movement in favor of railroads began in Massachusetts as early as 1828, by a report to the legislature, setting forth the advantages of that mode of transportation. But it took several years to imbue the public mind with such new and expensive ideas. The Boston and Lowell company took the lead and obtained an act of incorporation in 1830; this was followed next year by charters to the Boston and Providence, and Bos- ton and Worcester companies. These three important roads were opened in 1835, and so much exceeded public expectation in their performance that an increased impetus was given to this mode of conveyance. The Boston and Maine was incorporated in 1833 : for a while they used fifteen miles of the Lowell road to Wilmington, and gradually extended their line until it reached South Berwick in Maine, to which it was opened in 1842, where it joined the Portland, Portsmouth and Saco road,
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
which was incorporated in 1837 and opened to Portland in December, 1842.
The spirit which moved these grand enterprises did not fail to make an impression in Maine. Our people were desirous not so much to make facilities for transportation and travel to Boston, which they conceived would divert trade from us, as to open easy and cheap communications with the interior and Canada. For that purpose they procured explorations to be made. As early as February, 1835, a resolve passed the leg- islature requesting the senators and representatives from this State in Congress "to use their influence with the General Gov- ernment to procure the aid of a corps of engineers for the pur- pose of surveying a track for a railroad from Portland or some other point on the sea-board, or connected with the sea-board by navigable waters, in this State, to some point on the border of Lower Canada." In pursuance of this resolve, the United States government appointed Col. Long, an eminent engineer of the United States, to make the surveys suggested by the re- solve. At the same sesssion the Governor was requested to appoint two individuals to visit Quebec and Canada, to procure the co-operation of that province in the great undertaking. Col Long immediately proceeded in his work and before the next winter he completed it, making a careful examination of various routes, to determine which was most feasible. The re- sult of his survey was in favor of a line from Belfast, on Pe- nobscot bay, to Quebec, as the shortest and most practicable route from the sea-board. The legislature, in March, 1836, "Resolved, That the thanks of the legislature of Maine be ten- dered to Col. Stephen H. Long, for his elaborate and scientific report of a reconnoissance of the several routes from the Atlantic to the Canadian frontier, with a view of ascertaining the most expedient route for a railroad from the seaboard of Maine to the city of Quebec." This enterprise died in its birth and nothing but the able report came from it. The se- vere commercial crisis of 1837-1839, checked all progress in
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internal improvements : but in 1839 the spirit was revived, and a strong effort was made by the people of Portland to open bet- ter communications with the interior. They applied to the legislature in 1839, and obtained an appropriation of four thousand dollars for a survey of a route from Portland to Lake Champlain, the city to pay one-fifth part of the expense ; the survey was made that summer by William L. Dearborn, civil engineer, and was found to possess great advantages and facil- ities for the track, and a prospect of opening a new and large trade with Vermont and the lake country. But this too failed for want of perseverance and money.
The next enterprise of the kind was, by the unremitted cour- age, confidence, and perseverance of its friends, amidst untold difficulties, a perfect success. The plan of a railroad from Portland to Montreal was first seriously entered upon in the autumn of 1844, and a charter for the Atlantic and St. Law- rence railroad was obtained February 10, 1845. Judge Preble and John A. Poor immediately proceeded to Canada, and by extraordinary exertions and good judgment, secured the co- operation of the Canadian government and people in the gigan- tic task of connecting by iron bands the Atlantic ocean with . the St. Lawrence and the great Lakes. Subscriptions to the stock were readily obtained to the amount of near a million dol- lars in Portland and vicinity, and on the 4th of July-auspi- cious day-the work was commenced ; and as Judge Preble, president of the corporation, threw out the first shovel-full of earth at Fish Point at the entrance of Portland harbor, the air was filled with shouts of congratulation from an immense as- semblage of persons present on the interesting occasion. The people and the city of Portland entered enthusiastically into this grand improvement and pledged their labors and fortunes for its accomplishment. The work was pushed steadily on and the first twelve miles, the most difficult and expensive of the whole route, was opened to North Yarmouth in July, 1848, and twenty-four miles further, to Minot, in good advancement.
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
Here Judge Preble's connection with the road, as president, ceased, and Josiah S. Little became his successor. The work was earnestly and steadily pressed forward, and the friends of the undertaking had the crowning satisfaction of seeing the ocean and the river united by iron bonds of friendly intercommu- nication, over a space of two hundred and ninety-two miles, early in 1853. The line has since been extended to Sarnia on Lake Huron, a distance of seven hundred and ninety-four miles, and to Detroit eight hundred and sixty miles from Portland, on one uniform guage of five and a half feet, under the control and management of one company, with branches from Richmond to Quebec, one hundred miles, and from Quebec to Trois Rivieres, one hundred and fifty-three miles, beside the two roads which connect with it in Maine, viz., the Buckfield branch, and the Maine Central extending from Danville to Bangor, one hundred and eight miles.
In addition to this inexhaustible auxiliary to the trade and commerce, there are lesser lines of railroad leading from the city. The York and Cumberland, incorporated 1846, opened 1853, extending eighteen miles to Saco river in Buxton ; the Kennebec and Portland, opened for travel in 1851, extending sixty miles to Augusta, with a branch nine miles from Bruns- wick to Bath, and connected with the Androscoggin at Bruns- wick, which reaches to Farmington, seventy-five miles, and connected also with the Somerset and Kennebec road, thirty- seven miles in length, terminating at Skowhegan. These grand lines of easy, safe, and cheap intercommunication with the country, have enlarged the traffic of Portland, and largely increased the friendly and social, as well as the commercial intercourse between our city and the interior of the State ; and while this has added to the various branches of industry and profit in the large market, it has also greatly increased the value of farms and agricultural labor by furnishing rapid and cheap facilities of transportation.
The opening of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence railroad having
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COMMERCIAL STREET.
its station at the deep water of the harbor, rendered necessary, or at least expedient, a more direct and easy communication across the city to the terminus of the railroad leading to Bos- ton and the west. The subject was agitated in the spring of 1852, under a proposition from the Atlantic and St. Lawrence railroad company, to make the road from their station, at the eastern end of the town to the station of the Portland, Saco, and Portsmouth railroad company at the west end, about a mile in length, and one hundred feet wide, over tide water, and across the heads of the wharves, provided the city would lay out the road and pay the land damages. The subject was dis- cussed with great earnestness in the papers and the street cor- ners, in which the advantages to be derived to the city by such a spacious avenue, in connection with all the wharves, was clearly and fully set forth. The argument of the opposition, faint and feeble, was founded on the expense of increased taxa- tion to the people. At length a meeting of the citizens was called to express the public sentiment on the subject, which, after debate, adopted, with great unanimity, a vote that the proposed street "will be of great public convenience and neces- sity, and that the interest and welfare of the city require that said street should be immediately located by the city council." The street was accordingly located, and measures immediately taken to construct it. In 1852 it was nearly completed, and several brick stores of large size and capacity, and of a sub- stantial and handsome quality, were erected, and the rails con- necting the two stations, laid, before the close of that year.
The expense to the city in the form of damages, was eighty thousand dollars, exceeding considerably the original estimate. The road as located in April, 1850, was five thousand nine hundred and ninety-three feet in length, and one hundred feet in width and named Commercial street ; twenty-six feet near the center was reserved for the railway. It is now adorned with some of the finest stores and warehouses in the country ;
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
in 1863, the city commenced paving it, which has greatly im- proved its character.
The enlargement of dry land and building lots was in- creased in the rear, as well as front of the city, about the same time. In 1853, Kennebec street was located over the flats at Back Cove from the foot of Pearl street to Deering's bridge, seventy feet wide, running north of the station-house of the York and Cumberland railroad ; this furnishes an easy access to the central part of the town. In 1855, Lincoln street was located, fifty feet wide, and has been made from Chestnut street to Fremont street, which was laid out in 1857 from Oxford to Fox street, partly over the flats. These noble arteries of traffic and pleasure, have largely increased the facilities of business and the comforts of a residence in the city, and enhanced the aggregate value of taxable property. Improvements are con- stantly going on in Back Cove, by filling in the flats, making streets, and erecting buildings. A company composed of men of property, has been incorporated under the name of the "Portland Union Railway and Back Bay Land Co." to make these improvements, a part of which is to form a connection around the eastern end of Munjoy's hill with Commercial street, by an equally spacious avenue. The materials for filling the cove are ample and at hand, and the work is making progress.
Connected with the subject of mails and post-offices is that of the public press, the progress of which is equally interesting. The first newspaper established in Maine, was the "Falmouth Gazette and Weekly Advertiser," the first number of which was issued in this town Saturday, January 1, 1785. It was pub- lished once a week by Benjamin Titcomb and Thomas B. Wait, on a demi-sheet.' It continued to bear this name until April,
1 Mr. Titcomb was the fourth son of Deacon Benjamin Titcomb, and Anne, daughter of Moses Pearson; he was born in Portland, July 26, 1761, and died in Brunswick, September 30, 1848, the last survivor of Deacon Titcomb's children. From the common pursuits of life, without particular preparation, he became a baptist and the leader of the first society of that denomination here, in 1801. In
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NEWSPAPERS.
1786, when it was changed to the "Cumberland Gazette" and was published by Mr. Wait alone. In 1792 it underwent an- other alteration, and January 2, of that year, it appeared in a larger form under the name of the "Eastern Herald." Previ- ous to this change, Mr. Titcomb had set up another paper in opposition to Wait, called the "Gazette of Maine," the first number of which was published October 8, 1790. Some dis- satisfaction existed at this time against Mr. Wait by a number of respectable people, who took offense at the freedom of his remarks and at his advocating for office some candidates who were not popular with the majority in town.
There were at this time no party lines of division like those
1804 he moved to Brunswick to take charge of a new society in that place as their pastor. In 1786 he married Mary Fairfield, a danghter of the Rev. John Fairfield of Saco, the grandfather of Gov. John Fairfield. By her he had sev- eral children. Mr. Wait was born in Saugus, Massachusetts, and came here in 1784 from Boston, where he had been connected in the publication of the Chron- icle. He was a man of ardent temperament, strong mind, and great firmness and independence of character. He did much service to this community, in procur- ing the establishment of post-offices and mail routes, and in diffusing information. In the early part of his residence here, he was very popular, and had great as- cendency over public opinion ; he was earnest and persevering in whatever he undertook and honest in his purposes. An exciting controversy took place in the early part of the century in regard to the establishment of a regular theater here : Mr. Powell and his wife, who was an accomplished actress, were in the habit of bringing a company here in the summer, and performing plays in the old Union hall on Free street. It was proposed to build a theater for them, more convenient for the company and the audience. This was strenuously resisted by Woodbury Storer the elder, Deacon Freeman, and other influential citizens, and earnestly advocated by Mr. Wait, and other friends of the drama. Town meet- ings were held on the subject and much feeling was manifested on both sides. In this state of public feeling, the erection of a building at that time for theat . rical performances, was abandoned. After a residence here of about thirty years, Mr. Wait returned to Boston, where he died in 1830. He lived a large part of the time when here, in a house whichi stood on the corner of Elm and Congress streets, which was burnt; part of the Deering block now stands on the lot. His son, William, now a respected and influential citizen of Illinois, was born in that house, March 5, 1789. It was the Gookin house, and was moved from a court running northerly from Middle street where the Jose block now is, about the time Court street was opened.
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
of the present day, but differences grew out of the local situation and individual character of candidates, which caused excite- ments as violent as those founded on difference of political sentiment. At this particular period a warm canvass had been carried on for member of Congress in Maine, the whole territory composing but one district. The candidates were George Thatcher of Biddeford, then sitting member, Josiah Thatcher of Gorham, Nathaniel Wells of Wells, and Wm. Lithgow of Georgetown. Mr. Wait earnestly supported the re-election of George Thatcher, against whom a large majority of the people in this town were opposed. The contest was maintained with much virulence and personality, during which Mr. Wait was personally assaulted, Daniel George and Daniel Davis threat- ened with personal injury, and Samuel C. Johonnot, an ac- complished lawyer, driven out of town. There never has been, since that time, more personal abuse during any canvass, than that election excited.1 It was during this controversy that the Gazette of Maine had birth, and sustained by the opposi- tion to Wait, it continued its existence until Sept., 1796, when John Kelse Baker, who had been an apprentice to Mr. Wait, purchased the two establishments, and issued, instead of the two papers, one published semi-weekly, called the " Eastern Herald and Gazette of Maine."2 The price of the semi-weekly paper was two dollars and a half, and the list of subscribers, when they were transferred to Baker, contained
I The votes returned from this town, were for Wells sixty-five, Josiah Thatcher twenty-three, George Thatcher twenty one, Lithgow one. George Thatcher was chosen on the 4th trial by a majority of sixty votes.
2 The principal contributors to the early papers were Judge Thatcher, Wm Symmes, Daniel Davis, Johonnot, and Paul Langdon. Daniel George and Jonas Clark were poetical correspondents. George came here from Newburyport in 1784 or '85. There as well as here, he published Almanacs, the first he issued here was for 1786. IIe was a man of genius, was exceedingly deformed, so that he was moved from place to place in a small carriage drawn by a servant. He was a printer, but kept school in Portland and also a small book-store in Exchange street. He died in 1804.
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NEWSPAPERS.
seventeen hundred names. About a year before entering into this arrangement, Mr. Baker had been publishing at Hallowell a weekly paper called the " Tocsin," which was successor to the " Eastern Star." There was at the same time another paper published at Augusta by Peter Edes, who had gone there a short time before from Boston. There were now, 1796, three newspapers printed in the State, which contained at that period a population of about one hundred and twenty-five thousand.
In three or four months after Baker had united the two presses, another paper called the " Oriental Trumpet " was set up in opposition to the Herald, by John Rand, who had been an apprentice to Mr. Wait. And in April, 1798, Eleazer A. Jenks, another of Mr. Wait's apprentices, established a second weekly paper under the name of the "Portland Ga- zette." This competition made it necessary for Baker to suspend the publication of the semi-weekly Herald, and he continued it weekly until 1800; he was succeeded in the proprietorship by Daniel George, who published it till 1804, when it ceased to exist, having survived the Oriental Trumpet several years.1 In 1805 Isaac Adams and Wm. Jenks, Jr., suc- ceeded Eleazer A. Jenks in the proprietorship of the Gazette : this establishment has lived through various changes of name and proprietorship and of fortunes until the present time.2 In 1823 it was issued semi-weekly, and soon after took the name of " Portland Advertiser," to which the old title, the Gazette of Maine, was afterward 'appended. On the first of January, 1831, the proprietors, John and William E. Edwards issued from the same press a " Daily Advertiser," which is still continued. This is the oldest newspaper press now existing in this State, and uniformly advocated the doctrines espoused by
1 Rand, after he relinquished his paper, went to sea and died on his first voyage.
2 This is the Old Portland Gazette of which we hear so much in the modern politics of the town.
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
the federal and whig schools of politicians, until the rebellion deranged old party organizations.
In 1798 the Castine Gazette was established in Castine by Daniel S. Waters. Isaac Story, a young lawyer of promise in that town, was a principal contributor.
On September 1st, 1803, the " Eastern Argus " was first published at two dollars a year ; it was commenced by Calvin Davis and Nathaniel Willis, Jr., in support of the measures of Mr. Jefferson's administration. It continued to be published weekly until Sept. 30, 1824, when it was issued semi-weekly, and in 1832 tri-weekly. Its proprietors, since Mr. Willis left the management of it in 1808, have been Francis Douglass, Thomas Todd, Seba Smith, Charles Holden, and others. Its present editor is John M. Adams.' It has always supported the cause of democracy. In 1806 the "Freeman's Friend," a neutral paper, was established by J. Mckown, but as those were belligerent times, neutrals could not live ; in a few years it ceased to exist.
In 1803, " The Annals of the Times " was commenced and continued two years in Kennebunk ; and March 20, 1805, the first number of the " Kennebunk Gazette " appeared at that place.
The first daily paper established in Portland was the "Daily Courier," the publication of which was commenced October 13, 1829, under the editorial care of Seba Smith, Jr., and is still continued. There were published in this town, in 1833, two daily, one tri-weekly, one semi-weekly, and nine weekly papers.2
1 Mr. Willis moved to Boston in 1808 and took charge of the Boston Recor- der, and is living in 1864, at the age of 84. His son, N. P. Willis, the popular author, was born in Portland in 1806. Mr. Willis married the widow of Francis Douglass, for his second wife. Mr. Douglass died in 1820. While Todd man- aged the paper, the principal writers were Seba Smith, Ashur Ware, and F. O. J. Smith.
2 These papers were as follows, viz: Evening Advertiser, Daily Courier, Port- land Advertiser, Eastern Argus, Christian Mirror, Zion's Advocate, Maine
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NEWSPAPERS.
The following papers were published in Portland, in 1860 : Portland Advertiser, daily, tri-weekly, and weekly, having a circulation of four thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine. Eastern Argus, daily, tri-weekly, and weekly, circulation five thousand one hundred and eighty-four. Evening Courier, daily, one thousand. Transcript, a literature paper, weekly, circulation eleven thousand. Christian Mirror, weekly, circu- lation two thousand five hundred. Zion's Advocate, weekly, circulation three thousand. Temperance Journal, one thousand six hundred and eighty. Pleasure Boat, two thousand. Sons of Temperance, one thousand. Crystal, Masonic, semi-month- ly, one thousand six hundred. Portland Monthly, Miscellany, Swedenborgian, ten thousand. Maine Teacher, monthly, two thousand.
Since that time, some important changes have taken place in the newspaper press of this city. The "Portland Daily Press" was established in 1862, as an organ of the republican party, and supporter of the existing administration, which the Advertiser had abandoned ; the proprietors also issue a weekly paper ; the circulation of these papers rapidly increased to the dimensions of that of the Advertiser, and it is now larger than any other political paper in the State. "The Northern Monthly" has taken the place of the "Maine Teacher," and the Pleasure Boat now sails under a new name and new colors.
Among the topics of a political nature /which agitated the public mind soon after the revolution and became the subject of newspaper discussion, was the adoption of the Constitution of the United States. Our people had not taken much interest in this question until the time arrived for choosing delegates to the convention called to ratify the instrument. Communi- cations from place to place were not so frequent nor so rapid
Wesleyan Journal, Family Reader, Sabbath School Instructor, Portland Courier and Mechanic, Christian Pilot. The whole number of newspapers printed in the State in April, 1833, was forty-four.
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
as at the present time, and the public mind was not so easily brought to bear upon political subjects. Joseph Mclellan and John Fox were chosen by this town delegates to the conven- tion, and Major Daniel Ilsley, who then lived at Back Cove, and Gen. John K. Smith of Stroudwater, were members from Falmouth.
The vote on the final question was taken in the convention February 6, 1788, and the constitution was ratified by a ma- jority of nineteen, the vote being one hundred and eighty-seven to one hundred and sixty-eight. There were but three of the thirteen delegates from this county who voted in the negative, viz., Messrs. Ilsley and Longfellow of Gorham, and Widgery of New Gloucester.1
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