Penobscot County
MEGenWeb
Transcribed by Fran Jones Libby, David Brann, Jennifer Godwin, and Grinnell MacLeod Wood II
It is hardly possible for a man to leave a better legacy to his town
than a good history of it. This is a matter that has been too often
neglected, especially in many Maine towns which could have furnished
ample material, but Garland has been fortunate in this respect,
fortunate in having the material and doubly fortunate in having a
citizen who was both able and willing to make good use of it.
I
was my privilege to live in Garland and to call the Hon. Lyndon Oak my
friend. When I visited him during the latter years of his life, I found
him devoting his spare time to writing a history of his town and was
greatly interested in the extracts which it gave him pleasure to read to
me.
The manuscript came into the hands of John M. Oak of Bangor
after the death of his father and when he decided to have the history
published, it seemed very fitting that the introduction should be
written, and the work done in the office of a Garland boy in whom his
father had been interested, and so it came about that the book was
printed in my office and I have written the introduction.
In
going through the manuscript, a great deal of matter relating to
families and individuals to be incomplete, evidently being notes the
author had collected but did not live to extend. For this reason it has
not been possible to give this matter a place in the history, although
it would have added much to its interest had it been completed.
Much credit is due Miss Ellen M. Haskell of Garland for her efficient
work in editing and preparing the manuscript for the printer, a work for
which she was qualified by her familiarity with the history of the town.
In this connection it seems appropriate to give a brief sketch of
the author of this history and the following was taken from an article
written by Henry L. Oak for the American Series of Popular Biographies.
At the end of the volume will also be found an article written by Dr. M.
C. Fernald of Orono.
Liston P. Evans
By Henry L. Oak
Hon. Lyndon Oak, teacher and merchant,
was born in Boscawen, N.H., Sept. 22d, 1816, died in Garland, Feb. 17th,
1902. He was educated in the common schools and at Gorham Seminary,
where he was subsequently a teacher for twelve years. He continued with
his professional career for many years, and as an education met with
praiseworthy success.
In 1848, he founded the Garland High
School, in which he taught the first term, and was so interested in its
continuance that he personally guaranteed the salaries of the teachers
for the next thirteen years. For a long time he served most efficiently
as superintendent of schools in Garland, doing much toward advancing the
educational status of the town.
He was very prominent in the
establishment and early management of the Maine State College, now the
University of Maine, at Orono, and served for twenty-two years as one of
its board of trustees, six years being president of the board. On
reaching th elegal limitation of age, he retired.
He was a member
of the state Legislature at different times from 1843 until 1867,
serving in both branches of that body, and had the distinction of being
the first member ever elected to the House on a straight anti-slavery,
or Liberty party ticket. When the Liberty party was merged in the free
Soil party he came one of its staunchest supporters, continuing to
adhere to its principles until the formation of the Republican party,
with which he was afterwards actively identified. In 1876, as a protest
against the nomination he had opposed in the convention, and with no
thought of election Mr. Oak, at the very urgent importunities of friends
and men of influence and standing in the party, allowed his name to be
used as an independent candidate for Congress. This he regarded, as did
his friends, as political suicide; yet in 1880, at a convention held
under the leadership of such men as Blaine, Boutelle, Hale, Hamlin and
Dingley, he was urged to accept the regular nomination of his party for
Governor, but felt obliged to decline, owing to personal and business
interests. Mr. Blaine insisted that "there would be magic in the
historic name of Lyndon Oak of Garland."
Mr. Oak subsequently
published a biographical sketch of Gen. James Irish of Gorham, and at
the time of his death was at work on a history of the town of Garland.
As the most prominent man in the town of Garland for more than half
a century; as representing the best and a fast disappearing type of
local politicians, and by reason of his marked ability and many
admirable traits of personal character, the Hon. Lyndon Oak, more than
any other of his branch or tribe, is one who deserves an extended
biographical sketch, such as cannot be given here.
The Hon.
Lyndon Oak married (Sept. 1st, 1846,) Rebecca Chadbourne Irish, who was
born in Gorham, Maine, Sept. 21st, 1817, and died in Garland, Feb. 24th,
1902. She was the daughter of Gen. James Irish of Gorham, and was a
descendant of the eighth generation from Thomas Rogers who came over in
the Mayflower in 1620. Hon. and Mrs. Lyndon Oak were the parents of
three children, James H., born in Garland, Oct. 4, 1849, John M., born
in Garland June 16, 1851 and Grace Elizabeth (now Mrs. J. N. Parker,)
born in Garland June 1st 1858.
Soon after the close of the Revolutionary War the fine agricultural region
embracing the present towns of Levant, Kenduskeag, Corinth, Exeter, Dexter,
Garland and Charleston, Maine, began to attract attention.
Settlements were begun at Levant, then embracing the present town of Kenduskeag,
in 1789 - at Corinth in 1792 - at Charleston in 1795 - at Dexter and
Exeter in 1801 and at Garland in 1802.
In 1798, the Legislature of Massachusetts granted
two townships of land to Williams College, located in Williamstown,
Mass.
The present towns of Garland and Lee, both situated in the
present county of Penobscot, were the townships granted.
The
terms and conditions upon which the grants were made, are contained in
the following resolve (deed):
To all persons to whom these
presents shall come, Greeting:
Whereas the Legislature of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the fourth day of February, 1796,
granted a township of land to the Trustees of Williams College by a
resolve in the following words viz: “Resolved that there be and hereby
is granted two townships of land of the contents of six miles square,
each to be laid out and assigned from any of the unappropriated lands
belonging to this Commonwealth in the District of Maine, the same to be
vested in the Trustees of Williams College and their successors forever
for the use, benefit and purpose of supporting the said College, to be
by them holden in their corporate capacity with full power and authority
to settle, divide and manage the same townships or any parts thereof, or
to sell, convey and dispose of the same in such way and manner as shall
best promote the welfare of said College, the same to be laid out under
the direction of the Committee for the sale of Eastern Lands and a plan
or plans thereof lodge in the Secretary's Office. Provided the Trustees
aforesaid or their assigns shall cause to be settled fifteen families in
each of said townships within twelve years from the passing of this
resolve, and also that there be reserved in each township three lots of
three hundred and twenty acres for the following uses viz: one lot for
the first settled Minister, one lot for the use of the Ministry and one
lot for the use of schools in each of said townships.”
And
whereas the Legislature aforesaid did on the twenty-eighth day of
February, 1793, by their resolve of that date, authorize and empower the
Committee for the sale of Eastern lands to execute deeds of certain
grants of land in the words following, viz: Whereas several grants of
townships and tracts of land have been and may be made by this Court for
the encouragement of literature in the various parts of the
Commonwealth, Resolved, That all the lands which have been or may be
granted for the purposes aforesaid be located under the direction of the
Committee for the sale of Eastern lands and that said Committee be and
hereby are authorized and empowered to execute deeds of conveyance and
confirmation of the same comfortably to the conditions of such grants.
Now therefore know ye, That we the undersigned whose seals are
hereunto affixed, having been appointed the Committee for the sale of
Eastern Lands in conformity to the foregoing resolve, do by these
presents convey and confirm unto the Trustees of Williams College and
their successors to be by them holden in their corporate capacity for
the use of said college, a township of land lying in the County of
Hancock & containing twenty-three thousand and forty acres, equal to a
township of the contents of six miles squire, the said township being
number three in the fifth range of townships north of the Waldo Patent,
as the same was surveyed by Ephraim Ballard and Samuel Weston in the
year 1792, Bounded easterly by number two in the same range, southerly
by number three in the fourth range, westerly by number four in the
fifth range and northerly by number three in the sixth range, excepting
and reserving however three lots of three hundred and twenty acres each
for the following uses, viz; one lot for the first settled Minister his
heirs or assigns, one lot for the use of the Ministry and one lot for
the use of schools in said township.
To have and to hold the
above premises with the appurtenances thereof to the said Trustees and
their successors for the use of said College and their assigns forever,
on condition that the said Trustees, their successors or assigns shall
grant and convey to each settler in said Township who settled therein
before the first day of January, seventeen hundred and eighty-four, or
in case of his decease without assignment, then to his heirs, and in
case of assignment then to his assigns, one hundred acres of land, to be
so laid out as will best include the improvements of the settler and be
least injurious to the adjoining lands, so as that the settler his heirs
or assigns may hold the same in fee simple, provided that the settler,
his heirs or assigns shall within one year after notice and request pay
to the Grantees named in this deed their heirs or assigns five dollars
and also provided that the said Trustees, their successors or assigns
shall comply with and perform the several conditions mentioned in said
resolve according to the true intent and meaning thereof. And the said
Committee covenant with the said Trustees that the said Commonwealth
shall warrant and defend the above granted premises to them the said
Trustees on the said conditions and saving the reservations aforesaid,
to them, their successors and assigns forever against the lawful claims
and demands of all persons.
In witness whereof we have hereunto
set our hands and seals this second day of June in the year of our Lord
seventeen hundred and ninety-eight.
Signed, sealed and delivered
in the presence of us.
Edw. Hayman
Edwd McLane.
Samuel Phillips
(L S)
Nath'l Wells (L S)
John Read (L S)
Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
Suffolk, as June 4th, 1798. Then personally
appeared the above named Samuel Phillips, Nath'l Wells and John read and
acknowledged the foregoing instrument to be their free act and deed.
Before me,
SIMON FRYE, Justice of the Peace throughout the
Commonwealth.
The present town of Garland was one of the
townships selected under the provisions of this resolve. The exterior
lines of the township had been run in 1792 by Ephraim Ballard and Samuel
Weston, names familiar to those who have had occasion to examine the
records of early surveys of this section of Maine. The township was in
the then existing county of Hancock, a large region extending northerly
to limits undefined and embracing the territory of future counties,
among which are the present counties of Penobscot, Piscataquis and a
part of Aroostook. It was designated in Ballard and Weston's survey as
township number three in the fifth range of townships north of the Waldo
Patent.
Investments in lands in the
Province of Maine at the opening of the present century seem to have
been regarded with considerable favor by moneyed men of Massachusetts.
Scarcely had the ink become dry which was used to give effect to the
resolve granting to Williams College the township now known as Garland,
when its treasurer conveyed it to citizens of Massachusetts, who were
afterwards known as the original proprietors. The date of the said
resolve was June 2d, 1798. The township was conveyed to the original
proprietors two days after. The conveyance to Levi Lincoln, one of the
proprietors, runs as follows: "Know all men by these present, that I,
Thompson Joseph Skinner of Williamstown, in the County of Berkshire in
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Esq., in my capacity of treasurer of
the corporation of Williams College in said Williamstown and in behalf
of the president and trustees of said College, in consideration of
twenty-five hundred dollars paid me in my capacity as aforesaid by Levi
Lincoln of Worcester in the County of Worcester and Commonwealth
aforesaid, Esq., the receipt whereof I as treasurer, as aforesaid, do
hereby acknowledge, I do hereby in my office and capacity as aforesaid
of treasurer, and trustee of Williams College aforesaid, give, grant,
sell, and convey unto the said Levi Lincoln his heirs and assigns
forever, one fourth part of Hancock in the district of Maine, containing
in the whole twenty-three thousand and forty square, said township of
the contents of six miles square, said townships being in number three
in the fifth range of township North of Waldo of the Waldo Patent, as
the same was surveyed by Ephraim Ballard and Samuel Weston in the year
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two in the same range,
southerly by number three in the fifth or same range, westerly by number
three in the fourth range, and northerly by number three in the sixth
range, excepting and reserving however, from said township three lots of
three hundred and twenty acres each for the following uses, viz: one lot
for the first settled minister, his heirs and assigns, one lot for the
use of schools in said township. To have and to hold the above granted
premises with the appurtenances thereof to the said Levi Lincoln, his
heirs and assigns as forever to his and their use and behoof forever,
the said land so granted to the said Levi Lincoln, his heirs and assigns
as aforesaid now lying in common with undivided lands of Seth Hastings
of Mendon in the County of Worcester aforesaid, Gentle-man, Samuel
Sanger of Sherburne in the County of Middlesex and Commonwealth
aforesaid, Gentleman, Calvin Sanger of said Sherburne, yeoman, Elias
Grout of same Sherburne, Blacksmith, and Samuel Sanger, Jr., of Boston,
in the County of Suffolk and Commonwealth of aforesaid, merchant, who
are the owners and proprietors of the remaining part of the before
described township of land, being now tenants in common with the said
Levi Lincoln, and with each other according to their respective shares
and rights as specified by their respective deeds made by me to each of
them in my capacity of treasurer aforesaid: Provided the said Levi
Lincoln, Seth Hastings, Samuel Sanger, Calvin Sanger, Elias Grout and
Samuel Sawyer, Jr., their heirs or assigns or any of them true intent
and meaning, the several conditions mentioned in a resolve of the
Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, made and passed on the
4th day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred
and ninety-six, granting two townships of land to the trustees of
William College aforesaid so far as relates to one of said townships
which resolve is in the following words, viz: (The resolve referred to
will be found on the preceding page.)
"And I, the said Thompson
Joseph Skinner do in my capacity of treasurer as aforesaid and by
authority and direction from and for, and in behalf of the president and
trustees of William College aforesaid, and pursuant to the vote and
order of the incorporation of said College and assigns to and with the
said Levi Lincoln his heirs and assigns that the said president and
trustees of said Williams College are lawfully seized in fee in their
corporate capacity as aforesaid of the afore granted premise, that they
are free of all encumbrances, (expecting the conditions to be performed
and the reservations to be made as aforesaid) that the trustees of
Williams College aforesaid in the capacity aforesaid have good right to
sell and by me the said Thompson Joseph Skinner in my capacity of
treasurer, to said corporation as aforesaid to convey the same to the
said Levi Lincoln, his heirs and assigns forever in manner as aforesaid,
and that the said president and trustees and their successors in said
office will forever, hereafter, warrant, secure and defend the same
premise to the said Levi Lincoln and his heirs and assigns forever
against the lawful claims of all persons whatsoever.
"In witness
whereof, I, the said Thompson Joseph Skinner, in my official capacity of
treasurer of the corporation of Williams College aforesaid, and for, and
in behalf of the president and trustees of said college, pursuant to
their vote and order in their corporate capacity, have hereunto set my
hand and affixed the seal of said corporation this fourth day of June,
in the year of our Lord one thousand, seven hundred and ninety-eight.
"Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of whose names are
hereunto written.
"Thompson Joseph Skinner (L. S.)"
"N. B. The
word Mendon and the word Gentleman on the first page, erased and the
word Esq. inserted.
"Also the words Seth Hastings in the second
page erased.
"Also the words Seth Hastings in the third page
erased and Levi Lincoln interlined before the execution of this deed.
"And also the words - and Northerly by number three in the sixth
range in the first page interlined before executing this deed. Signed
Park Holland & Thomas Wolcott."
It will be seen by the above that
Seth Hastings dropped out as one of the proprietors and that his
interest was transferred to Levi Lincoln.
"Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.
"Suffolk ss. Boston, 5th of June, 1798. Personally
appeared the above-named Thompson Joseph Skinner, Esq., and acknowledged
the forgoing deed to be his free act and deed before me, Elisha May,
Justice of the Peace throughout the Commonwealth."
:Hancock ss. North
District.
"Received July 14th, 1814, and recorded in Book number
one, page 121, and examined by John Wilkins Register.
:A true copy as
of record:
Attest Isaac Hodsdon
Clerk of the Judicial Courts and
acting Register of deeds."
The geographic situation of the township, now Garland, having been
originally described as township number three in the fifth range of
townships north of the Waldo Patent, the inquisitive reader will desire
to know something of the history of that patent.
In March, 1630,
John Beauchamp of London, England, and Thomas Leverett of Boston,
England, obtained a grant of land from a company acting under the
authority of the government of England. This grant was first known as
the Muscongus Patent from the river that formed a part of the western
boundary. From the seacoast, it extended northerly between Penobscot Bay
and River on the east, and the Muscongus River on the west, to the line
that constitutes the southern boundary of the present towns of Hampden.
Newburg and Dixmont.
This grant or patent embraced a territory of
thirty-six miles square. It conveyed nothing but the right of exclusive
trade with the Indians, to promote which a trading house was built and
supplied with such articles of exchange as were necessary to a
successful traffic. This traffic was carried on without interruption to
the mutual advantage of the whites and natives until the opening of the
first Indian Wars in 1675, a period of forty-five years.
About
the year 1720 this patent passed into the hands of a wealthy family of
Boston of the name of Waldo and from that time it was known as the Waldo
Patent.
In the year 1759, a very sad event occurred in an attempt
to find the northern limit of this patent.
When the work of
building Fort Pownal had been fairly inaugurated Governor Pownal
ascended the river with a large escort. The object of this expedition
seems to have been for the purpose of a conference with the Indians. He
was accompanied by General Samuel Waldo, a representative of the
interests of the Waldo family, who had taken great interest in the
construction of the fort, believing that its presence on the river would
be of great advantage to the proprietors of the patent. Arriving at the
southern limit of the present town of Hampden, the expedition landed.
General Waldo having withdrawn a short distance from his companions,
suddenly turned and exclaimed, “Here is my bound!” The exclamation was
followed by an event intensely tragical. Scarcely had it escaped his
lips when he fell and expired instantly.
Gen. Waldo was held in
high esteem for his sterling qualities of mind and heart. His sudden
death produced a profound impression upon his companions. He was buried
near the fort where his body remained for some years, but was ultimately
removed to Boston.
It has been noted that the exterior lines of
the present town of Garland were run by Ephraim Ballard and Samuel
Weston in 1792. In the year 1800, Moses Hodsdon, a resident of the
present town of Kenduskeag, assisted by David A. Grove, Daniel Wilkins
and a Mr. Shores, surveyed the township into lots. Isaac Wheeler, Esq.,
who was afterwards a prominent citizen of the town, accompanied the
surveying party.
The town of Garland was originally described as number three in the fifth range of townships north of the Waldo Patent. As has been noted, the present towns of Hampden, Newburg and Dixmont constituted the first range north of this patent. Bradford was number one, Charleston number two. Garland number three and Dexter number four in the fifth range of townships north of the Waldo Patent.
Garland
is bounded north by Dexter, eat by Charleston, south by Exeter and west
by Dexter. It is in touch with Sangerville on the northwest, with
Atkinson on the 16 northeast, with Corinth on the southeast and Corinna
on the southwest.
Measuring from east to west it is very near the
center of the state.
It occupies a central site between the
northern and southern limits of the inhabited section of the State.
It covers an area of thirty-six square miles. The southerly half of
the town in moderately level. Its soil is well adapted to the crops
common to central Maine. Its northerly section is traversed from east to
west by an elevated range of land about three hundred feet above the
level of the southern section and it was originally covered by a
remarkable heavy forest growth of bass, beech, birch, maple, hemlock and
spruce. In the wheat-growing period it was noted for its excellent crops
of wheat. At present time, while crops are common to this section of the
State are successfully cultivated, it exceeds in its hay-producing and
grazing adaptation. It is an excellent dairy section of the State.
Some of the higher points of the range of land traversing the
northerly section of the town are about eight hundred feet above the
level of the sea, commanding a great variety of views, from the wildly
picturesque to those of surpassing beauty. At north the towering forms
of Katahdin, Boarstone, and Russell Mountains arrest attention, while in
restful contrast, the productive farms of the Piscataquis Valley,
covered in summer with growing crops and grazing herds, present a scene
of rural beauty which is seldom surpassed in central Maine.
At
the south the view extends to the range of hills thirty miles away, of
which the Dixmont Hills are a section, and embraces the area of a dozen
towns in one of the finest agricultural regions in central Maine.
Near the eastern boundary of the
town a remarkable ravine or pass, locally known as the ‘Notch’ bisects
the elevated range of land which has been described. This ravine is
about two miles in length, three hundred feet in depth at the deepest
point and just wide enough at the bottom for the county road which
passes through it. Before the advent of the railroad to this part of
Maine, it was regarded as the national inlet to the outside markets for
the inhabitants of Piscataquis County. In harmony with this view, a road
was established through the ravine in 1846 by a joint action of the
commissioners of Penobscot and Piscataquis Counties.
It was not
built and open for travel until 1860. The course of the ravine through
the hill range is south, bearing a little in the east.
A moraine,
locally known as a horseback, approaches the ravine from the north,
terminating at its entrance. Resuming its form and course at the south
end of the ravine, it extends through several towns.
At some
points this moraine presents the appearance of a well-constructed road.
At other points it broadens and sometimes reaches an elevation of forty
of fifty feet, Sections of it are used for the public travel and are
kept in good condition at trifling cost. On each side of the hilly range
near the line of the moraine there are deep basins resembling the basin
of a pond.
Geologists trace the existence of the ravine, the
moraine and basin to the same source.
According to their theory,
an immense glacial or iceberg, coming from the north in the glacial
period of many thousand years ago, moving with irresistible force
towards the present oceanic waters, made its way through the hilly range
leaving the notch to inspire coming 18 generations with wonder. In its
progress it had scooped up enormous quantities of drift, which, becoming
incorporated with it, formed a constituent pat of this huge glacier.
As it moved onward, the drift, including clay, sand, gravel, pebbles
and boulders, was deposited forming a ridge now known as a moraine. An
examination of this moraine reveals the existence of all materials
included in the geologic tern, drift.
The town of garland divides its water between the Penobscot and Kennebec Rivers. The Kenduskeag, which is the largest stream in the town, rises near the center of the town of Dexter from the north to south, and nearly two miles west of its eastern limit. It flows into Pleasant Pond, a small sheet of water extending from West Garland into Dexter. Emerging from Pleasant Pond, it flows easterly to Garland Village, thence south-easterly through the towns of Corinth, Kenduskeag and Glenburn to Bangor, where its waters mingle with those of the Penobscot River. On its course through Garland its waters are used to propel machinery at West Garland, Garland Village and Holt’s Mills. The Kenduskeag is fed by numerous streamlets flowing from the southern slope of the hilly range which traverses the town from east to west.
Main Stream rises on the north side of the hilly range in Garland and enters Dexter near its northeast corner. After leaving Dexter it finds its way to the Kennebec River through Moose Pond in Harmony and the Sebasticook Stream.
Existing records show when and by whom the
exterior lines of the present town of Garland were run; also lots. Mr.
Williamson, in his history of Maine, tells us in a single brief sentence
upon the authority of Abner Sanborn, a farmer prominent and intelligent
citizen of the township, That the beginnings were made by Joseph
Garland, Isaac Wheeler and Josiah Bartlett. Also Levi Lincoln was one of
the original proprietors, hence the plantation was called Lincolntown.
But of the occurrences aside from these, from 1802 to 1811, the writer
has been unable to find any record. The early settlers, confronted by
common hardships, inspired by common purposes and bound together by
common sympathies, worked together for the common welfare. But this was
the voluntary labor of the members of an unorganized community and there
is no record of purpose or results. The material for the history of the
nine eventful years that precede the incorporation of the town, is, of a
traditional character.
Who the first settlers were - whence, when
and why they came - where they made their beginnings - the hardships
they encountered - the privations they suffered-most of these things
rested largely upon human remembrances. But the remembrances of these
events of those early years were very clear in the minds of many of the
men who lived to see the middle of the century that witnessed their
early struggles in the wilderness. Events, which, in the rush of the
present would be forgotten in a day if noticed at all, were full of
meaning to them and never forgotten. The crowing of a cock, the curling
smoke above the tree tops in new directions were to them joyful
assurances of the coming of other families into the townships.
In 1846, and the years immediately
following, the writer was an occasional listener to stories of pioneer
life in Garland from the lips of the pioneers. These stories were of
tedious journeyings to the township while yet it was part of a
wilderness of many miles in extent - sometimes in mid-winter on sleds
drawn by slow moving teams, when men, women and children were assailed
by pitiless blasts and drifting snows Ð sometimes on horseback, when
rider with his scant supply of food and clothing closely packed in a
leather bag, pursued his lonely way, guided by spotted lines - sometimes
on foot when the maker of a future home, with his bundle dangling from
the handle of the axe across his shoulder made slow progress towards the
township of his choice: and sometimes a part of the little journey was
performed on rude fishing smacks, manned by drunken sailors, when the
passengers were in constant peril of being consigned to watery graves.
Graphic descriptions were given of hastily constructed cabins, where
chilly snows driven by wintry blasts entered unbidden, destitute of
every convenience that makes housekeeping attractive - with hand to hand
contests with the stern old forest that had withstood the storms of
centuries, for the possessions of a cleared space whereon to make a home
and secure the crops for the subsistence of the family - of painful, and
often final separation from relatives and friends, and deprived, even,
of communication with them except at long and uncertain intervals, when
the nearest post-office was twenty-five miles away and could be reached
only on foot or horseback and the postage on two letters would cost a
healthy woman the wages of a full week - of struggles with debts in a
region destitute of currency - of burdens of building roads and bridges
without the power of levying taxes - of destitution of schools and
religious privileges, which in a New England community were esteemed as
among the most precious legacies of New England citizenship.
It
must not be inferred, however, that to the early settlers, life in the
wilderness, invested as it was with privations and hardships, was devoid
of enjoyment. They were robust, earnest, courageous men. The grand old
forest which covered their rude cabins was a constant inspiration to
noble endeavor. They had an important and well-defined end to
accomplish, which was nothing less than to subdue the wilderness that
had covered the haunts of the moose, the wolf and the bear, and replace
it with the institutions of civilization. They came to lay the
foundation of a typical New England community, which, in due time, would
become a constituent part of an independent state.
In their
visions of the future, they saw the wilderness retiring step by step
before their vigorous assaults, to give place to fields of waving grain,
to pastures covered with flocks and herds, and orchards laden with
fruit. They saw attractive and convenient houses in place of log-cabins
and rude huts. They saw those characteristic institutions of New
England, the church and the schoolhouse, smiling from the hilltops and
nestling in the valleys. They saw, also, the New England town meeting,
where the capable and ambitious would be called to places of honor and
trust, and the humblest citizen would have a voice on all questions of
local policy. All these things came within the range of their
expectations and each step in the actual present towards the realization
of the ideal future afforded satisfaction and encouragement.
The
advent of the first physician was an occasion for special rejoicing. The
occasional sermon from an itinerary minister was never obliterated from
the memory of those who heard it.
The coming of the blacksmith,
of the carpenter, of the shoemaker, of the tanner, supplied wants of
pressing importance. These, and kindred events which now seem trivial,
were to them matters of vital interest. They were occasions for the
exchange of congratulations among themselves, and were rehearsed to
their children and grandchildren with a frequency and particularity of
detail that riveted in the minds of both narrator and listener.
Among the persons who furnished valuable information relating to events
which occurred, both before and after the incorporation of the town,
were Deacon John S. Haskell and his sons - Daniel M., John K., Wm. S.
and Jacob W. Haskell. - Moses Gordon and his sons, Horace, Parker and
Albert G. Gordon. Special acknowledgeable information relating to the
earliest inhabitants if the town.
At the date
of the narration alluded to in the foregoing chapter, more than forty
years had elapsed since the blows of the settler’s axe were first heard
in the township. Those who had come in the strength of early manhood, if
living, were far advanced in life. Some had moved to other places to
find homes with children or relatives. Others "weary with the march of
life" were dropping from the ranks. They had wrought well and endured
much, not for themselves alone, but for their descendants as well. Their
study blows compelled the wilderness to give place to the homes we
occupy. They richly merit a warm place in the memory of those who came
after them. Let not their voices come to us from the misty past in the
pathetic refrain:
"Ye do not answer ! Ye do not hear !
We are
forgotten and, in your austere
And calm indifference, ye little care
Whether we come or go, or whence or where.
"What passing
generations fill these halls,
What passing voices echo from these
walls,
Ye heed not ! We are only as the blast,
A moment heard and
then forever past!"
Longfellow.
No, the men to whom we owe so
much must never be forgotten. The printed page shall bear to the
generations which follow them and us the history of their deeds.
"Waking, I dream. Before my vacant eyes,
In long
procession, shadowy forms arise;
Far through the vistas of the silent
years,
I see a venturous band - the pioneers.
Who let the sunlight
through the forest gloom,
Who bade the harvest wave, the gardens
bloom."
O. W. Holmes
At the opening of the summer of 1801, the
present town of Garland presented as area of six square miles of heavy
forest growth, the continuity of which was nowhere broken except by a
small natural pond lying partly in Garland and partly in Dexter, from
which flows the Kenduskeag stream, and several small bogs at different
points. But this condition of things was soon to be changed.
Forces had been organized which, in due time, would transfer the
township to the influence of civilization.
It is the month of June of the summer of 1801. The reader may
imagine that one of the sturdy pioneers has come to the township for the
purpose of selecting a lot of land whereon he may establish a home. Our
pioneer believes that he will have the first choice of lots within the
limits of the township, and proposes to make a leisurely and careful
examination of its different sections so that his selection may not
discredit his judgment in the years to come. To facilitate the work he
has in hand, he establishes his camp near the center of the township,
close by the site of the present residence of James M. Stone, originally
the Joseph True place.
On a beautiful June morning, after a
hastily prepared breakfast of pork and Indian bread, he starts out from
camp and guided by the surveyor’s line of the preceding year, which
leads him over the present route of the center road running east, he
travels leisurely towards the eastern limit of the township. At the end
of one and a half miles he has reached the elevation upon which Joseph
C. Treadwell now resides. He still fancies that he is the only human
being in the township. But the illusion suddenly dispelled by a ring of
sharp, incisive blows of an axe plied by sinewy arms. Recovering
equanimity, which had for the moment been disturbed by the discovery
that he was not alone in the township, he passes eagerly towards the
spot from which the sounds proceed. He reaches the point of interest in
time to see one of those giants of the forest that has withstood the
storms of centuries, yield to the blows of the woodsman’s axe and move
majestically through the air, carrying to the ground in the embrace of
its long, strong arms, many a smaller tree standing in range, that has
been “notched,” with a force that seemed to shake the solid earth.
Advancing a few rods, he finds himself face to face with the man the
blows of whose axe attracted him to the spot. He learns that the name of
this man is David A. Gove, that he is an agent of the proprietors to
promote the settlement of the township, that he is a resident of New
Ohio, now Corinth, that he emigrated from Nottingham, N. H., that he
selected this lot while assisting in the survey of the township the
preceding year for his friend, Josiah Bartlett of Nottingham, who
intends to establish a home here, and that he has just commenced felling
ten acres of trees for Mr. Bartlett.
This first opening was made
in 1901 upon the elevation on the old Bartlett farm now covered by an
orchard, a little way east of the present residence of Calvin Campbell.
This lot is number three in the sixth range.
Some of the friends of the late Isaac Wheeler, Esq., have claimed
for him the distinction of making the first opening of the township.
This claim does not seem to be well founded. It is certain that his
beginning was not made earlier than 1802. His friends do not claim for
it an earlier date. The late Obed Bartlett of Boston, Mass., said that
he had often heard his father, Josiah Bartlett, affirm that his was the
first opening in the township.
Deacon John S. Haskell felled ten
acres of trees in the township in 1802. He says that the sixteen or
eighteen men who had beginnings in that year worked in companies of five
or six men each upon one lot after another, or, in the parlance of the
times, they changed work - that at the end of each week they repaired to
the residence of a Mr. Sanborn in Charleston to spend the Sabbath, and
that on their way to that point they passed an opening on the old
Bartlett place which they supposed was made a year earlier. There was a
tradition among the old settlers of a good-natured rivalry between
Josiah Bartlett and Joseph Garland relating to the name that should be
given to the township when incorporated. Mr. Bartlett claimed the honor
of giving it his name for the reason that his opening was the first
therein. Mr. Garland claimed the honor upon the ground that he had
established the first family in the township. The parties to the dispute
finally agreed that the one who presented the first son to the township,
born within its limits, should be allowed to give his name to the future
town. An event soon after occurred in the family of Mr. Garland that
decided the question in his favor, and when it was incorporated in 1811,
it took the name of Garland by unanimous consent.
The events that occurred in the township in 180-2
seemed to promise its early occupation by families. In the summer of
this year openings were made on nineteen different lots with the purpose
of making homes for an equal number of families. These openings were
widely scattered over the township. The proprietors had unwisely
determined to withhold from sale the lots on each alternate range with
the expectation that when the lots available to settlers had been
peopled, those on the reserve ranges would command higher prices. This
policy brought numerous hardships and discomforts to its inhabitants and
retarded the growth of the township. It separated families by long
distances in a wilderness, destitute of roads, while every consideration
of comfort and convenience. of safety and sympathy. made it very
desirable to have those homes in such proximity to each other as to
favor neighborly intercourse.
It increased largely the burden of
road making and delayed the division of the town into school districts,
the building of schoolhouses and the opening of schools.
The
names of the men who made beginnings in the township in the summer of
1802, the place from which they came so far as known, and the lots upon
which they settled, are as follows:
Moses Hodsdon of Levant, Me.,
now Kenduskeag, took possession of lot number seven of the fourth range
as agent of the proprietors who desire to retain it because it
encompassed the principal water power in the township. Lot number seven
in the sixth range was selected by Isaac Wheeler, Esq., of Rutland,
Mass. John S. Haskell of New Gloucester, Maine, selected lot number
eleven in the fifth range which is now owned by one of his grandsons.
Thomas S. Tyler settled on lot number nine in the fifth range. Edward
Sargent of Boscawen, N. H. made a beginning on lot number three in the
fifth range. He built a camp near the present residence of Samuel O.
Davis. Being a carpenter he early came to the conclusion that a
carpenter’s wages in Bangor promised a more certain support for a family
then farming in the new township. He left the township and took up his
residence in Bangor. Samuel O. Davis and David Allen now own and occupy
the lot abandoned by Edward Sargent.
William Sargent, a brother
of Edward Sargent, made a beginning on lot number three in the fifth
range, where he resided for several years. It subsequently passed into
the hands of Luther Rideout and is now occupied by his son James L.
Rideout.
John M. Chase, from Danville, Maine, made a beginning on
lot number one in the seventh range. It afterwards passed into the hands
of Isaac Wheeler, Esq. It was owned and occupied by Ezekiel Page for
some years and subsequently by Bradbury G. Atkins, whose family own and
occupy it at the present time.
Joseph Garland, who had the honor
of giving name to the town, made a beginning upon lot nine in the
seventh range, where he cleared the land, erected buildings and resided
for about twenty-five years. Samuel Greeley, from Salisbury, N. H.,
purchased this farm about the year 1827, where he lived until his death,
when it passed into the hands of his son, James Greeley. It is now owned
by David Dearborn. Enos Quimby made a beginning on lot number ten in the
seventh range, where he remained but a short time, subsequently sold to
Moses Smith and left the township. Mr. Finson emigrated from New
Gloucester, Maine.
Peter Chase made a beginning on lot seven in
the seventh range, and built a house three later, but abandoned it soon
after. never having a family here.
Arnold Murray, from Palermo,
Maine, made a beginning on lot eight in the ninth range.
Justus
Harriman, from Salisbury, N. H. made a beginning on lot nine in range
nine, where he remained through life.
James Garland, from
Salisbury, N. H. made a beginning on lot ten in the ninth range.
Thomas Gilpatrick made a beginning on lot eleven in the ninth range.
Joseph Saunders, from New Gloucester, Maine, made a beginning on a
part of lot four, range nine.
The ranges of land which covered
the surface of the township extended from its eastern to its western
limit. Of the men who made beginnings in 1802, five selected lots on
range five, an equal number made beginnings on range seven, and seven of
those men showed a preference for range nine. The latter range runs near
the summit of the range of hills which extended from east to west across
the northern section of the town. This range now embraces some of the
most productive lands in the town.
A majority of the pioneers who
made beginnings in 1802 became residents of the town for longer or
shorter periods. Some of them lived here to a good old age, and, casting
off the responsibilities of active life, where many years earlier they
had assumed them, they quietly passed their last years in the homes
which their own sinewy arms wrested from the wilderness.
In the year 1801, there was living among the hills
of New Hampshire in the town of Salisbury, a family embracing the
father, mother, and three children of tender age, the threads of whose
subsequent history are closely interwoven with those of the early
history of the town of Garland. It was Joseph Garland. The tide of
emigration from various sections of New Hampshire was setting towards
the region in the province of Maine which encircles the present city of
Bangor. Moved by the tendencies of the times and encouraged by favorable
representations of relatives and acquaintances who had visited the
township now known as Garland, Mr. Garland selected it as the site of
his future home. With two horses harnessed to an emigrant’s wagon he
started on his tedious journey "DOWN EAST" with his family and such
household goods as he would first and most need.
This was in the
autumn of 1801. Reaching the town of Bucksport, he remained at the place
through the winter. His nearness now to the site of his future home
enabled him to build a small cabin of logs and to make preparations for
the reception of his family before he should again change base. In June,
1802, he resumed his journey with his family and reached Bangor at the
end of the first day. The second day’s journey brought the family to the
Wilkins place, now known as the Bacon place, in the southwest part of
Charlestown, where they passed the night. This was the nearest point to
their little cabin in the forest that could be reached by a team of
horses. Their journey was completed by methods of a more primitive
character. On the morning of the third day of the journey, Mrs. Garland
was helped to the back of one of the hoses and the youngest child was
placed in her arms. Mr. Garland mounted the second horse and took
another of the children. Daniel Wilkins, afterwards a well-known citizen
of Charlestown, took charge of the third child. Thus organized, the
party, accompanied by two or three other men, moved slowly but
cheerfully through a dense forest, guided on their way by spotted trees.
Crossing the east line of the township their route led them in a
northwesterly direction near the sites of the present homes of Mrs.
Leonard Skillin, Thos. B. Packard, Samuel O. Davis, James L. Rideout, A.
Hanson and thence north of the meadow to the store of David E. Knight.
From this point, following the line of the road that leads to the
present home of David Dearborn, they reached the little cabin that
rested in the "gloom of the forest" at the foot of the slope west of the
present residence of Mr. Dearborn.
A number of men who were
engaged in felling trees in different parts of the township, left their
work and hurried to the point where the expected newcomers would cross
the township line. On the approach of the party the old forest rang with
cheers for the heroic woman, who was the first white woman to enter the
new township. These men of rough exterior but warm hearts, escorted her
to the little cabin by the brook that was to be her home for the first
few years, gallantly removing the obstacles that lay in her pathway.
It is doubtful if any woman has been conducted into the town by so
large and appreciative an escort.
Mrs. Garland’s ride into the
township was not accomplished without an accident, which was fraught
with some danger. In fording one of the streams that crossed her pathway
the hose was frightened by a barking of a dog and she was jolted from
her saddle, but the prompt assistance of a man who was walking by her
side saved her from an involuntary bath.
Mr. Garland and his
wife, with their three small children, were the first family to
establish a home in the present town of Garland, and they had come to
stay.
The date of their homecoming was June 22, 1802. To them
belongs the honor of giving date to the settlement of the town - nor was
it an empty honor coming to them by accident. On the contrary, it came
as the result of an intelligent purpose to establish a home, where, by
honest toil they could secure a comfortable living - a home which would
be one of a community of homes where they could enjoy the social,
educational and religious privileges, which are so highly prized by the
descendants of a Puritan ancestry.
Mr. Garland and his family
were now face to face with the privations and hardships of a life in the
wilderness, when through the long winter which followed they were the
sole residents of the township. Their rude cabin afforded very imperfect
protection from wind, rain and snow. A large stone fire-place,
surrounded with a smoke flue of sticks and clay, was made to do service
for warming and cooking. Their furniture was of the most primitive
character. In place of chairs they used blocks of wood of suitable size
and height. Their cooking utensils were limited to indispensable
articles. Their surroundings were in striking contrast with those they
had left behind. But having deliberately determined to establish a home
in the township of their choice, they cheerfully accepted the changes it
involved and looked hopefully towards the "BETTER TIME COMING."
Mr. Garland had felled ten acres of trees
on the site of the present residence of David Dearborn. Among his
earliest acts in the line of farming, with an eye to the future wants of
the township, he carefully cleared a half acre of land and planted it
with apple seeds which he brought from his New Hampshire home. The seeds
sprang up and the young trees grew vigorously. Mr. Garland soon found
himself the proprietor of a valuable nursery. Some of the older citizens
have distinct and pleasant remembrances of this old nursery. Some of the
stumps of the trees that grew in it are still to be seen. When the young
trees had reached a suitable size, John S. Haskell transplanted a small
orchard from this nursery, and eight years later Mrs. Haskell made pies
from the fruit of it. This was the first time that their children had
indulged in the luxury of an apple pie.
Many of the old orchards
in this and neighboring towns were planted from this nursery. In the
absence of roads men carried trees from it upon their shoulders many
miles, guided on their way through the dense forest by spotted trees.
Enos Flanders of Sangerville carried twelve trees on his shoulders
through the woods to his home, a distance of twelve miles. Seth Nelson
of Guilford obtained trees from it to plant orchard. Loring’s History of
Piscataquis County is authority for saying that William Farnham of
Sagerville brought young trees from Garland upon his shoulders and
planted the first orchard in town. In his history of Guilford Mr. Loring
says that, "As nursery trees could not be obtained near than Garland,
and as there was no summer road thither, Deacon Herring, Captain Bennett
and Nathaniel Herring brought young apple trees from that place upon
their shoulders fully sixteen miles and set out the first three orchards
in town. In about eight years they ate fruit from them."
Thus the
thoughtful consideration of Mr. Garland in planting this early nursery
brought to many of the settlers of this, and neighboring townships at an
early date, a luxury more generally esteemed and highly valued than any
other that grows from New England soil.
There is another incident
of interest connected with this nursery. In the year 1807 or 1808, Moses
Gordon, who had become a resident of the township in 1805, visited his
native town, Hopkinton,N.H., making the journey on horseback. On his
return he brought scions from apple tree in the orchard of a Mr.
Flanders, an old neighbor, which were ingrafted upon trees in Mr.
Garland’s nursery. The fruit from these scions proved to be an early and
excellent fall apple and was the only ingrafted fruit in this town for
many years. It has always been known here as the Flanders apple, and to
Moses Gordon belongs the credit of its introduction to this town.
In the early settlement of Garland log-cabins
were few and far between. The proprietors of the township caused a
saw-mill to be built and to be made ready for use as soon as houses
would be needed by incoming families.
This mill was placed on the
site of the mill now occupied by Edward Washburn. There was, also, a saw
mill at Elkinstown, now Dexter, as early as 1803, where settlers in the
west and northwest part of the township could obtain boards to cover
their buildings. Log barns for temporary use were common, but the first
framed barn in the township was built by John M. Chase in the summer of
1802, on lot one in the seventh range. The site of this barn may now be
seen on the farm of the late Bradbury G. Atkins.
The first framed
house was built in the autumn of 1802 on lot five in the seventh range,
near the site of the present residence of Charles H. Brown. Joseph
Treadwell, the grandfather of our present citizen, Joseph C. Treadwell,
built this house for John Tyler. Mr. Treadwell came from is home in
Danville, Maine, on horseback, bringing his tools with him. He cut and
hewed the timber for the house, hauled it with his horses, framed it and
superintended the subsequent work until it was ready for use. An
old-fashioned roof with double slope covered the body of the house.
Years ago this old landmark was removed by John L. Jackman to give place
to a house of more modern style. This old farm is now owned and occupied
by Charles H. Brown. Some of our older citizens will remember with
pathetic interest, the tall, spare, pale, patient and sorrowful woman.
Aunt Susan Tyler, the last of her family, who lived in the quaint old
house, tenderly caring for many years for an imbecile brother.
The carpentry upon the frame of the
saw-mill now nearing completion and the day for the raising had been
appointed. Men from surrounding settlements had been invited. On the
night proceeding the eventful day they came in small squads from
different points, guided by spotted trees. Camping out on the ground
through the night they were ready for the work in the morning. While
preparations for the raising were going on frequent mysterious allusions
to a certain mill-crank, with an unusual history, excited the curiosity
of the newcomers. This was followed by inquiry and the inquirer was
directed to Gideon Haskell for information. To each man who approached
him to hear the story, he repeated with great particularity of detail
the account of the three days' wanderings in the wilderness, making his
own participation in the affair a prominent feature of the account. The
mill was raised without incident worthy of note. An event of such
importance to the township could not, however be allowed to pass without
being appropriately celebrated. The character of the celebration had
been determined beforehand. The amusements which generally followed
raising of mills, barns and other large buildings in those days were
omitted on this occasion by common consent. The underwritten program
included an oration to the King. Daniel Wilkins of New Charleston,
afterwards a prominent citizen of this section, was the orator. The
sound of the axe that had driven the last pin into the frame of the mill
was the signal for the opening of ceremonies. Loud cries of "Long live
King Gideon" now filled the air. At a little distance from the mill
site, at the edge of the opening, there was a large tree that presented
a remarkable angle several feet from the ground, which afforded as
elevated and conspicuous seat. A committee of stalwart men waited upon
the King with invitation to occupy the seat that had been selected for
the occasion, who accepted the honor because it was more safe to accept
then top decline. Shouts of "Long live King Gideon" were now renewed.
The preliminaries having been concluded, the oration to the king was
announced. No short-hand writer was present to preserve it for later
generations, but a few of the opening sentences of this unique
performance have been handed down.
"Behold King Gideon who arose
early in the morning, attended by his servant, Peter, the hunter,
towards the land of Ebenezer, whose surname was Small, whither he went
to promote the welfare of his people. And it came to pass that as they
journeyed, his horse being laden with the royal equipage, they came to a
great swamp in the midst of the wilderness where the royal highway
suddenly terminated. And they sought for its continuation with great
diligence but found it not, and he said, per adventure my unfaithful
servant, Peter, has gone to look for game in his traps, even the beaver
and the otter which do abound in this great wilderness, and left us to
perish in our wanderings. Therefore we will seek for a way to the land
whither we are traveling, even the land of Ebenezer. And they tied the
horse to a tree and fed him upon the course grass that grew upon the
borders of the great swamp. And for the space of three days and three
nights they sought diligently for the way to the land of Ebenezer."
The orator proceeded with mock dignity to give circumstantial
account of the journey, which was received with uproarious laughter and
applause.
The "oration" ended, the old forests rang with cries
and shouts such as had never been heard, and perhaps never again will be
heard within the limits of the town. Aided by the inspiration of the
favorite New England beverage of the times, these excited men kept up
the frolic so boisterously begun, through the entire night. Early the
next morning, starting in the shadows of the forest.
Our late,
well-remembered citizen, Isaac Wheeler, Esq., was presented at the
raising of the mill. He held a commission of justice of the peace which
he brought with him from Massachusetts. Believing that his official
dignity would be compromised by remaining with his boisterous
associates, he quietly withdrew to his camp, which was located near the
site of the present Baptist church.
Alluding occasionally to the
boisterous scenes of the night of the raising, he related that soon
after his withdrawal he was missed by the crowd, whereupon a committee
was appointed to wait on him and request his attendance. He was enjoying
his first nap when he was suddenly aroused by a violent rapping at his
door. He sprang from his couch and presenting himself at the door,
demanded to know the business of the intruders. He was informed that his
presence at the mill was requested. Refusing to comply, the committee
attempted to enforce compliance, but he resisted with such resolution
the deemed it prudent to return to the mill without his company. One of
the intruders managed, during the parley at the door, to thrust a
blazing brand through an opening in the camp and set his straw bed on
fire.
Gideon Haskell could neither forget nor forgive the rough
treatment he had received at the hands of his fellow workmen and when
the season's work was completed, he left the township never to return.
Deacon John S. Haskell often related with great animation in his
later years stories of pioneer life for the amusement of friends and
acquaintances. Among these was the story of the mill-crank, at close of
which an expression of seriousness would rest upon his venerable
features for a moment, when he would explain in tones at once regretful
and apologetic, "Well, we did have some pretty high times in those
days."
In September, 1802, while the building of the mill was in
progress, Moses Gordon and John and Jonathan Jones of Hopkinton, N. H.,
visited the township. This was Mr. Gordon's first visit. He came to
inspect the lands of the township, and although he made no selection at
this time, he returned home with a favorable impression of the quality
of its lands and its eligibility fro settling purposes. The Messrs.
Jones afterward settled in Ripley where they became prominent citizens.
The building of the saw-mill was the close of active operations in
the township in 1802. Including the beginning made by Josiah Bartlett in
1801, nineteen openings had been made on as many different lots, one
family had been established, a house built for another family, and a
saw-mill had been constructed.
The late
Deacon John S. Haskell often related for the amusement of his friends
the following story. Illustrating different phases of hardships incident
to life in the wilderness, it may appropriately be retold. The subject
of the story was not one of those human cranks of twisted intellect, and
perverted sensibilities. R was a crank of a different type. In the year
1799 the proprietors of township number four in the fifth range of
townships north of the Waldo Patent, now Dexter, employed Samuel Elkins
of Cornville, Maine, to build a saw-mill in that township. A site for
the mill was selected near the outlet of the beautiful lake whose waters
have since turned the wheels that have wade Dexter one of the largest
and most prosperous villages in the State. The mill irons had been sent
to the site of the prospective mill for use when needed. Mr. Elkins had
built a camp for the accommodation of his workmen and made other
preparations to prosecute the work of building the mill, but before much
progress had been made he died and the work was suspended.
Early
in the year 1801, Moses Hodsdon of Levant, now Kenduskeag, had built a
mill at that place which had been used only a short time when the mill
crank was broken and the work was suspended. Several families were
expected in the coming spring who were depending upon lumber for the
construction of their cabins. A mill crank to replace the broken one
could be obtained only by sending to Massachusetts. The Penobscot River
being closed to navigation by ice there was no way of getting the
indispensable crank before the river should be clear of ice. Mr. Hodsdon
was in a dilemma.
At this juncture an old hunter by the name of
Snow, who frequented the new settlements in this section, appeared, and
was apprised of Mr. Hodsdon's misfortune. He could help him out.
There was he said at the Elkins place in "number four" a full set of
irons not in use. Mr. Elkins, who had been depended on to build the mill
at that place, had died and the irons would lie unused for months. With
his large hand sled made to haul big game on, he could, with help of his
big sons, haul the crank belonging to the set over the hard crust of the
deer) snows to the point where it was needed. Mr. Hodsdon could get and
use it, and attend to the incidental matter of borrowing later.
Yielding to the logic of necessity, Mr. Hodsdon acted on the cranky
suggestions of the old hunter and made a bargain with him which resulted
a few days later in put- ting his saw-mill in running condition. He was
now able to furnish lumber to enable settlers to build the cabins
necessary to shelter their families.
In the meantime he had
written to the executor of the Elkins estate and had been informed when
the crank would be wanted at the Elkins place. In the autumn of 180, we
find Mr. Hodsdon, who seems to have been a sort of tutelary guardian of
the settlements of this section, under contract to build a saw-mill in
township number three, now Garland. The irons for this mill had been
shipped to Bangor in the autumn of 1801 and hauled to the township in
February, 180. The team that hauled these irons to number three, hauled
the borrowed crank so far on its return to the Elkins place in number
four.
In the autumn of 1802, Mr. Hodsdon commenced building the
mill in number three with a crew embracing several men who had been
making beginnings earlier in the season. Among the latter were John S.
Haskell and Isaac Wheeler, Esq. The time stipulated for the return of
the borrowed crank which was lying passively near the mill site in
number three had arrived. Mr. Hodsdon was now confronted with the
question of "ways and means." There was no available team to haul it to
the place from which the old hunter had taken it. If there had been a
team at hand there was not the semblance of a road, not even a spotted
line to indicate the way. No one of Mr. Hodsdon's crew had ever visited
number five. No one of the crew knew what rugged hills or impassable
swamps might be encountered on the way to the objective point.
There was, however, one large powerful horse at hand. Tradition says he
was owned by a Mr. Stevens of Blaisdelltown (Exeter), but there was
neither harness nor vehicle. The old proverb that "necessity is the
mother of invention" was illustrated anew. Mr. Moses, the master
carpenter, made a wooden frame large enough for the crank to rest on,
which could be securely fastened to the back and shoulders of the horse.
It was now necessary to have a line spotted from the west line of number
three to the mill site in number four to guide the men who were charged
with the return of the crank. Just at the right time another old hunter
appeared. His name was Peter Brawn. He claimed to have hunted and
trapped game over the whole region and he could indicate the easiest
route to the mill site in number four with certainty.
Peter was
shrewd and plausible. Like many men of the present time, he believed
that places of trust are instituted for the benefit of those who fill
them. He was often employed to indicate the most feasible route of
travel between two places separated by miles of forest, whose
inhabitants desired to be brought into neighborly relations. Peter's
ruling passion was hunting, and his work of a more public character was
made to contribute to the capture of game. If the game he sought
burrowed in the highlands, the route he indicated for travel would
sometimes lead over the highest hills. If he was trapping animals whose
congenial haunts were along the borders of bogs, swamps and ponds, the
unfortunates who followed his lines were very liable to be led through
mud and water. But, of this trait of the plausible Peter, the party
hiring him was ignorant. He was therefore employed to make a safe and
easy route to the mill site in number four, with strict injunctions to
avoid hills and especially muddy places. All the necessary preparations
to start the crank anew on its rounds having been completed, John S.
Haskell and Gideon Haskell, both stalwart and resolute men, were
detailed to return the crank to the place where its wanderings began.
The horse, which was to be an important factor in this important
service, was placed in position to receive the load. the saddle was
carefully adjusted, the wooden frame was placed upon the horse and
securely fastened, the crank was put upon the frame and the expedition
was ready to move.
It was a cloudy and dark September morning and
the atmospheric conditions were such as to inspire the heart with a sort
of indefinable dread. Prudence dictated delay, but the Haskells were
accustomed to exposure and hardship and could bid defiance to wind and
rain. They took no compass, but what need of a compass when the
confident Peter would make the way so plain that they could not miss it!
They started from the site of the present village grist-mill, and moving
cautiously north to the corner near the site of the present
Congregational meeting house, they turned their faces towards the west
and followed the line of the present county road leading to Dexter to a
point nearly a mile beyond the west line of township number three. Here
the line of the hunter, making an angle towards the south, led them down
sharp declivity to the margin of an impassable bog where it terminated.
The most careful inspection failed to indicate a continuation of the
line. The unwelcome conviction was forced upon the Haskells that the
plausible Peter had proved false.
And now a series of
performances commenced that were not down on the program. The horse that
had patiently born his heavy load thus far was relieved of his burden
and fed upon coarse grass that grew on the border of the bog. The
Haskells were now alive to the gravity of the situation. They were in a
dense, and to them, an unknown forest without compass to guide them and
the sun was still obscure by threatening clouds. The larger part of the
day was still before them, which they spent in eager search for some
track or trail that would suggest the way out, but in vain. After
fruitless wanderings, continued until nightfall, they found themselves
at the edge of an opening now known as the Batchelder Hill in Dexter,
but were ignorant of the fact. They hallooed loud and long, hoping to
hear an answering voice, but there was no response.
To add to
their discomfort it began to rain and having done all they could do
until the light of the morrow should encourage fresh efforts, they
camped for the night. After a brief time spent in recounting the events
of the day and invoking imprecations upon the head of "old Brawn," they
fell asleep and slept until the dawn of a new morning. It was still
raining.
Hastily eating the small remnant of food with which they
had supplied themselves, they promptly renewed their efforts to
extricate themselves from the uncertainties by which they were
environed. After a brief search they found the tracks of a horse, but
they were so completely bewildered that they followed the trail they had
struck in a direction opposite from that intended, passing the site of
the present residence of Artemas Barton, and a small cabin that had just
been built by William Mitchell for use the following spring. Following
the trail a little farther they reached an opening near the site of the
residence of Horace Jennings, now owned by Seth Bessey, then known as
the Severance opening. Being now convinced that they were traveling in
the wrong direction they were about to retrace their steps when,
unfortunately, both men recalled a rumor that a line plainly marked for
the route of a future road had been run from New Ohio (Corinth) to the
mill site in number four. Eagerly seizing this rumor they started in a
southerly direction in search for this mythical line. In imagination
they could see it stretching in either direction and leading to a place
of safety whichever way it was followed. The search was continued until
night but the line which they saw so clearly early in the day had
vanished. They were now on the margin of an almost impenetrable swamp in
the present town of Corinna.
Retracing their steps to drier land,
they prepared themselves for another night in the forest with nothing to
compensate them for their day's wandering save hunger, weariness and
uncertainty. The morning of the third day opened with the same dreary
aspect as had those of the two preceding days. The usual welcome
breakfast was omitted on account of the absence of the materials which
enter into that meal.
After a brief and earnest consultation, the
men decided to return to the Severance opening and follow the trail they
left there in the opposite direction from what they had done the
preceding day. This movement led them to the Batchelder opening where
they had camped at the end of the first days wanderings. A mile
additional travel brought them to a small opening hemmed in by hills on
the east and west.
Through the center of the opening a stream
passed quite rapidly. In a corner of the opening, well sheltered by the
forest, there was a small cabin from whose chimney the smoke curled
gracefully to the open space above the tops of the tall trees. To their
great joy they had at last found the mill site in township number four.
Their joy was intensified by finding that the little cabin was occupied
by a man and woman whose names were Small - -Ebenezer Small and wife,
the memory of whose names is still cherished by the loyal citizens of
Dexter with affectionate regard, and who are honored as having been the
first settlers of this enterprising town.
Mr. and Mrs. Small were
greatly surprised by the sudden appearance of the weather-beaten
strangers, and with a woman's intuition the latter instantly
comprehended their most pressing immediate requirements, and n the
shortest possible time placed before them a delicious dish of pounded
corn, boiled in milk.
The town of Dexter has long been noted for
its hospitality and elaborate entertainments, but her citizens will
regard it as no disparagement should it be said that no entertainment
within its limits has ever been proffered by more hospitable hands, or
accepted with a keener sense of appreciative gratitude than on this
occasion. Dinner finished, the first thought was for the hungry horse
three miles away by the margin of the miry bog. He must be found and
fed. The remaining hours of the day afforded but scant time for this
service, but Mr. Small being acquainted with the section of the township
between the mill site and the bog, conducted the men to the spot where
the horse was tied.
The hungry animal greeted the coming of the
men with expressions of satisfaction that seemed almost human. Not being
in condition to bear his load to its destination, they untied him and
started on their return to the cabin in the opening, but darkness soon
enveloped them and seriously impeded their progress. As they were
groping slowly and doubtfully along the resonant tones of the old tin
horn reached their ears. It is safe to assume that no music of orchestra
or hand ever gave greater delight. Anticipating the difficulty they
would encounter in traveling through the dense forest after nightfall,
Mrs. Small scaled the heights of the hill east of the present village
and guided the approaching party along by vigorous blasts from the old
tin horn.
On the morning of the fourth day, having been
recuperated by a night's rest and an abundant breakfast, accompanied by
Mr. Small the Haskells returned to the spot where the faithless hunter
had left them to their wanderings. The (rank was quickly replaced and
with a man to lead the horse and one on each side to steady the crank,
the y reached the mill site about midday. There was no throng of people
to welcome the arrival of the historic crank, but it is easy to believe
that the heroic Mrs. Small regarded it with lively interest. In her
loneliness she had yearned for the society of sympathetic friends and
neighbors. To her, the rough, rusty, angular and unattractive mass of
iron that had cost so much toil and hardship, was prophetic of the time
when her rude, bark-covered log-cabin would give place to the dwelling
of convenience and attractive exterior. It was prophetic of other homes
smiling from the hillsides-of the schoolhouse filled with hippy children
who were in training for intelligent citizenship, and the church where
devout worshipers gladly assembled on each returning Sabbath. Mrs. Small
lived to see the fulfillment of her dreams.
The borrowed crank
having been returned to the mill site in township number four, the
Haskells, neither of whom claimed relationship to the other, resumed
their work on the saw-mill in number three. They had been absent four
days in getting the crank back to its destination, a distance of less
than seven miles. But the hardships they had encountered (lid not shield
them from the jokes and pleasantries of their fellow-workmen. Our future
deacon, John S. Haskell, received them with his accustomed good natured
retorts and laughed with the rest. He was, moreover, a man of great
physical strength and it would not have been safe to push the spirit of
raillery to the verge of insult.
With Gideon Haskell the case was
different. He believed that the hardships of the late expedition
entitled him to be regarded as a man of heroic qualities. He was
inclined to put on airs and assumed to be the hero of the expedition.
His fellow-workmen did not allow any incident, serious or comic, out of
which fun and frolic could be evolved, to pass unimproved. Less than a
quarter of a century had passed since the country had been wrested from
kingly rule, and kingly titles were used when purposes of burlesque were
to be subserved. Our hero was dubbed king, and was addressed as King
Gideon until the close of the season's work in the township.
Transcribed by Fran Jones Libby, David Brann, Jennifer Godwin, and Grinnell MacLeod Wood II
Copyright © 1996- The USGenWeb® Project, MEGenWeb, Penobscot County
This page was last updated
04/28/2025