Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1858-12-31
"Reminiscences Of Bangor and
Vicinity.

gor and vicinity. in tho course of which
many Interesting "reminiscences we're pre-
sented. Les than one hundred years
ago the site of this city and the entire re-
gon, up and down. was an unbroken
wilderness. Some other parts of TIE
State were entered and Sc Elements at
tempted nearly century and h If
sooner than on Penobscot river. Our
coast was visited BY Capt Martin Prine.
soon after the death of Queen Elizabeth.
who came nm ,ng the islands Of the wat
ers COW known as Pcnobscot BAY, and
was pleased with the Ice lity, and called
II high c,untry, full of great wilderness
ses. Two years ater Capt. George Wey-
mouth touched at Monhe ,an, coming up
into Rcfast Bay and enterin. the mouth
of the riv,r, Of which latter he entered
upon MS journal That many travellers
in suGdry countr cs anl in mos, famous
rivers, affi med them not comparable t,
this, the NEST secure and best harboring z
river the world afforded"
The first trading house on the river
WAS e-'ab ished at the place now called
Penobscot by co!onis,s of the Plymouth
Company, whose headquarters were on
the Sasadahoc. This was as early a.
1926 or 8. THIS settlement was destroy.
ed BY the French, who claimed and oc-
curied the territory about and beta cen
Passamaquoddy and Penobscot. They
had priests in abundance and had acqair
ed control Of the Indian tribes. Th
French lost their hold. and in about 6 50
were complied to leave.
There we're no settlements above the
mouth of the rive till short time be-
fore ths Revolutionary war. In 1850 d
large vessel ull Of people visited the riv.
err but they made no stay. The frs
settler in this 'oAn was Stephen BAIL
VINO pissed mere the winter of ,769.10
Two other f.milies tetlowe / in the sprjn-
tha' of his father AID Caleb Goodwin
who settled ahou, mile from kcnd gs
kca, stream and alb nut two miles iron
the vcr. In III fle families IN 1veu
into tie pllce, am1a- then those
Messr>. Hard, bennett. Cro>br an
Snrt In l-12 thc s.itIem.n. com
prseal twslve fuuilles.
he first records relate to the builin
Of meetin 5-nolse. In M,r:a 1871 .
vote was passed to build such an edifc
4ox36. The word was spele MEAr-n.
house 1t never was built. The popu
latlon at this time must have been yer,
small, as, thirteen years later, it number
ed only 2S7 persons.
There are those among US who wcr'
living here at the clo.e of tie last ceatur,
and they report only three frame houses
One of these is now near the steamboa
wharves.
In early years the settlement two mile
mp was much more important than tina
down here, The first post office was es
tabished a The place now known as tn
Red Bridge, jus, this side Of Nj. Hope
That was the principal rcn iezvols Of tn,
In iians. and people rcsorted thither tt
traffic with them.
The records Of the town, at rsis tim3
ar, all desu Dyed except few leaves
On on, Of these is one Of the by laws o
the time-.'Every hog that is yoked b.
the hosrceve sh Ill receive four shlllings.
Among these leaves is also the record re
ftrrins TO a m aetiny hous, and minister
and although the recorded movemen
fliel. il was 70 loved by one more sue
cesstui winch I'D to the call and settle
IN mt of Rev. Seta Noble, who was in
st lie | with some ceremony under th'
sh d Of some o. X trees which sto oil be
tween Washin gton and Hancock streets
near he residence of Capt. SLow.
Mr.. Noble is remembered as tall
we'll formed mln, with rather thin. sh trl
features, smart and energetic. although
appre aching the evening OF life, and hi'
head crowned with venerable wiz, and
lis said to have be-n sound in doctrine
and faithful in preaching. Ii is quite
singular that, a,tl1ush h. wa. us ear
nest, aud continued his miulstrAtions ten
or twelve year, to his broad p!nsh-
which to * in Bangor. Brewer, Oring'
ton and Hamp plen-there was NJ single
case of known conversion.
For eleven years Of his min stry there
was no church. for the good rea'on tina,
there were no christians to Ike a church
of, <and the people thought 1t best not
to follow the modern fasllou of making
a chm oh of those who are not christians.
This singu'arlty is accounted tor from
the fact that none OF the early settlers
who came here. had any religious object
in view, but came solely for gain-some
10 catch fish-some to cnt timber. and
some to .et skins. But ifthey were not
religious men. they were knowing and