The Portland daily press., 1862-07-07
COMMUNICATIONS.
REPORTED for Portland Daily Press.l
Centennial Celebration at Windham

Reported for Portland Daily Press.l
Centennial Celebration at Windham.
The Fourth of July was celebrated in Wind
ham In superior maner. Never has that
staid old TOWN witnessed such an ovation. The
gathering centred at Windham Hill, and it is
fair to allow at least three thousand strangers
in attendance. All Windham was out en-
,nasse. convened to commemorate their one
hundredth birthday as town, and to hear one
of their returned sons speak Of the past. pres
ent and prospective of the town and nation.
At 10 o'clock, A. NJ, DIR. c. G. Parsons was
chosen Presinent, and Peter Hall and VIM.
Gould, Esqs., Secretaries.
DIR. Parsons opened with few remarks
This day, he remarked, was remarkable; a
day, perhaps, calculated to awaken deep emo
tions and strong feelings He bid hearty
welcome to the sons and daughters Of Wind
ham, who had come from abroad. and hoped
that the memories of their childhood would
rekindle their former love for their old, native
town, and bind them closer to it hereafter
His remarks were well timed and well ex-
pressed.
Reading from the Bible followed. by Rev.
Mr.. wiswall, resident minister. Prayer by
Rev. II. Whitcher, of Falmouth, followed
by an
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF wTNDHAM, BY 7. L.
; SMITH, ESQ.
The town of Windham was originally a
township granted by the General Court of
Massachusetts, to sixty inhabitants of Marble
head. The grantees gave the township the
name of New Marblehead in honor of Mar
blehead, Mass, to which the grantees belonged.
1t retained its name, as such, until incorporat-
ed. The conditions of the grant were, that
the home lots should be sixty-three in number,
and all future divisions in equal proportions.
Three of the rights were to be reserved; one
for the first settled minister, one for ministe-
rial fund, and one for the support of schools.
These rights severally embraced one sixty
third part of all the township. The right re-
served for the first settled minister, vested in
Rev. John Wight, in 1743 From the sale of
land reserved for ministerial fund and school
purposes, the town now has school and min
isterial fund. Thus early was Massachusetts,
planting here the seeds of education.
Windham was incorporated by its present
name, june II, 1862. The first town meeting
after the incorporation was held July s. 1852.
Many may not understand why this was done
July 9TH, instead of 4th. Notwithstanding the
incorporation was fourteen years before the
Declaration of Independence, our ancestors
were far-seeing men, and saw what was to be
fI,a Ans of fba cfru ria Ind
and accordingly had their incorporation as
near the 4th of July as possible THE 4th
was Sunday.)
Windham was the sixteenth town incorpo-
rated in this State. Windham has raised one
governor (Andrew), and Scarborough one,
iKing). OF the doings of the town in revolu-
tionary times, we read on the records, at
town meeting held March Is, 1775:
"voted, that twenty-seven pounds be raised
as soon as possible to provide town stock of
ammunition"
"voted, to choose man to fix up the great
gun and swivels."
'voted, that Capt. Caleb Graffam be the
man to fix up the great gun and swivels, as
soon as possible
Nothing can be ascertained respecting this
"great gum it went into continental service,
but was not brought back. Possibly said the
speaker, it is before Richmond to-day.
During the revolutionary war there was but
one military company in town. The number
of men enrolled at any one time did not exceed
fifty-fye, Of whom thirty were known to be
out in service at one time. During the war
seventy-one performed service, and in one of
the darkest periods of the revolution the town
voted to raise s22s0 in silver money to support
the war
SUMMARY OF STATISTICS.
Grant of the townshp-December 1884
No. Of acres Of land in the townshp-26,l ,l59.
Proprietors' meeting-July 4, 1875.
First assessment, by Capt. Thomas Chute
July 80, 1887.
First settled minister, Rev. John Wright,
1743.
Town incorporated-Jun l2, 1902
First town meeting-July 5, 1762
First post Office established--1T9S.
Ministerial fund, $1,000.
School fund, S2433
State valuation of taxable property in 1860,
s7S6,75s.
Population in 1s60-2635.
No. of scholars in lS62A950.
An appropriation of one hundred pounds