The Portland daily press., 1869-10-02
the BANGOR CEEsBRATt0N.
The Procession, Orations, Hymns,
sueeches and Incidents.

centennial Oues. Shoe dealers nau teahs
with men at work and many other trades
and branches Ofbusiness were represented
At the junction ofBoyd and York streety
the profession passed under an arch was
with the inscription september, 1863,
First House erected near this spot"
The exercises in the tent began about
noon. Rev. DIR. Pond. the Oldest clergy
man in the city invoked a blessing after
which the 'Pilgrim Chorus" was sung by
the PenObscOt Musical Association. with
an orchestral accompaniment by the Ger
mania Band. Ex-Mayor G. w. Pickering
presided assisted by long list of Vice
Presidents representing the old families of
the city among whom were eleven eX-
Mayors. The following hymn, written
for the occasion by Mrs. b. II Mace was
then sung:
God of our days! Thy guiding power,
Sustained the lonely pioneer,
Who first beneath the forests shades,
His evening campfire kinded here,
To Thee, a welcome sacrifice, 81 H .
Its smoke assembled to the skies.
God Of the years as summers fed
Within the wild new homes were reared,
New gardens bloOmed, new affairs famed,
And songs ofpraise the Sabbaths cheered.
Until the fair young city stood,
Gem of the eastern solitude.
God of the centuries To-day
hundred years their tale have told,
Ana lingering IN I0elr Solemn Snaue,
We listen to the days of old,
To us, how vast the century flight,
To Thee as watches in the night.
God of eternity Thy hand
To noble hills has beckOned on
The fathers, who by many tolls,
For us this pleasant dwelling won,
With them hereafter may we raise
Celestial cities to thy praiscl
Hon. John E. Godfrey, Judge of Pro-
bate, and native of the city then deliver
ed a long and deeply interesting Grafton.
He traced the history of the discovery
and early settlement of Maine to 1863
when Jacob Russell from Salisbury, Mass,
erected the first log cabin in the now
prosperous city almost ON the spot where
the Catholic Church now stands. His son
Stephen, and Caleb Goodwin, of Cast,ne,
with wife and eight children arrived in the
following year. But in 1771-72 came the
immigration which more than that of any
other year left its impress upon the city.
Then came Howard, bennett, Crosby,
Webster and others mostly from Bruins
wick and Woolwich. The descendants of
two of these, Simon Crosby and Thomas
Howard, still occupy portions of. the land
The Hathorns erected the first saw mill
would have been a great convenience to
the people, if they had built gristmill
also, for they were obliged to convey their
corn for grinding, by water, to a mill a
little way above Fort Point. But they
usually avoided this labor by pulvelizing
their corn in mortaIs until the year 1776,
when Benz. Wheeler erected a gristmill
upon the SOuadabscook stream in Hamp-
den. auT :
The first death in Bangor was that of a
Mr.. Cotton, in III. The first marriage is
supposed to have been in Jacob Busselps
family. The first birth was that of Mary,
daughter of Thomas Howard, and mother
of our fellow citizen, Capt. John A. May
hew. She was born June 30, 1771. The
important event of the year 1773, was the
establishment of the first school in Bangor.
Miss Abigail Ford applied herself to the in
struction of children in a log house upon
the fiat, near Treats Falls. Let the name
ofthe first teacher be Observation-Disclosures
Ford. Before the close of the year 1774,
Plantation, which extended from Soudabs-
cook Stream to Saltwater, then called
Deadwater.
The first framed house in Bangor was
built by the Hathorns for Jedediah Preble,
befO.e the Revolution. 1t was situated on
the bank ofthe Penobscot, few rods south
OfPenjejawOck stream. 1t was at first occu-
pied by Capt. Jameson as tavern, and
was the first hotel in Bangor.
DR.. John Herbert who came to the
young settlement in IVA was the first ply
sician. Some of the emigrants were of
the Puritan stamp; all were industrious
and enterprising. Religious services were
frequently held by travelling preachers
but the first clergyman to settle in town
was the Rev. Seth Noble, a native of West
field, Mass, who came in17SG,with his wife
and three little children. There was no
organized church in the plantation, but the
people wanted settled religious teacher
and engaged MIR. Noble at a stipend of
of f100 a year. He was installed under
some ancient oaks near the corner of Oak
and Washington Streets. One other cler-
gyman was present.
The fast growing town was incorporated
in 1871. There were several mechanics in
Bangor who had not had an opportunity
to exercise their trades. The incorpora-
ton of the town induced to new enterprises
and their skill was in requisition. Major
Treat who had for many years carried on
successful traffic with the Indians just
below the Penjejawock, gave these me.
chanics employment in building ship in
that neighborhood, which was completed
in two years. This was the first sailing
NCSScl thdil ii UOdt, ctCI Du'lt III Ddil-
gor, or Git is said) above Fort Point. In
1895 saw-mill was erected by William
Hammond and John Smart near the head
of the tide on the Kenduskeag. A mill
had been previously built at the fall near
''Lover's Leap" by Mr.!Potter.
In 1900 the population was but 277,
difficulties with regard to land
titles -discouraging settlements. The
growth of the town during the first
quarter of century was very irregular.
A fatal epidemic in 1S09-l0. the embargo,
the war of 1872 and the cold seasons of
1916 and t1S16 had detrimental effect.
But against all obstacles, all calanities,
and Notwithstanding all evil auguries, it
kept OH its way. 1t was made a city in
1884. s.... .,...-,- 20.
Judge Godfreytlclosed by prophesying
future or Bangor such as its past would
seem to warrant. Rev. DR.. George e.
Adams of Brunswick then delivered
poem by Mrs. e. L. Crosby which was re-
ceived with much favor.
In the afternoon there was an engine
trial in East Market Square, the Excelsiors
OF Saltwater winning the prize, and a
regatta. In the first race six batteauX
started and the prize was won by VIM.
Corners crew of lumbermen. The second
was between Indians in canoes.
At the dinner Mayor Thurston presided.
Speeches were made by Senator Hamlin,
Hon. A. G. Jewett of Belfast, Rev. DIR. S.
l.. Caldwell of Providence, Hons. j. S.
Harlow OF Boston, E. L. Hamlin and John
A. Peters of Bangor, Rev. Mark Trafton,
EX-M. G. from Massachusetts, Hons. John
A. Poor and Phineas Barnes of this city
and others. Hon. E. L. Hamlin produce
ed an account book of Robert Treat
who traded in Bangor in 1779.-
He then read extracts from accounts
agains. various individuals, among them
Parson Noble, in which the article named
most frequently was "rum,' or "toddy."
or "flip." There was most extraofdi-
nary account against old Bulge who used
to own the whole City Point. The first
charge was forty-four gallons of whiskey!
and other things in the same tenor.
Letters we're read from Hon. Peleg W.
Chandler of Boston, Rev. John o. Fiske
of Bath, Jeremiah Curtis, j. Warren Ma
son and others. The affair was a great
success.