The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-12-29
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II he Centennial Celebration Of the settle
alcn5 Of Belfast December 2l, 1870.
BY HON. JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
The faculty of looking before and after, which be-
longs to us rational beings cannot be better en-
ployed, than III calling up to grateful recollection,
on appropriate occasions, the tolls and suffer
lngs OF those. to whom. rs a community. we owe
our existence. II is pious office TO the past;
ana who Is there that can still the fond hope within
him, that when the sun has again for a hundred
years performed its mighty circuit of the heavens,
and each of us in this asselnblage shall alike have
been for years laid loW-our childrens children, in
returning to revive these rites at the close OF an
other century, will retrace with pleasure, the record
OF our humble proceedings, and in the language of
Sir Walter Scott, concerning Old Mortality, feel
thankful that we have spent An evening sin renew
ing to the eyes of p0sterty, the decaying elements
of the zeal and sutferings of our foretahers!" :"
THE PENoBsCor COUNTRY A WILDERNESS IN 1759.
Until 159 the whole eastern section of the State
remained an unbroken wilderness French colonies
had indeed previously existed at Mount Desert and
tastne- but they were of short duration. From
Georges river to The st. CroiX, the whole line of
our coast, that now has in its harborS the flourish
ing settlements and active commerce which it is so
well adapted by nature to sustain was unmarked
by single white habtaton. Into the prmnval
forest which frnged the shores of our Bay, cii-
liZed person had penetrated, no surveyors chain
had measured its bonndaries,-no Christian eye
had searched its dismal shades and the limits of the
different grants and patent, that appeared paper
were based only on estimate or conjecture. For Il
long time the success Of the French In Canada,
and the consequent hostility of the Indians who,
after forifcations had been erected upon other
large rivers in our State, made the Pcnobscot the
only avenue through which to conduct their san
culinary expeditions against the border towns rem
dered this portion Of the country insecure. and dis
healtened any attempt at its settlement.
ERECTION or FORT POWNALL. INDIAN IiOsTILITlEs
IrDN
A part of the bold and extensive plan of military
operations of Great Britain, which resulted in the
capture of Quebec, to terminate these Indian
lncufsonS, by establishing fort the banks of
the Penobscot waters and taking formal possession
OF the contiguous territory. Accordingly, in the
spring of 1859, force of four hundred men, COM
nanied Ivy the Governor of Massachusetts, i'll per
son. embarked from Boston for the purpose
General Samuel Waldo. who had recently become
proprietor Of the immense tract of land known as
the waldo Patent" accompanied the enterprise
moi IN amy official capacity, but simply on tour OF
observations On the eleventh OF May. the party
reached what is now fhomaston, where they re-
manned several days. From thence, portion of
the troops marched through the woods to the mouth
OF the PaElsegasawackeag. a river which Gov. Pow
nails journal OF the VOYAGE, says '.runs into the
PenobScot about thirty miles from Georges" The
shipping met them here; and probably on the site
ol oar ctv. conference with several OF the Indians
took place. The Governor announced his future
policy i'll nnmistakable terms. He told them thai
he had come to build a fort; and to make the land
English; that they should enjoy their facilities for
hunting and fishing, and have Il free market for
fnrs; the price to be regulated by agreement At
the same me,thcy were distinctly advised, that the
commission OF any offences against the people,
would be visited with the most condgn punish
meni.
Proceeding to Fort Point, the Governor com
menced erecting there the projected fertilization,
the ruins of which are now visible. 1t was com
pcted in the following July, and named Fort
PotCA0U. Until the Revolutionary War, il was
strongly garriSoned.
The establishment of this military station, added
to the firm language addressed by Gov. Pownall.
produced upon the Indians the desired effect.
Within year, deputies from the Pcnobscot tribe
appeared Al Boston, and acknowledged themselves,
without amy restrictions or limitations, subjects OF
the crown Of Great Britain" BY the account of
these deputies, their tribe then contained five
sachems and seventy-threc warriors. An invioate
peace succeeded and freedom from all fear of the
dreaded warwhoop and tomalawk, soon gave
tNotIhiS ,hii,tiSF 10 nilSIatioh ~ iiie pouI-
t)lrles Of the Waldo Patent had never been accur-
atciy determined, measures for establishing its
limits were Immediately entered upon, and the
Whole terlitory WAS divided into sections. The
tide "t population soon began to flow, and with
in ten years. many townships on the PcnolrsrGt
waters, became permanently inhabited. Next to
Prospect, which originally comprised stockton and
a portion Of NcarSport. and whose settlement dates
from the erection Of the fort, Belfast, then called
PaSsagassaWakeas Plantation, was the first tract
surveyed by the Waldo propretors to actual pur-
gla~erS. This was i'll 16S
DEFINITION OF PAsSAGASSAWAkEAG.
The definition OF this almost unprono,nceabe
name Of our river il obscure. The title first ap-
pears in the journal of Governor Pownall already
cited. Tradition afirms that it was derived from
the natives who, terrified by ignes fntUi or lumin-
ous meeors, seen i'll damp night on the eastern
shore, where existed deposit of decaying animal
or vegetable matter exclaimed to some old hunters,
" Passagassawakeag,' or g place Of ghosts, or
spirits" Recent investigations into the Abenaki
language afford more probable explanation. In
the Indian dialect, Pas pos, passa signify great;
eSs, elan; the plural being cssak; wabi, wampi,
wmbi, triette, clenr, Shaiio,r; keag, l,lace max
ing Passagassawakeag. ''lhe great clam clear or
shallow water place In plain English. The great
place for clans in shallow water. or where there
are mud flats. In the Mohegan dialect, .Sota,oong
is the word Tor round cams.* Is not this analysis
reasonable, in connection with the extensive mud
flats IN our harbor, and the fact that Belfast clams
have reputation which extends to the interior of
our State? II is related that in the early avs of
the plantation, CLANS were very abundant, and
during severe winter they saved the inhabitants
from pcrishng, until relief arrived from neighbor-
ing towns, This incident originated the following
burleSque stanZa which used to be much repeated
many wears ago;
Camden for beauty
Northport for pride,