The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-07-07

To the Editor of the Press:
Fort Fairfield, as the most of your readers
already know, lies directly upon the easterly
side OF the State, and adjoining New Bruins.
wick. There having been some dispute as to
the true location of this line somewhere about
the year 1888, and that dispute having culmin-
ated, if that last is proper word, in terribly
bloodlesS war, about that time, treaty was
entered into by the conflicting powers, under
winch the mater not long after was amicably
adjusted, and new cast-iron posts, suitably in
scribed, and at convenient distances, and ex-
tending from the old Monument near the
source of the st. Croix, to the river St. John,
about thirty miles above here readily point out
the Queens d0minions upon the one side. and
Uucle's Samueps territory upon the other
The nearest point of our village to the line,
over the travelled road, is but little more than
cousins are very near neighbours having daily
incourse and with cOnsciences void OF orense,
so far as we both are concerned.
Up to the time of the 'Aroostook war; a
large part of the territory must have been
terra incOg" a sort of an unknown REGION
With the influx brought about by that war,
and immigration since, it has become largely
developed, and every day adds to our knowl-
edge of its agricultural and other advantages.
More of this bye and bye.
About midway of our village, and few rods
back of the main street, is a very high hill, al
most inaccessible in front, but with an easy
grade at either end and in the rear. 1 will not
say how high it is, because I do not know, and
7 will r
guessing but it is ia very considerable hill, I
assure you, the top nearly! level covering sew
eral acres, and affording Zone of the finest
views imaginable. Here are the remains of a
fort, built by our Government in the time of
the great war alluded to to keep off the nvad-
ers of our SACRED soil" suppose. Here the
soldiers had their barracks, and the officers
had their quarters Here was heard the drum
and the fife. Here the big gun Numbered
terrors into the ears of the blue. nose enemy,
and over all, foated the stars and stripes. But
alas! the glory has departed. The blue coats
have gone long ago. The flagstaff has fallen.
The fort has rotted down and decayed, or been
carried off by pieces, AMI destroyed. The ru.
ms, the parapet, and the officers quarters now
converted into three modest, unassuming
dwellings, alone remain TO remind the passing
observer of the terrible scenes of the great
Aroostook acdr "Sic transit" &c.
Some four rods back of where the fort was
are the graves of two OF the soldiers. A neat
railing, with very unpretentious head boards,
painted black, marked the spots where these
men lie, but the hand of time has touched
these, too, and the railing has gone, and the
head boards have become defaced and broken
down, the inscriptions upon them, if any, have
disappeared and there is nothing upon them
to tell whose bones they are, that are moulder-
ing beneath. So we go. We pass off the
stage and are buried. la few years we are
forgotten. Our graves remain. Everybody
knows that somebody lies there, but how few
know, how fewer still care, who!
The hill is rightly known as Fort HILL Ev-
cry one spending day in town, should visit
it, Beneath it, and almost at its very base,
flows the beautiful Aroostook, and for miles
up the river and down, the eye takes in the
most splendid landscape, adorned with some
OF the prettiest intervae farms, it ever rested
upon. The town derives its name from the
fort we have spoken Of, and from the Hon.
John Fairfield. who in our earliest DAYS and in
times which tried the souls of the people dow n
this way, sorely, was our honored Executive
Chief Yours, E.
Fort Fairfield July 8, 1871.