Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-09-18
orr EXCURSION.

day morning to Vienna, pretty little quiet
village nestled down by the side of pond,
and surrounded with hills and slopes which,
notwithstanding the recent drought, are now
almost as verdant as in June. The road is
smooth, hard and not very billy; the farms
are well cultivated, and the buildings neat
and inviting in their appearance. Within
mile or two of Sandy river it began to be more
dry and dusty, and some fields looked bare
and parched. The ride along the Sandy river,
from Pennington Falls for a number of miles
above Pennington village, is one of the most
beautiful to be found in the State of Maine.
Mountains are only seen at distance, when
seen at all but the river winding in its SER
pentine course through wide meadows of in
tervale land clothed with the loveliest green,
on which the scorching rays of the summer
seem to have had no power, the gentle slopes
of the low lying hills extending back, the
scattered trees which dot both meadows and
hill-sides, and the pretty farm houses and
| ample out buildings, form one of the sweetest
and most attractive scenes that can be found.
| There is probably not finer village of its
size in the State than Pennington. 1t looks
prosperous and thriving and is gradually
reaching out into the surrounding country land
extending its area of handsome houses and
pleasant streets. The recent extension of the
railroad across the river, will add to its facili-
ties for business. 1t is the natural centre of
all the surrounding country.
Here is the State Normal School, one of the
NEST valuable and useful Of our public in
situations, whose increasing popularity vim
dicates the wisdom of the policy which es-
tablished and still cherishes it. Names best
no money expended in improving this staple
product should be grudgingly bestowed.
very pretty feature of this village, is the
Little Blue school for boys, with its fine
buildings, its grounds so tastefully laid out
and kept in order, its winding stream, its
natural mound called Little Blue, climbed on
different sides of its steep ACTIVITY by steps,
its groves of both indigenous and exotic
trees, its rustic bridges, arbors and seats, of
every variety of ingenious and picturesque
construction. This school, founded years ago
by John Abbott, has fourished ever since
under succession of excellent teachers. The
proprietor owns a tract of land at the foot of
Mount Blue, and every summer takes his
school there for some weeks to moralize and
improve their physical health.
The ride from Pennington to Phillips along
the banks of the Sandy river, is one of the
most romantic and enchanting that can be
imagined. We come now into the region of
mountain scenery. On either bank of the |
river rises the steep side of wood crowned
eminence, often to height of probably more
than a Thousand feet, sometimes so abrupt as
to defy the foot of man to climb, and some
bank as to leave scarcely space for road at
its foot, and sometimes receding so as to |
allow room for a range of side-hill farms. |
The road is smooth, level and well made. 1t |
passes often times through long reaches of |
woodland, not too dense to admit the rays of |
the sun, nor to permit frequent views through |
the trees of the beautiful Sandy river, slowly |
winding along between its banks.
Phillips village is finely situated, and
shows evidence of thrift and growth. Several |
handsome houses are in process of erection
1t suffered severely from the freshet two
years ago, but has rapidly recuperated. The
river here flows, or rather tumbles along a
bed Of broken and worn blocks of granite, of
every conceivable shape, some Of them loose
but most of them wedged tightly together
How or by what commissions of nature these
masses of solid stone could have been thus |
broken up and piled in apparent confusion, is
a mystery yet unsolved. Here may be seen
many of those singular holes, in various
shapes, which appear to have been ground
into the solid rock, some of them several
feet in depth.
We have this morning q clear and cloud
less sky, crisp and bracing air, and smart
frost on the ground. SENIOR.