The Portland daily press., 1871-08-31
Field Days Of Maine Historical Society
CITY OF THE PAST ExHUMED HIGHLY IN.
TEREsTNG ACCOUNT oE THE RUINS.

TERESTlNG ACCOUNT DE THE RUINS |
[By some mistake the proceedings of the
,econd day were published for the first The
balance of the second will be completed a, it
mas been begun.
President Woods expressed his surprise as
we'll as his thanks and qualification at the
scenes and incidents of this occasion. They
were. indubitable proofs OF a high civilization
in the people of Bristol, whose interest and en-
deavors and courtesies made such showing.
This place is worthy of it all. No other place
in New England can be found where buried
city is to be unearthed.
Some say of our society, SIT is an aggrega-
ton of fossils, who have been we'll answered if |
fossils it shows remarkable signs of life." We
have here, and in this great gathering and its |
appointments, evidence of ths intelligence of |
the inhabitants of Bristol. There never should |
be any controversy between Pemaquid and
Plymouth. They are nearly related. England
had set up a claim to all New England. Title
without possession was nothing, and under
English law indefensabie. Other European
powers laid claim to the same soil, and here,
aud at SagadahOe, England planted her foot at
Pemaquid, rooted her commerce, set up her
bulwarks for the defense of the rights and ex-
istence of the colony. Plymouth is its chosen
place, and Plymouth and Pemaquid defended
New England.
Refreshments were now served again in the
great tent, whereHon. E. W. Farley was again
called out, and made most felicitous and hui
morous appeal to the delighted crowds around.
Also Rev. VIM. A. Drew, Of Augusta, who
made sensible and entertaining speech in
vndication of Plymouth, extalling the liberar-
ty of faith and recognition of the rights OF con-
science there defended, and concluded with an
effective thrust at SANDER, in the story of the
man who said he saw white headed eagle A.
over and little black dog setting on his tail:
and Mr.. Low, of Belfast, followed in some ham
py remarks on the religious motives and char
acter of the first colonists of America; when
the multitudes again gathered at the stand at
tracted by the rumor, that they should then
hear the tale of the Winding River from the
pen of the accomplishments. Maria Hackelton,
who, by 'force and arms" as it were, had no
alternative but to crafty the popular clamor,
for fresh treat of her exquisitely beautiful
PoctlC COuCtptlOuS OF GnlS locality.
A lady from Rockport, Mass, a descendent
ofJudge Giles of Pemaquid, who was slain by
the savages there in 1856, and his family broken
up and scattered into captivity, was presented
by Hon. Arnold Blaney, and thereupon the
facts of that ragedy exquisltely wrought into
verse, with most perfect sketching of the
surroundings, in landscape and homestead in
cidents, were given in she delicate and impress
sive tones of the fair authoress.
The Tale of the Winding River" is perfect
gem of moral paintings, and its recital brought
stiffness and tearfulness on all sides from the
densely packed multitudes before her.
Prof. John johnson, of Middleton, read de-
tail of recorded facts and connected history of
the place, but in so low tone we could not
hear it.
Inc whole thing was great a success, ex-
cept IN the management of the transportation
and the disappointment of tine multitudes. who
mad expected to listen to eloquent speeches
from representative men of the East Bangor and
Belfast and of the West, Portland and Lewis
ton and from Augusta, whose unsurpassed
maledictions, on the barge and her manage
ment, were long and loud and Deep
considerable sum of money was contribu-
ted on the spot toward the monument fund
and there is no doubt of its success Owing to
the badness of the atmosphere and the alb.
senee of other gentlemen of the society, the
examination of MOnhegan Island and its re-
mains was adjourned to an early day in Sep
TENDER.
FIFsT DAY,
FORT FRIEDRICH, Pemaquid, Aug. "a, 1871.
The unexpected arrival of the Knox and
Lincoln special trains, with full COMPANY,
representing Brunswick, Bangor, Augusta,
Lewiston, Kennebunk, and Belfast. and other
places in the State. and some from Boston.
started the barge, with two tugs, from Damar-
lscotta near a. M, morning of this date, for
femaquid harbor via. Rutherford Island
and the Thread of Life.' The barge was ca
pacious and comfortable in all her appoint
ments, and the company highly intelligent,
courteous, and cultivated in its character But
the weather was lowery, without rain heavily
numbered, however, at the start, with intermit-
ent fogs. A band of music enliveHed the vow
age, as we gently swept with the tide, by the
headlands and through the straits of the
ancient "Taniscot," full of expectations and
promises that o plu.aapt debarkatiop on the s;t-
oamest0wn of Pv--1-.-,.,---.A-~,.
all our fears and insure a successful issue to
the purposes in the interest of the history of
Maine in hand
At Hodgdon's Mills our suspicious were
started and doubts multiplied by che sudden
turning of the barge in shore to the wharves at
this place. The fog settled in heavy banks over
the passage of the "Thread of Life" and the
officers in command waited its rising. Presi-
dent Bourne, ex-President Wood and Secreta
ry of SuD-COm. OF the Me. His Soc:, together
with Mr.. futile, of Boston, and Mr.. Dean
Secretary of the Massachusetts Historical So
ciety, Mr. Wood, of Wiscasset, under the con-
duct of Edward Sewall, Esq, of Bath secured
r0w-boat and in little more than an hour
debarked upon the ruins of Fort Friedrich.
where we found the canopied staging filed
and all the surrounding elevations and an
proaches to the old Fort within esrshot crowd
ed with waiting and patient groups of inter-
ested hearers, young and old, male and fe
male. Within the per-view of the eye from
this point about, fresh upturned soil here and
there, where pavements had been laid bare. or
some ancient ruin cropped out, fragments of the
living mass were scattered in companies of ten
or dozen or more, all apparently in earnest
investigation of the remarkable facts and fea-
lures unearthed before them.
INAUGURAL SERVICES.
The Hon. David Chamberlain. of Bristol
called the multitude together, and Hon. Judge
blalney, OF Bristol, was called to preside. R.
K. Sewall, Esq, who. in announcing the occa-
sion and reasons of the present gathering and
OF the presence of the Maine Historical Socie
ty, stated:
R. K. sEwALL's REMARKS
That at special meeting of the society, held
at Augusta, in Feb ruary, 1869, the question of
tne existence of paved streets at Pemaquid,
was discussed, some alleging cccular demon
stratlon, and others denying the fact, when on
motion of Hon. j. w. Bradbury large COM
mlttee OF the society was appointed to visit the
spot, explore the premises, and report the facts.
on the 18th of Aug, following that committee,
proceeded to Bristol, and generously aided by
the good citizens, fully examined the matter
IN dispute, and found the half had not been told
Jor sections Of pdUen,ents, artisticdUu built of
beach cobbe- stones, acih perfect cutters and curb
angs, were opened and examined, unearthed
from the depth of a foot or more of SOIL above
which the tall-grown grass had long waved and
often been shorne and made into hay. Further
examination disclosed other facts, showing
that Maine here had a mysterious, but buried
history, to unearth which the citizens of Bris-
toll were promised a field-day exercise in two
years from that date, by this society, on copdi-
ton that they would make fuller explanations
Of their ancient remains, and gather up for the