The Portland daily press., 1872-04-10
THE PRESS.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 10, ,7s.
The Collection of Customs and thc Site
of the New Custom House.


To the Editor Of the Press:
When Collector Washburn closed his remarks
on the origin of the plan and construction of
this elegant erection, and began the list of for
mer officers, the first one named, Moses Pear
son, who was appointed in 1870 and held the
office until 1749, reminded me that the ground
over which we stood was part of his home
lot, and that his house stood Immediately oppo-
site on Fore street.
He was a joiner and came here from Nav
bury in 1928, then thirty-one years old. and in
1870, the same year of his appointment, he
purchased of Daniel Ingersol the old Danforth
grant lying east of Willow street, and reach
ing to Middle street. Ingersol described it in
the deed as Ibis fathers former possession"
Mr. Pearson Immediately opened Willow street
through his lot, and built his house where the
Commercial House formerly stood on Fore
street, which he occupied until the destruction
of the town in 1775, when it was burnt D.,
In 1745, he commanded a company from here
at the siege of Louisburg Cape Breton, under
Sir William Pepperel After its capture Capt
Pearson was appointed treasurer of the nine
regiments employed in the seige to receive and
distribute the spoils of victory, which were
immense. He remained at Louisburg superin-
tending the construction of barracks and hos
pital and the repairing of the Notifications,
and was sent home by Governor Shirley in 1746
to procure material to complete the works. A
tract of land now comprising part of Stand
ish was granted in 1850 to certain persons living
in this vicinity as a remuneration for their ser
vices and suffcrings in that expedition. This
tract was called s'Pearsontown" until its incor-
porat'on in 1875. Capt. Pearson was the first
sheriff of Cumberland County, and afterwards
Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He
died in 1878, aged 81.
History and tradition describe the square oc-
cupied by the new custom house as a grassy
slope from Fore street to the lodges washed by
the tide at high water mark at about the east
line of Commercial street. in Mr.. Pearson's
time, but it was afterward used as ship yard
which broke the turf and the soil washed away in
storms. On this bank the Indians hauled ND
their canoes when Gov. Shirley met them here
by appointment in 1854 to make treaty. On
the 21st of June, AZ Indians of the Norridge-
wock tribe arrived, and the Governor with his
party arrived ON the Goth. The Penobscots to
the number of % arrived July 5th.
The treaty was signed with the Norridgewocks
July 2nd and was ratified on the Sd, when the
usual dance took place-yery probably on this
same grassy slope. This conference was to get
the consent of the Indians to the building by
the English of a fort at Cushnoc Falls (Augus-
ta) and another at Ticonnet in the town of
Winslow. They first refused but finally con-
sented to it. Several transports had arrived
with 800 troops, in company with Gov. Shirley,
commanded by Gen. Winslow and encamped on
Bangs's Island. This force was for an expedi-
ton up the Kennebec to fortify the passes to
Canada and see if report was true that the
French had already commenced settlement
there. Gen. Winslow was taken sick soon af-
ter starting on the expedition and Brigadier
Prebe of Falmouth, had the immediate com
mand of the troops under Governor Shirley,
who built Fort Halifax at Ticonnet; one small
block house of which is still standing.
Probably the boats Of the transports, which
daily brought the officers and a detachment of
soldiers from the camp on the Island to the
conference, were hauled up at the same place,
although history only mentions the canoes
The conference was held in the meeting house,
and probably motley crowd of white and red
men met on that slope every morning waiting
for the gun from the man of war which brought
the Governor, for the gathering of the confer
ence; the dignitaries and officers in cooked
hats and knee breeches and the Indians gay,
in red paint and feathers.
The Governor stopped at Jabez Fox's who
lived on the south side of Exchange street. on
the spot where J. b. Brown s. Sons Banking
house now is. What is now Portland was
then village of one hundred and fifty to sew
enty-fve families.
We will contrast the visit of the Royal Gov
ernor of that day with that of Governor Per
ham, who honored Collector washburn's house
EARNING with his presence. Gov Shirley ap-
peared according to the custom of the day, as
his portrait shows, in powdered wig and laced
hat, red coat with laced breast and broad skirts,
with ruffies at his neck and hands, drab vest
and small clothes, with light hanger in sill
yer scabbard and silver shoe and knee buckles
With him was his council and several repre-
sentatives-among them John Hancock of the
bold hand They came in man of war accom-
panied by eight hundred troops, in transports
his chaplain was the Rev. Mr.. Brockwell of
the Kings Chapel, Boston. Mr.. Smith says on
Sunday, ''Parson Brotkwell preached in the
forenoon, and carried it on in the church form. -
Kings Chapel had just been rebuilt and is sub
stantially the same now with the exception of
the creed which is sadly changed. 1t was then
under the charge of the Bishop of London
Within my recollection the colonial Governors
pew was standing one step higher than the
rest, with Corinthian pillars and crimson dam
ask tapestry. On the walls of this church are
elegantly carved marble tablets with latin in
scriptions to the memory of Gov. Shirley, his
wife and daughter whose bodies repose in a
vault under the church.
According to modern custom Governor Per-
ham comes quietly to town in the train unat-
tended except perhaps by Maj Shaw. No one
outside of the hotel knows he is here; and when
invited by the Collector to speak for the State
two gentlemen in plain clothes 60 forward arm
in-arm to the stand; one is plain mechanic of
the opposite political party, and the other our
noble Governor, with nothing in his dress to
distinguish him from his attendants verify
things have changed. w. G.