The Republican journal., 1874-01-08
ANNALS OF BELFAST FOR NALP A CENTURY.
BY AN OLD SETTLER.
CHAPTER II. (1S05.)

building so called stands, there was Il
building occupied as a store by Brown and
Mcdonald: Edmund Brown and Simon
D. Mcdonald. Mr.. Brown was the brother
of the late John G. Brown, and of Mrs.
Haraden. widow of the late John Haraden :;
no descendant Of his is living here Mr.
Mcdonald was the father OF Mr.. George
Mcdonald, grandfather of the McDonalds
now living in our midst, and discharging
the duties of their various occupations
with credit to themselves and the place of
their nativity, This building now consti-
tutes part Of the Telegraph building :;
the part nearest High street. This as
well as the Hopkins house stood on elevat-
ed ground; the underpinning on the north
erly and easterly sides remains where it
was originally placed Many years after
wards the bank on the High street side
was taken away and the cellar converted
| into grocery store. In no long process
Of time it became the tavorte resort of a
| portion OF the population whose stomachs
struck the hours of IL A. NJ. and P. NJ
as regularly as the clocks did, if there
ever was any perceptible difference of
| time it was generally ascertained that the
clock had lost a few minutes
There are many queer incidents con
nected with this ancient locality, remem-
bered, doubtless, by many still living 1t
was here that the logical butcher ''agreedA
to the argument Of his adversary, and in
| proof of it knocked him down; it was
! here that the bluff old sea-captan declared
| that, ''by kyst-there never was 4 time
when he had more liquor aboard than he
could carry" to which startling assertion
brother of the craft replied that it might
be so, but that he had seen him many
time when he would have made better
headway if he had gone twice for it; it
was here that for many a year the hat was
''1humbed,N the book ''cut,H and the cop
per "tiipped1 it was here that the Yorick
Of those days, "a fellow of infinite lest, of
most excellent fancy" was wont to .'set
the table on a roar: it was here that the
courteous request was 50 often made,
"Wait a moment, if you please; the
Captains coming; and it was here that
once upon time worthy citizen, yield
ing to the influences of good fellowship,
imbibed sufficient quantity of motire
1'oacer to carry him home, and through his
wife's loom, carrying away the web with
him, and in reply to the reproachtul init
nation of the good woman that he was
drunk, apologized for himself andattempt-
ed to pacify her by saying. ''don't say a
word, wife; it didn't cost me 4 cent y
But time would fail to recount, or even
allllde to 4 1.-THE of the "reminiscences that
cluster around the locality once the scene
of so much wit and observation-disclosures
meat shop ''To what base uses we may
return, Horatio!'
Next westwardly from the Telegraph
building, on the same side of Main street,
stood one story dwelling house built by
Dr. John S. Osborn, father Of the late
Alonzo Osborn, in 1895; it was the first
framed house erected on Main street; ii
$3.50 d. 1911 1906 ,rl,an ii was re-
moved after passing through many vcis-
STUDIES, and the Eagle Hotel, now the
American House, was erected on its site.
Ii is now standing, portion Of it at least,
occupied rs 4 wheelwright shop, on the
street running from Iayford block to HIGH
street
The next building on Main street west
erly from the Osborn house on the same
side Of the street, was the house formerly
owned and occupied By Judge Crosby;
now occupied by his son, VIM. G. Crosby
1t was erected in 1903 by John Miliken
who sold it before it was finished and re-
moved to Davistown; it was first occupied
as q dwelling in the spring of 1905,
The next to that on the same side Of the
road, was log house on the farm now
owned by Mr.. Josiah Mitchell, formerly
known as the IIartshorn place; it was the
last survivor of the log houses that stood
in the vicinity of the village. On the
building between the Hopkins house, now
the Howes store, and u log house on the
farm now owned by Mr.. Franklin Banks;
formerly the Campbell place; distance
about one mile.
Returning to Nesmith's Corner, next be-
low it on the same side of Main street
Hubbard, and occupied Mr.. Derby asa store
and dwelling, the other by James Cassin:
Cassin remained here but a short time
Hubbard, better known in later day rs
Doctor Hubbard. remained here a long
time; finally went to Norridgewoek, in
1916 and died there not far from 1888.
The warfare Of life finished, it is TO be
hoped that he has found 4 good neighbor-
hood; for it was his frequent complaint in
life that he had always had the misfortune
to live IN bad one The stores occupied
by Samuel S. Hersey and T.. 4 l.. L. Rob-
bins stand where these stores stood; they
| were both destroyed by fire in the winter
Of 1929. AT the time of the fire they We're
| occupied by Frederic A. Lewis and James
L. Norris; in the chambers were the law
| offices of Judge Crosby and his son, whose
libraries were entirely consumed
Next below the Cassn store stood a
large two story building, used for the
twofold purpose of store and dwelling,
erected by Capt. Samuel Pierce Of the
Belfast militia, Of whose military career
mention may be made hereafter. Some
years later it was occupied by Ladd 4
| Morrill,, a firm which existed for may
years and was dissolved in 1929 dur ng
their occupancy, in January 1921, it was
| burned, as well as small building adjoin-