The Republican journal., 1874-08-20
ANNALS OF BELFAST FOR NALF A CENTURY,
BY AN OLD SETTLER.
CHATTER XIV. IS2Ol


population of Belfast was 3077 an in
crease of 1851 since 1920. That population
consisted of 1885 males, 1902 females.
There were GS persons between the ages
of 60 and 20; "a between 20 and so; y
between so and 80, and one over 80. The
population of the county was 29,7Sl; the
population of the towns composing it was
220O2 in 1920 showing an increase in ten
years of 1882.
The cauldron OF reform, social, moral
and political was bubblng violently here
and hercabouts this year. Anti-gamhling.
anti-liquor-drinking anti-running-in-lcbt,
anti-litigation, gance-n-living
and various associations of similar charac-
ter were organized Alas tor poor, weak
human nature = it was but q brief time
before the witches who mixed the broth
were detected in appropriating it to their
own private use. A natural feeling Of
disgust followed the detection; reaction
followed and as usual consequence the
good cause suffered Scheming, selfish
men, and honest but deludcd fanatics,
strove to seduce the honest and credulous
into the worship of strange Gods; hut the
result was then-as it always will be until
human nature is Sancttied-the deceived
and led astray soon became iconocaSts,
the strange Gods were cast down and
broken to fragments and the priests Of
iiciating at their affairs were tramplcd in
the dust
Early in the year the Belfast lvceum"
was organized and Constitution adopted
The first officers elected were William
Stevens, Esq. President, Oliver A. Wash
burn, Vice Pres, Justuq llurd Sec. The
first article in the Constitution declared
that its object was 1.-THE diffusion OF Useful
knowledge" it contemplated the purchase
of "a library and apparatus TO illustrate
the Sciences. Its meetings were held
semi-monthly through the ycar Among
the Lecturers residing here were Rev VII
liam rockingham. Hon Alfred johnson
,Jr. Doctors Monroe. Alden. Moody and
Barker, William Stevens William e.
Crosby and Albert Bingham ESquircs,
Mess, Samuel Upton. H. e. X. Calct.
Edward Palmer and Francis II. Upton.
There We're two fires this wear, neither
OF them in the village The dwelling
house OF Nicholas .Irfords nj the Head Of
the Tide was burned. with the greater
portion Of lis contents, in the afternoon Of
the 18th OF January: the dwelling house
of Nathaniel Patterson on the cast side Of
the river was burned in the evening Of
Sunday the 10Th of July. There is 4
tradition thai the fire was discovered by 4
yonn" man and woman who We're hanging
on 4 front cate on The west side of the
river about 10 o'clock Of The evening
above referred to-.
The noon mail OF fine SIN ot Y,cbru,ry
Lrnnobt tbn ;,tolI;onnrn tbat Jnnothan =
IJnnton had been declared by fine l,e~isla.
tm,n ,o no thn Cnvn,nor ulccf Thnrc bad
been 4 lone and bitter contest in the
organization Of the Legislature which
occasioned the DELAY. The friends of the
successful party were of course inblant
the afternoon was devoted TO ringing thc'
bell. tnine cannon. 1t r,i,t.a. and in ,hc
evening the Eaolc Hotel. then kept hy the
Mess. Eastman, was Illuminated. The
I'D, Washmgton'S Hirth-dav. was com
memoratrd tx a military bail
Hiram O. Alden. ESD, was appointed
Post Master ON the 18th Of january. TO
succeed Hon. Joseph Williamson. and on
the first da> of February he removed the
Post Office from the building on Main
street nearly opposite the Eagle Hotel,
where il had been kept for many wears TO
4 room in Williamson, Firc-proot-hlock
erected the wear before the westerly Dor
ton of the store now occupied by Mr.
GEORGE Il. sleeper. 1t continued 1o hr
kent There until The latter part of Aprjl
1888, when if was removed to rooms in
the westerly end OF the old TELEGRAPH
blil,linn. next 10 the Eagle Hotel.
Early in the wear t6c county offices
were removed from chambers in Phoenix
Row where they had been from thc or
ranization Of the county. to W!lliamson'S
til the present Coiiirt" IloliGG W i2; conipt@t
ed. The Probate Office was in that part
nj the blocL now orc,micd hy Mr.. Henry
I, Lord rs \ store. the Clerks Office in
the room over If. the REGISTRY Of Deeds in
the room opposite now occupied by JUDGE
Williamson I'm the rear part of each
room there was q tire-proof vault in which
thc records and All valuable papers con
nected with the office were kept.
The Fourth of July was celebrated bv
the Belfast Light Infantry with an address
by Albert Bingham. Esq. and a dinner at
vited Guests were present The Hotel
brothers Eastman and MIR, Chas, ROGERS.
After leaving mere ME, Rogers was inter-
ested in several public houses in different
sections of the country and finally became
a prominent employee at the st. Nicholas
in the city of New York. On the morning
of December 5lst. 1868. he was murdered
while removing some snow from the ward
Of the house he was then occupying in
New York No satisfactory reason for the
Of tho crime has ever been
and the murderer has never been
detected.
On the TIA Of Aunust, for the first time.
= Damocrotia Convention. Dlrc and mn
dcfled was held a, the Court House, BIT
, small norton Of thc ..bone and muscles
if is now oxtan,. OF those de-
cnocn1 o]I save q few were comfortcd in
thcir last DAYS by the reflection that they
had ..alwovs voted the democratic tic]5et5'
Tnouoh however. fell from the faith TO
verify tho old adaoe thai chimes chance
and we change with them.
The old Westinghouse on the east side
of the river, built in 1872. which had not