Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1875-09-07

wedresday The people OF the town o.
,p.,orfor,I cel,brated the one hunureot"
a;uars,,r, ot the settlement OF lue''
,own by II grand celebration h' tps' pa
Of tho town known as WATERFORD r'"'
A largo pavilion was erec'e1 i w. ,Ior'a
Common opposite the Waterfront iiou,o'
. s,.,,.,, was erected which was very '"
e,IIv decoraled with union h1:s ""'
hnn;iry over the top OF the dtcorA'io" :
ou"'"e ,n,,n "God and Oar Country,
III ~ .sn-,are underneath. on one s'uV
" ~, ,be inscription "l775, Bfi-ish Cro" u
- 'g.isrnu and cn Tue The other sI1e'
..,sz5 American Flag, Freemen." Two
streamers from the apex TO elther 80 Si"S
we're displayed bearing the words; 90
Mess YOU ALL" and welcome ilop1e
A. many parts OF the village nags anG ant,
h n, we're displayed. The Waterford
uonse was very neatly decorated
with flags and motors. Seats were el ere
cd in the pavilion capable oil seating
.bont twelve hundred people
A. an early hour in the morning teams
If all descriptions began to arrive from
all parts OF the surrounding couuuy
bringing old men and women young
nen and maidens TO attend the exercises,
For the past lew days the sons oil o!d
Uo,erford have been hocking nome 10
,root numbers so that when the time ior
Commencing arrived a crowd greater 'haI'
over before seen in Waterford was COZ
Iected upon the grounds. About TWO
thousand people are thought 10 nave oee"
A. half past ten, A. S. Kimball, Esq
the President OF the day, called the as
scmbly to order and called upon tue
Rridoion brass band who were present
2I strong. under the leadership oil Allen
Scribner. to furnish some selections
which they did 10 very crcdla6le man
ner. Mr.. Kimball then came forward ahI
in n few well chosen words welcomed All
10 the exercises. Prayer was offered by
Rev. A. j. Smith. the chaplain OF the day
and The choir of the village church then
sanc "Home Again" MIR. kimball then
introduced as orator OF the day, II. /.
Warren, Esq of Dover, n. H.. who de-
liyered the historical Grafton OF the day
of which we are able to give an abstract.
THE HISTORICAL ADDRESS.
February "a. IVA. tho General Court
of Massachusetts passed vote granting
A tract OF land seven miles sqlare. pro
yiding that the grantees settled thitty
families within six years and laid out one
sixty-lourh part tor the use 81 the hTs'
settled minister. one sixty lour;h paiL Tor
the schools and one sixty-iourlh part loT
Harvard College Ia May the same year
an outline map OF the township was !eI'
with the Secretary of State which Is now
on file at Boston.
The first Se,Llerln Waterford was Davis
McWalD, who was born 10 Bolton, Mass,
Dec. "A, 1852 In the spring oil 40,
with a companion, he started Tor tho
wilderness Cf Waterford. At Dover, y.
IL. they were arrested as deser,ers and
sent back to Bolton. McWain's compan'
ion became discouraged and sold bis share
companied by only his dog and came 10
Waterford by The way oil Portland. Sebago
Lake and Long PoId. At Stevens brook
now Bridgton Centre. he laid IN q stock
OF provisions tor month aud boldly
struck out into the wilderness. Ho
travelled up Beer brook till he reached hl:
range llue and under the open canopy o.
heaven spent the night. lie built u log
hut on one corner OF his lot and supposed
he was the only settler between BIidgror
and Canada. until one day he came upon
4 party OF Canada Indians With then
he hunted and tished Selling his pc.trie,
at Stevens brook, be spent The winters o.
rs and 20 in Boston, returning 10 Water
ford in the spring OF II, he never again
visited his native place. For eight year
he led this solitary lite, and never wa!
married. He had a true pioneer horror
OF being crowded One morning observ
be exclaimed: I'D like TO know who i;
settling tight under my nose" At hii
death in 1925, be left the bulk of hi.
property to his nephew on the conditioI
that he would live upon the farm till hi
death.
In May, 1888. Daniel Barker, lsrae
Hale. Asapn Brown, Europe Hamlin and
America Hamlin. all Revolutionary sold
iers, with their families commenced Il
clear lots of land. The proprietors OF III,
town offered TO those who would clear 81
acres OF land, build house sixteen fee
square, right in the lands. They also
promised the first boy born in WATERFORD
so acres oil land. Ephraim Hapgood wa.
the lucky man. In 1885 Mr. Philip How
moved his family. wife and six children
into town. Mrs. Howe was the tirs
white woman who was permanent set
tier in Waterford. The growth o
Waterford was very rapid from this time
TO its incorporation into town 10 1897
At that time the town had Il legal voter.
and over sixty families.
The first saw mill in Waterford was
built in 1875; the first grist mill wa,
built by Ezra Jewell at about the sam,
time.
March =, 1877. Waterford was incor
porated as a town with nearly the sam,
boundary lines as il has 10 day. The frs
recorded town meeting was held June !
1897, At the house OF DR.. Stephen Cum
mings. now occupied by Rev. John A
Douglass. Various appropriations am
ounting to 5000 were made. August 81
l197. $3.50 was appropriated for building
school houses. Miss Emma Stone wa:
the first school teacher in Waterford, re
ceiying one dollar a week for her seryl
ces. The first town officers were, Select
men, Africa Hamliu, Daniel Chapman
and solomon Stone; Town Treasurer
Eli Longley; Justice oil The reace. ELer
Ricei Deputy Sheriff, Hannibal Hamliu
afterwards the first High Sheriff of Ok
lord county,; Collector, David Whit.
comb.
In 1897 Eli Longlsy built the first pub.
lie house where the water cure establish
ment now is. In 1900 the list post Office
in Oxford County was opened at Water