Daily Kennebec journal., 1875-11-04
FEE.& ~ ~
local aatD State Mems.
EARLY HISTORY OF AUGUSTA.
Masonry as connected with Former Day
-Interesiing "Reminiscences.

II ne late Dr. NeUel w. Lawson, VI couIeiNHe,
Mass, formerly of Augusta, deceased about year
since, who was identified with the early history oil
the town, and who was an old Free Mason, a few
months previous to his death furnished at the soc-
tation of Bethlehem Lodge, some interesting IN
cidents and facts relative to the early history OF
the place, and more especially its Masonic history
These hc transmitted to the lodge in manuscript,
written by his own hand, which We have been
permitted to examine, and from which we Gull cx-
tracts which VIC arc quite sure will be OF interest
to many or our readers. We will give the an
,hor's statements in condensed form.
You are aware, writes Mr.. Lawson, that
AUGUSTA HAS CHANGED VERY MUCH
during the present century. Since my reccoec-
tion there were but half dozen buildings on Wat.
er street between the bridge and Market square,
and the same number west of State street and
north of Winthrop street. There was but
ONE STORE
in Augusta, where business was transacted, though
there had been few others at earlier period.
One had been kept by Mr.. Dickman, an eccentric
ehrewd, but uneducatcd Elan, who kept his ac-
counts in hieroglyphics, and by mistake charged a
cheese instead Of grindstonc, forgetting to put
hole in the middle the diagram, as he had drawn
il upon his ledger. BY some accident, his store
and books were burnt. He made a new set of
books from memory, aided somewhat by lively
and suggestive imag gnation. When asked if he
had as much charged on his new books as on his
DID, he answered, "Eo, but it is against far better
men! The
FIRST MEETING House
built in Augusta, was in Market square, on the
h.,J r r,,r had -tn
"Uncle" Livermore oaiciated on the sabbath, with
long rod to keep the boys quiet and nudge the
sleepers. My first recollection Of the old house
was about the time the Purrington family was
buried in the northeast part Of the old cemetery
Mount Vernon,) on Burnt hill" Purrington
himself was buried by the side ofthe street, think
in the ditch on the north side Of the street, oppo-
site the entrance to the cemetery at the southeast
corner. The fataaxe and razor were deposited on
top of the coffin. saw the wife, six children and
Purrington, with
THRoATs CUT FROM EAR TO EAR,
before they were carried to the church; the cloth
ing of the family and various instruments of death
lying round. The next notable event that occur
red at themeeting house the funeral Of Capt
solomon Nose, who was buried with Masonic hon.
There was long procession of the fraterni-
,y for that period and the Augusta Light Infantry
were out 10 do honor to their dead captain.
short distance above the the meeting house,
about where the railroad crosses Winthrop street,
stood
THE FIRST Court House
built in Augusta. The court called together by
the beat Of the drum BY Partridge. Sill farther ur,
at the corner Of Winthrop and State streets, the
Il I
stood the old Jail, built of timber and not much
safer than the Jail at Alfred. which may be inIer
red from the fact that prisoner confined there cut
his way out with his jacknitc. 1t was burned By
one Edward Jones, a notoriously bad man. Di-
reetly east of the jail on the site Of the house
occupied by Mr.. Staples, which was the first meet
ing house aforesaid, stood the
PnLoRY AND WHIPPING Posi-
Crimes punshed with much greater severity
at that period than at present. One Tim Hill,
deaf mute for stealing about 500 from the store
Of Pitts & Soule, was sentenced to sit hour
with rope round his neck, one end thrown over
the gallows; to be severely whipped fifteen stripes
on the naked back, and pay Sl200, or in defaul.
thereof to be hired ou. to some person, to labor
twelve years! As he was living in the neighbor-
hood a few years after that date QS02), the pre-
sumption is that the fine was paid, or the matter in
some way compromised. The criminals whom
recollect to have been last whipped were two men
for stealing, in the year 1905. 1t was an unequal
as well as barbarous punishment for while one Of
them bore it with apparant indifference, the other
seemed to suffer dresdfully.
Fort WESTERN,
which is still standing, was built Of solid timber
brought from Frankfort, On the Penobssot river,
in 1854. There were formerly block houses, one
at the southwest ard the other at the northe asst
corner of the fort. One Of them was taken down
about sixty years ago; the other several years
after The headquarters of Benedict Arnold, the
traitor. ard Aaron Burr, when they stopped in
Augusta, were at the "Great house, on the east
ern side of the river, which was burnt few years
since. There is spring by the side of the rail-
road about mile above that place, on the farm OF
Jarvis W. Lawson, by which Arnold's army en-
camped.
An opinion as regards the size Of the buildings
at that period, may be formed from an incident
which occurred at the raising of the
GOLD CASTLE"
Robinson & Crosby's store. 1t was customary at
that tiIpc, at the raising Of building, for some
one, frcu an elevated position, to nan's IT, That
duty developed upon Daniel Hartford. Ills poet
tical ctiusion was as followsa
"This is fine building,
Set under the hill,
The largest in town
Except Vaughn's mill"
1t will be recollected that Hallowell' then com
prised what is now 1Iaowell and Augusta
''Vaughn's mill" is, believe, still standing on the
cascade in the lower part of Hallowel The
FACILITIES FOR PURCHASING ARTICLES
were not good. There were chat and cap
stores;' consequently We were obliged to go to
the "1Iatter's," when, if there were none that
would ft, we had our heads measured, the same
as for pair of boots. 1t was quite trial for the
patience OF us "boys" to be obliged to wait, as was
sometimes the case, a month for q new hat. The
FIRST MASONIC HALL
IN Augusta, was over the Kennebec bank, near
the present court house, Of State and Court
streets. The next was in the Wingate building,
where W. Wendenburg so long traded The
nrr