The Portland daily press., 1878-01-08
THE FRIENDLY INN.
Hts Builder, Subsequent Occupants, ard n
Glance mt the Vicinity.
'Who e'er has Travelled life's dull round,

-Written b.
I'm. ShenStene on the irindOl0 of an Inn.
About two years ago Providence prompted a
number Of kind hearted women of the city to
associate themselves together as society to
better the condition and Tighten the burdens OF
the weak, the unfortunate and those of small
means. Some one has said that you can't con
vert man with an empty stomach imagine
they acted By this suggestion when they COM
menced their first venture, the "Coffee House. -
This institution is appreciated and largely pat.
rouized. There one can get good palateable
meal for an astonishingly small sum, in a pleas.
ant room where the common amenities of life
are observed.
And now, encouraged by their success, these
good samari!ans propose to take the poor trav-
eler to an Inn. where be can lodge as we'll as
eat for pittance, in comparison, with the
prices hotel keepers are compelled to charge,
considering the cost and depreciation Of richly
upholstered furniture, snowy window drapery,
mirrors and the like, which the sensible man of
small income cares nothing for At the "Frlend-
ly Inn" the person without home or away
from his own will find pleasant stopping
place, with good, clean bed The PRESS said
that the Inn was intended for those "who may
find themselves overcome by drink, in strange
city," but the lady President informs me that a
state of inebriety is not necessary condition
for admttance to the house, but that it is open
to all.
The history of the large building fitted up for
the Inn has been the subject of much inquiry,
aud from some paragraphs in the papers one
would be led to think that it was one of the
Oldest houses of the town, in crowded lane
an old trap that had for century been hive
for vermin. Yet on visiting it, one will find it
in good, quiet neighborbood, rods from any
other building, the nearest is the splendid new
stone custom house, on the top of which is the
signal station, where ''Old Indications" deals
out the weather, and the guests of this house
can see by the signal staff if it is safe to ven
ture abroad. without getting out Of bed Our
first written history Of this spot is that it
was green sIoping bank, with beach below,
on which the Indians hauled up their canoes
when they came here to meet Gen. Shirley and
his council in the summer of 1854. The house
near the Inn was bailt in the first year Of the
present century, By Philip Fowler, fora dwell
ling and bakery. Fowler is put down as the
loser Of four pounds eight shillings in Mowatts
burning, twenty-six years before. He married
Dorcas, youngest child of John Tukey, ship
who lived on Congsess near Wilmot
street. He was the ancestor of all of the name
in this county. Fowler had his ovens in the
basement at the eastern end, the large square
chimney indicates this. while two chimney tops
of ordinary size show what was the dwelling.
The builder and owner went under in the bust
ness commissions of the embargo. he died
about 1925, leaving sons and daughters. This
building became the property of Judge Widge-
ry. and was still occupied as q bakery and dwell
ling house successfully by three tenants. First
by Daniel Brown, who has many descendants
in the city: next, - Bagley; and last by Ben
iamin Thrasher, who had been burnt out in
1917 at the eastern corner of Fore street and
the entrance to Portland Pier Over this bake
~ lived Bailey, a barber, who lost two children
in the fire. recollect the disgusting exposure
of their caarred remains for hours on the snow
the next morning. After Thrasher left the Inn
building the bakery was torn out, and its place
finished for dwelling Toppan Chase had
bakery at the next corner east, and Chase and
Cory had another where Kent's now is, so that
we see that the location for the Inn was we'll
chosen, as it had long been the Egypt where
the people went for their bread
This has been also neighborhood of Inns
and lodging houses. some of them not so
Near the corner of the entrance to
wharf was large wooden building
erected by Thomas Burnham, the second story
of which was public hall. called mechanics
Hail." viii CHI was used for public dinners and
the like in 1910, Elder Elias Smith, the faith
err of Matthew Hale Smith, Burleigh" OF the
Boston Journal, held religious meetings there
on the Sabbath. These were the first FreeWiil
Baptist meetings 10 the town. MIR. Smith was
an able man, but eccentric, as the following
saying of his will show. This was the time of
endorsements, caused by "non-ntercourse,
which caused many failures. Debtors were
then treated with more harshness than now, the
"pound Of flesh" was often exacted, and many
were imprisoned and were compelled to take
the poor debtor s oath. which was called "swear-
log ont of Jail" Mr.. Smith was reading in the
Acts of the Apostles about Paul and Silas' de-
livery from prison in answer to their ssmidnight
prayers, when he stopped and lifting his spec
Gacles said, you see these men prayed out of
Jail, now we swear out" This hall building
which were occupied by Murray and 'Marm
Clements" and in 1929, while contain
ing eighty boarders were borned in the
night, and one man persisted in the flames
this was the next building east of the Inn.
The next building west was two-s6ory house
which Lemuel Dyer, boat builder, occupied.
1t first stood near the ferry on Cape Elizabeth
side, but in about 1926, Dyer decided to move.
and being man of energy he put shoes I'M
der his house, hauled il to low water mark,
filled it with empty hogsheads aud Hoated it to
the old town landing" at the foot of Han
cock street, and from there be hauled it to
within two feet of the Inn. W hen the new
custom house was built it was again moved and
is now standing, good as new, ready for another
removal. Mr.. Dyer became the well remember
ed shipbuilder and died from an overdose of
laudanum while suffering sfron an axe wound.
Next was the old custom house of Quincy gran
lite, built ia 1928, and next was three-storg
brick boarding house kept bysLeonarl Billings,
afterwards well and personally known as agent
of the Boston steamers.
"Lazy Hilp' was well remembered lookout
over the entrance to the harbor which was, on
Sunday, especially, occupied by crowd of peo-
pie, most Of whom were interested in shipping,
looking seward for the signalized vessels from
the West Indies. Over the bread shop of Chase
& Cory, on the corner of Vine street, was the
office Of the inspectors and gaugers of the Gus
tom house, which was then kept at the corner
of Plum and Fore streets. David Braddish or
-Capen kept sophisticated on the coming
low decked brig with two "tiers of molasses"
on deck, and enlightened the stevedores who
were expecting job, about how many hogs
heads she had, judging from her depth in the
water. There were no friendly inns in those
days. but the sailors were logged by uns6rup-
ulous land sharks, who kept poor Jack until
his money was gone and then hurried him off
to sea again.
Fifty years ago the water came very near to
the Inn building In northeast gale the brig
Rodney, Capt. John jones, broke from her
moorings, and drove up the dock and pushed
her jibboom through the rear wall of the Inn
building, surprising the carpenters, but there is
no danger pow-things have changed.
1 predict for the Friendly Inn career of
usefolness and success, and that like the Coffee
House, it will grow out of its first limits God
bless It's founders.
Windham, Jan. Z. w. G.
ENGINE COMPANY ELECTIoNs.-At the an