The Portland daily press., 1880-04-21

'The waters shall be as fountain to fertilize
the valley.''
To the Editor Of the Press:
see that the sunlight has again been ad-
mitted to shine on and to be reflected from the
ancient boiling spring on the Noyes homestead
on Congress street, although it is sadly choked
by mud and the driving of piles to support
walls which will hide it, probably for another
century. What could be more attractive than
was this spot in the early days of the town,
with the beautiful natural flow of sparkling
water, falling over its unven bed until it met
another rill from Maiories' spring which is
now covered by the old Casco engine house.
on the corner of Spring and South streets. On
their way to the harbor the two rills met and
formed brook whose bed was probably fringed
with rnshes and blue lilies. In 1907 a Mrs.
Hodgkins, daughter of John Cox, who lived
at the foot of High street, in deposition said
that she was born in 1881, and described the
path to meeting. She said that there was a
gully which ran up from about where Browns
sugar house now is to the foot of Spring
street; that they came round the head of this
gully on their way to the meeting house.
Oo"h clio 'oiAOf idu tuo WdI6r from Moves
and Majories' springs. These waters do not
now 'fertilize the Valley because with its
rushes and lilies it is gone, and the waters
alone are left, but they now seek the shore by
underground passages.
This lot OF four rods on Congress above Gen.
ter street was the property of Josiah Noyes
who owned the present park-like Deering farm
OF 300 acres-his house was on that part of the
farm near Woodford's Corner. He was son
OF Joseph Noyes, the first of the name here,
who came from Newbury with his wife and
six children in about 1870, and settled at what
IS now East Deering, and was afterwards
known as "Justice Noyes'; he died in 1856,
aged 66. Moses Noyes, son of Josa h. and
grandson of Joseph, born in 1859, received ,tIe
spring lot on Congress street from his father
In 1882 he married Nabby Lock, anS in 1884
he built over the spring a one-Sttorv house in
which he lived until his death if1S31 This house
was erected the year before the beginning of
me.oS sae Waaswortn-Longteho aS house opposite.
Noyes" probably>from his being an officer in
the local militia, as he was but Is at the COM
mencem9ht of the Revolution. He was yery
qu1esm man much respected by his townsmen.
-He had son James Lunt Noyes, who was a
wheelwright and inherited the homestead-he
had shop on the lower side of the lot. In
about 1925 he built large stable in the rear,
and in partnership with Horace Fobes. a car
rlage painter, commenced to keep a livery.
stable, making and mending their own car
riages. Thus the lot was occupied until 1854
when 1t was leased for term of years to
James M. Kimball and Stephen Emerson,
who built shops for the extensive manufacture
of carriages, and Mr. Noyes moved his stable
business to Free street, and his house to Laurel
Lane, where he occupied it until his death in
1859. 1t is now owned by his son. James
Noyes, formerly of the firm of Bailey & Moves.
Mr.. Kimball built large wooden building on
the street, which he has just taken down and
IN its place will erect a first class brick and
freeStone block.
In 1868 several gentlemen of wealth entered
into an arrangement to purchase this lot for
the site Of an opera house, and bargained with
the heirs of Mr. Emerson for their half but
Mr. Kimball declined to remove his factory
and purchased the other half of the lot And
now after twenty more years the spring again
sees the light but the flow of water is greatly
diminished, having spread through a large
circle of the subsoil. So much water was dis
charged from this spring that several years
ago it was carried in pipes to supply what is
now the United States Hotel. To obtain
suitable foundations for the proposed front
and end walls, it was necessary to drive piles,
some of which were driven 27 feet.
The Noyes lot originally extended through
to Free street, of the same width. In 1904
Jacob Noyes, a nephew of Moses, merchant
and partner OF Capt. VIM. Lowell, who mar
ried his sister Betsey, purchased of his brother
Josiah Noyes of Bath-his sister Lowell, and
of David Hale, who married another sister,
their shares of the Free street end of the lot.
The same year Josiah, who was the father of
the late Joseph c. Noyes, erected thereon the
three-story brick house, which in 1916 he sold
to Nathaniel Dana, who in turn, in 1881, sold
it to Charles Jones for $500. 1t is now in the
occupancy of the heirs of Mr.. Jones.
Windham, April Goth. VIC.