Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-03-20
so. PARIS IN OLD TIMES.
TWO ARTICLES.
=" ID. p. s." RESUMES HIS ARTICLES AND
"ABsENTEE MAKES SOME CoRREC-
lions.

TIoNs.
SOUTH PARIS SIXTY YEARS AGO.
To look back sixty years ago,-it
seems long time to young men, but to
old men it seems but span. Paris, at
that time, had been settled forty-four
years, and South Paris more than forty
years-all along the line. No. Four
now Paris was granted to Joshua Fuller
and others, in III, settled in 1873. in
corporated in 1898. Up to the 9TH day
of March, 1905, Paris was a part of
Cumberland County. Oxford County,
originally the northern part of York and
Cumberland, was incorporated March I,
1905. Area, now, about LOO square
miles.
1t was about sixty years ago that the
late Col. Henry r. Parsons, then young
and enterprising man, purchased the JOS
eph Rust house, opposite the Andrews
House, and erected carding and cloth
dressing establishment two buildings,
connected By walk over fiume, and
on the same spot where the -four mill is
now located, on the south side Of the
bridge.
S,owell's Mills, about this time, re-
ceived new name, viz: Cape Ann
from the fact that the Parsonses of Nor
way,-William, the father, and John,
the uncle, of the Colonel, were natives of
Gloucester, Cape Ann Mass, and had
manifested an interest in building up the
new village.
Capt. Sam,-as the worthy and much
esteemed Judge Deering used to call him,
supplemented the new name for the
old. Barnum's show would have no
inducements for me to visit So. Paris, in
comparison to witnessing one of those
old fashioned ex tsitions Of knocking Oft
hats, and boxing matches, which were so
frequently INDUCED in, in olden times, by
that affectiona,e old trio: Capt. Sam
Stowell, Judge Deering and Dea. Daniel
Parsons. The titles were all nick names.
Should the Judges eye happen to fall
upon this article, he will please pardon
the writer for being thus familiar with
his name in this little DEPRESSION, as |
may have occasion at some subsequent
time to refer to him again.
As named the residents Of So. Paris
village, on the west side of the bridge,
sixty years ago, in my last note, will
now name the residents on the south side.
Capt. Seth Morse, in two-story house,
opposite the south end OF the -four mills;
Solomon Cloudman occupied the mill
house. about ten rods on the road south
east, on the corner Of the Oxford road
on the knoll ten rods east, and on the
bank of Stony Brook, Abijah Hall, jr.
lived farther on, up the hill, and at the
summit, lived solomon Bryant, or his
heirs. That was the last house on that
road before reaching Daniel Stowells
now Col. Sweat's. After turning the
Stony Brook bridge, at the foot of Bry-
ants Hill, was small house, occupied
by a widow Wightman; the William
Royal house, then occupied by Simeon
Perkins. Then, bearing to the left, at
the top of the hill, was the large two
story house owned by Nathaniel Green,
afterwards by Phineas Morse. Just be-
yond, where Dea. Shurtletf's house now
stands, was a small one-story house, &C.
cupied by Isaac knight, father of the
worthy and venerable shoemaker, c. b.
Knight, now of South Paris. A little
beyond was a two-story house, owned
and occupied by Capt George King; be-
yond that, on the opposite side OF the
road, and the only house before reaching
the two-story house of the late Major
Rufus Stowell, was small one.story
house, occupied by the Rev. Joseph
Walker, when he first settled at South
Paris. If our memory serves us right,
there were only ten dwelling houses on
the east side of the bridge at that time,
within the village limits.
South Paris, or "Cape Ann" had no
school house or church up to about that
time. The school district, from 1898 up
to about 1920, embraced the Bolster and
Robinson neighborhoots, situated about
three miles southeastbf "Cape Ann"
and the school house was situated half
mile south of Col Sweats farm, on the
corner of the Capt. White farm, $50.
called at what was then termed
-" Birthstone Corner
1t was there, in that old school house,
that the sons and daughters of the old
settlers of South Paris,-together with
those of the families of the Bretts, Boil
sters, Caldwells, Robinsons, and others,
south of the village,-obtained what little
education the limited advantages afforded.
The limits of that district must have been
nearly five miles. The scholars of South
Paris were obliged to walk one and a
half miles, and about all the way up hill
to attend school.
The writer well recollects OF riding
up to the old school house to an evening
singing school, II think the first singing
school ever taught in the south part o.
the town,-with some Of his brothers and
sisters. This circumstance was made
impressive from the fact the party were
taken home at a very lively rate-the
old grey horse being unmanageable II
consequence of the forgetfulness of the
driver to bride him before he started
but the faithful servant landed US all safe
in the shed of the homestead.
Opposite the school house, at the cor
ner of the roads above Col Sweat's