The Republican journal., 1886-07-29
The Tannery at Liberty,

|
village and of its founders and operators for
| the past ID years Learning that comparative
ly few persons in Waldo county know much of
anything in relation to the magnitude of the
| business that has been and is now being done
at this place in the way of tanning, we pre-.
sent the following particulars which we have
learned by talking from time to time with
! W ll!lam II. Hunt, the senior member of the
present firm of Hunt 4 Walker. 70 the bust
ness men of Belfast who have had dealings
with these tanncries, and to the people living
along the route between Liberty and Belfast
who have seen the vast amount of freight
passing between the two places for nearly 30
years, we can present little that is new But
to those unacquanted with the amount of
business done in this little village nestled in
among the hills in western Waldo thi, sketch
is respectfully dedicated.
The tannery was founded in 1888 by Il. g.
Norris of Boston who conducted it for two
years. He was unsuccessful and the entire
property was sold at auction in 1887. the time
of the collapse of The great land speculation
mania in Maine. The property, including
many acres of timber land in the immediate
vicinity of the tannery, was bought by Joseph
| Southwck and William X. liant Of Boston,
and Mir. Hunt. who was practical tanner,
Immediately took charge. moving hi, family
here in 1888. AT that time this place was COM
paratiyey a wilderness. There were but three
dwelling houses on the Site " here our thriving
little village now stands. Then what i, known
as the Kingdom in Mont ic about one and
half miles from here, was the local mart where
! all the business was transacted. The Kingdom
contained in those days four stores, post Office,
lumber mills, gri>t mills. carling and fulling
mill, lawyer doctor, small tannery, and
all the elements of Il thriving country village.
1t is said that 4 hog>hcad of rum has Been sold
there in one day.
II cannot be denied but that the tannery
here ha, been the great heart from which the
surrounding country derived II, blood and that
it is the nucleus around which Liberty layc
grew. In 1910 the senior member of the pro
sent firm, W. II. Hunt, son of W. II. Hunt.
came from Boston, bought the interest Of Mr..
| SouthWirk. and became Il partner With his
father under the firm name of W. II. x ". II.
Hunt. Though W. II. Hunt was but - wears
OF ace When he became Il member Of ihc firm
he at once assumed the position Of IFS business
manager. and so continued for upwards of
fifty years and until h. admitted his >oIl-h,-
law. j. j. Walker, the present junior member
| OF the firm, about four years ago. Mr. liant
| informs lis that they bought from 2ltO u 5000
cords of bark per year for more than twenty
years. one year purchasing 1900 cords. and That
for iorty-tiNe years their purchases of bark
WouldaNcrage 2O00 cords peryrar. This would
make 10000 cords of lark consumed at this
tanery. Mr., Hunt also informs Us that the price
paid has been from - to 5 Ptrcord, and ut Il low
estimate the average would J., - per cord. This
would amount to Sll0,O00 paid ont for bark
alone and the money l;I, gone into the pockets
Of the people of the surrounding country Add
to this 100 cords of wood per year for forty
five years, making $1,000 Cords which at - a
cord, low estimate, would I've %, 600; then
add the money paid out for lumber, for build
| ing and other purposes, and the total paid to
the people in this vicinity will amount to fully
a half Il iAillion of dollars. The pay roll for
labor has run from six to twelve thousand dol
lars per year, averaging about eight thousand.
| This for forty-iivc years would be >;5G0,O00. The
amount paid for freighting to and from Bel
| fast, has been about 5000 per year for forty
| five years making total Of S1l2,500. TO this
add the freight money paid to Belfast owners
| OF the Olt-tlmc Boston packets for frcighting
| hides and leather and other mcrc!Itndiec from
and to Boston. aud it will be seen that more
than one million of dollars las been paid to the
| IVA. .I,. hr,I. L,
II. Hunt. who La always Been the active
member of the firm. keeping the books. re-
| ccivin@ and d>bur>in@ I'LL monies. From 1862
until lSS2 he WAS the sole prolricor and we
| arc yet to learn of the first man that hud bust
ness transactions with him that complains he
did not get his just dues.
| In the nos there We're very many tuneric>
in Waldo and kcnncbcc counties, Ill doing Il
thriving business. There we're three i'll China,
two i'll Belfast and one in each of the following
| places Linconvillc, Scarslnont Appleton,
| Washington. Freedom, Unity, Union and Al
bion. Nearly all the business of these tanncricS
WAS done through Belfast. This was particu-
| larly the in the winter season when the
| icnnebcc river was frozen over. and before
smell of South American hides and Ncw Enc
land rum greeted the no>tril> OF the average
Waldo county person lit every corner These
tannericS are now alt numbered among the
things that werc," excepting those in Liberty,
Freedom and Albion.
Mr.. Hunt ascrhcS his pcrnunencv in tanning
to the following facts. which have made the
II
than forty-fye years, With the exception Of one
brief year when the tannrry was closed be-
cause of the great losses sustained Nv MIR. Hunt
in the Boston fire of 1872. When the country
was new and bark plenty they tanned heavy
sole leather. requrin. more bark than labor
In later years as bark grew more scarce they
changed on to lighter skins, requiring more la
Dor and less bark, nnI for the past thirteen
years they have tanned nothing but Sheep
skins, which are bought in Boston. They are
imported Unframed, put up i'll casks, partially
cured in salt and vitrioI. The skins are brought
from all the wool growing countries of the
earth, but principally from Australia. In tam
ming these light skins about loo cords Of bark
per year are used. but the pay roll for labor
has increased from about $1,000 in former
years to Sl2.000 at the present time. The firm
is now doing 4 business Of about $500 900 per
year. To-day, rs we write, they are Shipping
$4,000 worth of leather hy teams TO Belfast,
thing that occurs at least once ana sometime,
twice week. the year round. 1t is supposed
that this tannery is prospering Us the firm are
building Il large dry house to accommodate
their increasing business. The bark supply aly-