Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-05-26
AR0OSTOOK---XIII.
In Honor Of a Maine Governor
The Story Of Perham's Settlement
Business and Prospects.
Incidents Of the Goddard War;"
By Hon. Edward Wigstn

The town of Perham Is one Of the new
est ss veil az one of the best of the ARGOS.
took towns. Thirty yeas ago hardly a
tree had been cut upon the town except for
timber. and previous to that time no pioneer
had come to invade the solitude Of the
wilderness and make for himself . home
in this grand forest, The township 10 mum
bered "A in the 4th Range west from the
east line Of the State. II is bounded BY
Woodland on the east and Wade Plantation
on the south, and on it's north and wet
sides by townships of wild land owned by
proprietors and devoted almost wholly to
numbering operations. Perham was for
merly a Msssschusetts township but after
Yards with all the other wild land in north
ern Maine became the property Of the State
Of Maine. Particular attention having
been called to the fertile lands Of this new
county ty the accounts given by the differ
ent members Of the press after their re-
turn from the Editorial excursion Of 1858,
il vas found that more land was needed for
settlers and In 1860 this wilderness town
ship was set apart by the State for settle
ment II was surveyed in that year by 3.
+. Cutter and divided into 100 acre lots
One thousand acres lying south Of the cen
tire line of the town was set apart As public
lands for the support Of schools. The
north half of the township WAS resurveyed
in 1872 by Albert Burleigh and the lots d.
vided more in accordance with the char
acter of the land and was arranged for the
accommodation Of such of the Swedish
settlers as could not be settled in New
Sweden. Very few lots in the town were
taken by the Swedes however. although in
l,ta ha nd m ado
homes in this town.
In the summer of 1860, before the sur
vey of the tow nship was completed. Fran
els Bryant, Nathan Libbey and Ivory
| Tsrbox came from York Co. and settled in
the extreme southeast corner of the tow
and were the first to enter upon the new
lands While the surveying party were
still employed in running the lot lines
through the forest and setting the proper
metes and bounds, these hardy pioneers
were engaged in Telling the trees upon the
beautiful slopes and in clearing the land
which was to be their future home. In the
spring of 1861, Robert Jenkins and one
Winship came in and took up lots in the
west part of the town OH each side of the
centre line. and commenced making .
clearing. They were much farther in the
heart of the wilderness than the settlers of
the previous year. as these latter, being in
the southeast corner of the town. were near
er the settlement at Washburn or SalD on
Brook, as it was then called At that time
the bears were very thick in the big woods
snd these two settlers in the western pof-
ton of the town became alarmed at the
number and boliness OF these original pro-
prietors and abandoned their lots They
made raft upon a branch Of Salmon Brook
which ran near their clearing and upon
| this they placed all their goods and imple-
ments and leaving Bruin in possession of
their land started do xn the stream. Before
they had proceeded far on their voyage
their frail craft wa. wrecked and all their
fleets lost in the stream. After Masking
their way through the woods to the other
clearing, Winship threw up the sponge and
lef the town but Jenkin determined to
stav and took up the lot on Salmon Brook
ear where the pre- ent saw mill is located
A small stream which flows into Salmon
Brook near this place still bears the name
of jenkins Brook.
In the summer of 1861 there was quite an
migration into this new town, as it xss Al
that time the only State town open for settle
ment. As early ss June in that year eighty
lots had been taken up, the land being sold
hy the State to settlers for fifty cents per
scre to be paid in labor upon the roads
A colony came that summer from New
Sharon. in franklin county. among whom
were Harrison Blackstone. Elder VIM f.
Morse. Charles s Mcintyre, Dearborn c.
Saunders, Almsr.n Saunders and others
4 colony also came from Bethel in Oxford
county, among whom were Oliver Nutting.
James Nutting. jesse ID Ho1sdon and VIM
Brown. All of these settlers took lots in
the southeast part Of the town on beauti
ful swell of rock maple growth, and mum
her of them left their families at Wash
burn, but = few miles distant, until they
had made small clearing and erected their
rioreer homes. In this year s'so came
Francis Stow from Marlboro, Mass. and
Green G. Evans from Calais. In 1862.
Enoch Reed and Henry Braedon came
from New Sharon, Robert c. Moody and
John Moody frsm New Portland and John
Wilson from Gorham, The outbreak Of the
war checked the growth of the new settle
meut and many Of those who had COM
menced clesrings in 1860 and 1861 left
their forest homes and went forth at their
country's call, and q large number never
returned to the town. No new settlers
came until after the close OF the war, but
those who remained continued to enlarge
their clearings and to open roads from their
farms to the other settlements. About the
close of the war Capt. Thomas Haines
came from New Gloucester and Samuel
Austin from New Sharon. Capt Hsines
remained about five years and then moved
TO Msysville. From the close Of tn, war
until about 1875 the growth of the tow
vas slow and very few new settlers came
In that yesr and the two years follow ms |
there wss quite q tide of immigration and |
many new lots we're taken up. In the |
spring of 1876 there we're but IS poll. in |
the township and in 1879 the had in |
creased to IS Since that time the settle !
ment Of the town has been gradual. no |
considerable number of settlers ha wing |
come at any one time.
The first sau mill built in the town va.
commenced in 1862 BY Elder VIM. + Morse
and vas located on the main Salmon Brook /
stream some distance above the site Of the
preseu, mill. This first mill vas rot com.
plete until 1865, and contained only an M |.
and down saw. The dam ed uus able /
and the mill vas run only few years The
good Elder said that the dam wasn', worth
a mill and the mill wasn't worth dam, and
so he abandoned the whole business. Elder
Morse vas the fr.t minister in the town.
and preached for number Of years in the
settlers houses. He vas a worthy man
and died but year or t~o since in Farm-
Inaton. In 1880 Morse ard Place built 4
mill on Salmon Brook on the site of the
present mill. In this mill vas Q rotary.
two shingie saws, hath and picket saw and
plsaer Thu mil vaa pm hv v.eae ro~..l
until 1889 when il vss converted into a ,