The Portland daily press., 1891-03-24
Sir Patrick CoIquhoun.
CITY OF wEsTBRooK.
Inauguration OF the First City Gov
ernment.
Address by Mayor Leandor valen-
tine.

Yesterday forenoon at 10 o'clock the offc-
ers of the new city Of Westbrook were inau-
gurated in Odd Fellows Hall. The hall was
10 witness the ceremonies.
The city clerk. Mr.. T. N. Lewis, called
the meeting to order and announced the
names Of the officers elected and then ad-
ministered the oath Of Office to the alder
men, after which Mr.. G. w. bennett was
elected chairman Of the board and he then
assumed charge Of the meeting. In few
remarks he thanked his brother aldermen
for the honor. and appointed Aldermen @. r.
Goodell, w. K. Dana and NJ. Ii. Webb as
committee to notify the mayor-elect Hon. L,
Valentine that his presence was desired and
requested them to escort him to the platform,
where the city clerk administered the oath.
Rev. A. W. Pottle offered prayer, after
which the mayor delivered his inaugural ad
dress, as follows:
Gentlemen of the city Of West5rook::
We meet at this time for the purpose Of
inaugurating the government Of the city Of
Westbrook by taking the oaths required for
the several offices to which we have, by the
vote Of our fellow citizens, been elected. 1t
is an honor to be called to hold these posi-
tions, and the honor is greater coming to US
without solicitation. / trust we fully realize
the responsibility which these offices bring
to US. and that we are accountable to those
who placed us here. we should consider our
selves their servants.
We are now In a transition state about
throwing off the old town government, and
hereafter to act under chatter authorizing
us to take our position as one Of the cities OF
the state.
1t may not be amiss at this time to revert
briefly to the history Il our town whose old
form OF government we do not give up with
out, In some degree, feeling Of sadness. we
shall miss the old town meetings about which
cluster so many pleasing associations. But
we feel that the old town government has
outlived its usefulness, and we trust we are
passing to something better adapted to our
present and prospective needs.
Our town record shows that by an act
passed by the Commonwealth Of Massachu-
setts, February IA, 1914, entitled an act to in-
corporate the town OF Stroudwater, then In
that state, the town OF Falmouth was diyid-
ed and new town established March IA, IA.
and just one month after passage Of the act
Of incorporation the first town meeting was
held In the town Of Stroudwater.
April 3. of the same year, after an exist
ance Of twenty-one days under the name Of
Stroudwater, a town meeting was held to
"see II th9 town would vote to change the
name Of the town." At that meeting 1t was
voted TO petition the legislature to alter the
name to Westbrook.
October Il, 1914, the same year. we find the
| first town meeting called under the name Of
| Westbrook. Thus we find that In less than
| eight months from date Of the act OF ine0r-
| poration the people OF the town, then CON-
| posed of what Is now Westbrook and Deer
| ing had resided In three different towns, Fal-
| mouth, Stroudwater and Westbrook. The
village Of Str0udwater was then place Of
some Importance. there being considerable
shipbuilding there; but as there were several
villages In the town, and two of them of the
which might arise from that condition Of af-
airs, to change the name Of the town.
They therefore took an early opportunity
to do that by adopting the name Of a highly
respected and very prominent man In the
early history of old Falmouth, Col. Thomas
Westbrook, whose home had been In that
part of the town then as now called Stroud
water. The change. think. was a desira-
bic one to make.
In 1871 what Is now embraced In the town
Of Deering was by an act Of the legislature
new town, thus reducing our territory to its
present limits. Since that time our town
has remained intact, and our population,
from less than 2S0o in 1870 has increased to
nearly or quite 1000.
cannot do more at this time than to call
your attention to a few matters upon which
you will be called to act, and that without
any particular order Of arrangement, leaving
many others, perhaps equally important,
| to claim your attention, as they naturally
| suggest themselves to you, and first our
| finances.
BY the report of the last board of select
| men, made the present year, 1891, 1 find on
page 81, to which | refer yyu, as follows:
| IIARIIITIEs