The Portland daily press., 1891-09-07
TRIALS AND DANGERS OF oLDEa TIMES
Recalled lby the Historical socIety's
Journey on the Kennebec.
The story OF Forts Shirley and Rich
mond and Their Defenders.
The Colony which Popham Founded
and Its Short Career.
Correspondence Of the Press.1

forty members and guests of the society on
Its annual field day. The party consisted Of
the following persons: The president, j. p.
Baxter, Rev. Z. @. Cummings, Brown Thurs
ton, Josiah Fl. Drummond. Fl. w. Bryant OF
Portland. j. L. Pratt. NJ. d., Chelsea; A. S.
Manser, Boston; E. M. Barton. Of the Amer
lean Antiquarian Society. Worcester; DR..
Charles E. Banks, Vineyard Haven; DIR.
Lapham, Augusta. They were Joined at
Bath by Rev. Edward G. Porter Of Lexing-
ton; L. d. Emerson, Oakland; Charles E.
Allen. Dresden; A. @. Stilphen, Gardiner; |;
Il Rev. S. G. Sargent, and Charles g. Nash
II Augusta; A. N. Robinson and Rev. Il. r.
|I White, @. j. Gilman and Professor t. t.
\ Little, Brunswick; s. B. Reed and A. d.
/ knight. A number Of ladies were also in
the party.
On reaching Bath the party was met by
the committee, j. l.. Douglass. Rev. Fl. o.
Tbayer and @. e. Nash. and escorted to the
steamer Percy v. for sail up the Kennebec.
Rev. Mr.. Thayer pointed out the various
the company with interesting details Of the
early settlement Of the region.
The first stop was made at Dresden Land
Ing, where carriages took the visitors to the
site Of Jacob Bailey's old parsonage and
church In the town of Dresden. Nothing is
left Of the parsonage and church but few
scattered stones In the midst of a thick for =
est. which has grown up about them. Mr..
Charles <. Allen gave the following account
Of the place:
Remarks by Charles z. Allen.
shall not detain you with any extended
remarks on this occasion, but as we have
taken you to a spot which you would hardly
select as one possessing much beauty, unless
indeed you were lovers Of nature when she
presents herself In what appears to be her
most forbidding aspect. 1t may be well 10
give the briefest possible outline Of the To-
cal history Of the place, to refresh the men,
ories of those already familiar with the
story and for the instruction Of those who
know nothing of 1t.
IL Is sufficient for our purpose to say that
this section was settled by French and Ger
| man Protestants In the year 1851 ,itheir plan
tation being called Frankfort. In 1851 or
| 1854, authorities diffeI) Fort Shirley was
built by the Plymouth Company. near where
| the old Pownalboro Court House now stands.
In the latter year the Inhabitants Of the
| plantation calling themselves q collection Of
| English, French, German. Scotch and Irish
| Protestants, petitioned the Society for the
be sent them. and Rev. Mr.. Macclenaghan
was sent in 1756 remaining with them about
| two years.
In 1760 Lincoln county was organized, and
Frankfort plantation Incorporated the same
| year as Pownalboro In honor of Gov. Pow
nal, was made the shire town Of the county.
On July 1sto the same year, in response to
| a second petition, Rev. Jacob Bailey arrived
| In the new town as minister or missionary.
| He was born In Rowley, Mass. took holy or
scene of his labors. Services were held gem
orally in either Fort Richmond or Fort Shir-
ley until the court house was built
after which his little congregation gathered
there until the new St. Johns church and
parsonage were completed In ITO. Mr.. Bailey
describes the spot as one possessing grea
natural beauty, improved BY himself ant
others with fine garden and grounds The
| church and house stood upon a towering
eminence, on the spot where we now stand
the chamber windo ws then commanding q
ssIns tbs Knnp yde% OF 16e Wnite Mountains and OF
| About 1776, the little congregation was
much disturbed by events arising from the
| revolt OF tie colonies, Mr.. Bailey, who was
l0yalist, being often subjected to insult.
Finally, in 1779. he departed for Nova Scotia,
| and the church and parsonage were reported
| In 1887 as going to decay, until now nothing
| remains except the cellar of the house. an
old well or two, the outline Of the church.
| and few OF the graves In the old church
| yard, the present st. Johns church, Dres-
| den, erected In .184S. being situated rather
more than a mile easterly from the old site,
| or at Dresden Mills village.
In 1874 Pownalboro was cut up, the west
precinct being Incorporated as Dresden, the
| north precinct as New Milford, now Alma,
Wiscasset retaining the name Of Pownalboro
| until 1902.
Within the walls Of the old court house,
which you will see soon, many distinguished
men OF the 0lden time argued cases. John
Adams was attorney for the Plymouth Com
pany and visited Pownalboro and the court
house In 1765, some thirty years before he
became second president. He was a class
mate of Jacob Bailey In Harvard College
and expressed regret that Pownalbore was
ever changed to Dresden.
The president then introduced Mr.. S. j..
Bridge, who entertained the society with
many interesting "reminiscences of the past
From here the party proceeded In carriages
to the old Pownalboro Court House and
were Hospitality entertained by the present
occupants. The building is now occupied
by Mr.. Goodwin and family. and Is most
interesting relic Of the past. After inspect
ing the premises DIR. Lapham gave an ac-
count Of Fort Shirley, as follows:
Fort Shirley.
This fort was constructed in 1851, nine
years before Lincoln county was formed
and P0wnalbOr0 made It's shire town, One
OF its two block houses stood near the road
which now passes In front of the residence
court house. Alfew years ago. while at work
on the road, the MAGAZINE Of the old fort
was broken into by the workmen and the
site Of one Of the bl:ck houses clearly de-
termined. The other stood nearer the river
little above the court house and near
built Fort Shirley, called in the
records Of the Plymouth Company, "the
defensive house" was erected by the compa-
Municipalities to settle here. and was named
Fort Frankfort, the locality having received
the name of Frankfort from the colonists.
some OF whom are said to have come from
that city. The area of the fort, according to
an old map still In existence, was 200 feet
square, enclosed with plckets, The block
houses. situated at opposite corners, were "a
feet square, with projecting upper stories,
and sentry boxes at the top. Within the pa
Iaoe ground were barracks, officers quarters,
armory and storehouses. Captain Samuel
Goodwin, who served the Plymouth Compa-
ny in various capacities, appears to have
been In command OF the garrison here, which
after the erection of Forts Western and Hal
lax, was Of but little account. Soon after
its erection, the name of this defensive
house" was changed to Fort Shirley In hon.
CT OF the governor of the Massachusetts,
Bay, who took deep interest In the con-
struction of defensive works on the kenne-
bee. When the court house was built In
176O1, Fort Shirley was demolished.
AT the close Of DR.. Lapham's paper, the
party took leave of their Dresden friends,
after passing an unanimous vote of thanks
for their hospitality, and proceeded on board
the steamer, which was waiting to take them
to the site Of Fort Richmond. The site Of
this ancient fortifcation has been involved
in some doubt, but has now been settled be-
yond doubt by the digging Of cellar. which
has unearthed the ancient foundations.
Here DIR. Lapham was again called upon.
and gave brief account Of the place.
Fort Richmond.
FCrt Richmond was built by order Of the
government of the Massachusetts, Bay In
1718 10. In the spring of 1719 the Pejepscott
Proprietors caused the lands bordering on
the Kennebec river to be surveyed By Cap
tain Joseph Heath. their object being to as.
certain the limits of their own patent, the
title to which they had but recently acquired.
Heath's plan bears date OF Brunswick, May
16, 17l9, and upon 1t Is drawing of Fort
Richmond, which had just been completed,
with colors flying at this time. Fort Rich
mond was the only garrison house above
Merrymeeting Bay. II was truck or trad.
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