The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1891-05-21
For the Reporter
Long Look Backward.
A BOYS VILLAGE SIXTY YEARS AGO.

Along Look Backward.
A BOYS VILLAGE SIXTY YEARS AGO.
Our boy first came to Milburn when h
was ten years old, previous to which h,
had always lived in K-p, which was !
seaport town near the ocean. 1t wa
quite nice town, having a handsome
church with stecple and bell and tow
clock, there was also town house,
school house and an observatory, there
were five OF six stores, a rope walk, ;
ship yard and quite number of larg'
handsome houses besides many smaller
ones. There were ships and brigs anC
~chooners and sloops and our boy coul,
tell one from another and knew many Of
heir names. He went to meeting anC
Sunday school and never played on Sun
lay for fear OF the ''tithing man" an
always took off his hat and bowed to thu
minister. When he was about sever
wars Olb HIS ldJlltl uitNl anu dblub W.
years after he went to live with Mr.. A
H. Littletleld who was in the lumber bust
ness at lSkOwhegan Falls, but his HON,
was then in Fairfield where he owned ;
farm, Here our boy lived about one yea
md went TO school The school house
vas about a mla away so he had to tax,
his dinner with him. They were mosll,
quaker families who lived there-G.li 1rd-
and Paddocks and Yarn, vs., and Hcrseys
and Bowmsns, most Of whom had toY,
md girls in the school. Mr.. Littl, fl, Ia,
arm was in the north part OF Fairiiel l
bout i've miles from MilJnrn, and whrt
sc went TO the ">ilage' with his black
morse and yellow sleigh with big bells
our boy watched eagerly for his coming
III the evening, for he had learned til,
music Of those b. and wa1 generally re
warded with II ST., K Of candy and once h
cot pi' ce of india rubber, the first h,
lad ever sen. How he Il d long To 90 NJ
% the "village" which he had pictured il
ais mind as such nice place. such hand
some houses and churches, with tai
,teeIlcs and clocks and bells on them, -
Tor he thought VII 'ge must be like II
city, though of course not so large bu'
very much nicer than a town like k-l
where he used to live.
In the spring Mr.. Littlefrld having
bought house in Milburn and hired !,
nan 10 take care Of the farm, concluded
10 move to the village. so packing the
fuI nitura into the hay cart aud taking his
wife and daughter, Elizabeth, into the
Wagon, they drove off and left Mr.. Pool
r to follow with the load and our boy
)erched On top. 1t was darx before the,
arrived in Mlnurn 80 that our boy coulu
see very little of the village that night bu
n the morning he was up bright and ear
y and oh what disaI pointed boy he Wa
low different was everything from .wha'
he had anticipated. Where were thu
handsome houses and churches with bell-
md clocks on them, and nice streets with
sidewalks? Why, there was nothing Of
he kind here; the streets were ust com
non roads with no sidewalks, there was
IT sign of any church or any public
luiluiug except a tavern, painted red and
school house pain cd yellow. But like
most other boys he soon became recon
lied to disappointment and accepted the
situation. If there wasn't any church OF
course there wouldn't be any meeting or
sunday school to 90 to and there wa
UGH nice river, there must be nice plac-
- for going in swimming. Where h
zane from there WAS riyer-the Monsoon
which ran up part of the time and down
lart of the time, but there WAS no good
places for swimming and the water wa
10 salt that it didn't freeze, so there was
10 skstng in winter. The river here
he Kennebec, was very much larger and
'un down sll the time and when it got to-
he island it separated into two parts, the
mallest part going down past Bloomfield
md the larger part plungiDg down over
he rocks with q great rear like the
ocean, this wss called Skowhegan FALL
There was bridge below the falls to go
INTO the Island to Bloomfield The is
nd was not as large as Rhode Island bu
here was a road across II and there were
even or eight houses on it and bank,
al ed the Skowhegan bank. Sam
le Weston was president and Samuel
Philbrick was cashier.
There were also two saw mills grisi
nil and csrding and fulllng mill, where
chase & Hill carded wool into rolls for
home spinning, and dyed and dressed the
lone made cloth. The grist mill was
,wned and run by Capt. "Jack" Yves
on and one by A Il. Littlefeld. They
we're all "up and DOWN saws and the mo-
i've power was from overshot wheels;
he slabs and edgings were all thrown in
o the river except what Mr.. Savage saw.
I'd into laths. The boards were tied up
nto "stocks" of ten each and thrown In.
o the river and drifted down to the
Great EDDY, where they were picked up
" men in canoes and made into RATS and
nm down to Augusta, where they were
,old to be shipped to Boston and other
places. The first laths that our boy had
aver seen were sawed on the island near
he saw mills, by Mr.. Savage and his two
,oys; thew had two small round saws
With one Of which they cut the slabs into
'our feet lengths. and with the other they
,awed them into narrow strips or laths.
At the end of the bridge on the Mill
)urn side, Mr.. Varney had a blacksmith
shop he was a great, good natured man
md always seemed very fond Of our boy
whom he called Little Sonny" The
road leading TO Canaan commenced here
md was really the business street of the
village. On the opposite side from the
blacksmith shop was small wooden
building intended for q store but was &C.
,upied by DIR. Raymond as an office. then
came long shed with feeding troughs
FOR horses and next came Samuel and
Cony Weston's store, which was quite q
arge two story square building. painted
yellow. Here they sold dry goods and
wet" goods, iron, steel and hardware and
farming tools, crockery. paints and oils
md medicines.
There were good many bills posted
On the walls inside and out advertising a
variety of articles, among them our boy
distinctly recalls one printed 10 very large
letters which read "Itch Ointment for
sale here" The next store was Captain
Joseph Patterns. . plain two story build
ing painted white snd his house not {
very large or pretentious one was neal
the store
Our boy can recall many happy hour
spent here where he WAS always welcome
The children were Milton. Caroline. Sum
Nor and Joseph, --"Capt. Blurtsr" - th'
boys al called him-Nilton was an init