The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-04
HISTORIC YARMOUTH.
An Old Garrison House Crumbling
in Decay.
THE SHIPPING DAYS CONTRASTED
WITH THE PRESENT.

A Grand Army Flag the Only Suitable
Market for the Grave of the Famous In
dian Scout go" wyer.-The sinuous
Course of the Historic Wescustogo.
The Wescustogo of the Red man has it's
main source from beautiful Sabbath day
Pond in the northern part of New
Gloucester. After turning the wheels
of the grain and saw mills of Upper New
Gloucester it makes detour into DAN
vile; and then rushing down over the
nips," meanders through the long and
wide expanse of New Gloucesters' charm
ing meadows. In this course it doubles
on itself in many "eel-ho deep and
mysterious, from.whence came the squirm-
ing, Shiny eel to make toothsome fry,
while his skin made the farmer " fail
string" that never wore out Its crooked
ness leads it into the town of Gray, where
10 years ago it was the motive power for
q primitive saw mill. Thence it flows
across the present North Yarmouth.
Thence it crosses the boundary line be-
tween Freeport and Yarmouth, where it
drove the once extensiove lumber mills
at what is now Yarmouthville, and now
drives a shoe mandatory, machine
shop, and the extensive pulp mill works
of the Forest Paper Company. Then
it flows to the lower or east fall where
the forefathers had their primeval grist
mi Ii mile and half further on and
it is lost in picturesque Casco bay.
It's length as the bee flies is about 20
miles; it's kinks Strengthened out it would
be 40. Few small rivers in Maine from
source to mouth are more picturesque,
or have clustering around them historic
events so thrilling and romantic as the
winding Wescustogo. There is always
grandeur about river A town without
one is shorn of much that goes to adorn
its landscape and embellish its valleys
The Maker saw that Paradise must have
river to be fit place for man to
dwell. Heaven itself would be lncom-
plete without its river.
The boy born and reared near a river
should become good, if not great
man. If he does not there's screw
loose somewhere.
OF all the loved spots" the orchard,
the meadow, the deep tangled Wildwood"
none could give such exquisite delight
in my boyhood days as a ramble along
the banks of Royals river with rod and
gun. A view from the levee at New
Orleans of c the father of waters" may
have given my soul a greater shaking up,
but not that exquisite, sparkling, effer-
vescence of unaloyed pleasure that an
hour on the banks of the river of my boy.
hood, in boyhood days, could give.
The name Royals river comes from
William Royal, who came over in 1850
and in 1913 purchased tract of land of
Gorges on the Wescustego river. In 1868
he settled on the east side of the river
and built fort, on the site undoubtedly
of the later garrison house OF which we
will note further on.
The Wescustego Of the Indian emil raced
the place and the river. North Yarmouth
was the eighth town, and embraced
Freeport Pownal and Cumberland. In
1876 the Indians laid the town waste.
The writer enjoyed the rare treat a few
DAYS ago of visit to Yarmouth Falls"
where about so years ago, New Glou-
cester green-horn, he used to market
pressed hay and chenango'sn. We don't
have potatoes now embellshed with a
How great the change! The once busy
wharfs are gone and with them the ship
ping that graced them. The very sites
where so years ago
A DOZEN SHIPS
could be seen at once in process of con-
struction, have become obliterated and
the cheerful sound of adj and mallet is
heard no more. An air of desuetude
haunts the once busy outlet of the Yves
custego. Other changes from ancient to
modern are noted The ancient grist mill
has been superseded by a fine granite
structure and the old wooden bridge by a
substantial iron one Electric light SUI
percedes the tallow candle, having it's
power plant on the grist mill dam On
the high promontary on the east, on Free
port side, overlooking the river below
the falls, on the site Of the fort and garri-
son house, now stands the elegant two
story residence of Mr.. Baker.
Near the garrison house Mr.. Philip
Greeley on his way to the mill in 1746
was killed and scalped by the Indians
Greeley, late mayor of Portland, who
died in 1858. Captain o., my we'll
informed and genial guide, drives to the
spot where the tragedy occurred-a little
wall running athwart the highway
On the west side on "Gilman's ledge"
Mr. Eaton was shot by the Indians. A
legend recites that as he fell his feet
sank into the rock and that the tracks
may be seen to-day. Captain O. says
the tracks are there, but look like the
tracks of mocassin. The vane of the
first church built at Yarmouth in about
1921 is planted on the ledge where he fell.
1t has bullet-hole through it, said to
have been made by an Indian.
This ancient chucrh the eighth in the
State, has much interesting history
clustering about it, All that now re-
mains of it is the doorstep and the vane
above mentioned I stood on the step,
which no tool of iron or steel ever pro-
famed, and tried to imaigne how the
quaint church and it's worshippers looked
and how they acted. Some carried their
old 1intlocks to church as there might
come along some "redskin" whose time
had come to die. And then they came
from long distances as there was no
church or minister nearer than Portland,
and they might be ambushed on the way
through the then primeval forests, The
first minister, Rev. Ammi Ruhamah Cut
ter, was appointed in 1730. He was
good man,
@and passing rich with 40 pounds year.
The next minister was Rev. Trlstrnan
Gilman, who for 40 long years, thun-
dered from the high pulpit under the
sounding board, the law and the gospel