The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-10-14
OTISFIELD A CENTURY AGO.
Hawthorne'e Boy Life at Raymond,

HaWtnOrne'e Boy Lie at Raymond,
Revolutionary Soldiers Who Lived There
President Pierce's Advice to Haw-
thorne.
Otisfield is one of our most picturesque
towns and is worthy of visit from any
lover of fine scenery. On recent visit
we saw no perceptible change in the land
scape in the twenty-five years since we
last viewed it, We found the same SPLEEN
did views, the same villages, mountains,
ponds, and streams. There are woods in
every direction, with here and there a
farm, with it's white buildings standing
out against the dark green back ground
of the forest. We were much impressed
with the small proportion of the land that
had been cleared as we viewed it from the
highest hills.
The view from "Bell HIP is probably
the finest in town. and is simply grand
The whole northern part of Cumberland
county, with part of Oxford and Andres
coggin counties. is in view, and with the
White Mountains, and others, for a back
ground make picture that is not soon
forgotten.
There is fine view from the road from
"Bell Hill' to Bolster's Mills, out over
Saturday Pond and who will ever forget,
that has been over it, the "GreaJ Hip
near Bolster's Mills. Bolster's Mills is
such pleasant village that the hill is
forgiven for it's steepness. for time.
Here is Crooked river, SO crooked that
man there told US that he could stand on
the bank of the river and throw stone
across the river three times at one point.
We took his word for it, and did not re-
quire him to exert himself any more.
1t is the beginning of the town. up to
within one hundred years ago., that we
wish to dwell, as every year some facts
are lost OF forgotten, and while we know
them they should be recorded. The story
of the early settlers should be preserved
to the coming generations that they may
know the cost of this land of ours. The
young should be instructed that it was
their forefathers who endured the hard
ships necessary to make these towns what
we find them, and that it is no fiction,
but that they were flesh and blood men
and women of whom they should be
proud
The Township of Otisfield was grant
ed June 18th 1771. to the heirs and as
signs of Capt John Gorhan's Company
for services rendered in the unsuccessful
campaign against Canada under Sir VIM.
Philips in 1890 The township included
almost all of Harrison, a large part Of
Naples and the present town of Otisfeld.
Tt was first called Parkerstown, but in
1776 the name was changed to Otisfield
for, it is said, Harrison Gray Otis of Bos-
ton, who was one of the Proprieuors.
Otisield was incorporated as town
February 10Th 1898, Harrison March Sth
1906, and Naples in 1884.
The first settlsr, about 1774, was George
mill at Edes' Falls. Benjamin Patch
came next, and chose his lot on sfBell
HILL" in 1875, marrying Sarah Pierce,
the first settlers daughter. The third
was Daniel Cobb, who came from Cor
ham in ITS, and had the first male child
born in the town, Oct. 18th 1873, named
William Gorham Cobb. Next came
Joseph Spur in Sept 1873, and settled at
Spurr's Corner. He had sons, Joseph,
Enoch and Samuel The same year came
Major Jonathan Moors, who kept tavern
on " Bell Hill, " and Samuel Reed The
latter was killed by lightning. at Wind
ham few years later. In the spring of
1881, grist mill on the outlet of Satur-
day Pond He built another mill by
contract with the proprietors Of the town,
about 1857.
. Before this time, the settlers carried
their corn twelve miles through the
woods on their backs or on handsleds,
to Joseph Dipgley's milf at Raymond.
now South Casco. This mill was proba-
bly built about 1772. Dingley was the
first settler of Raymond choosing his lot
Sept. "a, 1910, but he did not remove to
the town, from Cape Elizabeth, until
about 1873.
Nathaniel Hawthorne when boy, lived
forty years after he played about the mill,
as BOYS do, and watched the miller and
those that came to get their corn and
grain ground. Hawthorne (his name
was Hathorn then) was the nephew of
Richard Manning who married Susan
Dingley, the granddaughter of Joseph
Dingley, the first settler who had been
dead a number of years before Hawthorne
went there. Susan D1ngley erected
stone. in 1927, over the grave of her
grandfather, in the little cemetery back
of her house, and she and hersshusband
ara buried near him. Some of Haw-
thorne's Journal, Kept here, was pub
lished by the Transcript over twenty
wears ago, but was repudiatad by his son.
We had a conversation with an aged gen.
tleman at Otisfeld, who was boy with
VIM. Sims there and knew him we'll. He
has taken considerable interest in the
matter and from what information we