Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-10-08
The OLD COUNTY sultDINes.
SOMETHING OF THE BEGINNINGS OF
THESE HISTORIC STRUCTURES.

In view of the fact that the term of
court now about to convene may be the
last ever held Ia the old court house,
and that 1t will be not many months be
fore these county buildings will be
abandoned for the new ones, 1t may be
OF interest to review the history OF these
time-honored structures--t0 note with
what prudence the fathers proceeded.
and how the needs OF the county were
continually growing beyond their ac-
commodations. As another writer has
said, In hardly any of the building opera
tions Of the county have those In charge
"builded better than they KNEW" for 1t
has invariably taken but a few years to
discover that each structure was made
quste or imperfect. Let US hope that
that feature Of our county business Is
now to be done away.
Most of the facts given below are TAX
en- from the county Records library
composed OF what Is not, as a rule, high
IL entertaining literature, but which
forms the only absolutely authentic
source Of information.
The County of oxford, Common
wealth OF Massachusetts, was incorpO-
rated with Paris as the shire town March
/. lS05. The county affairs were at first
In charge OF the "General Sessions OF
the Peace" Il court composed of all the
justices of the peace In the county. From
lS05 to 1881 the county business was
transacted by turns by the Court OF
Common Pleas and the Court OF Sessions.
In 1881 the county commissioners court
IL IL
the present time.
Previous to the erection OF county
buildings, the Court Of Sessions sat In
the old meeting house on Paris Hill, aud
1t is to be presumed that the officers kept
their records at their own homes.
The first "Court of the General Ses-
sions OF the Peace" was held on the
second Tuesday Of June, 1905. At this
meeting the court chose Crish Holt,
Wi,hsm Livermore, lchabod BoDney,
Francis Reyes and John Thompson,
EsQuircs, committee ITO examine the
different situations in the town OF Paris
TO set the County Buildings on" This
committee examined several situations;
one In what was lister School District
| No. |, aud one on Stearns Hill. IL Is
understood that they went so far as to
stake out lot on Stearns Hill. The
committee offered their report day or
two later. For some reason action upon
il was postponed until an adjourned
term In August. At that term the COM
mittee reported in favor OF the situation
on Jackson's Hill (the present situation)
aud the report was accepted.
During this first session an agent was
appointed TO make arrangements for
! keeping prisoners 10 cumberland gaol,
and committee TO make plans and esii-
mate on gaol and keepers house. The
permission sought Was granted by the
court OF Cumberland County.
William Livermore, Daniel Stowell
and Caleb Prentiss. Esquires, were APP
pointed committee TO lay out the land
Tor the county bnildings, aud on the S,ii
lay of October, 1905, the much-discussed
deed Of the land WIS given by Jesse
Cummings and Mary Cummings his
= ife, TO the Inhabitants OF Oxford Coun-
Is, for the consideration of one dollar.
At the October term of the Sessions,
1905, one Thousand dollars WAS appro-
priatei towards building county gaol.
The committee reported Il plan which was
accepted, and another committee WAS
chosen To build the gaol aud gael house.
The plan was for building Of six rooms,
OF hewed timber and three inch oak
plank, with iron CRATES on the windows.
Total expense Of gaol and house was
estimted at two thousand dollars.
At the September term, 1896, The gaoI
was accepted until the close OF the next
term. The acceptance was repeated In
the same form at subsequent terms, aud
il seems never 10 have been finally &C
ccp,ei: but the bills presented for
work upon il were allow ed. What the
actual cost OF the building was could
only be ascertained by a sitting OF NC
counts. The giol yard, Dor the use oi
poor debtors was made about two miles
square, and from time TO time there
after MAS slightly enlarged.
At the May term, 1910, committe,
was appointed to finish the gaol and
gaol yard, and TO collect the subscrip-
tions for that purpose in favor of the
county" 4 subscription paper circu
lated In these modern times 10 finish the
gsol would have peculiar look. Al
the same term the prison house was &C
cepted.
! The movement 10 make Fryeburg q
half shire, or some other cause, seems &c
have DELAYED the erection OF other &C unit
buildings, for no mention OF any appear;
in the records until lsl2. At the Marcel
, term, 1913, Levi Hubbard, Danle
Stowell, William G. Whitney, aud Albion
: X. Paris, Esquires, were appointed i
! committee To superintend erecting tho
oil i..s4fn ht
Jonathan Bemis, Esquire, TO erect 4
! court house, was ratified snd contirme''
by the court. At the June term, 1910
!. il was reported 10 the court that !ht
register OF deeds and the clerk of courts
, had removed their records into the fir,
proof offices in the new court house.
That even in those days the cost oil
buildings sometimes exceeded the origi'
nal estimate, would appear from the
items which appear in the court esti
mates from time 10 time, as follows:
Sept term. Isle. For building Court
House, si"oN
March term. ISIS Toward defraying
expenses In building Court
House In said county, 1870 I"
Sept term, lSi3. For building and fin.
ishing c. House, 1000"
sept term. isli. For 6nishiDg the
Cont house, luHs
oct term. ISIS. For finishing Court
Feb term, ISIS. For finishing the
Court House. 10000
Just how much money was actually
expended does not appear from the
record.
In 1871 committee was appointed 10
expend one hundred and fifty dollars In
making an alteration" in the court
house.
On the 3lst day OF December, 1921, as
set forth in the Indictment, Andrew Z.
Mayaw set fire TO the gaol, which was
destroyed, and in September following
he was for that act sentenced TO state
prison for life. A special term OF the
Court OF Sessions was called soon after
the fire, in January, 1872, and So 900 was
appropriated for building Jail. In
April OF the same year, plans and speci-
fications for stone prison were accept
ed, and the contract was awarded TO
Abraham wyman and Levi WyEan.
The contract price was $3.50, the con-
tractors to have until the last day OF
October, 1S23,-about year and half
Ito complete the Jail. The jail as erect
ed was very nearly as it now stands, ex-
cept that there were originally four cells
on the first floor.
At the June term, 1876, Messrs Brad
lev, Lincoln, Emery, Whitney, Rust,
Chandler, Goodenow, Webster, Clark
and Mellen, were appointed commit
tee "to advise and report tomorrow
morning the best plan for repairing and
improving the Court House," etc. The
committee duly reported, and the open