The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1898-05-12
On Bloomfield Side.
Written for sorosis.A

i when the State laid out road To Canada.
In 1926 a subscription WAS raised in
Augusta and othrr river towns to keep
open the road through the winner, and
William IL. and Henry Humphreys.
Englishmen, engaged for 100000 To do
that work. \ road was first laid out on
the b ,oomfeld shore IF Canaan, aud
crossing by ferry Just above the falls 1t
passed up on the opposite bank through
Norridgewock To Old Point.
Efforts were made In erect bridge AZ
Bloomfield As early as 1875. but the first
bridge was built in 1909 by William
Weston of NorridgeWoek at n cost of
81, 500 90. This bridge extended from
he island To both shores, thus connect
ing Bloomfield and what WAS later called
Milburn. Ii was owned by u corpora
ton, their charter extending over term
of seventy.tive years, and the income
from the toll proved it a we'll paying
investment. In 1854 the bridge reverted
TO the town and became free.
The toll house with its piazza stood
near the end of the north bridge and is
still to be seen, but the gate has been
gone many years. This gate was closed
at nine AT night and travellers were often
obliged To rouse the oll-gatherer from
his sleep to open il for them TO pass.
Noah Burrill WAS tol-gatherer and
WAS called Master Burrill because he
taught school and also singing school.
He wrote and delivered Fourth of
July Grafton which was afterwards
published. He also composed verses Tor
occasions-and the following was adj
dressed TO the gentleman who married
his daughter.
John Chase come show your face
Where Burrill takes the toll.
And take chair and view your fair
And feast your hungry SOUL
In 1912 Baptist church was erected
and dedicated on the hill near K. b.
Curtis residence, but, az the back part
of the town became settled, it was NOV
ed with oxen in 1922 to the back road on
Main st. | inquired of a gentleman
about its appearance and was told,
why bless your soul, it looked like a
great barn, was never painted outside or
in" Affer it was moved it was improved
by having square tower built on the
front and this tower held the bell
There were galleries on three sides OF
the church, with three rows of pews.
The pulpit was square and set on four
columns, with staircase of its own, and
was high enough for the ministers head
to be on level with the galleries. In
the wall of the church under the pulpit
was cupboard in which was kept the
communion service. The pews had
doors. There were three entrances to
the church, one on each side of the front
directly into the church, the third into
the tower where the staircase led to the
galleries. This church was burned in
l.. III IL.
pounds was destroyed. The present
church was erected in AZ but was not
dedicated until n.
After people settled at the "falls" the
Congregationalists abandoned their
church on the river road, and erected
one in 1925 on the site of the present
residence of G. A. MarstOn. They sold
the old church in 1886 and part of it was
used in the erection of the the house now
occupied by II. w. Cushing. The pro-
ceeds from the sale were divided among
the pew holders. Ia 1871 fifteen or more
of the members of this church were dis
missed to form church in Skowhegan,
yet they worshpped together and held
one communion for five years, then each
part sustained preaching in its own
town. This people reunited and to-
gether built the Island Avenue church,
which they dedicated on Christmas 1862.
They sold their old church and today
there are buildings on Bloomfield side
containing its timbers. The bell, Paul
Revere, was sold to the church in Bing-
ham. When Rev. Geo. w. Hathaway
asked permission to go to Grinnell,
Iowa, for year, records state that after
the brethren voted on the question, the
sisters were requested to express by
ballot their views. The first instance we
find of women voting in church matters.
A Universalist society was organized
in Skowhegan and Bloomfield in 1874
and held its meetings in Washingtonian
aud Town Halls of SkOwhegan. 1t
voted to buy lot of land and did pre-
cure one On the island upon which to
erect church, and on the records is an
estimate of the expense of brick
church. At this time the men who
would naturally put their money into the
church, invested in the r. K. which was
being extended from Augusta to Show
hogan, therefore this land was sold In
1858 to Hiram Bigelow who afterwards
sold it to Mrs. Levi Weston.
Samuel Fletcher established the first
foundry on the cross road between the
river and middle roads, and then moved
it on to West Front st. near the
Hutchinson house. He afterwards
erected frame for foundry on the
island near the end Of the north bridge,
but the freshet of 1872 carried it off and he
finally built on Currier Brook. AT the
mouth of Currier Brook were Webb and
Billings saw-mill; wooden mill, grist
mill and saw-mill built by Andrew
Morse, and near the foundry was the
tannery owned by Edmund Pearson.
Farther up the brook was pottery
carried on by Joseph Philbrick.
Near the bridge was Lock and Das-
combs blacksmith shop. The Dickman
store stood in the corner of Main and
West Front streets, while up the river
was store built by Adams and
Humphreys, in the second story of
which was miliners shop carried on by
Deborah Cushing. This store was after
wards used for carpenters shop and in
it was made the first double bass vol for
the Somerset Musical Association.
In 1903 Seth Currier and William
Bridge bought an old school house and
made a store of it on the site of the
Tenney residence. They afterwards
built part of the store which stood at
the corner of Main and East Front
streets. These stores kept general mer-
chsndise and commonly only one was
occupied at time.
Gen. Joseph Locke kept the tavern,
which building stands on its old site and
is used today for boarding house. It
had swinging sign upon which was
A. 3 lot. L.