The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-10
UNIQUE MOUNTAIN TOWN.

Correspondence New York Tfmes.1
Hastings, a little village seated amid
the White mountains on the boundary
the most unique town in the United
States, if not in the world. It contains
over 300 inhabitants at all times of the
year, and in the winter months, when
the lumber carps are full, the popuIa.
ton is doubled. It has two large manu-
featuring establishments business
houses, fine residences, a post office, an
electric lighting plant, a railroad a
school and churches. In fact, it has
every convenience that town can pos
sibly have, yet it is not town or city or
plantation, or even an Incorporated
place, and the visit of the tax collector
is an unknown thing.
The territory where the village is To-
Gated was granted to Richard Batch
elder by the state of Massachusetts in
1887, and sixty years ago four families
moved there from Fryeburg, in the
western part of oxford county, Me.
They cleared away about 100 acres or
land and built several log cabins. A
few years later they were obliged to
abandon the settlement on account of
the appearance OF 'Nigger Toms a
runaway slave, who announced to the
terrified settlers that he had been sent
by the Lord" to take the property
which they had been working hard for
years to clear. Then the village was
named t'Nigger Tom s Settlement" and
was known as that until about 1850,
when G.. A. and d. r. Hastings pur-
chased over 10000 acres of the land,
and the Wild river Lumber company Of
New Hampshire took 10000 acres since
then the town has grown with great
Iapidity, every nation being represent
ed. On any pay day the most cosmo-
parts of the earth may be seen in the
village store, when they call to settle
their weekly. grocery bills.
The houses have a foreign aspect. Those
about forty
wide by forty feet deep. two stories high,
square like immense dry goods boxes,
each with six rooms on a floor They are
comfortable and are kept in good repair.
Every house is surrounded by huge piles
of lumber, giving it the appearance of a
town within a stockade. The larger build
ings are bound to the earth by huge
chains to protect them from the fierce
gales which blow down the mountain
The most remarkable thing about this
Notwithstanding the heterogeneous popu-
latiOn, there are no police. There was a
but when his commission expired it was
impossible to find any one to take the po-
bring a person before the trial justice one
to the culprit and tells him that his pres
ence is desired at the cOmpany's store.
There the sentence. if the man acl1nowl-
edges his guilt-and he usually does-ts
given him by the boo6keeper in the store.
States where there is no carriage road.
The only means of transportation to or
which runs from Gilead to Hastings The
road follows the valley of Wild river
along a route SO narrow that in many
places there is barely room for the rails.
1t penetrates fourteen miles into the wild
est defiles of the White mountains. A ride
upon it is a new experience. even to a
traveller who has visited every part of
the world Along some parts Of the road
The school in the village is a unique
feature. The school house was built in
1892 by the lumber companies, and the
teachers are paid by monthly contribu-
ton of 10 cents from each of the work
men in the mills.