Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-23
UNIQUE MOUNTAIN TOWN.
Peculiar Characteristica of Hastfngs.
an Interesting Maine Village.

Tecuinr Snaractertsttcs of HastfnEss
an Interesting Maine Village.
Correspondence New York Times.
Hastings, a little village seated amid the
White mountains on the boundary between
Maine and New Hampshire. is the most
unique town in the United States IL not in
the world. 1t contains over 300 Inhabitants
at all times of the year. and in the winter
months, when the lumber camps are full,
the population is doubled. 1t has two large
manufacturing establishments. business
houses, fine residences, a post office. tele-
phone and telegraph offices, electric
lighting plant, a railroad, a school and
churches. In fact, 1t has every convenience
that town can possibly have, yet IL is not
town or city or plantation. or even an in
corporated place. and the visit of the tax
collector is an unknown thing.
The territory where the village is located
was granted to Richard Batchelder by the
state OF Massachusetts in 1897, and sixty
years ago four families moved there from
Fryeourg. in the western part of oxford
county, Me. They cleared away about 100
acres of land and built several log cabins.
A few years later they We're obliged to
abandon the settlement on account OF the
appearance of "Nigger Tom" a runaway
slave, who announced to the terrified set
tiers that he had been sent by the Lord'
to take the property which they had work.
ed hard for years to clear Then the VIII
lage was named Niger Toms Settle-
ment. and was known that until about
1870, when G. A and d. r. Hastings pur-
chased over 2O00o acres of the land and
the Wild River Lumber Company of New
Hampshire took 10000 acres. Since then
the town has grown with great rapidity,
every nation being represented. On any
pay day the most cosmopolitan gathering
OF types from all parts of the earth may
be seen in the village store, when they call
to settle their weekly grocery bills.
The houses have foreign aspect. Those
on the main street are about forty feet
wide by forty feet deep two stories high,
square like immense dry goods boxes,
painted venetian red, without blinds. and
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
town within stockade. The larger build
1ngS are bound to the earth by huge chains
to protect them from the fierce gales which
blow down the mountain sides.
The most remarkable thing about this re.
markabie town is the absence of crime.
Notwithstanding the heterogeneous popu-
iauon, there are no police. There was a
constable in the place up to two years ago.
but when his commission expired 1t was
impossible to find any one to take the posi-
ton Ii, perchance. it is necessary to bring
a person before the trial justice one of the
foremen in the lumber mill goes to the Gull
prlt and tells him that his presence is de-
sired at the company's store There the
sentence, If the man acknowledges his
guilt-and he usually does-is given him by
the bookkeeper in the store
IL is the only village in the United States
where there is no carriage road The only
means or transportation to or from the VIII
lase is over the railroad which runs from
Gllead to Hastings. The road follows the
valley of Wild river along route SO mar
row that In many places there is barely
room for the rails. 1t penetrates fourteen
miles into the widest defiles of the White
mountains. A ride upon it Is a new expe-
rlence, even to a traveller who has visited
every part OF the world Along some parts
of the road the grade is 400 feet 70 the
mile. " 'tAo
The school in the village is UNIQUE fea-
ture. me school house was built in 1892 by
one Iumper companies. and the teachers
are paid by monthly contribution of 10
cents from each of the workmen in the