The Republican journal., 1900-06-14

that member of that family was the
first 10 be buried i'll what is now the Cen
tire cemetery, then "a waste, isolated
spot. Nearing the church. at the left OF
the road may be seen the prints of al
old-time road leading straight up the
steep hill in the direction of the church.
1t is noticeable fact that iii those
times roads We're usually made directly
over the highest hills. Tradition says
that in a house on the hillside date
not known was born the first child III
| Thorndike then Lincoln Plantations
1t is said that many years ago a man
with an OK team was taking a hogs
head OF nolasses from Belfast to West
| Tlorndike and the team had nearly
reached the above mentioned Hill, when
the fastenings of the load gave away
and the hogshead left the wagon. Then
| the teamster witnessed the exciting
! spectacle of his late load starting on
| that long steepdecline. gaining momen-
| tIum with each revolution, and when the
| hogshead struck the bottom of the hill
| it burst open While the bottom of the hill
presented a scene of sweetness. it is
| presumed "blueness' pervaded the at
mosphere at the top.
On the highest point of the hill, few
steps south of the church, now the
farm of Messrs. Coffin and Ames,
| Thomas Holbrook made himself and
| family home in one Of the early years
of the settlement. The first post office
in Thorndike was established at Mr..
HOlbrook's house, and he was the first
postmaster in the town. The date of
the establishment of the post office is
not known. The mails were brought
on horseback once a week from Bel
fast. and return, and, as then required
by the postal regulations. when nearing
the post office the mail carrier annolul-
ced his arrival by successive blasts OH a
horn. My informant remembers vivid
y as a small boy the looks, appearance
! and Jolly greetings Of the mail carrier
| The church was erected in 1892 \ few
steps west from the church by the road
side, as the road led directly over the
| hin III those times, is the site of the
| first school house built in Lincoln Plan
tation. AS no record is found of the
building of the house, and as the first
meeting of the voters of the plantation
| for the purpose of enacting business
for the plantation took place at the
school house. July Is. 1872, it is sup
posed the building may have been erect
ed some prior time through the individ
ual efforts of the settlers. All subse-
quent meetings of the plantation, and
for several years after the town had
been incorporated and until town
house had been built, We're held at the
school house. When other school houses
were built the first was designated as
| the Centre school house.
| \ few of the many interesting trans
actions of the plantation gathered from
the records. may be mentioned. At a
meeting of the plantation Oct -, 1912
was voted to raise So to defray planta-
ton charges: voted to pay u 1-2 per
cent. for collecting the same At a
meeting of the plantation held in 1913,
| it was voted to raise $500 for schools;
| voted that the school tax be paid in
produce, at the following prices: wheat,
| $50 per bushel, rye. 81, and corn 81 per
bushel. At meeting June 10, 1922,
the building of a pound was bid off at
S25
! On the opposite side of the road
| from the town house is the site of a
house built by William Philbrick more
than a hundred years ago. 1t is said
the first log house built in what is now
Thorndike was built by Mr. Philbrick a
number of years prior to the one
above mentioned and near the same
site. Mr.. Philbrick had large family.
His son Daniel succeeded him on the
farm.
The home of Mr.. Paris Dyer is the
scene of the early operations of his
grandfather, deacon Geo. Dyer, who
was among the early settlers. There
was large family of children. The
following were the names: Levi, Benja-
min, Eben, George, William and John.
The last three-George was captain of
the vessel-were lost at sea at one time.
The daughters were Relief, Abigail,
Silva and Jane.
One of the things (which was and is
not" was the pound in which offending
cattle were imprisoned. 1t was a
familiar object on this farm near the
roadside a few years ago. The Dyer
] homestead was within view of occs