Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-10-19
pIl7zLES IN DEEDS.
(,rOIicatiors in Maine Caused by
Rycrsion Of Property Clause.
q o,,o,d's Ii: toric County Buildings We're
Sved

INV hadn't reCkoned clearly ON
eu' s,nre Years ago in Maine il was
ue .ommon custom for ssnatriotie and
w., W.. spirited citizens Is give aMa1'
puO ,,s towns or societies -MAicfy wan;
'ans .e'srect public buildiusy Amos
W.sriablv the nrovise was MedS thai
M ,,ss of the said biildiL gss pub
,.noses should be abanaossssl. rthe
ri shouId revert TO the oiis.naL pro-
"-ia,o, or his heirs. TING has Drought
- 20 unlocked for changes. and there
sa Maine has been vieMi;aG some
ouecr compilations. q
Tor instance. the countySet '-lN7s
~ IA. scen iii Ia changes the sits.xefii
~ ~ shire before the sIassnftlic rail-
r ~ tbe county buihtnrs utere OF,
t nan;s Hin ana il the ,ad Neoui1rounl
uannibal Hamlin, John r. beng Sid
nav Perham ana other famosS men,
made their first essays before the bar.
WIEN The suggestion was mRde that
hos HISTORIC buildings be abar'fnnsd
nvfor5 county waS rent 10y disscnsi6n.
bn, finally u;ilitarianiSm prevailed
ovsr sentiment. ana new county build
inss were erected in the village Of
South Paris, near the railroad,
Then it was that'a frmily discovered
.ba, IL the terms uf an ancient decd
,bose buildings on Paris Hill reverted
into if possession. Some ancestor had
,,,asantel the land to the county more
han one hundred years before His
aoo1 contained inversion clause.
rharefcre his heirs now found them
solves the proprictors of One "t the old
ost and most historic courth"uses III
Maine. a stone Jail. jailvr'S residence
and the county offices
The family at the same time found
itself in a quandary. The oxford
Raars az the folks OF the county call
themselves. greeted the suggestion tn;,i
tho buildings be torn down with
storm Of protest. OF course. they
had no legal control Of the affair. but
the new proprietors dill not have the
hardjhood to defy popular Indignation.
The ancient buildings had been the nub
of ca much oxford county history that
il did seem sacrllcge To modest them.
on the other hand. the county had been
set behind 50 much by the cost OF tn"
now county buildings that The voters
didn't feel like buying the old property
from the heirs. And then. Of course.
the feeling prevailed that these heirs,
who suddenly found themselves invest
cd with all the public buildings OF a
shrievalty We're getting something Tor
nothing in most understandable man
ner.
The deadlock was broken when DR..
Hamln. of Bangor. offered to build
over the old county Jail into a library
if certain conditions We're fulfilled by
the people. In this way compromise
was effected with tie heirs.
That took care of oxford smart, but
Harpswell, down on the Maine coast.
was left noundering i'll a legal maze.
Israel Leavitt. farmer had taken his
family and mad gone to ike in the
schoolh0use Farmer LeaVitt didn't go
there to reside because he liked the
schoolhouse as dOmicile He consld-
cred it the most drafted announcement
place to live that he ever had tackled.
but he was there because his lawyer
told him to go there.
II gems that the town fathers Of
HarpsWell had placed their II. " school
house on Leavitt's land, Just where he
didn't want it. 1t was too near his best
orchard for one thing. But the town
fathers claimed the right Of eminent