The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1904-07-07
ect matter in greater detail and more pleas.

| A hundred and twenty-five years az
Unity was, like the greater part of Maine
had been heard within its limits; Occasion
ally wandering Indian passed through O
a settler in search of home, but that wa
all, until two of the latter, Carter an,
Ware, journeying across the country, pitch
ed their tent near the outlet of Unity pon(
and finally settled there This is the frs
settlement of which we have any recort
and the first name by which the town wa.
known was the Twenty-Five Mile PonG
Plantation, SO called from its distance from
Fort Halifax in Winslow.
1t was at the time of Indian troubles and
the new settlers were soon driven from
their homes, but when these difficulties had
ceased Carter returned and became the
founder of one of the early families of the
| town.
In 1882. Stephen Chase. many of whose
descendants are to-day citizens of Unity,
family, a strong, hardy man, ready to bat
tie with difficulties in clearing and settling
| the new land. His settlement was on the
horseback, near the east shore of the pond,
but later he built the first frame house and
| frame barn in town on the site now oocu-
| pied by the residence of F. A. Whitten.
Stephen Chase was preacher of the So
ciety of Friends and for many years minis
tered to the people in that capacity. He
| lived to the age of eighty, while his wife
| attained to the remarkable age OF one hun
| dred and six.
A few years after Mr.. Chase's settlement,
in the field notes of Hayden, the surveyor,
this minute was made: 81 found upon the
stream leading from Unity pond to the Sc
basticook a man by the name of Mitchell,
building mill on what | call very good
mill privilege" This was on the Site of
the present Moulton mill. The first grist-
mill of which we have any knowledge was
built upon the rapids just above this. i
rude dam was constructed and water con-
Quoted through a hollow log onto an over
shot wheel furnished power for the mill.
Civilization having advanced thus far,
new settlers were not lacking. Between
1892 and 1910 the following men came to
the town: Clement Racklitfe, Benjamin
and Lemuel Bartlette from Limington
| Simeon Murch from Gorham; John Melvin
from Manchester, N. H., the latter settling
on farm now owned by his grandson,
brought with him apple seeds and planted
the first orchard in town. Joseph Woods
came from Standish and settled on the
farm now owned by Wesley Woods. Mark
Libby, Robert Carll, Henry Farwell and
John Perley came at about this time. They
| by the blazed trees, bringing with them
their tools, a few household implements
and indomitable courage.
We find in the record that it is during
this early period that the first barn was
Second, i which M still stands, on p The &C c. e e
Fowler farm. A grist mill also was built at
| Farwells Mills.
Rufus Burnham, NJ. D., for whom the
town of Burnham was named, moved to
town and afterward purchased the first
stove ever brought into Unity. This was
| set up in the house now occupied by the
| speaker. Other settlers were Cornforth,
| Kelley, ParkhurSt and Hunt.
The first settlements had been made upon
the horseback !; here and there house arose
in different parts of the town, but the real
trend of civilization tended now toward the
central part OF the town, or what is now
the J. ii. Cook district, and it is there that
we find houses going up and schools and
churches built. This was called "The
Settlement and it was at this time the
business center.
y man by the name of Bracket lived on
the place now owned by c. S. Cook and
manufactured clocks and oil cloth carpet
ing. The first store was kept by a man by
the name of Hopkins in the house now be-
longing to George Murch. In this same
settlement John AmeS made hand rakes
and beyond, to the eastward, was the
dwelling of Dr.. Knowles, who served thirty
years i'll succession as town clerk. Houses
| were erected on the sites of the present
| Varney, Hussey and Larrabee homesteads
and the settlement became large and pros
! porous for the period.
Meantime municipal government was to
be thought of-the first plantation meeting
was held at the house of John Chase OF
June so, 1908, and the second at the resi-
dence of Lemuel Bartlette. The first tow
meeting was held at Benjamin Racklitfe' 5
lnnhoder
Like their Massachusetts brethren, VIII.
founded churches almost before they found
ed their homes, these settlers early looke(
to the religious welfare of the community
Before Il church building could be though
Of two societies had been formed, thu
Friends and the Baptists, the former unde
the leadership of Stephen Chase, the latte
however of which | find any record, wa
built by the Methodists not far from tn
home of Peter Aver, in 1926. Two year
later the Friends church was built on tn
site of the present church of this denomina
ton. A Congregational church, erecte,
on the main road, near the B. B. Steven
place, was afterward moved to the villag
and, the society having disbanded, was solt
and taken down. The present Union churcl
was finished in 1871.
But even earlier than this the little settle
ment on the hill, in spite of the work Incl
dent to settlement in new and uncleare'
land, had remembered the need of ednca
ton, had felt the stimulus that leads father
to wish for their sons better education
than they themselves had, and had bull
schoolhouses for their youth. The frs
schoolhouse in Unity was at the corner
near Joseph Farwell's house.
A little after the nineteenth century cam
in clearingS were made and business wa
transferred to Unity village, or Antioch, a
!, it was then called. The first schoolhous
! built at the village was ON the pond road
beyond Bartlette's barn /; it was moved to tn
c. E. Stevens place, afterwards to the pres
ent site of Harrison DamOn's house and
! now occupied as dwelling by A. W. Hard
ing The old brick school building follow
ed which stood on the site of the old whit
schoolhouse, both of which have now bee
superseded by our present modern buildin
which ranks among the finest in the vii
lagos of the State.
These are few of the facts which ma
be of interest to you. Of the life of tn
e period, interesting though it is, l have n
e time to speak. Our ancestors were honest
e hardworhing, God-fearing men, who strue
1 gled for existence at home in the early lif
s Of our State; and when the call came fou
f went out bravely to help conquer the Brit
ish These men were John Melvin, Thos
: Fowler, John Hunt and James Packard.
y In 1872 eleven responded to the call-Na
!. thaniel Stevens, Robert Blanchard, Josia
Murch, Elisha Biather, George |. Fowler
e Archelaus Hunt, Eben Reynolds, Robe:
e CARL, Nathaniel CARL, Dean Libby an
t Mark Libby; and two went to the Mexica
i war-Otis Whitmore and Joseph Biathel
e l find on the roll the names of eighty VIII
t fought loyalty for the Stars and Stripes i
q the Rebellion of 1861. That those who rt
a mained at home worked with will W