Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-02-18
CENTENNIAL DAY
For Seven Maine Towns
During Year 1907.
MontviIIe, Porter, Denmark, JET
tsrson, Friendship, Di1mont
And Palmyra Plan to Have Suit.
able Cbservances.

towns will De 100 years old in 1907
| reckoning from the date of their incor-
| poration. These are Montville, Porter
Denmark, jefferson, Friendship, Dix
mont and Palmyra, ali prosperous and
thriving towns OF about the same size
Several. if not all, will observe their
centennial with more or less elaborate
| celebrations.
The town Of Palmyra will have it's
| celebration on its birthday, which
comes in June, but the other towns will
probably celebrate in connection with
old home week, rather than in Feb
ruary on the anniversary of the actual
date Of their interpretations.
| Montville was Incorporated as a
town Feb. Is, 1897, and is the Oldest OF
the seven that pass the Gentry mark
this year. 1t is in Waldo county, IS
| miles west from Belfast. Montville's
first permanent settler was James
Davis, Presbyterian minister, who
came from Massachusetts,. Montville
| has had the honor of supplying a con
| gresham, Rev. Ebcnczer Knowlton. a
famous preacher, who was a rcpresen-
tative in the 35th Congress. The whole
| town at present has about 1000 jnhabi
| tants.
| The two Oxford county towns Por-
| ter and Denmark, are twins, having
come into corporate existence on tn,
Same day, Feb. 20, 1907. Porter is on
| the New Hampshire line The town
ship which is now Porter, was bought
I ID,
ford. ana several associates. who nail
about $1,000 for it. The early settlers
We're mostly soldiers of the Revolution
airy War. who We're granted 10 acres
tor settlement. \ bounty of $50 acres
was also awarded the first settled
| minister, ana the same amount for the
support # the church Porter has =;
population Of about 1000 people
| Denmark adjoins the historic town
Of Fryeburg. its territory is part of
the grant of the State of Massachusetts
to Fryebnrg Acads my and was once
TIL" land of tho Pequakets. a native
Indian tribe. The carly settlers were
| mostly from Dover, Mass, the first
coming i'll 11SS-S9. The town has a
population of about 1000 persons, al
though in the summer many come
from other places for the quiet ard
beautiful scenery.
jefferson is q fine farming town in
! the northern part of Lincoln county
and was incorporated Feb. "a. 1907 It
| was formerly a part of the town Of
/. Nhlt"tield, the whole being first called
| BdilStnWn, from John Ball, one of the
! earlier settlers. The town has about
| 200 inhabitants and is famous for its
| cheese ana dairy products.
| Friendship has its birthday on Feb 8
| This is the only seaport of the centennial
| towns and is ir Knox county. on Muscon-
gus bay. The Indian and origina! namn
| of the town was Mcduncook meaning
| SANDY harbor," although it seems n
| msnonlcr. as the harbor is rockbound
| and in some places the shores ara so
| bold that Il deep -drau2ht vessel may an
| Choir within 20 feet of the shore. The
| first settlements We're in 11N, and about
| that date the pioneers erected a block
house on an island known ever since as
| Garrison iSlard. In 1754 there were %
| families living there and some of tho
| names are familiar to the present day
| such as Jameson Wadsw0rth, Davis
| Lowry, Cay. Gushing, Bartlett. Demorse
| EiCkmoro, Morton and Cook. In the war
| q 1l] all the people moved mo tho
| hlOckhouS" except a man named Brad
| ford. VINO thought that he could soc the
| Indians corning in time to take to shell
| t"r. One morning the SaVagcS SlNOoped
| Gown On tn" Bradfords and killed Brad
| ford and his wife a Young daughter
| picked up the irfant rs its mother fell
| and ran for the garrison. The Indians
sent a shower Of tomahawks and arrows
after her. but she escaped with n bad
wound and aftorward went to Vermont
! wher" She was the mother Of a large
| family.
| There arc about 500 people in tho town.
| which has several villages.
| Dxmont is a little Prnobscot county
| town or the Old stage road from Ban
| gor II Augusta. III" territory was orig
inally granted to Bowdoin College by
Massachusetts and first called College
town. In 1871 DR.. Elijah Dix Of Boston
! bought POOH acres OF the college, for
| wh:rh he paid ST, fSl. From him and Il
considerable mountain in the southern
rart Of the town the town takes its
| name. DXmOnt was incorporated Feb
g 1>01 E.xmont sent n representa- tive
| to Congress in 1S21-31. Hon. Samuel But
| man. who was Of the famous men
| Of lis day and generation. Other old
| families We're the brakes. Aldens, Bass
| fords. Browns and Adams. The town
now has about $50 inhabitants.
| Preparations are already well under
| way to celebrate the Incorporation of the
| town of Palmyra, which dates from June
-. 1907 Palmyra is in the southwestern
part OF Somerset county. The town was
bought from Massachusetts, by a Mr.. Bar
| nard Of New Hampshire, who paid 12js
cents an acre for it. He sold it to DR..
I0hr Warren of Boston and in 1923 it
was surveyed by Samuel Weston. Ths
first settler was Daniel Gale, who set
his stakes there in 1900. The town has
about 1000 inhabitants.