Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-17
The Centennial Towns Of 1909.


discovers that there are five Maine
municipalities, one city and four towns
which will celebrate their centennial
during the present year. At least,
these five municipalities were incorpo-
rated in 1909 and if they are not going
to celebrate their Tooth birthday, they
at least ought to be making plans for
doing so. These places are Calais and
Jonesboro down in Washington county,
Scion in Somerset county. Whltefeld
over in Lincoln and Windsor here in
Kennebec.
1t has grown to be a good custom
here in Maine in recent years for
towns upon reaching the centennial OF
their Incorporation to observe the an
niversary with fitting celebration, a
general old home reunion, appropriate
literary exercises in the village church
or town hall and especially by the pub
lIcation of a town history. Many
towns have done this, and certainly all
towns passing tine century mark ought
to do as much as this in observance of
the occasion. We have not noted any
plans for such celebrations during the
coming year by the five towns men,
toned above, but it is not yet too late
for some or all of them to get busy
with plans for the coming summer
The exact date of these centennial
anniversaries usually falls in the Win
ter months for the legislatures Of a
century ago, like those of today, did
their business during that period of the
year. This fact makes the celebration
on the exact date of the anniversary
rather impractical and so 1t has been
usual to defer the celebration until the
summer months, preferably during
Old Home week or about that time.
Calais, over on the st. CroiX, named
for Calais in France, has had an in
teresting and even romantic history
was Incorporated. 1t became a city In
1850. Jonesboro, like Calais, is a sea-
port. 1t was a Jonesboro woman who
made that famous night Journey
through the woods TIC carry to the Ma
chias patriots the powder which was
used in the capture OF the armed
British vessel Margaretta In the first
naval encounter Of the Revolution. in
the early days Jonesport was known as
Chambers River, from Juda Chandler
who was the first settler in about 1863
When Incorporated in 1909 it was nam
ed ia honor of John c. Jones, one of
the original prDprietors. In 1891 Rogue
Bluffs was set off from Jonesboro and
INCORPORATED as a separate town. The
population in 1900 was COG. Today 1t is
thriving town with several granite
quarrics which yield especially fine red
granite.
The remaining towns upon the 1909
centenr ial list, Scion, Whitefield and
Windsor, are all farming communities.
Scion, famous for the picturesque
beauty of the Kernebec at that point.
was carly kncwn as Spauldinstown,
from the original owner, and just why
it was named Scion when Incorporated
in 1909 is a puzzle to the historian. II
is not only q farming town, but has
several prosperous manufacturing
plants. The population is about 1000.
Whiteneld, in the valley Of the Sheep
scot g few miles up from tidewater at
Wiscasset, was settled in no by Irisl!
immigrants who have still many de-
scendauts in that town and III this
section The Catholic church which
they built was one of the earliest pla-
ces OF worship of that faith In this
part Of the country and has ever since
been maintained. When the town was
Incorporated in 1909 it was named in
honor of Rev. George Whitefield. Like
I1iES dIOlIltl III ot toiiiii.hiNS ~
Maine it is less populous than in
earlier years, the population IN 1900 be
ing 1l.6, which is almost exactly 1000
less than it was half a century earlier.
Windsor, the fifth town on the list
and the only one in this county, IS the
next neishbor to Whiteiicld on the
Forth and is a prosperous farming
town made beautiful by hills and lakes.
It was settled in 1890. Since incorpor-
ated in 1909 it has borne in turn three
names. first, Malta, which was chang
cd TO Gerry in 1920 and to the present
name two years later. It's first name
is immortalized in the Malta War
which grew from the difficulties be
tween the carly settlers and the sur
veyors and other representatives of
the Plymouth Company which owned
the land. This difficulty extended over
several years and one surveyor, Paul
Chadwick, was shot. while others were
fired at and several were assaulted and
beaten One had his horse shot under