The independent-reporter., 1910-07-21
PROSPERITY DWELLS
IN OLD SOMERSET
Industries and People
Both Increased
SkOwhegan Takes the Lead This Year
As Always.

Somerset county is growing fast,
both in industries and population.
Prosperity is seen in the farming sec
tions and there is an increase in the
valuation of town property.
1t is believed that when the report
of the census is given for Somerset
county there will be found a consid
cradle increase in population since
the last-census ten years ago This
is especially true in the larger towns.
In the number of polls in these
towns-Fairfield Skowhegan and
Madison-there is quite an increase.
In Fairfield the increase up to 1908
was about $50. In Skowhegan there
has been an increase of about 400.
The estates in Skowhegan in 1900
amounted to $144,94S; in 1908 they
were $3,805,343. The total amount
of estates for the county in 1900 was
$13,S45,S98; in 1908 it was $15,616,776.
In the last ten years Skowhegan
has made more progress in proper
ton to its size than any other town
in the county. There have been sew
eral industries added in that time
The Marston Worsted mill which
usually employs 275 hands; the Spin
ming mill; the Steward saw mill;
McQuillan & Pooler sash and blind
factory; the Beale corn factory; two
more pulp mills, the Riverside Pulp
mill. In the last ten years a great
deal of building has been done, es
pecially in the business section of
Skowhegan. The most prominent
blocks built in that time are: Muni-
cipal building, E. \. Merrill block,
Ward & Philbrick block, J. Palmer
Merrill block, Sampson & Griffin
block, Dunlap block, new First Ma
tional bank, Morrison & Mcclellan
block, Gould block with Hotel Oxford
extension to Court house, Jail work
shop, and new Engine house SkoW
hogan, the shire town had in 1900
population of $3.50. 1t is believed that
when the census report is made
there will be population of over
5000
In the growth of Somerset county
! NorMdgeWock has one OF the princi-
pal places. The town has grown in
population and industries more in the
last two years than it ever has in
the same length OF time in its his
tory. In that time a shoe shop has
been opened which in a short time
will employ about 100 hands. A new
corn shop has been built which, with
the corn shop already there, will
make Norridgewock the leading town
in the State for raising sweet corn.
made great progress in farming. Ii
may not be any more noticeable than
in other parts of the State but, new
ertheless, it is a fact that the farm
ers are more prosperous than ever
before. 1t is interesting to note that
the farmers are now doing business
on a larger scale. There has been
considerable increase in population
in the agricultural districts. 1t was
about eight years ago that the Aroos-
took farmers commenced coming to
Somerset county to settle. 1t is
thought that Norridgewock and Skow-
hegan show a greater increase in this
element than any other towns. The
writer has found especially through
the rural districts of Norridgewock
! that eight years ago there were Il
large number of abandoned farm
buildings where now the buildings
are occupied, and that, on a great
many of the roads radiating from
Skowhegan to Norridgewock villages,
new farm buildings have been put
up. There has certainly been an in
crease in prosperity among the farm
ers. The farm buildings are in good
it is an undsputed fact that more
farmers own their farms today than
ten years ago.
Bingham has made wonderful pro-
gress in the last two years. Real
estate has nearly doubled in value
New Industries have been added. 1t
now leads the State in hard wood
products which are hubs, bicycle
rims, shoe shanks, pegs, broom han
dies, and last blocks of which $50,
600 were manufactured last year
Three factories have been added in
the last two years. The population
has increased probably one-third.
In determining the growth in
Somerset county in the last ten years
one of the most important improve
ments to be mentioned is the ex-
tension of the Somerset railway
which has been built from Bingham
! to Kineo, a distance of about so miles.
) No improvement in the State of
Maine in the last decade has meant
| so much to the whole State as this