The independent-reporter., 1910-12-29
Reprint of Mrs. s. L, BOardman's Ar
ticle In the Bangor Commercial
Feb. Ia, 1903.

tree-embowered village, everything
relating to it is of much interest to
me- My mother was one of the Saw
telles, and my father was Cyrus
Fletcher. My parents moved to
Skowhegan when | was a small child,
where | lived until | married and
left for California fifty years ago.
Although l have been away so many
decades, my thoughts still fly back
with loving interest to both places.
am very desirous to see your article.
The older residents of Skowhegan
will remember the Fletcher family,
and their home, square colonial
house upon the top of the hill on
ELM street where S. w. Gould's
house now stands. Mrs. Weston and
her sister were both very fine sing
ers.
| The accompanying highly interest
ing sketch of Norridgewock, one of
Names most historic towns, was first
read by Mrs. Samuel Lane Boardman
at a meeting of the Frances Dighton
Williams chapter, Daughters of the
American Revolution, Bangor:
Among the historic towns in Maine
none are more interesting than that
of Norridgewock 1t is too, as beauti-
full in it's location as it is important
for the historic events which have
J troY ;tu hafo
European settlements had made any
marked progress in North America
Norridgewock was the scene of>events
of worldwide Importance. England
and France were contending for the
right of way from the sea to the ST
Lawrence river, up the Kennebec and
through the forests of the north to
Quebec and Canada.
To get at the earliest of the dates
when this great conflict was in pro-
gress 1t is necessary to go back to
the days of the Pilgrims, the Massa-
chusetts colony, the earliest English
settlements, the contention for terri
tory and the possession of the rivers
which were the natural channels of
trade between the Europeans and
Indians for which England and
France were at war with each other.
AS early as 1903 Quebec was set
tied by the French and from that
point, the early Jesuit missions max
ing allies of the Indians, gradually
extended possession of the territory
southwark and westward as far as
| Norridgewock.
Captain Weymouth had discovered
the Kennebec river as early as 1906
nd ascended it to that place. As
early as 1859 and from that time
down to 1744 border wars between the
French and English were occurring
at intervals of a few years.
The English who had driven back
the Indians and French from Salmon
Falls, Berwick, Casco, Wells and
Portland had extended their hold up
On the territory as far north as Nor
ridgewock, which may be called for
that time the great centre of the
Jesuit influence over the Indians at
the head of which was the celebrated
Jesuit priest, Father Sebastian Rasles
who, for 29 years, was the teacher
nd guide of the Abnakis.
Father Rasles is one of the great
oersonages of our early American his
tory. He was thoroughly educated
earned in all the knowledge of his
time and, through the ceremonies OF
The Roman church which had &
strong hold upon the simple minds of
he Indians, possessed a great infu-
3nce over the natives. He did un-
doubtedly lead them into many good
ways, but he melted their hostility
gainst the English to a great de-
gree
AS early as 1916 he built rude
chapel at what is now called Indian
Old Point, in, the town of Norridge-
~ock. Between that time and 1924
many treaties were made between the
Indians and the English but were as
often broken; but on August II, 1924.
the Indians and the French were
surprised by body of 100 men under
Captain Harmon and the entire set
.lement was destroyed.
Father Rasles here met his death
in his little chapel surrounded by his
faithful Indians, to whom he had
been a spiritual father for almost a
generation. This was the final end
ing of the border warfares in our
state between the English and the
French of which Norridgewock was
the scene.
The visitor who goes to that histor-
ic town today can see a modest gran
ite monument on the site of the viii
lage at Indian Old Point, one of the
most beautiful spots on the kennebec
river, which was erected to the mem
Dry of Father Rasles 70 years ago.
1t is the only monument in this
country east of the Mississippi river
which marks the site of an Indian vii
lage and the place where decisive
battle took place between the French
and English on this continent.
This gives to Nopridgewock prom
inence not shared by any other town
in Maine and makes its history one
of deep interest. 1t was in this town
and at that primitive period in which
our American poet, Whittier, laid the
scene of his longest and one of his
finest poems, Mogg Megone, begin
ming,
'Tis morning over Norridgewock!
On tree and wigwam, wave and rock
Norridgewock Is also distinguished
from the fact that portion of the
American army under Gen. Benedict