Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-07-11
SOmerset',S Town to
Celebrate It's
Birthday.
Noted for Stirring Indian His
=. =. tory and Great Men.
The Story Of Father Rasle and Last
OF Famous Tribe...Congressmen
And Educational Work-.6roWth
And The Prospects.

70 years old, neY; men,h. What the
c.fei rai,on Of the village will pe has
not ! cen fuzzy decided, hut one Of The
PRINCIPAL EVENTS will be tire Eaton
school reunion and reunions at Old
Point Menumfnt, the resting place Of
Fastaei assisfc'
The st, ~ If the Indian In the gion
af Tie kennekee is me full Of interest
IL every student of the history of
Mat1.. Especially is thr history Of
NerriGge@9ck interesting, Tor here
care tie tragic end of The famous
&.rfides.nck tribe III Indians for
etierati5.ns reamers of the wilds of
fhis reslon from Merrymeetins Bay
Ia Naos.Ecad Lake. This sad end has
made OH Point a land mark IN the
Histarv of tie Red mafi, IN New Eng
land From the peculiar creumstan-
ces col4neetci with :ls :..s famed
place II i destined Ia beeem" more
familiar than how
The main points in the history of
EaTridgeWocil take In tie coming Of
Jsath,f tatznli.tet then Ut Father Eas!e
md tiie final destruction af the tribe
- ife aaaas nstfni II itasle aud his
followers at Norridgewoek in 1924. The
arriVal Of Father Sabastin Rasle IN
1855 was the signal for the Indians TO
continue resistance Of the advance of
The white.
Rasle established his mission at Nor
rideewoek and was pastor Of the tribe
for % years. The thing which WAS
considered the climax of disturbed re-
lations between Indians and English
h. In.
dans 10 the English To vacate certain
lands.
Reward for Rasle.
Rasle was considered by the English
10 pe at the bottom of all the trouble
and a reward was offered for his cap
tureA The English declared war upon
the Indians and aseended the river 10
Nofridgewock but found the village
deserted The war continued with
frehtful destruction. Men. women and
children were killed at all points by
the Indians Whole settlements were
wiped out in single day or night.
The Englfsh made another attempt 10
clay Rasle. sending troops IN whale
beats on the 18th of August. h24. On
The e4th the troops marched to Fort
Norrideewock. Before night The force
came upon n party of three persons,
rear where the village of South Nor
ridgewoek stands today. Two women
were shot. the man, fieet-footed, rum
ring through the forest to carry warm
ing TO the village above He was
nyertaken by the bullets of his pur-
sners. as he attempted 10 cross the
river at fording place. This victim
was BOmaseen ard the place IS known
today as Bomaseen Rips.
The troops continued their march
upon the Indian village and Father
Rasle was riddled with bullets as he
issued from his cabin, and nearly all
az his Indian followers were killed. His
death was the end of the mission and
the surviving Indians went to Saint
Francis.
The First Settlers.
Norridgewock' first settler was
Warren Ashby He came in 1112. The
town was Incorporated in 1888 and the
first Town melting was held on August
% nf this same year. At this time the
formulation of the town was about 800
and the number of families, was -. Ii
1909 Somerset county was organized
and Norridgewock was made the shire
town and remained so until about 2.
years ago.
=" Though Norrfdsewock' Indian his
tory has a national interest, the civil
HISTORY has "A peculiar interest. This
town has sent more men to Congress
/ than any town of its size in Maine. II
1891 il sent James Bates a physician
=, in 1876 ii sent Cullen Sawteli law
yer and he was reelected in lS49, anC
IN 1877 it sent stephen ID. Lindsay 2
lawyer, and reelected him in 1879
John S. Tenney from this town was
associate justice of the supreme cour
from 1871 i,l 1915 and chief justice from
r lS55 to 1862. John S. Abbott was al
a ttorney general of Maine in 1865
~, Two women who have done mucl
to add tn the already shining reputa
ton of Norridgewock are the Misses
's Rehecca S. Clark and Sarah }. Clark
: The former is letter known To th'
reading world as Sophia May. Sh,
is the author of Little Prudie" an,
e The "Dotiie Dimple Stories" The lat
aer is known 10 the world as Per
Shirley" Miss Rebecca Clark died {
few years ago. she gave the building
"a formerly occupied by Hon. s. ID. Lind
say as a law office, for a permanent
home for a public library.
~ Norridgewock stands out unique II
, several other things, one being It's
granite industry. Dodlin quarry has
furnished many of the federal build
-, ings of the country with building ma
tarials There is large block of this
granite in the monument at Washing
ton.
.sefhe7towns educational work has ex
ten. I'd to all parts of the country TIT
Eato flschcol is far famed. Hamlin f
Eaton was the founder of this wei
known school. The original Eatol
school had its inception at kents Hill
i'm 1856. Mr.. Eaton at a recent reunion
eff the school stated that he came t
Norridgewcck on July 4, 1865 and wa
so struck with the natural beauty o
the place and its many advantage
that he concluded then to start thi
school The school has graduates nov
in nearly il not every state in TIL
union.
Progress Of the Town.
In the last few years Norridgewocl