The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-04-24

sledge, and watching the
-"burning sparks that fly
Like cAaff from threshing foor."
He never to this day reads Longfel-
lows "Village Blacksmith. from which
the above quotation is made. without
thinking of Jonathan Quimby, and the
old shop:
"Under spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith. a mighty man is he
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands"
Thesnext building to the blacksmith's
shop was the Miller house, known lately
as the rockingham house. 1t was built
by Mr.. James Miller in 1871: it was the
first house of two stories built in the
town, and at the time of its destruction
in the great fire of August last was the
oldest dwelling house standing on the
western side of the river.
There was plot of ground lying be-
tween the blacksmith shop and the Miller
house. just southerly of the Baptist meet
ing house, which in this enumeration has
been Inadvertently overlooked. 1t con-
tanned small cluster of very lowly
dwellings, their roofs covered with green
turf, with here and there maidstone
on which was inscribed the name of the
tenant and the date when the tenancy
commenced. 1t was very quiet neigh
borhood. There were no heart-burnings
there, sno back billings, no jealousies, no
envy, no struggle for wealth, no strife
for office, no ambition to be called great.
There was no hum of business there, no
click of hammer, no crowd of thought
less idlers; now and then few visitors
came, but they walked slowly in and out,
and spoke only in low tones half smoth-
cred words. 1t might well be named the
Getty of the Silent" Its first tenant
was the grandmother of the compiler of
these annals: she came there in 1871: and
there she and those who followed her
from time to time remained. disturbing
none and undisturbed, until they were
reverently removed in 1851 to the place
known as Grove Cemetery; whittier their
children and children's children already
have followed them, or will ere long.
Crossing High street from the Miller
house, there stood, where it still stands,
the Mcfarland house, built and owned
by Captain Ephraim Mcfarland, who for
more than score of years ran "coast-
err" between this place and Boston,
carrying usually hold full and deck
load of cordwood, and as many passen-
gers in her cabin as had the temerity or
disposition to run the hazard. A pas
sage to Boston in her, with the privilege
of breathing foul air through the night,
sleeping two in a berth, squeezing and
being squeezed, having enough to eat
whenever hungry and an "eye-opener"
every morning before breakfast time,
cost three dollars! Taking into consid-
GRAFTON all the privileges and luxuries
enumerated, was it not cheap enough?
Some time before his decease, which
was at a very advanced age, Capt. Nc
Farland went to reside with daughter
living in Penobscot county, it is believed:
the date of his decease is not remem-
bered.
Next to the Mcfarland house, OIL the
return to Nesmith's corner, and on the
premises recently occupied by Hon.
Joseph Williamson, stood the Meeting
House, and near to it, and nearer the
highway, stood the schoolhouse The
Meeting House was built in 1892; one
was built on the eastern side of the
river the same year; the one last named
vas taken down about 1880; the first
named was sold to the Baptist Society
in 1922, was removed to Bridge street
and occupied for public worship until
about 1887 when it was sold; the pur-
chaser converted it into stable, for
which purpose it has since been used 1t
is still standing in the rear of the house
on Bridge street owned and occupied by
Mr.. Benjami Brown at the time of his
decease.
The schoolhouse was marvel in it's
day: it was painted: the front and sides
white, the rear red. 1t was removed,
date not remembered, to the land op-
posite the Court House where the Lang
worthy brick building stands, and the
town school kept in it until it was re-
moved to Front street, in the vicinity of
the Foundry; it was burned in some one
of the fires which have devastated that
section.
Next to the schoolhouse, opposite to
James Miller's house, stood his barn.
There was no building between that and
the house of Robert Miller, son of
James, still in existence and now occu-
pied by Mr.. Judson Condor. According
to the most reliable information thus far
obtained, it is the oldest dwelling house
now standing on the westerly side of the
river. Next to that stood the Quimby
house, of which mention has been made,
and next to that, on land now covered
by buildings occupied by the Belfast
Livery Company, stood Moor's black