The Republican journal., 1913-06-19
Annals of Belfast tor Half q
Century.
BY AN OLD SETTLER
(Hon. VIM. G. Crosby.)
CHAPTER XVIII. tlS24.)

High street now occupied by MIR. George
F. White, built by his father in-law Mr..
Benz. Hazeltne; the brick house on
Church St. now owned by Ex-Gov. An
derson, built by Capt. Hutson Bishop;
the house on the same street now occu-
pied by Mrs. Bradbury, built by her hus-
band, Nathaniel H. Bradbury; the Bean
and Derby brick block on Main street,
the Town Hall, the Eagle Hotel, Phoenix
Row and the distillery.
The Town Hall is the brick building on
the Common standing next southerly
from the meeting house. The room on
the ground floor was used for town meet
ings until we became 4 city; the first
meeting held in it was on March IS,
1926 When the county of Waldo was
established the room on the second floor
was finished for a Court room and con-
tinued to be occupied for that purpose
until the new Court House was built in
1853. The attic was finished for Ma
sonic Hall.
The Eagle Hotel, now the American
House, was built by Otis Little of Cas-
tine, and Thomas Packard of this place.
1t has been so much enlarged and modi-
fed, especially in its interior construc-
ton. that brief description of it as it
was originally may not be uninteresting.
Maip
was the parlor; the room in rear of it,
twenty-three feet in length. was the
spacious dining-room;' the two were
thrown into one on great occasions by
means of folding doors between them.
The easterly front room was the Bar
room; the room in rear Of it the sitting
bar-room fronting the door on the easter
ly end of the building which opens on the
driveway leading from Main street to
the stable On the second floor were a
hall over the parlor and dining-room, and
five sleeping rooms; the hall was used
for balls and dancing schools and occa-
sionally fer lectures. On the third floor
there We're twelve sleeping-rooms IN
four of which there were fire-places.
Above these there were, to use the Ian
guage of the proprietors. "many apart
ment of circumambient construction
where may be placed ten or twelve
beds. There was projection" or
ell, from the main building, eighteen by
twenty feet, containing two kitchens
and two bedrooms over them. There
was no piazza in front as there now is.
When the riGge-pole was put in place a
swivel made fast to it was discharged
to announce the important event; there
were other forms ard ceremonies on the
occasion the character of which must
be left 10 the Imagination of our read
ers. The building was ready for occu-
pancy on the first of November but was
not opened as a public house until the
February following. John W. Apple
ton, from Portland, was its first land
lord.
Phoenix Row. erected on q portion of
the territory burned over in November
previous, was completed In the fall Of
the year and the ls.rger portion of it i'm
mediately occupied. The first occupants
OF the SIX stores, commencing at the
easterly end, were as follows: John An
gler, Foss & Lothrop, Benjamin Hazel
tine, Peter H. Smith, John S. Kimball
and James LangWorthy; the only one of
the humber now living is Mr.. Lothrop,
who has for many years resided in New
York. Mr.. Angler was the father of
Mr. Cakes Angler, MIR. Hazeltine of Mr..
Charles B. Haze tine, and Mr.. Smith of
Mrs. William Winslow; no descendant of
either OF the other tenants is residing
here In the third story of the store
now occupied by Miss Wetherbee there
was a large hall, called Phoenix hall,
which was for many years the largest
and principal hall in the place. 1t was
used for balls and political assemblages.
1t was The gathering place of the Wings
during the 'log-cabin and hard-cider'
Presidential campaign in 1910, and re-
sounded night after night, until the con-
test was ended, with the rallying cry of
'Iippecanoe and Tyler too" A few of
the voices which then and there stirred
the hearts of the people like the sound
of trumpet are still heard occasionally
in feeble tones; but the eloquent lips of
Webster Kelley, of George W. Cooley,
which held all hearts spell-bound by the
words they uttered, long ago put on the
purple hue of death
The distillery stood on the bank in
the rear of the premises now occupied
by A. K. P Moore and Thomas P.
Logan, near the water, just norther-
ly of an old brick-yard the remains of
which, as well as a portion of the distil-
lery wharf, are still visible. 1t was built
by John Slade & Son of Boston for AL
fred Curtis of that city and Capt William
Barns of this place, who constituted one
of the numerous firms over which Sam
uel Upton was the presiding genius. 1t
was built of brick and was one hundred
feet in length by fifty in width. 1t con-
tanned forty-two thousand gallon els
terms, with heaters, condensers and stills