The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1914-06-11
Maine Has one tit, aud Seven Town,

0ae Maine CRY and seven Maine
towns Nil be- 100 years cid in 1911
Thai means about as many centennial
celebrations. Although the legal
birthday of these places comes in
February or March, as it was then
hat the Massachusetts Legislature of
1Nl4 sci its great seal upon the papers
of incorporation, il is the usual Gus
tom To celebrate some time in the
warm weather and combine something
of an Old-Homc Week with Fourth of
July features and THANKSGIVING din
ners. in late July or August when
the summer visitors can participate
Stock features of these celebrations
include historical and literary eNcr-
cises in the cid church. Il parade with
historical floats representing the an
cient and modern in The towns his
tory. a floral division With all the
pretty girls in it; baseball game with
the bitterest rivals. sports. fireworks
and music by the village cornet band.
This program is more or less varied
and may be a matter of single day
or extend over a week
Westbrook is the centennial city and
Belmont, HermOn, Hiram, Sangerville
South Berwick, Newport and Phipps-
burg the towns which pass their Tooth
birthday in 1914.
Belmont is a little farming town in
j Waldo county, suburb of Belfast
! Many good farms, including several
owned by city people, are conducted
on a large scale. Tilden Pond is
pretty sheet of water and favoritt
resort for Belfast people, especially II
the winter, where a fleet of iceboat'
furnish fine sport.
The town was settled in 1890 and Il
part of the Waldo patent lands
granted by the Plymouth Council il
1880 to John Beauchamp OF Londol
and Thomas Leverett of Boston, Eng
extending from the Muscongus to thu
Penobscot rivers. What is now tn
town of Belmont was original,
known as Green Plantation and in
corporated as the 202d town Feb.
1914.
In 1850 there were nearly 1900 PEG
I pie in the town, which was REDUCED
; by the division setting off the town o
: Morrill,, and the last census gave onl
s 335 population.
Hermon is a farming town seve
miles west of Bangor on the Main
Central, a prosperous and thriving
; community with many fine farms ant
ready markets for all the products il
: Bangor and rail shipping points. Her
mon Pond is a large sheet of waite
with fine fishing and a cottage col
ony. Numerous streams furnish
small water powers, the roads arr
well kept up and the people take pride
in fine farm buildings. There arr
settlements at Hermon Center, Her
mon Pond, Shows Corner and Nortf
Hermon The people are already
talking of a celebration.
Hiram is in the southeastern cor
ner of oxford county 35 miles from
Portland on the Mountain Division Of
the Maine Central, with the meeting
of the Ossipee and Saco rivers neal
its southern boundary. 1t is essen
TALLY a farming town, having Gamer
les and a creamery for its products
OF late it has become something of
summer resort, Astounding in ponds
and hills and picturesque scenery
with several summer hotels. The
population shows a falling off from
1852 in 1880 to GAS in 1910.
The first settlers arrived in 1875
and the town, when incorporated
Feb. 81, 1914, was named by Timothy
Gutter, al Olu SeltleI anu eulhdoiaS
/ tic Freemason, for Hiram, King Of
Tyre Gen. Peleg Wadsworth, Rev
dictionary patriot, bought large
section of the township and moved
there, after living for time in Port
land. He had built the house in thai
city where his grandson, the poe
Longfellow, was born,
The descendants of Gen. Wadswortt
still live in Hiram. Llewellyn A
! Wadsworth is trial justice. Wallace
Wadsworth runs a sawmill and E. C
Wadsworth keeps summer hotel, anC