Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1915-08-24
Fitting Celebration of Centennial
ITS HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OBSERVED BY
TOWN OF WOODSTOCK

At the close Of the Revolutionary War,
which having gained for the Colonies
their independence had left much pow.
erty in its wake, there was q general
movement among some of the older
towns Of Massachusetts, toward the colon
ization of the state lands In the province
of Maine. Settlements had already been
made in New Penacook (Rumford) and
No. 4 (Paris), and during the summer OF
1895, a road connecting these two towns
was laid out and made passable: This
road passing through Township No. 8, as
Woodstock was then called, no doubt
FASTENED the settlement of the town.
Even at that early date the settlers
made their way up the Little Androscog.
gin to its source, Long Pond, as Bryant
Pond was then known, drawn on by the
lure of the fue trout to be had from the
lake, and the excellent bunting the dis
trict afforded. So also they were gain
ing knowledge of the outlay of the coun.
try with a view toward settlement.
Among those who came were Christopher
and Solomon Bryant, Jr. These brothers
being DESTROYS of locating colony OF ten
persons in Township No. 8, employed
surveyor to run out ten lots OF 100 acres
each, on either side of the new county
road for family settlement. These lots
formed the 1000 acres by which title 1t 10
known at the present day.
Here in the summer of 1903, on two
of these lots which they had selected.
they built the first two log cabins, and
in the fall moved In with their families;
and here, on the 18th of November OF the
same year, was born the first child who
was named Christopher Bryant, Jr., on
what was later known as the Ell Bryant
place, now owned by Herbert Libby.
Following the Bryant brothers, the
year 1900 found several other prospec-
tive settlers, who started clearing along
the new highway, and all were south OF
the Bryant opening.
Samuel Bryant, q younger brother,
came that year, Luther Briggs came
from New Gloucester, Jacob and Luther
Whitman arrived from Buckfield, also
their brother in.law Levi Berry. Other
settlers followed, and the year 1871
found in addition to the little band OF
pioneers already named, Asa Thurlow,
Revolutionary soldier who settled here
10 what was later the Curtis neighbor-
hood; John Mason, who made an open
ing on the side hill north of the road
leading to the Perham neighborhood, az
terward owned by Sidney Perham; and
Luke Owens, the Irisbman who had de,
serted from an English man.of-war and
become recluse on land that was later
the farm of Noah Curtis.
About the time these settlements we're
being made, the legislature of Massachu-
setts made grant of the western half Of
Township No. 8 to the Trustees OF Dunn
mer Academy, which we are told they
disposed of for the sum of S624O.
Following this transfer there came as
settlers, Stephen Chase and his brother,
Merrill, Tilden Bartlett, Noah Curtis.
Alexander Day, Joshua Felt, Consider
Fuller, Enoch Hammond, James Nut
ting, Lemuel Perham and his sons Jo-
than, Joel and Lemuel, Jr., William
Swan and John True.
The date of settlement OF the eastern
half of Township No. is not 80 definite.
No date has been given of It's first open
ing TO squatteIs, though we are told that
Abram Walton was there in 1901. Among
other pioneers are found the names,
Jerathmiel Coburn, Joshua Bessey, Jr.,
Ebenezer Hutchinson, Jr., Charles Re-
neff, Benjamin Fobes and Jonathan
Walton. These men had settled just over
the line from Paris, and very little OF
them is known as they soon left, part OF
them emgrating to Ohio.
In June OF 1903, the legislature OF Mas
sachusetts granted to the trustees OF
Gorham Academy the eastern half of
Township No. 8, including those portions
already settled. Soon after this, Cor
nelius Perkins came from Paris, and was
the first settler In the district which
bears his name. Later came the widow,
Lydia Durham and her family and three
of her sons settled in Woodstock. Hither
also came the sons and daughters of Lu-
Their Dudley, one of whom, Josiah bud.
ley, was a citizen of the town for many
years. Other settlers came, and in 1872
Plantation No. 3 was formed from the
union of the two sections, when the
county levied tax to help maintain its
expenses.
At this time the plantation bad been
settled fourteen years, and contained AZ
families. During these first fourteen
years, the pioneer settlers endured many
hardships and privations, many of which
the historian recounted.
1t was but short term from plantation
to township. No doubt some conditions
were changing rapidly; the population
was increasing and ambitions were com.
ing to the citizens to be incorporated,
with the idea that 1t would give them
more advantages and stronger influence
10 their town and county affairs. So in
May, 1914, petition was sent to the gen.
eral court, requesting that Plantation
No. 8 be incorporated as a town bearing
the name of Sparta. The petition was
favorably received and on February 7th,
1916, the request was granted and the
plantation became a town, but 1t was
given the name of Woodstock. Just
why the name Sparta was rejected and
the name Woodstock given, We do not
know. 1t may have been for some polit-
ical reason, but the name Woodstock
came from town In England OF that
name.
The first town meeting was held at the
home of Noah Curtis, which was on the
Crosby Curtis farm. Others were held
at Josiah Churchill's which was more
centrally located, and some at the homes
of Stephen Chase, Seth Curtis and Noah
Curtis, Jr., until 1880 when 1t was voted
to hold all subsequent town meetings at
the Chase District school house. Here
they continued to be held until 1850,
when the old town house was erected.
Here all meetings pertaining to town
affairs were held until 1879 when the
present town hall was built.
The methods of conducting town af-
fairs 100 years ago were very similar to
those of today. While there are few
changes, the essentials are the same.
Some minor offices have been done away
with, among them tything men, pound
keepers and field drivers. Some of their
methods were crude In the extreme.
One was the practice of putting up at
auction the poor of the town at each
March meeting to the lowest bidder for
support or service for the ensuing year
this rather harsh measure was forbidden
under legislative act OF 1S47.
The years which Immediately followed
the formation OF the town were hard
ones for the settlers. 1915 was an ex-