Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-08-28
The Old Utility Road.

| The Old Utility Road.
Probably few people now living know
that there was once county road owe
seven miles long, running due west from
Paris Hill, and connecting with anothe
county road few miles from Norwa!
village.
This road is now almost wholly i'm
passable for teams, and . large part o
the way is entirely grown up with bushes
and trees 80 that 1t Is with difficulty tha
the road can be found. For many gener
ations this road has been slowly but in
cessantly being overcome by the forcel
of nature and is now almost entirely
obliterated and almost wholly forgotten
and unknown to the present genera
ton.
It is doubtful II there are ten persona
In the town that have ever walked
through the whole length of 1t, and tb.
result of my inquiries is that while
have asked many of our old men of TO-
day, have only found one man who
ever rode through 1t In q carriage. Mr.
Silas Maxim, the veteran town historian
told me that he once rode through II
when he was young man. I have never
found any one else who has ever walked
through the whole length of 1t, besides
myself. A great many people have
heard of the name, but do not know
where the road is, and q great many
more never heard of It.
The records of 1925 give the follow.
Ing, regarding this road: "From Full.
Ter Corner, Norway, by the farm of
Mary Biscoe in Paris, to strike the Dix
field road at the guide board below Capt.
Samuel ]. Rawson's, in Paris, seven
miles, 100 rods"
Just how this road got it's name of
"Utility" Is somewhat of question,
but 1t seems to be sort of sarcasm in
the name, for the road was of 30 little
use that 1t was soon allowed to grow up
to bushes and was not taken care of,
and for the last. half century, and pos
sibly more, has been discontinued and
impossible.
There is a story, that has been handed
down to the present generation, that the
promoter of the road, the man who
fought for it and who advocated it In
the meeting held for that purpose, be-
ing q man of perhaps little more edu-
cation than the majority of the others at
that time, made 80 eloquent plea, and
stated that the road would be OF great
utility to the town, and used. the word
utility so often and emphasized 1t so
earnestly, that he not only carried the
vote, but caused the word "utility" to
be associated with the road forever, as .
monument to his eloquence and good
judgment.
This road that was built ninety years
ago, when Maine had only been set off
from Massachusetts, six years, and when
John Quincy Adams was President,
would not pass the approval of our pres
ent highway commission. The town
fathers of those days certainly carried
out the Scriptural injunction to the let
ter, for "Make ye his paths straight"
seemed to be the chief object and aim.
The road is almost straight, with very
little variation, and no regard whatever
to the rise and fall of the land, and as
one walks up and down the steep grades,
and through the wet, swampy places,
they do not wonder that the road was
discontinued long ago, before most of
tho people now living were born.
The road crossed the river road from
South Paris to Shows Falls, just south
of the hay barn of W. j. Wheeler, and
crossed the river q short distance west
from there. There used to be q bridge
crossing the river there but so long ago
that probably few people now living can
remember 1t. remember seeing some
rocks there, when was boy, that ap-
peared to have been brought there as a
part OF foundation for the bridge, but
those seem to have become buried In the
sand, for I could not see them when I
last looked for them.
The early records of the town show
that this road was located by the county
commissioners, and that there was oppo-
sition to it's being built, by the people Of
this town, for in the record OF the town
meeting OF 1925 1t was voted to "oppose
BY all fair means" the building Of this
road, and committee was chosen for
that purpose.
It also appears that this committee
reported favorably to the building Of
the road, and the road was built as pro-
posed. The contract was let to Moses
Hammond. who agreed to build 1t, as
located, seven miles and one hundred
rods, and to build q bridge across the
river, for the sum of five hundred dol
lars. In q later meeting of the town an
additional sum of one hundred dollars
was paid for this work.
When we think of the present cost Of
road building, we do not wonder that the
road was built in suoh q way that 1t was
little used, and consequently soon grew
up to bushes and was finally dis.
continued. Although dollars worth
of labor meant great deal more accom-.
plished than In these days, the small
amount of money spent on 30 long .
piece of road could hardly have done
more than to cut the trees and plow up
the road enough to make 1t passable.
And yet, In spite of this small cost,
the road was actually built and used for
many years, and even now the end OF
the road towards Norway is passable for
teams. But by far the greater part Of
the road is grown up to bushes and trees,
and In some places 1t 10 hard to follow
the road, as there are large trees In the
middle, and bushes everywhere, which
have grown without restriction for the
past fifty years or more.
A BRIDGE THAT WAS BUILT TO LAST.
Possibly mile from the Norway end
of this old road there Is bridge that I
wish every road commissioner In this
vicinity could see. Over little stream
that comes down from "Cobble Hill"
there is bridge that Is work of art,
and q monument to the man who built
It. Unknown to the present generation,
hidden away and concealed from the
busy world of to-day, this bridge has
stood the test of time and the wearing Of
the elements, for almost century, and
apparently Is now as good as ever.
Had It not been for boyish fancy to
look under bridges In the search OF the
"Phoebe" BIRDS nests, I should never
have discovered this monument of hon
esty and ability. 1t is made entirely Of
split stone, and although 1t would have
been much cheaper to have used timbers
for the stringers, this artist Of . former
generation went to the quarry and split
out the long stringers and put them 80
close together that not . timber or
plank was used, and now after almost q
hundred years have passed, and nothing
has ever been done to the bridge, 1t
stands az firm ~ ever, silent but forci-
BILE argument against the extravagant
and poorly constructed highways of to-