Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-01-23
MAINE LAND LOTT ERY.
Bay State Took This Way to Raise
sioney In 1856.

| Il wonder now many people nowadays
know the Bay State once held big lot
terry for Maine land says Ebert d. Hay
ford, formerly chief clerk in the office of
the Maine state auditor.
swell they had one. It was in 1855.
Massachusetts was hard up at the time ana
the state needed the money. The Rev.
olutionary war was just closed and the
commonwealth had been having trouble
with taxation problems and at the same
time Shay was fomenting rebellion among
the disconnected farmers in the western
part Of the state.
"As | said before, the old Bay State was
hard up for, spare cash. 1t decided to
spring the lottery. 1t included 80 town
ships bet seen the Penobscot and st. Croix
rivers in what is now the State OF Maine.
"fhe lots were laid out under a resolve
OF the Massachusetts General Court. The
lots were run out by Gen. Rufus Putnam,
who had been trusted engineer under
Gen. Washington. He was relative Of
Gen. Israel Putnam, who left his pillow to
get into the Battle of Bunker Hill.
SONY 427 OF the 200 tickets offered for
sale were sold, and not quite ss5 900 was
realized, where a cool half million was
anticipated.
'ln 1913, however, the remainder of the
tract was sold in one lump to Will
liam Bingham of Philadelphia, and it be-
came known as 'Bingham's Tract Ex-
United States Senator Eugene Hale was
at one time agent for this property, and
the control OF the land has remained
much OF the time in Ellsworth.
'In advertising the lottery it was stip-
ulated that no blanks were to be sold, and
that the minimum tract was to be 100
acres. There were larger tracts of 800,
$40, 1850 and $3.50 acres.
"The grand prize was one entire town
ship OF 23,0i0 acres. This was No. AZ in
Hancock county, one of the best Of the
tim Der tracts, The tickets were ga each.
Neither the grand prize nor many of the
larger ones were drawn by those who pur-
chased tickets.
"Some who drew lots, not liking the
locality, exchanged them for lots near the
coast towns. There was such clamor in
this direction that a resolve was passed by
the General Court in 1885 giving the hold
ers OF the lots this privilege. In some
cases there were lots laid down on the
plan which had never been actually laid
out.
''Of the fifty townships included in the
land lottery, some twenty seven are still
unoccupied and unorganized.
Some sizeable places have arisen from
the lottery tract, such as Cherryfield,
Columbia, Columbia Falls, Princeton and
Baileyville.
sThe boundary OF the land included in
the lottery tract started near the south
east corner OF the city Of Ellsworth, ran
north So miles to the northwest corner OF
the town OF Greenfield and then cas-. 80
miles to the chain of Grand Lakes. follow
ing in mort heastly course the Schoodic
river to the st. Croix and then down the
st. Croix river to the northwest corner of
the present city OF Calais, then southerly
again BY the east side OF Barring and Char
lotte to the southeast corner OF Charlotte,
then west on the south line of Charlotte,
in zigzag course, to the southeast corner
of Columbia Falls, and finally west about
36 miles to the point OF beginning. The
southern line Of the lottery tract is now
practically the line of the Washington
County railroad.
'Only two or three people who lived
within the present borders of the State of
Maine bought tickets. Officials OF Har-
ward college drew lot So in BaileyvilIe
township, where the big pulp and paper
mill is now located. A number of the
tracts have since become valuable.
''The president and fellows of Harvard
college drew three other tracts, two OF
80 acres and one OF 100 acres. The Relief
Fire Society OF Boston, through its treas
urer, Moses Grant, took a chance in this
land gamble.
"Among the noted people OF Massa-
chusetts who bought tickets were Rufus
Green Amory of Boston, who drew GAG
acres, Rev. John Murray OF New bury
port Sylvester Gardiner OF Boston, Mai
Hodijah Baylies OF bingham, Hon. Oliver
wendalI, John Tudor, Leonard Jarvis, all
OF Boston. Samuel Tufts of Newburyport
] Also uTtN HOinc lhhA anu ~ NOA
land OF Boston, whose occupation is given
as gentleman made a haul Of 1900 acres
with his ticket John Penniman of Pax
ton captured 1920 acres and Mr.. Fuller OF
Ludlow was fortunate in drawing tract
OF $40 acres.
"Dr. David Cobb OF Taunton, abide
camp on the staff OF Gen. Washington
William Cushing OF Pembroke, Hon. Oil
yer Phelps OF Granville, Mass, and Theo-
dore Sedgwick of Stockbridge all drew
lots. Mr.. Phelps intimately went ex-
tensively into the timberland business
throughout the country and finally owned
more than 6,0O0,0O0 acres. He invented
the system of townships and ranges which
has been adopted by the United States IN
surveying government lands. MIR. Sedg-
wick in 1902 was speaker of the Nationa
House of Representatives.
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