Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-09-21

IL
stones throw from the high school
building. is field of 81 acres known
as part of the old Fort Halifax farm.
For the past 35 years this land has
been in possession of the Burleigh
family. Last spring the town of Wins
low appropriated $4,000 to start the
building of the Segar Brook sewer.
This sewer main when completed will
be approximately third of mile long
and it follows the Segar brook course
directly through the Burleigh tract.
This sewer when completed will be one
of the most important public develop
| ments accomplished in this vicinity for
several years. The sewer main is 54
inches in diameter, large enough to
take care of any housing development
in Winslow for years to come.
During the summer. under the direc-
ton of John H. Burleigh of Waterville.
a we'll known civil engineer 200 feet
of sewer has been laid, wooden
bridge on East Getchell street done
away with and a fill of 81 feet made
over the sewer pipe.
The opening up Of this new sewer
makes the Burleigh field one of the
most important pieces of property in
the town of Winslow. Almost any
part of it is ideal for the building of
city houses. 1t is high above the river.
The drainage is excellent and it is but
a few rods from the business section
of Waterville.
John Burleigh. and his brother
Thomas of Vassalboro. saw what the
| building Of the Segar Brook sewer
| meant to Winslow and now work has
been started making this tract of land
suitable for city houselotS. This will
not be a land boom, but permanent
and important step in the advancement
of the town. There will be no display
| with prices and free rides to the
grounds. but the person wishing to
/ build himself a good home can go and
see the new development. He can
| choose site he likes and then can
| buy. providing he is willing to put up
a structure that will not be an eyesore
| to the community. Already all of the
| lots on Clinton avenue have been sold
and neat dwellings are being con-
| structed.
I'VE are going to build our
Streets" said John Burleigh yester-
| day, 80 that the town of Winslow
| will not only accept them but will
| be glad to accept them. as they will
| be graded, well drained and of per-
manent construction in every way"
Hall c. Burleigh, the father OF
John and Thomas, was one or the
| older residents of this section. About
50 years ago he purchased this 81
| acre tract of land but before the
| time came to develop the land he
, died and the work was left to his
sons. Thomas is now the owner OF
| the land and John Is doing the civil
| engineering and selling the house
| lots. Altogether there will be 2o6
lots, 100 by so feet. Every lot will
face a desirable street. When Hall
/ Burleigh first bought the land the
southeastern corner was stump land
pillow made to clear the land. His
| two sons are now using the same
| pillow to grade the land into city
| house lots.
| The original Fort Halifax farm
was of about 400 acres. 1t included
a large part of the town of Winslow
} and was bounded on one side by the
Kennebec, on another by the Sebas-
| tieook and the third was line run
ming between the two rivers.
| This land was divided by the COM
missioners on February ~, 179S, and
| John Burleigh is working with
| copy of the original plan used by
! the commissions in the division of
the land.
On the eastern boundary line a
1
| that stone is still in existence. Mr..
Burleigh will soon have occasion
| to use it in his survey. Starting
| from this center stone and radiat-
| ing like the spokes of a wheel,
wedge shaped pieces of land were
! allotted to the heirs of the first set
tiers as follows, each heir receiving
! so acres: Heirs of John Gardner,
Hallowell heirs, Whipple heirs,
! Brown heirs, and the De Merrick
| heirs.
The Burleigh brothers intend to
perpetuate the names of these first
| settlers and the other names that
have been handed down through the
| generations by the names of the
| streets. The whole tract will be
known as Halifax Heights. The
| first street, which is now under con-
! struction, will be known as Halo
we'll street and other Whipple street.
as this tract is a part of the Halo
well and Whipple apportionments.
! Another street will be known as Sc
gar street. The name Segar brook
! is q mystery. Since the first settler
| came up the Kennebec to the town
that is now Winslow. this brook fas
been called Segar. but no one knows
! where the name originated. 1t IS
| thought, however. that the name
may be Indian.
Fort Halifax, as many people
! think of it today. is a little building
, down next to the Kennebec. where
| the Sebasticook runs in, but orig
inally Fort Halifax was a big stock
AIDE that included much of the Fort
Halifax farm and this little building
is simply one of the blockhouses.
| Tho ORIGIN and story Of the ac-
tivities of this fort as told by Wat
| erville historians is interesting. In
1853 the Plymouth ompany petition
| ed Governor Shirley of Massachus-
etts for the erection of a fort at
! Teconnet Falls (Which includes the
present site of the Ticonis dam.)
| This was regarded as a strategic
| point. Rumors were afloat that the
! French and Indians who had been
| driven from their lands were about
| to come down the river with hostile
! intent. General Wfnslow laid out
the Fort and detailed 300 men for
| its construction. This was ABOUT
August s. 1854.
In a very short time five buildings
were erected at Fort Halifax,
stockade 500 feet long erected. the
cannon and arms brought up in
scows from Cushnoc and mounted
and a road for wheel carriages cut
through from Fort Western In Au-
gusta to Fort Halifax.
Captain William Lithgow, who had
heen commander of Fort Richmond
was assigned to Fort Halifax with
garrison of so men. whale boat
express was arranged running down
the Kennebec to Merrymeeting bay:
thence by the Androscoggin and
.A 49,, Moo dowc river and