Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-05-21

supplied the men with shoes. as Mrs.
Hinckley did the women. These Met-
Calls were SO we'll Eupplied with the
worlds goods that Sleeper was not
Obliged to work. but his mother did IN
sist that he milk the cows. There was
a story among the neighbors INIT
Sleeper told his mother that when ne
grew to be a man he would nave out
one COW and she should have only one
teat and that teat should give no milk.
The Buzzell family also came from
Loudon. Their house was on the lot
Just below the Grimes house. Other
members Of the family lived farther
out, below the Bragan place.
One of the settlers of Loudon Hill
that moved into Farmingdale was
Capt. Gideon Colcord. He lived on the
place now occupied by Will Taylor. lie
was a ship master and was lost at sea
and left a wife and five children. Mrs.
Colcord afterwards married Montgom-
cry McCausland. who was widower
with five children. They afterwards
had five children. making family OF
Is children. There is story that two
other children lived with them and
that the schooImaster boarded there, so
that from thi house Is persons attend
outgrew the home, Mr.. McCausland
built the large house now standing. but
by the time the house was finished the
family Of children were married and
gone One Of these children was Isaac
McCausland. the grandfather OF Ber-
trand M. johnson.
In the early days Loudon Hill
must have been a busy place, for
much business was carried on.
Shipbuilding was the chief indus
try. There was still another ship
yard below the schoolhouse, where
William Jones was master builder.
He built the house occupied by the
Blaisdel family. Two of his grand
children still live on Loudon Hill,
w. Il. Jones and Mrs. Lizzie Small.
There was a saw mill and a two
! story boarding house for the work.
men.
Another industry for which Lou
don Hill was noted was tanning.
Phineas Sweetsor, who also came
from LOudon, had tannery on the
small brook north of the Metcalf
house. He lived in the house where
Mr.. Gardiner lives. Archibald and
EBtn Horne had n tannery in the
gully between the houses of Mr..
Gardiner and Mr.. Wiley. Archibald
Horne built the house occupied by
Charles Dudley, and Eben Horne
| that occupied by his grandson, Ed
ward Horne. They tanned mostly
sheepskin with hemlOck bark for out
side leather and with sumac, which
made a white leather for Innings of
| fine grades of shoes. In the gully
south of the hill on what we now
call Scaveys brook. was wool
pulling shop run by +. p. Norton,
ST., and Il. Il. Norton. Jr.. This wool
shop was almost in the road and was
| built right over the brook. SO that the
brook ran directly under it. Just
west of the wool shop Frank Atkins
built Il tannery and dying house to
| tan with hemlock bark and sumach.
This tannery, which was later owned
by George Seavcy, was burned. On
| the same brook was a WOol-pulling
| shop and tannery combined, owned
| by Henry Horne and Co, and now
occupied by Edward Horne.
In the days when these settlements
were made there was no railroad and
! the highway followed the river. The
| old settlers called the highway the
! "RanseWay." The road came up back
| of Hannah Seaveys house and eX-
! tended westward, up past the present
| Greenville street and on to the Litch-
! field road. On the Greenville road.
! just this side of the Fuller barn, is
seen today an old cellar. Here in the
early days lived a family named
| Russell. They were a mile from the
nearest neighbor and in this wilder
| less reared Il family of II children.
| The house was burned down. This
road was a mere trail through the
woods. marked by blazed trees. We
can understand the dangers of travel
when we are told that one Of the
! nioneer women, travelling with her
| baby in her arms. hearing the growlS
of a bear, was obliged to fee for her
! life.
! The first school was opened in the
| north room of the house on the place
now owned by George .Torke. Later
la school house was built on the site
iof the present building. This is the
| ptird building that has occupied the
! same location. In the early days the
! children from "over the river came
across in boats or on the ice to at
| tend this school. This was one of the
J cd district schools that prepared for
! life or for the academy. Not so many
| years ago LoudOn Hill students
stayed here until they were fitted to
| enter high schools:
The first church for three settlers
was built in 1903 on Bowman street,
on the road leading to the river
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