Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-08

1910 ana lOOU were IIUWdrQ WINS
low, Governor Bradford, John Alden,
Miles Standish, John Rowland and
others, men who came in the May
flower and founded the Plymouth
Colony. Thus the Pilgrim fathers
gusta and the vicinity of the old
fort and Bowman street were trod
many times by the same feet that
consecrated Plymouth Rock. Though
the trading post was abandoned the
work of these men was permanent
in its results. Their ownership of
the soil became the foundation of
the land titles of today.
A long period of Indian warfare
soon came over New England. This
destroyed most of the Maine settle
ments and delayed the march of
civilization up the Eennebec for
three-quarters of century. In 1149
some heirs OF the four purchasers of
the Kennebec patent in 1901 ap-
peared and claimed the kennebec
valley as their property. Their
claim was confirmed and they took
possession of their heritage under
the name of the Plymouth Company.
The company offered the region to
settlers and small tide of emigra-
ton from Massachusetts at once set
this way.
In 1864 Governor Shirley with 500
soldiers came to the Kennebec and
assisted the company in building
| Fort Halifax at Winslow and Fort
Western on the site of the long for
gotten trading post at Cushnoc.
Capt. James Howard, called by some
as the forefather of Augusta, took
up three lots of land for himself and
his sons following the French and
Indian war and in 1867 bought Fort
Western and became the private
| owner of its 800 acres.
F.. In 1862, eight years after the fort
, was built and two years after it had
! been left to the keeping of Capt.
| Howard and his family, the village
consisted of seven log houses, all on
/ the east side, the homes of about
80 persons. Many more lots were
taken, however, and two years later
! ten more were occupied While the
| grim old forest was fast retreatlng
before the settlers AK. In 1l6l the
whole region had been surveyed, and
for the first time divided into Sec
tions and lots. The name Cushnoc
was no longer used and the settle
ment became known as Fort Vest
ern.
! In 1771 came the most important
event in local history--the 1ncorpo-
ration of Fort Western as town by
the name of Haliowell. The act OF
incorporation was passed April 20,
| 1771, and under the warrant of Capt.
| Howard the first town meeting was
held at the fort May %. The town
included the present territory of Au-
| gusta, Hallowell, Chelsea and most
of Manchester and Farmingdale,
65,715 acres in all. 1t was given the
name Haliowell in honor OF BenJa-
! min HalIowell, a Boston merchant
who was a member of the Plymouth
| COMPANY and owned a large tract
in what is now the southerly part
of the city of Hallowell.
| Most of the settlers were grouped
around the fort, as this was the only
place Of business. There were no
roads except the old military road
built by Governor Shirley to Fort
Halifax. The present site of Water
street was an unbroken forest,
though there was a mill on what Is
now Known as Bond Brook when
soon stimulated the settlement on
1.-The west side of the river. The first
child born among the settlers was
Elias Taylor, February u, l762.
Two miles below the fort on the
west side of the river, a little settle
ment was growing up, having been
begun by Pease Clark and his. sons
in 1862. At the time of incorpora-
ton this was but a small and loyal
suburb of the parent village around
the old fort. 1t became known as
the Hook" village, corruption OF
it's old Indian name Kedumcook or
IBumbahook, while the upper village
became distinctly known as the Fort
1t was not long before a rivalry
sprang up between these two parts
of the new town of Hallowell which
was manifest in town meetings. In
the management of town affairs and
the election of town officers thelf
Interests often clashed and Jeal-
ousy and bitterness resulted that in
liured both villages. AS time went
on the villages were of nearly equal
size, although the Fort retained Its
lead and captured most of the pub