Dexter High School - Signet Yearbook (Dexter, ME)

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MAIN STREET, DEXTER, 1849

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14 THE SIGNET Massachusetts, purchased, and induced settlements upon it. During the year 1800, Cragie sent Samuel Elkins from Cornville to locate a suitable site for a mill. Mr. Elkins chose the outlet of the body of water which was later named Lake Wassookeag and beganat once to hew timber for the structure. The mill proved an attraction, for the same year Ebenezer Small and John Tucker came here to secure locations for future homes. Mr. Small made a clearing, put up a log cabin, and raised a. crop of corn 9 the next spring he returned to New Hampshire for his wife. There was no road further than Harmony so, ,with their necessary household goods loaded on a -hand sled and with Mrs. Small seated on top, they continued their journey. There was not even a foot path to guide them through the forest and it was with great difiiculty that they found their way, by means of spotted trees and at last reached their destination. In the year 1802 a saw- and gristmill was completed, soon after it was sold to Jonathan Snow, who in 1804, built the first frame house, on the present site of the late Mrs. Hortons residence. These early settlers were greatly in- convenienced by the difiiculties of transportation. The story of the advent of the first mill crank is a good illus- tration of these difficulties. There was a road from Corinth to Bangor and a winter road to Garland, but only a foot- path connected Dexter with these tdwns and it was over this footpath that the crank was brought, on horseback, two men balanced the crank and a third man led the horse. They lost their way and in their wanderings camped two nights f in the forest, about noon of the third day they reached the home of the Small's, the only family in town, where they were cordially welcomed and given a hearty meal of the best the town af- forded-pounded corn boiled tin milk. After dinner they went back to rescue the horse and mill crank which had been left in the woods g at dark they had not returned and Mrs. Small, fearing that they were lost again, took the dinner horn and going to the top of Bryant's hill blew blasts which guided the men to the opening. The hardships endured by these early immigrants seem almost incredible. At onetime food was so scarce that people traveled forty miles to Norridgewock on horseback and bought corn for two dollars per bushel, and a certain young man went to Athens to work in a hay- field for a peck of corn per day. It was some time during these early years, while her husband was away one day working for a neighbor, that Mrs. Small upon going to the bear trap near the south shore of the lake, found a half-grown cub securely caught. She killed it, dragged it home, dressed it, and cooked some of the tenderest por- tions for Mr. Small's supper. About the year 1807 the settlers laid out a road from Garland to Dexter and also built a schoolhouse which served as townhouse, church and schoolhouse combined. The affairs of Elkinsville as the town- ship was called before its Incorporation, soon began to prosper. The settlers worked together with a cordial spirit of cooperation, they had quiltings, al- though there were not enough Women to sit around a quilt, and barn raisings

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16 THE SIGNET were common even though they had to invite men from Garland to complete the necessary number. The war of 1812 aiected the settlers of Dexter very little until the news came that the British fleet was ascend- ing the Penobscot river toward Bangor. Then fifteen men volunteered to go to Hampden where the militia was to meet, on their way to Hampden they met the American army in full retreat, so joined their forces and retreated with them. The population and prosperity of the township rapidly increased, roads had been laid out and bridges constructed when in the year 1816 the town was in- corporated under the name of Dexter. To these pioneers of the back woods much praise is due. With -persistent, unfailing courage they cleared the for- est, tilled the soil and established homes. They gave their entire lives in labor to whose results we owe our pres- ent beautiful, prosperous town of Dex-A ter. CHAPTER THREE n the fifteen years after the first I settler had cleared his land and built his home in Dexter, fthen known as Township number four, fifth range north of the -- Waldo patentj the little settle- ment had barely struggled along until, in the year 1816, it had reached a popu- lation of about forty families. In this short time it had suffered many hardships for since it was not a town, the commonwealth gave it no money for the support of its schools, or its roads. For this reason in the year 1816 Samuel Copeland, of this Township, drew up a petition, signed by forty-two men of the community, to the Senate and House of Representatives of Mas- sachusetts, for it will be remembered that Maine had not yet become a state but was still a part of Massachusetts. This petition begged that Township number four, fifth range, be incorpor- ated into a town by the name of Dexter. The choice of this name was the result of a vote taken on three names, Alton the home town of Mrs. Small, wife of the first settler, Gower, in honor of the federal governor of Massachusetts, and Dexter, in honor of Samuel Dexter, the- Republican candidate for governor. Previous to this time the settlement had been known both as Elkinstown and Bridgestown. This interesting pe- tition reads as follows: A Petition of Samuel Copeland To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Common- wealth of Massachusetts, in General Court assembled KA. D. 1816.5 The petition of the Inhabitants of township number four, in the fifth range of Townships north of the Waldo patent and in the county of Hancock fthe counties in those days were not as well defined as now and confusion often resultedj humbly shews that now are actually residing in said township up- wards of forty families which find by experience that they are under many inconveniences by reason of.bad roads, and for a regular way of supporting the gospel, and the establishment of schools etc. Therefore that the inconvenience may be remedied, we the undersigned,