Dexter High School - Signet Yearbook (Dexter, ME)

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x THE SIGNET 17 Inhabitants of said Township pray that said Township may be incorporated, with all the privileges of the new towns in this Commonwealth, by the name of Dexter or any other name that you in your wisdom may think proper to be de- sired and as in duty bound will ever John Jumper pray. Samuel Copeland Seba French James Hill James Jumper John Safford Stephen Sprague i- Dennings Cornelius Cooledge Briggs Curtis Jesse Smith John Smith Samuel Copeland Jr.Wi1liam Smith Samuel Brown Jonathan Cooly James Fields, Andrew Morse Elig. W. Sprague John Bates John Tucker James Sprague Edward Jumper Ebenezer Small Samuel Tucker Richard Herrick Samuel Wheeler Stephen Leighton Isiah Lincoln Parker Copeland Simeon Safford Luther Copeland Calvin Copeland David Jones George Covelin i- Isaac Smith Dan. Webben On June 17, 1816 a bill for the incorporation of the town was passed by both houses of the Massachusetts legislature. Thus it was that Township number four became the town of Dex- ter. Bill for the Incorporation of the Town of Dexter r Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixteen: An act to establish the town of Dexter. Sect. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in the General Court assembled and by the au- thority of the Law-that the Township number four, fifth range north of the Waldo patent in the county of Penob- scot as considered by the following boundaries be and hereby is established as a town by the name of Dexter. Viz: East by the townof Garland, south by the Township numbered four in the fourth range, west by the township numbered five in the fifth range and North by the town of Sangerville, and the said town of Dexter is hereby vest- ed with all the powers and privileges and shall also be subject to all duties and requisitions of other corporate towns according to the Constitution anal Laws of this Commonwealth. Sect. 2. Be it further enacted that the Justice of the Peace for the county of Penobscot is hereby authorized on ap- plication thereof to issue a Warrant to a freehold inhabitant of said Town of Dexter requiring him to notify and warn the inhabitants thereof qualified to vote in' town affairs to meet at such' convenient time of law within the said Town as shall be appointed in said War- rant for the choice of such oliicers as towns are by Law imposed and re- quired to choose and appoint at their assembled Town meeting. House of Representatives, June 15, 1816 This bill having had 'three several readings passed to be enacted. ' Timothy Bigelow. In Senate, June 17, 1816.

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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,

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18 THE SIGNET This bill having had two several read- ings passed to be enacted. John Phillips, Pres. June 17, 1816, Approved. J. Brooks fGov. of Mass.D True copy attest. Allan Bradford, Sec. of Commonwealth. It is interesting to note that Garland was incorporated before Dexter, but Dexter with its abundant water pow- er has far surpassed Garland, which had to depend wholly upon agriculture. Dexter owes much to its water power. ln accordance with the law, Isaac Wheeler of Garland, Justice of the Peace, issued the following warrant, the thirteenth day of August of that same year, this being the warrant of Dexter's first town meeting. Penobscot County, To Capt. Samuel Copeland, one of the inhabitants of the Township number four in the fifth range north of the Wal- do patent and by the late act of the Gen- eral Court incorporated by the name of Dexter and being in said county of Pen- obscot. GREETINGS: Whereas Seba French and said Samu- el Copeland have made application to me, the subscribed one of the Justice of the Peace for the said county, to call a meeting of the inhabitants of said town qualified by law to vote in town affairs to assemble at the schoolhouse in said town, Thursday, the twenty-third day of August inst. at two o'clock in the after- noon to act on the following articles vis: lst. To choose a moderator to gov- ern said meeting. 2nd. To choose a town clerk. 3rd, To choose three or more select- men. 4th. To choose three or more as- sessors and all other necessary town officers that Incorporate Towns are au- thorized to choose in similar cases at their annual Town Meetings. Given under my hand . and seal at Garland ' this thirteenth day of Aug., in the year 1816. Isaac Wheeler. Justice of the Peace. The schoolhouse referred to as the meeting place for the first town meet- ing was the Batchelder school-house, which stood on what is now the old Whitcomb place. As a result of this Town Meeting An- drew Morse was chosen moderatorg John Bates, town clerk and treasurerg Cornelius Cooledge, Andrew Morse and Seba French, selectmeng among the other town officers were tithingmen, and hog reaves. This meeting was adjourned until Monday, September 2, at one o'clock when a more complete warrant was voted upon. So it was that in the year 1816, Dex- ter began the prosperous and industri- ous course of the first century of its his- tory. CHAPTER FOUR HAT period in Dexter's history from the incorporation of the town to the time of the Civil War, is one of remarkable growth and prosperity. Dur- ing this period Dexter easily out- distanced all of the surrounding towns, many of which were settled and incor- porated at a much earlier date. The population increased from 461 in the