Dexter High School - Signet Yearbook (Dexter, ME)

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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

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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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THE SIGNET 19 year 1820, to nearly 2,400 at the out- break of the Civil War, an increase of over 500W in 40 years. The number of polls increased from 95 to over 400 and the property valuation from 327,000 to about 3500,000, on a two-thirds basis, or three quarters of a million, a record surpassed by few towns in this part of the country. , At the beginning of this period the center of population of the town was not the village, but a point some dis- tance to the east, where the first school- house was built, the village proper con- sisting of only four roughly constructed dwellings and seven other buildings. The early inhabitants of the town la- bored under great difficulties for all goods must be brought from Bangor, the nearest market, on horseback, over roughly constructed roads which were hardly more than trails. There was no regular mail service and there were no stage lines. A year after the incorporation of the town, Jonathan Farrar came here from Bloomfield, now Skowhegan. Mr. Far- rar, being young, active, and even wealthy for that time, soon became the most important character in the early history of the town, and to him, more than to any other, is due the period of prosperity which followed. He com- menced a system of permanent improve- ments, dug the canal, and built the gristmill dam. He built a new gristmill, which, greatly enlarged, is now operat- ed by S. L. Small. He purchased the Morse saw- and carding-mill and the carding-mill of James C. Hill, the latter was several times remodeled and finally converted into a planing-mill which became the property of the El- dridge Bros., the present owners. Mr. 4 Farrar also opened a store in the low- er story of his dwelling, which is now known as the Flynt house. In 1818, when the first mail route was establish- ed between Bangor and Harmony, through Dexter, he was appointed post- master. - In 1820, Jeremiah and Amos Abbott came here from Andover, Mass. They purchased the Morse carding- and saw- mill from Mr. Farrar and by subsequent enlargement and remodelling converted it into a mill for the manufacture of woolen cloth. This was one of the first woolen mills in the state and sent the first woolen goods from Maine to the Boston market. Another pioneer industry was estab- lished in 1828, when Mr. Farrar con- structed a tannery on what is now Cen- tre street. This was gradually enlarg- ed and later under the Shaws, became one of Dexter's most important indus- tries. , This same year Lysander Cutler came here from Royalston, Mass. He formed a partnership with Mr. Farrar and took a very prominent part in the afairs of the town. In 1835 Farrar Sz Cutler pur- chased the gristmill, previously con- structed on the present site of the White mills by Jeremiah and Amos Ab- bott, and enlarged and remodeled it into a woolen mill now owned by the Morri- son Woolen Co. At about this time Farrar 8z Cutler erected a large and complete woolen mill on the site of the present Dumbarton mill. This was to- tally destroyed by fire in 1845, but Far- rar 8z Cutler, not discouraged, built upon the same site a large stone mill two stories high. This forms the two lower stories of the present mill, hence often called the stone mill.