Dexter High School - Signet Yearbook (Dexter, ME)

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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.

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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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I 20 THE SIGNET Another woolen mill was built in 1847 by Calvin Copeland on the present site of the Fay Sz Scott machine shops. This-was destroyed by fire in 1868. The next year in 1848, the Hrm of Foss, Conant Co. erected a brick mill in the lower part of the village, now known as the Wassookeag Mill. They operated this until 1855, when they sold out to Farrar 8L Cutler, who thus be- came the owners of three woolen mills, besides other smaller interests. Dur- ing the National financial crisis of 1856 the financial strain became too great for the firm and it was obliged to sus- pend. The mills passed into the hands of the creditors and, in 1863 were or- ganized as the Dexter Woolen Mills, and continued under this name for the next twenty-five years. In addition to these more important industries, there were many of less im- portance, of which may be mentioned the foundry and machine shop of Na- thaniel Dusting a box-mill opposite the brick mill, a carding-mill in the building' which now serves as the office of the Morrison Woolen Co., a wood-working mill near the tanneryg and several mills outside the village limits. The village school system has always been the pride of the townspeople. This had its beginning in 1822, when a sub- stantial school building was erected near the site of the Crosby Law office. This building also served for many years as a town hall. In 1834, on ac- count of the rapid growth of the town, larger school accommodations became necessary and a two-story building was erected on the site now occupied by the Pleasant street schoolhouse. The low.- er fioor consisted of two schoolrooms, while the second floor was used as a town hall.. This served until 1856, when, during the town meeting of that year, the fioor gave way and over 300 people were participated into the base- ment. Strangely enough, no one was killed and but one or two seriously in- jured. The building was then moved away and now serves as the mill-office and storehouse of the Amos Abbott Co. Our present Town hall was then built, the lower floor serving for a long time as schoolrooms for the primary and in- termediate grades. At the same time a new building was erected on School street for the grammar grades and the High school. The present grading sys- tem was introduced into the schools during the fourth decade of the cen- tury, chiefly through the efforts of Mr. Lysander Cutler, who was deeply inter- ested in the schools. Four of Dexter's nine churches were built during this period. The Univer- salists in 1828, erected a small meeting house on Church street, which has since been greatly enlarged. Six years later the Methodists and the Baptists erected a union church upon the present site of the Methodist church. This served for both societies until 1839 when the Bap- tists withdrew and built their present church. Seven years later the Congre- gationalists built a small meeting house which now serves as a vestry for their present church. Thus we have briefly traced the rapid growth' of the town, industrially, edu- cationally and religiously and have seen the village grow from a small country cross-roads to a manufacturing town of considerable importance. t