Sumner High School - Spindrift Yearbook (East Sullivan, ME)

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THE HA RBOR BEACON fathers were the followmg sketch of this history of the town will be especially lnterestxng to Old as well as young There were four people who came here of different names and settled on the sunny slde of this beautiful river soon after the Mayfiower came over in 1620 Some landed on Cape Cod others at York while George Gordon Rufas G Jonfs William Blaisdell and Paul Simpson located in this town Years later John Gordon came and built a house near where the K of P hall now IS thls location then was known as Capt Paul Gor don s field He was the grandfather of Mrs Lucretia Adams Next was Miller s house situated near Moose hill cove in what is now William Goodwln s lower field the old cellar can now be seen there Next was the Abner Blais dell house situated in the field above the present stone wh rves Old apple trees cellar and grave stones can now be seen there Later years P ul Simpson built a house near Havey now stands He married Miss Hannah Sullivan a daughter of Daniel Sullivan John Gordon Csecondj married Betsey Urann of Franklm In 1800 he built a stone house where Capt Gardiner D Blake s now stands This land above the rlvcr was covered with a dense forest where these four pioneers settled here For years no roads were known all convey ance being by water in small home made boats to Sorrento Hancock Barren Island and Franklm at Thomas brann s point James Miller built a house where Orville Gordon s now stands and his widowed sister the mother of Ambrose Simpson kept house for him Moose deer bears foxes beavers otters and many native wild animals shared the habitation of these woods and waters Abner Blalsdell always lived in his first house and brought up a large family they ln turn becommg the ancestors of all the present day Blalsdells ln Sulhvan and Franklm Abners son Paul Blaisdell mamed Margaret Miller sister of Capt VN llllam and James Miller Paul Blaisdell built a house where the late Hopewell quarry boardlng house was Revenue from the Hopewell quarry turned in to him a lot of money He afterward built near where the Franklm town line is now near the home stead of Arno Wooster OUR GRANITE INDUSTRY The first granite quarried to be shipped from this town was for a contract taken by William G Mosely to build a Jail at St Andrews N B about the gear 1830 The stone was quarrled from a tract of land known as the College land a quarry owned and operated by Dunbar Bros It was a new start out for Mr Mosley and he never worked any more at the business The next venture was about 1831 when Edward Rouse of Augusta bought the Paul Blalsdell farm and built the first wharf used to contract for hiartucket and cut and furnished stone for buildings in Bangor This property was organized as a stock company as the Hopewell Granite Co and owned by Charles Porter a wealthy New Yorker who let it for short Jobs A New York man named Spies got large columns and stone for the Tombs The Mosley Job was shipped from the cove above the Falls Isaac Allard of Belfast noticed a stone there and later bought the 7 300 acre College lot for S2800 He sold off stump age and small lots one to John S Ayes who opened a store in 1833 and got stone for a monument in Belfast harbor In 1835 a Bangor party bonded the College lot for S16 500 and sold the lot to Boston parties for S40 000 In 1896 little was done Later three local stone cutters Paul Simpson Nelson Abbott and Smith Warren took the Job for the stone buildings in Ellsworth now opposite the Union Trust Company About 1837 a Mr Sanborn and Russell . . 13 . A . . , . , . . y , . y , . . . . y - , . , . . y . n u u . . . . , . ., . . , V . . , . 7 . . . , n , . , . . . . a . , a . . . . the place where the residence of Hon. B. B. ship granite from. He took a bank building ' L . . . I 7 1 I . , L . . I . . . . . ' x . ., . , . . . . . , , , ' . y - 1 r 1 ' ' . , , . I . . , . , , . . . . 7 7 ' 7 . u , 7 7 7 7 7 7 ' . . . . . U ' ' 7 7 7 D Y . . . . ,

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THE HARBOR BEACON! separate church Elder McMaster resigned IH 1822 Having no settled pastjr they secured the partial services of Elder William Johnson for three Q33 or four C43 years In 1826 Elder Benjamln Buck became pastor and served for three or four years In this year the church united with others and erected a house of wor ship An extensive revival took place In 1831 under the ass stance of Elder Jededlah Darling Elder Richard Y Watson became pastor of the church In 1834 and remained IH charge until 1866 During his pastorate there was general prosperity and many revlvals There seems to have been no pastor from 1866 to 1873 but Elder Vtatson preached In Hancock and sup plied this church occasionally In 1873 J C Sawyer supplied In connection with his labors at Gouldsboro and preached also In 1874 In until 1882 This church furnished one of its members Rev John Johnson for the ministry and Oflgl nated by dlSII11SSlOI'1 In 1824 the churches at Hancock and at Franklin Rev J R Bowler organized a church of twelve members at West Sullivan In 1889 and preached there about two years Rev E E Morse of Franklin and others supplied until 1896 the church having at the time about forty five 1453 members The military history of this town during the Revolutionary War centers largely around Daniel Sullivan one of the founders of the town named for him who raised a company of militia during the early part of the War and had them stationed at VS aukeag Point where he lived for the defence of that section In 1779 Captain Sullivan was In command of his company at the siege of Bagaduce Cnow Castinej remaining until after the defeat there of the American forces under the command of Lovell and Salstonstall when he returned home He remained In command of his men acting under Capt John Allan of Machias until he was taken prisoner by the British Feb 24 1181 In Col Allan s report at Machias where he commanded a Revolutionarv force mention IS rrade of Captain Sulllvans coming from Frenchmans Bay Sept 13 1117 with drafted mllltla for service there and of his coming again Nov 13 1777 During the time Capt Sullivan was at Wau keag Point Know Sorrentob he kept his men In readiness for service and Infllcted several heat y blows on the Brltxsh The English and Tories made several at tempts to capture Capt Sullivan attempts which the vigilance of the patriots rendered ineffectual Thomas C Armory In his Life of Gen John Sullivan speaks as follows of the capture of Daniel Sullivan Feb 24 1781 One stormy night In February 1781 a British War vessel the Alegiance commanded by anchored below the town and l nded a large force of sailors and marlnes The house was silently lHV9St8d and Capt Sullivan aroused from his slumbers to find his bed surrounded by armed men He was hurried to the boat and his dwelling fired so suddenly that the children were with difficulty rescued by their mother and a hired man who hved In the family Taken to Castlne his liberty and further protection from harm was tendered him on condition he took the oath of allegiance to the king Re Jectlng these proposals he was carried prisoner to Halifax and thence sent to New York where he was put on board that vessel of Infamous memory the Jersey hulk where he remained SIX months Exchanged he took passage for home but died on the Sound not wlthout sus pxclon of having been poisoned though probab ly like many others he was the victim of the barbarlties of the British Provost who either of his own accord or by Instruction subJected his prisoner to unparalleled privations WEST SULLIVAN IN PIONEER DAYS When we think of what heroes our fore 12 . . . . . , . , . , . . . , . ' Y ' F ' . , U 1 . , . , ,., 1 . .. . , v , 0 , . I . , l n a Q it n , n n ' . . - . ,, . . . l u . . . 7 I , I . . . . . ,. . . . . ! I 7 ' I 7 1876 Rev. John Johnson supplied, remaining Mowatt, who burnt Falmouth, now Portland, ' . a . . . , . . . ' I ' 2 ' . , 1 . . . , . . . 1 7 I . . , . . . . . ,, ,, . ! Y ' r . , . . ,. . - 7 ! 7 7 u , - I ! 7 I 7 I , . Y 4 , -

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THE HARBOR BEACOY YK ooster stone cutters bonded of Joseph Blals dell the Porcuplne quarry wlth a half acre shore front and rxght of way to same The Panlc of 1837 fimsheo them after they had Shlpped one cargo Soon George Hlnman and Samuel Donnell bought the property then Hlnman bought Donnell out He sublet lt to dlfferent partles for local use Wllham K Weston of Augusta ln 1838 leased the Hopewell for a New York llghthouse Job Whlle gettmg the Job the foundatlon gave way ln a gale and the contract belng cancelled Weston falled and left town Elght years later one John Duff of New York rented Hopewell for Cormlchal Sz Co to do a Brooklyn dry dock Job uslng the hghthouse stone and makmg a two years Job for a large crew wlth stone at Hopewell and Hmman quarrles Charles and Edward Leonard of New York managers for B H Sage Kr Co d1d the next let of the dock Job leasmg a quarry from the wharf and rallroad and dld a b1g busmess for two years lncludlng a large engine house for the Navy Yard E H Sz H S Dyer local storekeepers ven tured ln 1851 by leaslng the Hlnman property domg about all the stone busmess for four or five years They furmshed gramte for the Ph1ladelph1a Navy Yard and other places also the stone for the Sulhvan Hancock brldge a proJect of Col Paul D Sargent who and the xce sunk 2520 OOO The Dyers went out West In 1857 A B Sz A Slmpson got the stone bee mto thelr heads and leased a quarry and wharf of Joseph Blaxsdell engaglng Alblon Sherman as foreman to get stone for Bluehlll partles to go to Fort Carroll Baltlmore Md In Sept 1857 Lemuel Crabtree bought a small quarry of Joseph Blalsdell later he bought a large quarry of Joseph M Bragdon dolng an edgestone busmess about ten years About 1869 Peltlah Moore went lnto busmess Shipping edgestone mostly and after a few 3 ears sold to Alfred Crabtree At thls tlme Lemuel Crabtree and Vhlham H Clapham were ln company and for many years dld a large buslness In 1872 pax mg came lnto general use after sex eral years of test agamst wood lron asphalt etc Thls gate Sulllx an a new llfe lease In May 1873 the Sulhvan Quarry C0 ac qulred control of the Hopewell College land Crabtree Clapham lease of John V Gordon and the Sulhvan Granlte Co but soon pulled out Then about 1875 John and Henry Slmpson of Rockport Mass came here Soon John bought out the others and thls closes thls epoch and opens a new The firm of Crabtree 8: Havey who have the largest quarrylng business ln town has suc ceeded to the buslness begun by Mr Crabtree s father Thelr speclalty has been edge stone Among the other firms that have been engaged ln the gramte lndustry here have been Dunbar Company whose quarrles formed the nucleus of the granlte buslness at West Sull1van the Stlmpson Gramte Company Wakefield 8z Orcutt Sherman Bunker Hooper Havey Sr Company Alonzo Abbott Rovertson Kr Havey Arno Wooster Alex Taylor W T Havey Jr Blalsdell Sr Abbott Joseph Cameron Charles Hanna ln company wlth Dunbar Bros and the Benvenue Granlte Co Those now ln buslness are Crabtree Sr Havey Hooper Havey Sz Co Harvey E Robertson Arno Wooster and Dunbar Bros Several of the gramte shlppers have made fortunes out of the stone and the stores oper ated 1n connectlon wlth the DUSIDGSS Several of the quarrles are owned by Capt Van Gordon who has leased them to the several firms en gaged IH the lndustry The gramte out of WhlCh new edge stone and pax mg blocks are the prlnclpal product has been the most potent factor 1n the prosperlty of thxs w lllage 14 1 , , D , . - . . Y . v v H . V . . . f. . Y? ' 1 ' ' . 7 . . ! 7 Y Y . , , . Y . ' ' Y 7 . . - . , 1 1 1 ., . I 7 'Y ' ., Y , . . , . 7 1 7 ' . . , , . . . . ., 7 Sullivan Granite Co., of Boston. They built a Bros. and E. F. Claphamg the Sulhvan Granlte , . . . . . . 3 - I - ' - - 2 1 ' r 1 r , S S S S ' 1 - - , -Z - Z S , , -5 - , , . . , , : , - - I y -5 - . . . , , . . , . . - , . I ! ' ' ' Y . 7 . . I . Y 0 , . , 0 !