History of Kennebunk from its earliest settlement to 1890. Including biographical sketches

Preface

The original plan of Mr. Remich in writing this History of Kennebunk was to take up the noteworthy events of our town after its separation from Wells in 1820, and so continue the History of Wells and Kennebunk by Edward E. Bourne ; but after due consideration of the subject it seemed essential to him to go back to its early settlement in. order that the reader might be able to trace the growth of the town, in sequence, since the days when the first white man landed upon our shores, thus necessarily covering much of the ground already gone over by Judge Bourne. He spared neither time nor money in gaining access to old records, deeds, files of papers, etc., to obtain the desired information and his remarkable memory served him well in many instances. He was always greatly interested in historical research and he devoted the most of his time the latter part of his life to this work ; it was purely a pastime with him, as he never expected to receive any reward for his labors other than the benefit which he might sometime be able to impart to others. Laboring under difficulties at times, he toiled on with his compilation, hoping to be able to bring it to a satisfactory conclusion. When he finally had a certain amount of material in hand he undertook to have it published, thinking that he could keep in advance of the publishers in putting it together properly, making any necessary alterations and filling in dates and various omissions that had occurred, but his disappointment was great to discover, after having carefully corrected the proof himself, that the company which he had engaged to do the printing had overlooked many of his directions and as a result the pages that were printed were so filled with errors that he became utterly discouraged and consequently withdrew it. Not long after his health began to fail so he did not make another attempt to have it published. It is greatly to be regretted that he was unable to accomplish his long cherished desire. Mr. Remich passed away the thirtieth of May, 1892. It was his wish that if his History of Kennebunk was found to be sufficiently completed for publication, that it be left to his executors to see that it was properly attended to ; accordingly, in due time, several chapters of the manuscript were passed over to one of the executors, Mr. E. P. Burnham, of Saco, but he was unable to give it the necessary attention so we were obliged to abandon the idea of expecting assistance in that direction. From time to time several further attempts were made to have the subject matter prepared for publication, but for various reasons they proved unsatisfactory, resulting in repeated delays.

I had long felt that perhaps it was my duty to prepare my father's historical work for the press, so far as I had the ability, and had come to realize that I must at least make the endeavor; accordingly I turned to the original manuscript, casting all recent copies one side, rearranged and classified the chapters, cut out many repetitions, filled in dates and other omissions when they could be ascertained with certainty, made what corrections seemed necessary and supplied several chapters from addresses and various other of his writings, as was his intention to have done. It should be understood, however, that in making these corrections I have not assumed, in any case, to change the facts, but have ever kept in mind his request that nothing be added to or taken from the text. This has been an exceedingly laborious task, inasmuch as the manuscript had become thoroughly mixed, there being no expectation of having any further use for it after the copy was made, thus adding to the many difficulties that had previously arisen. I have also affixed an index in which I have essayed to make note of every item of importance as well as of persons and places mentioned in this volume. We are under obligations to Messrs. Albion and Harry T. Burbank, of Exeter, New Hampshire, for valuable assistance in correcting the proof.

Now that we are to present this History of Kennebunk for distribution, we desire to tender our sincere thanks to the citizens of the town who have borne so patiently with us for having unavoidably withheld this work from the public so long.

Carrie E. Remich.

December, 19 lo.

Chapter II. 1641-1660. — Early grants. — Early settlers

Chapter III. 1 660-1 674. — Boundary line between Wells and Cape Porpus (afterward Arundel, now Kennebunkport) established.

Chapter IV. 1669-1684. — The first mills erected in 1669. — The hardships of the builder. — His death. — His property held by mortgagees. — Their operations.

Chapter V. 1680-1700. — Kennebunk River Mills, Mills at Mousam, Great Falls and Little River. — Coxhall. — Grants on or near Mousam, Kennebunk and Little Rivers.

Chapter VI. 1 700-1 7 50. — The condition of the territory. — Proposed cession of a part of it to Coxhall. — The Larrabees. — Larrabee Village.

Chapter VII. 1706-1750. — Wadleigh's Indian deed. — Great Falls and Village grants and mills. — Major Phillips' grant. — Kennebunk Mills. — The Kimball family. — Peabody family.

Chapter VIII.

The Proprietary. — Division of the "common and undivided lands." — Grants on and near Kennebunk River ; on and near Little River; on and near Rankin's and Alewive Brooks. — 17 19-1750.

Chapter IX. 1720-1750. — Land grants on the Mousam River. — "Cat Mousam " Mills. — Saw-mills on Alewive Brook.

Chapter X.

Kennebunk as it was in 1750.

Chapter XL Harriseeket, the Village, Cat Mousam and Day's School Districts.

Chapter XII.

The prosperity of Kennebunk dating from 1750. — Grants of land in Alewive. — Ross Road. — Hart's Beach Road. — The Village Bridge and road therefrom, — The Mill Yard and Triangle.

Chapter XIIL " The times that tried men's souls."

Chapter XIV.

Roads.

Chapter XV.

Shipbuilding on the Mousam and Kennebunk Rivers. — Kennebunk Iron Works.

Chapter XVI.

The Judicial Courts.

Chapter XVII.

Miscellaneous items of interest concerning "Ye olden time" and people collected from various sources.

Chapter XVIII.

The Newspaper Press.

Chapter XIX.

Noteworthy incidents in Kennebunk and vicinity from 1809 to 1820, compiled from the columns of the IVeekly Visiter.

Chapter XX.

Town history gleaned from advertising columns, industries and business memoranda, 1809-1820.

Chapter XXI.

The War of 181 2-' 15. — "The Horse Marine." — President Monroe in Kennebunk. — The Cavalry Company. — The Artillery Company.

Chapter XXII.

" Cochranism."

Chapter XI

Early method of going to market. — Mousam River Legend. — The Tornado. — Cultivation of Hemp. — Census of 1830. — Meteoric Shower. — The Slide. — Orthography of the word "Mousam" and other miscellaneous items of interest dating from 1820 to 1843.

Chapter I. Preliminary

[The territory now known as the town of Kennebunk, for nearly a century after the first white settler upon it had located himself and family, received but few accessions to its population, and, notwithstanding the many facilities it offered to the farmer and mill-man, was almost entirely neglected by persons seeking grants of land. It is attempted in this chapter, which is chiefly a compilation, to answer the natural query — "Why was it thus disregarded?" Such of the events in the early history of the Province of Maine, during this period, as influenced the condition of our township, directly or indirectly, are narrated as briefly as practicable, omitting all details that do not appear to be required for the attainment of the desired object. It will be found that, while the frequent changes of government and policy in the mother country, and the varying fortunes of Gorges, which were mainly attributable to these changes, injuriously affected the prosperity of all the towns, the carelessness or dishonesty of the Plymouth Council in issuing the Dye Patent — which was clearly an infringement on the grant to Gorges — and the conflicting claims that grew out of this procedure, bore directly upon the strip of territory under consideration, and very naturally produced feelings of uncertainty as to the validity of any title to its acres that could be acquired.^ It will be understood, therefore, that it has not been the aim of the compiler to prepare a historical sketch of the country (which at this day, for obvious reasons, would be entirely superfluous), but simply to furnish the readers of the succeeding chapters with a collection of facts elucidative of the text, which, it is believed, will be found of value as a handy reference.]

^ Besides the complications and doubt-inspiring movements here referred to, were the boundary troubles between Wells and Kennebunkport, and the claim of John Wadleigh, founded on a conveyance by an Indian sagamore, both of which will be noticed in chronological order as our history proceeds.

L HISTORY OF KKNNEBUNK.

The history of Maine commences with the opening of the sixteenth century. The Cabots, it is true, in 1497, discovered the coast of Labrador, or Newfoundland, thence sailed as far south as Maine, and possibly Massachusetts, and upon these discoveries England founded her claim to this part of North America ; again, in 1524, John Verazzano, in the service of France, proceeded along the coast from the thirty-fourth to near the fiftieth degree of north latitude, "keeping the coast of Maine in sight for fifty leagues," and on the discoveries made during this voyage France grounded its claim to North American territory; a little later, Gomez, a Spanish adventurer, passed in view of the coast from Newfoundland to the capes of the Delaware, and it is not improbable that other European navigators traversed the same route before the close of the fifteenth century, but it was not until the period above named, "when the thirst for discovery was fully enkindled, and colonization efforts were more seriously entertained " by the commercial nations of Europe, that we find evidence that the coast of Maine was especially observed, or its territories sought with the object of colonization.

In 1602 Bartholomew Gosnold left an English port in a small vessel with thirty-two men, and made the coast of Maine and New Hampshire in forty-nine days. There are reasons for the supposition that the " Northland," mentioned in his narrative of the voyage, was Cape Porpoise, and "Savage Rock," the Nubble, near Cape Neddock.^ It does not appear that he landed in this vicinity. The favorable desciiption of the country made by Gosnold, after his return, led to further expeditions for its exploration, among which was that of Martin Pring, in 1603, who "went a short distance up Kennebunk river," finding no people, but signs of fires where they had been.-

In 1604 Sieur de Monts, while in pursuit of a favorable location for the founding of a French colony, under a patent granted to him by Henry the Fourth of France (1603), which embraced the entire territory from the fortieth to the forty-sixth degree of north latitude, and included " the whole of our present New England," . . . "undertook a voyage of discovery" in a pinnace of fifteen tons, which he had built at the Island of St. Croix (in Passamaquoddy Bay), "the firstling, probably, of our American marine." He was

' Bradbury's " History of Kennebunkport," printed by James K. Remich, 1837. ■^ Pring's visit was made in the summer, and the natives were undoubtedly up the rivers Kennebunk and Mousam at the time, looking after their traps, etc.

HISTORY OF KENNEI5UNK, 6

accompanied by Samuel Champlain, "the chronicler of the voyage, the master of the pinnace, and a crew of about twenty sailors and soldiers." ^ The voyage was prosperous, and in Maine they found the natives friendly. They landed at Richman's Island, near Casco Bay, at Chouahouet, now Saco, and at Cape Porpoise, named by Champlain Le Fort aux Isles (the Port of the Isles),- "and here they were charmed by the glad song of infinite numbers of blackbirds and bobolinks, and thence to the Kennebunk River, where they were astonished with immense flocks of turtle-doves, or wild pigeons." They left Cape Porpoise the fifteenth day of July, 1605, and proceeded "twelve leagues toward the south, along the beaches of Maine and New Hampshire." George Weymouth, the English navigator, it is said, preceded de Monts only a few days, or a few weeks at farthest, in this examination of our coast.^

'The quotations in this paragraph are from the first ehapt<-r of the "Isles of Shoals," hy .John .Sc-ribner Jeiiness, 187;!, and the reniainUer of the paragraph is a condensation of the narrative therein given.

- Cape Porpoise Is formed by a cluster of fifteen islands, viz. : Folly, Goat, Green, Trott's, Vaughan's (foi-merly Long), Stage, Fort, Cape or East, Rcddlng's, Eagle (known also as Bass and Cherry), Milk, Neck or Biekford's, Savan, Bush and Cedar. West of these, and w-ithout the cluster, is Bunkin Island. Bradbury says Htage Island was prol)abIy the first land granted in the present town of Kennebnnkport, and that the earliest settlers—" perhaps as early as 1G20"— seated themselves there. The first burylng-place in the town was on this island. It contains about fifteen acres, and " there are marks of cultivation on every part of it." Stage Included, pei-liaps a century ago, what is now called P'ort Island, but the soil has been washed away by the action of the sea, so that now at low water there are two islands, of which Stage is much the largei".

■'The author of the " Isles of Shoals "is of the opinion, based on the evidence furnished in Folsom's " Early Documents Relating to Maine," tliat Gorges and Mason visited the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire In or about 1019, and that " there is reason to believe " that they landed on the Isles of Shoals during this voyage, and also that Gorges had then " been for several years a merchant-adventurer to our coasts," but well-settled facts show conclusively that this impression is erroneous. In 1019, "Vines, in the employ of Gorges, had made several trips to the waters of the Saco, and had established a colony there which was flourishing and receiving accessions yearly. If Gorges had been in this vicinity at the time above named, it can hardly be doubted that he would have sought the whereabouts of Vines, called upon him, and made some inquiries, at least, respecting the condition and prospects of the colony planted under his own direction and with means he had provided. If the date of this conjectured voyage had been some ten or fifteen years earlier, it would be exceedingly pleasant to accept the statement under consideration, and to adopt the idea that might be based upon it,— that in his early manhood, while sailing along our shores, discerning the noble forests, the mouths of its many rivers, and the possibilities of a territory so wonderfully fitted by Nature to become the dwelling-place of a numerous and powerful people, the colonization scheme had its inception in the mind of the ambitious Gorges, followed by visions of colonies, of a government in imitation of the splendid monarchies of Europe, of which he sliould be the absolute ruler, and hence his years of untiring effort, of sacrifice and embarrassment, all destined to bo unrewarded and fruitless;— all this, however, is simply mythical. Fate ordained that even the poor pi-ivilege should be denied him of impressing with his footstep any portion of.the soil whereon he wouUl have reared his gorgeous civil and ecclesiastical edifice.

In 1606 King James the First of England granted patents to two companies, the London and the Plymouth, with all the requisite privileges and powers for planting colonies which were to be governed for the king and by a council of his appointment. To the first-named was assigned the territory extending from the thirty-fourth to the forty-first degree of north latitude, with a breadth of fifty miles inland, and to the Plymouth, the territory lying between the thirty-eighth and forry-sixth parallels of latitude and with the same breadth inland. The two companies, soon after obtaining their charters, fitted out vessels with colonists, to explore and plant settlements in their' respective territories; the former (December, 1606), three ships and one hundred and five colonists, the expedition resulting in the settlement at Jamestown, Va.; the latter (May, 1607), three ships and one hundred settlers. This expedition, however, proved unfortunate. A colony called the Sagadahock Colony was formed at the mouth of the Kennebec River (August, 1607), but the severe winter that followed, and self-imposed troubles with the natives, led to the abandonment of the enterprise and the return of the colonists after a sojourn of less than twelve months. This mishap dampened the ardor of the company, and for a time the voyages to our coast were confined " to objects of fishing and trafiic with the natives." This state of inactivity, however, did not long continue. Sir Ferdinando Gorges, although his name does not appear on the list of patentees, was prominent and the most active in promoting the interests of the Plymouth Company. Among those whom he engaged in its service was Capt. John Smith, so famous in history, who had recently returned from his voyage to our coast (1614-15).^ His labors, however, were not attended with any marked results. Through the agency of Gorges, Richard Vines and his company visited this coast (1616-17), entered the Saco River (which Vines had visited six years before), and camped at Winter Harbor through a winter.^ Very little is known concerning these colonists. They were probably employed, during the warm season, in trading and fishing along the coast from the Penobscot to the Piscataqua.

'During this voyage Captain Smitli gave tlie name which it still bears. New England, to the country described in the patent to the Plymouth Company, whicli to that time had been known as North Virginia.

2 " Having explored all the points along the shores of Saco Bay, they selected a spot in lower Biddeford, on the west side of the Pool, a portion of land extending out into the water [since] known as Leighton's Point. Here Captain Vines erected a log cabin, built in it a wide fireplace and chimney from the stones gathered on the beach, thatched it with long grass gathered from the marsh, and spread for a

HISTORY OF KENNEBUNK. O

There is no record of any permanent settlement made by them. It is generally supposed that all of them returned to England with Vines, after a year's sojourn here. Vines reported on his return that a "great part of New England was almost depopulated by war and pestilence," so that "the country was in a manner left void of inhabitants." It was afterward ascertained that a frightful epidemic had prevailed from 1613 to 1617, and perhaps later, from the Penobscot River to Narragansett Bay. The nature of this terrible disease has never been ascertained. It is a remarkable fact that although they were living in the midst of it, not one of Vines' company was attacked by this mysterious and virulent disorder.

On the third day of November, 1620, James the First granted a new incorporation to a company of forty persons, with the title of the " Council established at Plymouth, in the county of Devon (England), for the planting, ordering, ruling and governing of New England, in America," embracing all the territory now occupied by the New England States. " It was empowered to hold territory in America, extending westward from sea to sea, and in breadth from the fortieth to the forty-eighth degree of north latitude." From this council, in 1622, Gorges and Capt. John Mason, a man who had held important public trusts, and who was both experienced and energetic, obtained a grant of the country "bounded by the Merrimac, the Kennebec, the ocean and the River of Canada." To this territory they gave the name of Laconia.^ Under this grant Gorges continued the work of the settlement of the territory with renewed

carpet the fragrant l)oaghs of the hemlock. This was the llrst habitation of civilized man upon the shores of Saco Bay, and our adventurers had no English

neight>ors nearer than Jamestown, Virginia The Englishmen made

themselves a secure shelter. Their vessel in which their supplies were kept was anchored in the Pool, and the abundance of game and fish made their circumstances, to lovers of adventure, all that could be desired. . . . This was several years before the settlement of Massachusetts by the Puritans." — SAorfis 0/ Saco Bay, Maine, p. 105; — an interesting historical sketch and guide, by J. S. Locke, Boston, 1880.

' Was this merely a fancy name, adopted because it was smooth and pleasant, as well as easily pronounced, or was it Jidopted because it was thought the geographical features of the territory granted by this patent were somewhat like those of the Laconia so celebrated "in story and song"? Within its boundaries the mountains have reminders, and perhaps in our valleys and plains, rocky coasts and prominent capes, a similarity might have been observed, which, In connection with the taciturn, "stern, rude, cruel and narrow-minded" traits of character that alike distinguished the Indian tribes who were dwellers here and the old Spartan, presented points of resemblance sufficiently strong to warrant the transferring of the name of an ancient and famous province of classic Greece to a province in the new world that had no written history, no legends even, on which to base more than bare conjecture In regard to the savage race by which It was sparsely inhabited.

6 HISIORV OF KENNEBUNK.

energy. " He was now better prepared to prosecute the undertaking than ever before. From his previous unsuccessful attempts in this direction, he had derived information which enabled him better to understand the value of the grants as well as the means necessary to be employed to render his labors successful." It is evident that he had determined to concentrate his energies on that part of the grant lying east of the Piscataqua, and between the years 1622 and 1629, permanent settlements were formed at York, Wells, Cape Porpoise and Saco. By mutual agreement, in 1629, Mason and Gorges divided their grant, Gorges taking all that portion of it lying east of the Piscataqua, and Mason that lying between the Piscataqua and Merrimac.

In 1630 Sir Ferdinando sent over Edward Godfrey and others to look after his interests on the east side of the Piscataqua. Immediately after his arrival on our shores, Godfrey proceeded to Agamenticus (now York), where he erected a dwelling-house, and was the founder of the town. This fact appears to be well established. In 1654, in a petition to the General Court of Massachusetts, Godfrey states that he has been " twenty-four years an inhabitant of Agamenticus, and was the first who ever built or settled there." ^

The Council granted to John Dye and others (1630) forty miles square or sixteen hundred square miles, between Cape Porpoise and Cape Elizabeth, known as the Lygonia or Plough patent. Attempts were made at settlement under this patent, but so many obstacles were encountered that the project seems to have been abandoned by the patentees. In the same year (1630), Vines, Oldham and two others obtained from the Council a grant of "four miles in breadth on the seashore and extending eight miles into the country, on the west side of Saco River." Vines took possession of this territory in June, and several families that came over with him settled at Little River within the present limits of Kennebunkport.^ Both these

' For seven years after the first voyage (161t>-17) of Captain Vines, he with others was engaged in transporting colonists to this coast, and settlements were made along the shores of Saco Bay at several points. We have but few records to throw light upon the transactions of those years, but In 1623 there were several families residing on each side of the Saco River, among whom were Richard Vines on the west side and .John Oldham on the cai-X.— Locke's Shores of Casco Bay.

In 1«31 a cargo of domestic animals, cows, hogs, goats and sheep, was brought into the Saco settlement, the first that had been Imported into Maine. The precise date when horses were first brought into the colony is not known, prolmbly fifteen to twenty-five years later.

^This grant was sold in 1C45 to Dr. Robert Child, and after several transfers fell Into possession of Major William Phillips.— ^radburj/'s History of Kennebunkport.

patents, that to the Lygonia Company and that to Vines and his associates, were clearly infringements of the grant to Gorges and Mason.

June 7, 1635, the Plymouth Council — incorporated in 1620 — formally surrendered to the king the Great Charter of New England, having previously divided the territory into twelve parts, and then "proceeded to a distribution of New England among themselves by lot." They accompanied the surrender of their charter with a petition to the king for separate patents according to this agreement. By this distribution Gorges, who must have been a member of the Council at this time, continued to retain possession of the country between the Piscataqua and the Kennebec, and the action of the Council in this particular was confirmed by Charles the First, whereupon it was named New Somersetshire from Gorges' English home. The following year Sir Ferdinando sent over his nephew, William Gorges, as governor, with instructions to endeavor to revive the settlement at Agamenticus, which was far from being in a prosperous condition, and to organize a government for his colonies. It is supposed that William, on his arrival in this country, proceeded directly to Agamenticus, where he tarried a few days only; he then visited Saco. Having brought over with him commissions from Sir Ferdi nando to several persons, then residing in the colonies, to act as assistants or councilors, a board of governor and councilors was at once instituted. The members of this board, by their commissions, were clothed with such authority that they had complete control of the government in all its departments, executive, legislative and judicial. Its first meeting was held on the eighteenth day of March, 1636, and formed the first regular organized government in Maine.^ In its judicial capacity the board transacted no inconsiderable amount of business. During its session, which continued several days, William Scadlock, who came over with Vines' company in 1630, and is supposed to have been the first permanent settler in Cape Porpoise, brought an action of debt against Morgan Howell, also a resident of Cape Porpoise. Scadlock was also presented for drunkenness and was fined five shillings for the offense.

After remaining in Saco a few weeks William Gorges returned to Agamenticus, where he erected a mansion-house and furnished it. It is believed that he did not remain in this country more than two

'This meeting was held in the house of Richard Bonithon, which stood on the east side of Saco River, near the lower Ferry or just above the terminus of the Old Orchard Beach Railroad.— SAorcs of Saco Bay.

years. Four years later, 1639, Gorges obtained a new charter "constituting him lord-proprietary of the Province or County of Maine/ with extraordinary powers of legislation and government," but no change was made in the bounds of his estate. The charter was a liberal one. No time was lost in instituting a government in "due form," — the prescribed religion was the Episcopal, or that of the Church of England. "His son, Thomas Gorges, was appointed deputy-governor of his domain, with six persons, residents on the spot, for councilors, who were severally to fill the offices of secretary, chancellor, field-marshal, treasurer, admiral and master of ordnance, and were jointly to constitute a supreme court of judicature to meet every month, and to be served by a registrar and a provostmarshal. To form a legislature, eight deputies, 'to be elected by the freeholders of the several counties,' were to be associated with the councilors. Each county was to have its court, consisting of a lieutenant and eight justices, to be appointed by the Council." As a preliminary step in the work of organizing a government on the plan thus prescribed by the "Lord Proprietary," a court was held at Saco, on the western side of the river, now Biddeford, on the twenty-fifth day of June, 1640, the first in Maine by which subordinate officers were appointed, and several causes, both civil and criminal, were disposed of. Palfrey says this court was held by four of the councilors, but other historians, — among them Willis, author of the " History of Portland," who, well versed in the early history of the State, may safely be accepted as reliable authority, — state that all the councilors, together with the deputy-governor, were present, viz. : Thomas Joscelyn, deputy-governor, Richard Vines, Francis Champernoon, Henry Joscelyn, Richard Bonithon, William Hooke and John Godfrey. Willis also states that these persons were men of ability, The new deputy-governor, Thomas Gorges, on his arrival found the mansion-house which had been erected by his cousin and predecessor in office, William Gorges, in Agamenticus, in a wretched condition, barely habitable and nearly destitute of every essential for comfortable housekeeping. His first impressions in regard to the moral character of the inhabitants of his realm

'This imiiie, as Is generally supposed, was given In compliment to the wife of Charles the First, Maria Henrietta, who owned in Fiance, as her private estate, a province then called the Province of Meyne. " Be this as it may, the name was undoubtedly suggested by the fact that this eastern country had been commonly called the Mayne (main) land In distinction from the numerous islands on its coast." — See " Palfrey's History of New Kngland," to which the compiler is indebted for many of the facts stated in this chapter, and from which he has freelyquoted.