Kennebec County occupies the most
valuable section of Kennebec River. The surface, though hilly,
is not mountainous. It contains a large number of ponds, and
many fine water-powers. The territory is nearly that of the
Kennebec Patent, but it somewhat overpasses the limits of that
patent as finally settled. The indefinite description of those
limits caused much litigation, but was finally settled in 1757,
by reference to five eminent lawyers. By their decision, the
southern boundary of the patent placed at the northern line of
the town of Woolwich, in the present county of Sagadahoc, and
the northern boundary at what is now the southern line of
Cornville, in Somerset County. Briefly stated, the patent, as
settled, covered territory 30 miles wide (15 miles wide on each
side of the Kennebec River), and extended from Merry-meeting
Bay to the falls below Norridgewock, and contained 1,500,000
acres. The tract was valuable in the early period of the country
on account of the trade with the natives, and its fisheries. In
1640, the proprietors of the patent ceded it to the whole body
of freemen of Plymouth Colony. Between 1648 and 1653, the colony
obtained from the Indian sagamores (leeds of the land extending
from Cushnoc (now Augusta), to the northern limit of the grant,
built one or two small forts on the river, and sent magistrates
into the region to protect their rights. Their monopoly was
often intruded upon, and caused them so much annoyance that in
1661 they sold their entire right in the patent for £400
sterling to four men, Antipas Boies, Edward Tyng, Thomas Brattle
and John Winslow.
The settlement of the river was very slow, so that in 1675, when
the first Indian war broke out, there were scarcely 100 persons
residing on or near the river. In 1676 the buildings northward
of Swan Island were all destroyed, and the inhabitants driven
away. Under an act passed by General Court in 1753, a new
corporation was formed with the name of “The Proprietors of
Kennebec Purchase from the late Colony of New Plymouth,” which
was usually contracted to “Plymouth Company” in actual use. In
1818, the corporation, having disposed of all its interest in
time territory, ceased to exist.
he Kennebec River, when first visited by the English, was
occupied by a powerful tribe of Indians called Canibas. It
numbered about 1,500 warriors at this time. Their various
villages formed subtribes, all of which acknowledged allegiance
to the great chief, Kennebis, who resided on Swan Island,
opposite what is now the town of Richmond. The chief villages
were Norridgewock, Taconet (at Waterville) and Cushnoc
(Augusta). Sebastian Rasle, a Roman Catholic missionary, resided
at Norridgewock for many years, exercised a powerful influence
over the whole tribe.
The first trading-posts on the Kennebec were established at
Augusta and Richmond in 1629, the same year that the patent was
obtained by the New Plymouth proprietors. In 1754, in order to
give security to the settlements in the region, the Plymouth
Company built Fort Western at Cushnoc by agreement with the
government of Massachusetts, which built in the same and
following year Fort Halifax, in what is now the town of Winslow,
and Fort Shirley in Dresden, opposite the other end of Swan
Island. At about the same time, Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, agent of
the Plymouth Company, made his residence on the Kennebec, the
better to effect settlements. Soon after the above date he
erected two saw-mills, a grist-mill and a fulling-mill, a wharf,
stores and dwelling-houses in the town which now bears his name.
Time downfall of the French power in the north brought security
to the settlements of Maine, and those on the Kennebec soon
greatly increased.
In 1760 two counties called Cumberland and Lincoln were
organized from old York County. Lincoln County at that time
included the territory of the Kennebec Patent, and the
proprietary company erected buildings for the new county at
Pownalborough, now Dresden. The old court-house has been changed
into a dwelling-house, and is still in a good state of
preservation. In 1799 the northern part of Lincoln County was
erected into a new county by the name of Kennebec, with Augusta
as the shire town. In 1809, Somerset County was organized, by
which Kennebec County lost nearly four-fifths of its territory.
Waldo County, formed in 1827, took from it four towns,—Unity,
Freedom, Joy and Burnham. By the organization of Franklin County
in 1838, Kennebec lost the towns of New Sharon, Chesterville,
Wilton, Temple and Farmington; and at the incorporation of
Androscoggin County, the towns of East Livermore, Greene, Leeds,
and Wales, were dissevered from the County of the Kennebec. It
is now made up of 24 towns and 3 cities. The last are Augusta,
Hallowell and Gardiner, situated upon the Kennebec, the first
and last only 6 miles apart, and. the second between them.
In 1787, Hallowell (then including Augusta), was made a
halfshiretown with Pownalborough, the session being held at Fort
Western. The judges were William Lithgow, James Howard and
Nathaniel Thwing. In 1788, William Lithgow, jr., opened an
office at Fort Western settlement, and was therefore the first
lawyer resident in what is now Kennebac County. The first
court-house was built in Augusta (then a part of Hallowell), in
1790, and stood in Market Square. In 1801, Kennebec County
having been incorporated and Augusta set off from Hallowell, a
new court-house was begun on the site of the present jail. In
1827, the present granite court-house was erected. A jail of
wood was erected in
1793, but was burned in 1808. Another built at that time
remained in use until 1859. In the latter year was completed a
new jail of granite, iron and brick, at a cost of over $50,000.
It is considered to be the finest building in the city, and the
finest and most substantial building for its purpose in time
State.
Kennebec, though one of the smallest counties in area, is one of
time best, and at present the very best agricultural county in
the State. The soil along time river on both sides is, to a
great extent, of clay loam, and easily cultivated and
productive; and probably a larger crop of hay is harvested in
the river towns of this county than in any other equal area in
New England. The underlying rock is chiefly granite, and
quarries of fine quality are operated in Hallowell. The ice
busiimess is also an important industry; amd probably no section
of equal extent in the world yields a larger supply, or a
superior quality, of this very useful article.
Kennebec County has several agricultural societies, all in a
flourishing condition. It has three hundred and forty-nine
schoolhouses, valued at $243,781,. Its real estate in 1870 was
valued at $21,004,034. In 1880 it was $23,292,164. The
population at the same date was 53,203. In 1880 it was 52,061;
of these 26,423 are male and 26,638 females. The natives number
49,565, and foreign born 3,496. There are 123 colored
inhabitants.
Source: Varney, George J., Gazetteer of the
State of Maine. Boston: B. B. Russell, 1886. |
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