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 BRIEF 
 
 HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 Prepared by Members of the 
 
 CLASS OF 1916 
 DEXTER HIGH SCHOOL 
 
 As a Part of Then- Graduation Exercises on the 
 
 One Hundredth Anniversary 
 
 of the 
 
 Incorporation of the Town 
 
 1816--1916 
 
 I 
 
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 8S 
 
 HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 §§ si 
 
 CHAPTER I. Interesting Facts of Maine History Edward H. Ellms 
 
 CHAPTER n. The Early Settlers of Dexter Alice M. Wilder 
 
 CHAPTER HI. The Incorporation of Dexter and the First 
 
 Town Meeting, Jere Abbott 
 
 CHAPTER IV. Dexter From Its Incorporation to the Civil 
 
 War Laurence E. Weymouth 
 
 CHAPTER V. Dexter In the Civil War, F. Weston Howard 
 
 CHAPTER VI. De.xter's Industrial and Civic Development 
 
 Since the Civil War, Ruth H. Hall 
 
 
,' paifcaifcfflR^iiiUiliUi[iyil}y!lj^ 
 
 HISTORY of DEXTER 
 
 LL citizens of Maine are proud of 
 their state and they would be 
 more proud if they knew more 
 of its history, for Maine has the 
 most enviable one of any state 
 in the Union. In studying its 
 history we find that it's motto, "I lead" 
 is well chosen and typical of Maine's 
 past history and career. 
 
 The first permanent settlement in 
 New England was made, not at Ply- 
 mouth in 1620 but at Castine in 1613 ot 
 14. In 1622 the starving people of Ply- 
 mouth obtained a shipload of provisions 
 and supplies from Pemaquid and other 
 places in Maine. Castine claims the dis- 
 tinction of having been held by five dif- 
 ferent nationalities, the Indains, the 
 French, the Dutch, the English, and the 
 Americans- 
 
 The first city in America was in 
 Maine. It was called Georgiana and 
 was founded by Ferdinando Gorges. 
 He secured a grant of 24,000 acres, on 
 both sides of York river, and establish- 
 ed a colony there. Gorges' long thwart- 
 
 ed ambition demanded a great success 
 for his colony. He inaugurated a mini- 
 ature old world city, with all its formal 
 civil government and its many oflScials. 
 But the city was not destined to live 
 long. Sir Ferdinando Gorges died and 
 while his son, Thomas, was abroad in 
 Europe the city was sacrificed to the 
 ambition of the Massachusetts Bay 
 Company. It was then sold to another 
 company and when Thomas Gorges re- 
 turned its civic splendor had all depart- 
 ed. It remained a town, however, and 
 it exists today under the name of York. 
 
 The first seed sown and the first crop 
 raised north of Florida was in Maine in 
 the year 1605. 
 
 The first English ship to be built in 
 America was built in Maine in 1607, the 
 same year that the first settlement was 
 made in Virginia. 
 
 The first bill of exchange which was 
 also a conveyance of i-eal estate, was 
 given in Maine in 1623 and the first 
 deed of real estate was drawn up in 
 Maine in 1625. 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 The only New England men of 
 early times ever knighted, were 
 two Maine men, Sir William Pepperell 
 and Sir WiUiam Phipps. Sir Hiram 
 Maxim is also a Maine man. 
 
 In patriotic acts and impulses Maine 
 has ever been a leader. It was Colonel 
 William Pepperell, a Maine man, with 
 4,000 sons of the Pine Tree State, who 
 captured Louisberg, the Gibraltar of 
 America. In that expedition was Capt. 
 William Swanton of Bath, Maine, great 
 grandfather of five of the early settlers 
 of Dexter ; heads of large families. 
 
 On the same night that news was re- 
 ceived of the battle of Lexington, Maine 
 men started for Massachusetts. They 
 fought at Bunker Hill and Dorchester 
 Heights. The same drums that beat at 
 Louisburg beat at Bunker Hill thirty 
 years after, and the officers who had 
 charge of the intrenchments at Louis- 
 burg teid out the defences of Bunker 
 Hill. 
 
 The first naval battle of the Revolu- 
 tionary war was fought in Machias 
 Harbor, Maine. One morning in June a 
 British vessel, the Margaretta came 
 into Machias Harbor. The commander 
 of the Margaretta ordered that a liber- 
 ty pole which the people had erected 
 should be taken down or he would fire 
 upon the town. 
 
 The men held a meeting in the woods 
 to discuss the situation. Benjamin 
 Foster stepped across a small brook 
 calling on all who were in favor of seiz- 
 ing the ship to follow him. In a short 
 time every man had crossed over. 
 
 The Margar'etta learned of her dan- 
 ger and dropped down the river. 
 Thomas O'Brien took possession of a 
 sloop callted the Unity and mustered a 
 volunteer crew of about 40. Foster 
 
 went to East River and secured a 
 schooner and crew there but it ran 
 aground and was unable to participate 
 in the fight. 
 
 The Unity pursued the Margaretta ; 
 shots were exchanged and a man on the 
 Unity was killed. Finally Captain O'- 
 Brien ran the bowsprit of the Unity 
 through the mainsail of the Margaretta 
 and 20 of his men armed only with 
 pitchforks, rushed upon her deck. The 
 commander and several men were killed 
 and then the ship surrendered. John 
 O'Brien estimated the British loss at 
 10 killed and 10 wounded. Of the 20 
 men one was killed and two wounded. 
 The Margaretta was refitted and named 
 the Machias Liberty. 
 
 During the terrible winter at Valley 
 Forge 1,008 of the 10,000 men there 
 were from Maine and Maine was the 
 first state after Pennsylvania, in which 
 Valley Forge is located, to erect a mon- 
 ument there. 
 
 The first Secretary of War of the 
 United States, was a Maine man. Gener- 
 al Henry Knox. 
 
 Maine was not in sympathy with the 
 war of 1812, but more soldiers came 
 from Maine according to its population, 
 than from any other state and the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief, General Dearborn, 
 was a Maine man. 
 
 Commodore Preble, who commanded 
 the expeditions against the Barbary 
 States was a Maine man. He was the 
 first officer to receive a vote of thanks 
 from Congre^ after the adoption of the 
 Constitution. 
 
 The first to respond to Lincoln's call 
 for troops was a Maine company and 
 the man who had the honor to receive 
 the surrender of General Lee's army, 
 
MAIN STREET, DEXTER, 1849 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 was a Maine man, General Joshua L. 
 Chamberlain. 
 
 Maine was the only state that did not 
 lose a battle flag during the Civil war 
 and Maine captured more battle flags 
 than any other state. Maine also fur- 
 nished more soldiers according to her 
 population than any other state. The 
 vice president of the United States at 
 this time Hannibal Hamlin, was a 
 Maine man. He was a close friend of 
 Lincoln. Later he was minister to 
 Spain. 
 
 We, as citizens of Maine, should be 
 extremely proud of its history and 
 should take pride in helping to make it 
 live up to its motto "I lead." But let us 
 not forget in our love for our native 
 state and our pride in her history that 
 our first duty and our greatest love is 
 due to that of which Maine is only a 
 part, the United States of America. 
 
 CHAPTER TWO 
 
 ^-^ IX score years ago the site of our 
 J^ present thriving town of Dex- 
 ter was a trackless forest. 
 Wild animals roamed over its 
 hills and valleys. Indians built 
 their wigwams and planted 
 their corn on the shores of Lake Was- 
 sookeag. The early settlers' only means 
 of transportation was the pack horse in 
 summer and the hand sled in winter, as 
 the wilderness was broken only by trail.- 
 or footpaths. Today the citizens are hap- 
 py and prosperous in their homes, rear- 
 ing their children in plenty and peace, 
 and enjoying all modern pleasures and 
 conveniences. This great change is 
 
 due to the sturdy courage and persist- . 
 ent vigor of the first white settlers. 
 
 After the Revolutionary war, Mas- 
 .sachusetts had no money to pay her 
 war debt, but she did have plenty of 
 wild land, so she granted to every man 
 who had served three years in the war, 
 the choice of twenty dollars in money, 
 or two hundred acres of land in Maine, 
 which was then a province of Massachu- 
 setts. 
 
 By the year 1785, although many 
 grants had been made to deserving in- 
 dividuals and land had been sold to sol- 
 diers for one dollar per acre, only 
 twelve towns had been laid out east of 
 the Penobscot river. To promote other 
 settlements and to raise money for her 
 treasury Massachusetts in 1786 con- 
 trived a land lottery ; 2,720 tickets were 
 issued at £60 each, entitling each holder 
 to a prize consisting of tracts of land 
 lying between the Penobscot and St. 
 Croix rivers and varying in extent from 
 one-half mile to six miles square. A 
 large number of tickets remained un- 
 sold after the drawing and these were 
 bought by William Bingham of Phila- 
 delphia, who in a short time owned 
 above two million acres of land in 
 Maine, which had cost him on an aver- 
 age of twelve and one-half cents per 
 acre. 
 
 These results being unsatisfactory to 
 Massachusetts she had the land survey- 
 ed and laid out into twenty-one town- 
 ships among which was the present 
 township of Dexter. These town.^hips 
 were put into the hands of the commit- 
 tee for the sale of Eastern land;;, for the 
 purpose of selling them and increasing 
 their population. 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 In March 1794 James Bridge of Au- 
 gusta purchased from the Common- 
 wealth of Massachusetts the present 
 townsh;'p of Dexter. He soon sold it to 
 Charles Vaughn, who was acting for a 
 company in Massachusetts. Vaughn 
 was unable to meet the conditions in- 
 volved in the purchase of this land and 
 Dexter passed through several hands 
 before Andrew Cragie of Cambridge. 
 Massachusetts, purchased, and induced 
 settlements upon it. During the year 
 1800, Cragie sent Samuel Elkins from 
 Cornville to locate a suitable site for a 
 mill. Mr. Elkins chose the outlet of the 
 body of water which was later named 
 Lake Wassookeag and began at once to 
 hew timber for the structure. The 
 mill proved an attraction, for the same 
 year Ebenezer Small and John Tucker 
 came here to secure locations for future 
 homes. Mr. Small made a clearing, 
 put up a log cabin, and raised a crop of 
 corn ; the next spring he returned to 
 New Hampshire for his wife. There 
 was no road fui'ther than Harniony so. 
 with their necessary household goods 
 loaded on a hand sled and with Mrs. 
 Small seated on top, they continued 
 their journey. There was no: even a 
 foot path to guide thei-.i through the 
 ii'orest and it was with great difficulty 
 th t they found their way, by means of 
 r-potted trees and at last reached their 
 de?tination. 
 
 In the year 1802 a saw- and gristmill 
 was completed ; soon after it was sold 
 to Jonathan Snow, who in 1804, built 
 the fii'st frame house, on the present 
 site of the late Mrs. Horton's residence. 
 
 These early settlers were greatly in- 
 convenienced by the difficulties of 
 transportation. The story of the advent 
 
 of the first mill crank is a good illus- 
 tration of these difficulties. There was a 
 road from Corinth to Bangor and a 
 winter road to Garland, but only a foot- 
 path connected Dexter with these towns 
 and it was over this footpath that the 
 crank was brought, on horseback ; two 
 men balanced the crank and a third man 
 led the horse. They lost their way and 
 in their wanderings camped two nights 
 in the forest ; about noon of the third 
 day they reached the home of the 
 Small's, the only family in town, where 
 they were cordially welcomed and given 
 a hearty meal of the best the town af- 
 forded — pounded coi-n boiled in milk. 
 After dinner they went back to rescue 
 the horse and mill crank which had been 
 left in the woods ; at dark they had not 
 returned and Mrs. Small, fearing that 
 they were lost again, took the dinner 
 horn and going to the top of Bryant's 
 hill blew blasts which guided the men to 
 the opening. 
 
 The hard.-^hips endured by these early 
 immigrants seem almost incredible. At 
 one time food was so scarce that people 
 traveled forty miles to Norridgewock 
 on horseback and bought corn for two 
 dollars per bushel, and a certain young 
 man went to Athens to work in a hay- 
 field for a peck of corn per day. 
 
 It -i'-as some time during these early 
 years, while her husband was away one 
 day working for a neighbor, that Mrs. 
 Small upon going to the bear trap near 
 the south shore of the lake, found a 
 half-grown cub securely caught. She 
 killed it, dragged it home, dressed it, 
 and cooked some of the tenderest por- 
 tions for Mr. Small's supper. 
 
 About the year 1807 the settlers laid 
 out a road from Garland to Dexter and 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 BEFORE 
 
 ;UINS ON MAIN STREET AFTER FIRE OF 190V 
 
 also built a schoolhouse which served 
 as townhouse, church and schoolhouse 
 combined. 
 
 The affairs of Elkinsville as the town- 
 ship was called before its Incorporation, 
 soon began to projper. The settlers 
 worked together with a cordial spirit of 
 cooperation, they had quiltings, al- 
 though there were not enough women 
 to sit around a quilt, and barn raisings 
 were common even though they had to 
 invite men from Garland to complete 
 the necessary number. 
 
 The war of 1812 affected the settlers 
 of Dexter very little until the news 
 came that the British fleet was ascend- 
 ing the Penobscot river toward Bangor. 
 Then fifteen men volunteered to go to 
 Hampden where the militia was to 
 meet; on their way to Hampden they 
 met the American army in full retreat, 
 so joined their forces and retreated with 
 them. 
 
 The population and prosperity of the 
 township rapidly increased, roads had 
 been laid out and bridges constructed 
 when in the year 1816 the town was in- 
 corporated under the name of Dexter. 
 
 To these pioneers of the back woods 
 mAich praise is due. With persistent, 
 unfailing courage they cleared the for- 
 est, tilled the soil and established 
 homes. They gave their entire lives in 
 labor to whose results we owe our pres- 
 ent beautiful, prosperous town of Dex- 
 ter. 
 
 CHAPTER THREE 
 
 In the fifteen years after the first 
 settler had cleared his land and 
 built his home in Dexter, (then 
 known as Township number 
 four, fifth range north of the 
 Waldo patent) the little settle- 
 ment had barely struggled along until, 
 
 (^ 
 
HLSTORV OF DEXTER 
 
 AFTER 
 
 NEW BLuLlvS ON 611 L. •/! 
 
 in the year 1816, it had reached a popu- 
 lation of about forty families. 
 
 In this short time it had suffered 
 many hardships for since it was not a 
 town, the commonwealth gave it no 
 money for the support of its schools, 
 or its roads. For this reason in the year 
 1S16 Samuel Copeland, of this Township, 
 drew up a petition, signed by forty-two 
 men of the community, to the Senate 
 and House ox Representatives of Mas- 
 sachusetts; for it v%^ill be remembered 
 that Maine had not yet become a state 
 bat was still a part of Massachusetts. 
 This petition begged that Township 
 number four, fifth range, be incorpor- 
 ated into a town by the name of Dexter. 
 The choice of this name was the result 
 of a vote taken on three names ; Alton 
 the home town of Mrs. Small, wife of 
 the first settler; Gower, in honor of the 
 federal governor of Massachusetts, and 
 
 Dexter, in honor of Samuel Dexter, the 
 Republican candidate for governor. 
 Previous to this time the settlement 
 had been known both as Elkinstown 
 and Bridgestown. This interesting pe- 
 tition reads as follows: 
 
 Petition of SamHei Copeland 
 
 To the Honorable Senate and House 
 of Representatives of the Common- 
 wealth of Massachusetts, in General 
 Court assembled (A. D. 1816.) 
 
 The petition of the Inhabitants of 
 township number four, in the fifth 
 range of Townships north of the Waldo 
 patent and in the county of Hancock 
 [the counties in those days were not as 
 well defined as now and confusion often 
 resulted] humbly shews that now are 
 actually residing in said township up- 
 wards of forty families which find by 
 experience that they are under many 
 
10 
 
 HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 inconveniences by reason of bad roads, 
 and for a regular .way of supporting the 
 gospel, and the establishment of schools 
 etc. 
 
 Therefore that the inconvenience 
 may be remedied, we the undersigned. 
 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 u-Sll ever 
 pray. 
 
 Samuel Copeland James Jumper 
 Seba French John Safi'ord 
 
 James Hill Stephen Spragne 
 
 Dennings Cornelius Cooledge 
 
 Briggs Curtis John Smith 
 Jesse Smith 
 
 Samuel Copeland Jr .William Smith 
 Samuel Brown Samuel Tucker 
 
 Jonathan Cooly Richard Herrick 
 James Fields Samuel Wheeler 
 
 Andrew Morse Stephen Leighton 
 
 Elig. W. Sprague Isiah Lincoln 
 John Bates Parker Copeland 
 
 — — Simeon Safford 
 
 John Tucker Luther Copeland 
 
 James Sprague C-uKin Copeland 
 Edward Jumper 
 
 Ebenezer Small John Jumper 
 David Jones Ceorge Covelin 
 
 Isaac Smith 
 
 Dan. Webben 
 
 On June 17, 1816 a bill for the 
 incorporation of the town was passed 
 by both houses of the Massachusetts 
 l-^'gislature. Thus it was that ToM'nsliip 
 number four became the town of Dex- 
 ter. 
 
 Bill for the Incorporation of the Town 
 of Dexter 
 
 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 town of 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 privilege? 
 and shall also be subject to all duties 
 and requisitions of other corporate 
 towns according to the Constitution and 
 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 re'uir'ng hirh to notify ana 
 warn the inhabitants thereof qualified 
 to vote in town aflfairs to meet at such 
 convenient tim.e of law within the said 
 Town as shall be appointed in said War- 
 rant for the choice of such olHcei's 
 as towns are by Law imposed and re- 
 quired to choose and appoint at their 
 assembled Town meeting. 
 House of Representatives, June 1 "i, 1816 
 
 This bill having had three several 
 readings passed to be enacted. 
 
 Timothy Bigelow. 
 In Senate, June 17, 1816. 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 This bill having had two several read- 
 ings passed to be enacted. 
 
 John Phillips, Pres. 
 June 17. 1816, Approved. 
 
 J. Brooks (Gov. of Mass.) 
 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. 
 
 In accordance with the law, Isaac 
 Wheeler of Garland, Justii.'e ot tlie 
 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 Justices of 
 the Peace for the said county, to call a 
 meeting of the inhabitants of said town 
 qualified by law to vote in town afiairs 
 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 : 
 
 1st. 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 necessarv town 
 
 oflicers 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 moderator; 
 John Bates, town clerk and treasurer; 
 Cornelius Cooledge, Andrew Morse and 
 Seba French, selectmen ; 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 indu.-'tri- 
 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 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 year 1820, to nearly 2,400 at the out- 
 break of the Civil War, an increase of 
 over 500'; in 40 years. The number of 
 polls increased from 95 to over 400 and 
 the property valuation from $27,000 to 
 about $500,000, 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 
 Bloom.field, 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 propertj^^ of the El- 
 dridge Bros., the present owners. Mr. 
 
 Farrar also opened a store in the low- 
 er story of his dwelling, which is now 
 known as the Flj-nt 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- 
 mil! from Mr. Farrar and by subsequent 
 enlargem-ent and remodelling converted 
 it into a mill for the manufacture of 
 woolen cloth, This was one of the fir.st 
 woolen mills in the state and sent the 
 'irst 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 aff"airs of 
 the town. In 1835 Farrar & 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 & Cutler erected a large and 
 complete woolen mil! on the site of the 
 present Dumbarton mill. This was to- 
 tally destroyed by fire in 1844, but Far- 
 rar & 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. 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 Another woolen mill was built in 
 1847 by Calvin Copeland on the present 
 site of the Fay & Scott machine shops. 
 This was destroyed by fire in 1868. 
 
 The next year in 1848, the firm 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 & 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 Dustin ; 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- tannery; and several mills 
 outside the village Hmits. 
 
 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, 
 lai'ger school accommodations became 
 necessary and a two-story building was 
 erected on the site now occupied 
 by the present town hall. The lower 
 floor 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 floor gave way and over 300 
 people were precipitated 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 
 H'gh 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 vfllage grow from a small country 
 cross-roads to a manufacturing town of 
 considerable importance. 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 15 
 
 CHAPTER F5VE 
 
 OMING now to the outbreak of 
 the Civil War, we find that Dex- 
 ter's record in this memorable 
 struggle is a most honorable 
 one; 283 of her patriotic sons 
 offered their services to the 
 Federal govtrnment and of this num- 
 ber, which represented over one-half of 
 the men available for war duty, and 
 about one-sixth of the total male popu- 
 lation of the town, many paid the high- 
 est tribute of loyalty that a soldier can 
 pay — they gave their lives that the Un- 
 ion might be saved and that our nation- 
 al honor might be unstained. 
 
 Not only did these mtn of Eexter do 
 all in their power to aid in putting down 
 the rebellion, but the municipality itself 
 played its part by carrying out to the 
 letter the orders relating to the pay- 
 ment of bounties to enlisting men. In 
 all $40,238 was paid, at rates varying 
 from $53 to $300 per man. The town 
 also gave liberally to the support of the 
 families of the men who went to the 
 front. 
 
 Although the rosters of nearly all 
 Maine regiments held the names of 
 Dexter men, by far the greater number 
 were in the 2nd, the 6th, and the 20th. 
 These famous regiments participated in 
 every important engagement of the 
 army of the Potomac, including Antie- 
 tam, Fredricksburg. Rappahannock 
 Station, the Wilderness Campaign and 
 Gettysburg. 
 
 Innumerable acts of heroism were 
 performed on the fields of battle by 
 Maine men, in recognition of which 
 thirty-nine medals were awarded dur- 
 ing the war and many more in the two 
 
 years immediately following. We 
 should be especially proud of the fact 
 that one ox these thirty-nine was pre- 
 sented to a De.xter boy, Otis 0. Roberts, 
 then a sergeant of Co. H., 6th Maine 
 Vols. 
 
 In telling the story of how he won 
 this honor, Mr. Roberts says : — 
 
 '"Twas late on the afternoon of Nov- 
 tmber 7, '63, while the battle of Rap- 
 pahannock Station was at its height. 
 My regiment, having been ordered to 
 capture a line of rebel rifle-pits, formed 
 for the charge and swept forward toward 
 the rifle flashes which marked the ene- 
 my's line. Half-way across the field we 
 came to a sunken road, where we stop- 
 ped to get our breath. Hearing the or- 
 der to charge again, I repeated it to my 
 company, then started on the run for 
 the enemy's trench. Reaching it, I 
 paused, and looking back found that not 
 one of my company had followed me. 
 
 Realizing that I could not stay where 
 I was and not wishing again to risk my 
 life on that bullet-swept field, I leaped 
 over the trench into the midst of the 
 rebels, who, when they found that I was 
 only a lone Yankee, and not a percus- 
 sion shell, politely invited me to surren- 
 der. As I sat there in the shelter of the 
 trench suddenly the air around me was 
 filled with flying arms and legs which 
 resolved themselves into a squad of five 
 blue-clad infantrymen, whom I joyfully 
 recognized as belonging to my own com- 
 pany. Snatching up my rifle, I joined 
 them in a headlong rush down the line 
 of the trench toward where other com- 
 panies of our own regiment had suc- 
 ceeded in breaking through. The rebs 
 in our path, deceived by our boldness and 
 
16 
 
 HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 UEXTER HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING 
 
 shouting, believed that the entire Yan- 
 kee army was upon them, and throwing 
 down their arms, hastened toward the 
 Union hnes, where they were placed un- 
 der guard. We nearly reached our 
 friends when we came upon the enemy's 
 color company, who attempted to put up 
 a fight to save their flag. There was no 
 stopping our wi4d charge, however, for 
 they dared not fire upon us for fear of 
 hitting their own men, and we »truck 
 them like a whirlwind, and scattered 
 them like chaff. I wrested the flag 
 from the hands of the color-bearer, af- 
 ter a li\«ely fist-fight, and as the arrival 
 of reinforcements now turned the tide 
 of battle in our favor, the six of us re- 
 turned to our company with the captur- 
 ed flag and several prisoners." 
 
 In addition to the medal of honor 
 which Sergt. Roberts received, he was 
 chosen to carry the flag, which he had 
 captured, to the headquarters of the 
 
 field staff of the Union army, and was 
 escorted by his entire company, who 
 served him as a guard of honor. 
 
 Another exhibition of personal dar- 
 ing was the saving of a Union cannon at 
 the battle of Cedar Mountain by a Dex- 
 Maine Battery, with five men of his de- 
 ter man, Sergt. H. A. Johnson^ 6th 
 tachment he held an entire company of 
 rebels at bay until other Union soldiers 
 came to his aid. 
 
 Among those who were commended 
 for their gallantry on the field of bat- 
 tle was Sergt. William H. Coan, Co. H. 
 6th Maine, likewise of this town, oblig- 
 ed to take command of his company at 
 the battle of Rappahannock Station, af- 
 ter his captain and lieutenants had fall- 
 e*i, he proved himself such an able 
 leader that he was soon promoted to 
 adjutant. 
 
 Other Dexter men gave good service 
 in such famous organizations as the 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 17 
 
 1st. Maine Cavalry, which boasts of 
 having fought in more battlc^j than any 
 other single regiment of the army of 
 the Potomac and of havi;^!.'' lost more 
 men killed and wounded than any other 
 cavalry regiment in the United States 
 service. 
 
 Represented by men in the Jdth i\Ie., 
 Dexter will never forget the part played 
 by this regiment at Gettysburg. Being 
 ordered to hold the rebels in check while 
 the Union men got into position on 
 Cemetery Ridge, the brave 16th was 
 practically annihilated, only four offi- 
 cers and thirty-six men surviving to 
 surrender themselves to the combined 
 forces of three regiments of Confeder- 
 ates. Before laying down their arms 
 the forty men tore their battle flags into 
 small pieces, thus saving them from 
 the ignominy of capture. 
 
 Other volunteers from Dexter distin- 
 guished themselves by conspicuous 
 bravery on the battlefields, as did also 
 many veterans now belonging to the lo- 
 cal G. A. R. Post, who enlisted from 
 other towns of Maine. In fact every 
 man who left his home, his parents, or 
 his wife and children, to defend his 
 country during her hour of peril, did 
 his full duty; and to those who ret:ur?i- 
 ed, and to the memory of those who did 
 not return, we of this later geaeration 
 should give our slnceresr lov^e and our 
 deepest respect. 
 
 HE 
 
 CHAPTER SIX 
 
 period toUov/ing the Civil 
 
 boom. 
 
 War has been one of growth 
 and development for Dexter. 
 With the coming of the rail- 
 road from Newport to Dexter 
 in 1868, the town began to 
 The railroad was built at a cost 
 
 of $300,000 of which Dexter furnished 
 $225,000. After completion it was 
 leased to the Maine Central R. R. for a 
 term of 30 years and at the end of 
 that time the Maine Central purchased 
 it, assuming the debt. Bv the opening 
 of the railroad Dexter was connected 
 with the commercial world and new and 
 ready markets were opened to her man- 
 ufacturers. Her business men were also 
 given new opportunities to get in touch 
 with the world. 
 
 A little previous to this time Loring 
 Hayes had built the Exchange hotel and 
 this has been improved and enlarged 
 until it is one of the best hotels in 
 Maine. 
 
 The Dexter Gazette was first pub- 
 lished in 1853 by J. F. Witherell, who 
 in 18'i9 sold it to Robbins & GaUison. 
 In 1882 Dr. Orin Fitzgerald start- 
 ed the Eastern State and in the early 
 nineties these two papers were consoli- 
 dated under the name of the Eastern 
 Gazette. The paper is still known un- 
 der this name and it has become an up- 
 to-date local newspaper. 
 
 In 1867 the Dexter Savings Bank was 
 organized, followed in 1875 by the First 
 National Bank and in 1898 by a branch 
 of the Waterville Trust Company. For 
 various reasons all these banks have 
 gone out of business and have been re- 
 placed by the Eastern Trust and the 
 Dexter Trust, both banks ii^ the best 
 standing. 
 
 The G. A. R. post was organized Oct. 
 16, 1874 under the name of the H. F. 
 Safford Post No. 8, with H. L. Wood, 
 commander. At one time it numbered 
 180 members. 
 
 In this same year, 1874, the school 
 system underwent an important 
 change. Up to this time the town had 
 
HISTORY OF DEXTER 
 
 19 
 
 been divided into school districts, each 
 acting as an independent organization. 
 Now these were discontinued and by 
 the new arangement the smallest school 
 was given the same length of term as 
 the largest and every pupil could avail 
 himself of the privilege of at least six 
 months schooling a year. The village 
 schools were graded. Three years later 
 the town voted to supply the pupils with 
 books. The High School building was 
 destroyed by fire and in 1888 the pres- 
 ent building was erected. At that time 
 the school buildings were sufficient to 
 accommodate the number of pupils, but 
 now the schools are overcrowded and a 
 new High School building is much need- 
 ed. At the last town meeting it was 
 voted to introduce manual training and 
 domestic science into the schools next 
 year. This will go far toward putting 
 the school system of Dexter upon an 
 equality with the best in the state. 
 
 In 1880 a town library was establish- 
 ed when the Mercantile Library associa- 
 tion donated its library to the town, 
 provided it was made free to the inhab- 
 itants and supported by the town. In 
 1894 George Abbott offered to furnish 
 the necessary funds for a library build- 
 ing if the town would raise $1,000 by 
 subscription ; this was promptly done 
 and the Abbott Memorial Library was 
 erected in the center of the town at a 
 cost of $30,000. This library contains 
 at the present time over 12,000 volumes 
 and through the efficiency and helpful- 
 ness of the librarians is of great benefit 
 to the townspeople in general and to the 
 schools in particular. 
 
 In 1880 Dexter installed electric 
 lights and in 1904 an excellent system 
 of waterworks was established under 
 
 the direction of a special town commit- 
 tee chosen for the pui-pose. Last sum- 
 mer an improvement in the lighting 
 system in the business section was 
 made, the old poles being removed and 
 ornamental ones substituted. 
 
 A fire which caused a great loss at 
 the time but which has resulted in a 
 great improvement for Dexter, occurred 
 in the winter of 1907, when a large por- 
 tion of the business blocks on the south 
 side of Main street were swept away. 
 These buildings, which were of wood, 
 have been replaced by fine-looking, sub- 
 stantial brick structures which greatly 
 improve the appearance of the business 
 section as does also the cement pave- 
 ment which was laid last summer. 
 
 In the summer of 1912 Haines & Wy- 
 man erected a large, up-to-date motion- 
 picture house on Main street. They 
 show the best class of pictures procur- 
 able and their theatre is one of the best 
 in Maine. 
 
 In 1914 Mr. Call moved from his stu- 
 dio on Grove street to his present studio 
 which comprises the entire top floor of 
 the Eastern Trust Block on Main street. 
 His studio ranks first in Eastern Maine 
 and is one of the finest in the New Eng- 
 land states. 
 
 At the present time the creameries, 
 garages, mills and the Fay & Scott ma- 
 chine shop are all doing an increasingly 
 active business and Dexter is one of the 
 most thriving of Maine towns. 
 
 The persistent effort, thrift, and loy- 
 alty,which characterized the earlier pe- 
 riods of Dexter's history combine with 
 the business ability, so evident in the 
 present condition of the town, to as- 
 sure for it a most prosperous future. 
 
STATISTICS 
 
 Of the Town of Dexter 1916 
 
 Population in 1916 (estimated), 4,250 
 Number of polls, 1,254 
 
 Value of real estate, $1,356,580.00 
 
 Value of personal property, $289,220.00 
 Number of polls taxed $3 each, 1193 
 Amount of State tax, $8,730.68 
 
 Amount of county tax, $2,267.19 
 
 To\yn appropriations for 1916, 
 
 $35,364.00 
 Overlay for 1916, $1,541.42 
 
 Total tax assessed, $47,903.29 
 
 Rate of taxation, .0265 
 
 Net town debt, $23,439.32 
 
 School census : boys, 542 ; girls, 585 ; 
 
 Total, 1,127 
 Number of different pupils registered, 
 
 819 
 
 Number entered during year from some 
 other town, 79 
 
 Average attendance for year, 63<> 
 
 Number of volumes in Public Library, 
 
 12,539 
 Circulation for year 1915-16, 27,983 
 
 Public buildings: town hall, librkry, 
 two hotels, two theatres, eight churches,' 
 thirteen school buildings. 
 
 Number of occupations, about 150: 
 they include the woolen business with 
 about 450 employees, machine shop, 420 : 
 farming, 300 ; mercantile business, 150 ; 
 sash and blind factory, 25; and many 
 others. 
 
 There are 3 dentists, 5 lawyers, 6 
 clergymen, 9 doctors and 25 teachers.' 
 
 H 73 78 545 . 
 
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