Radio Script #1293

Little Talks on Common Things
December 13, 1981

As we return today to the papers of Dr. Moses Appleton, it is well to note some of them that were not directly connected with the doctor himself.

One of those is a deed of land to the Town of Waterville, made in 1840 by the man who was the first town treasurer; Abijah Smith. He gave land to add to that which Obadiah Williams had already given for the town meetings house and a school. The two pieces together made the large lot on which the City Hall now stands and its adjacent common. It was the common that Smith gave in 1840. His deed said: “I convey to the Town of Waterville all my rights and title in a specified lot of land adjacent to the meetinghouse and school lot under the condition that said land shall be kept forever for public use as a promenade and place for military parades, and that no part of it shall ever be used for any private purpose. The town may enclose the lot-and set out trees on it, and make improvements so as to provide suitable-paths for foot passengers. If at any time the town should violate any of these conditions, the land shall revert to the grantee and his heirs.” That explains why no building has ever been erected on that common at Castonguay Square. It is just as sacred as is the more famous Boston Common.

At this point it seems appropriate to include the text of the earlier deed of land to the town by Obadiah Williams in 1796, when it was still a part of Winslow. That deed is a 150 in the possession of the Waterville Historical Society. The deed said: “I, Obadiah Williams, for the purpose of erecting a meetinghouse and other public buildings, have conveyed to the town of Winslow a parcel of land that is part of Lot 104 on the west side of the Kennebec River, containing about 144 square rods and located as follows: Beginning at a stake and stones on the east side of the road now leading from Ticonic Falls to Norridgewock, six rods south of the house now occupied by Isaac Temple; thence southerly along said road 8 rods to a stake and stones; thence east 22 O south 8 rods to a road running northerly from opposite said Williams barn; thence northerly 8  rods; thence west 22 O north to the first mentioned bounds.

“This conveyance is made subject to the following restrictions. The meetinghouse shall be set within 20 feet of the north side of said lot. On the lot there may also be a schoolhouse, an academy. and a court house, and any other public buildings authorized by vote of the town, all to be erected on the south side of the lot. Roads shall be open on the east and west sides of the lot, and no other buildings, public or private, shall be erected upon it except those heretofore provided. All remaining part of the lot shall be preserved entire for sole use by the town for a meetinghouse green or a training field for militia.

“If the inhabitants of the town shall neglect to erect such meetinghouse on the lot within the next four years, the land shall revert to said Williams and his heirs.”

Long before the four years had elapsed, the meetinghouse had been built and was in use for town meetings and for the religious services that each town was required to provide under Massachusetts law.

Like many others among the Kennebec pioneers, Moses Appleton was a religious man and was determined that regular preaching should be provided in the town. In his records he noted that in 1802 against protest of some of the inhabitants. he had persuaded the town meeting to appropriate $50 for preaching. By 1820 he had managed to get the annual appropriation raised only to $80 provided the new State of Maine would pay half the cost.

In 1816 Appleton made the following public statement: “I certify that I have resided in the town of Waterville since its incorporation as a separate town from Winslow in 1802, and that I have annually placed in warrant for the town meeting an article to raise money for the support of the gospel. For a number of recent years very little money has been so appropriated. Opponents of raising money for preaching have been almost unanimous in the western part of town, with the result that Ticonic Village has carried this burden.

“I further declare that I was present at a town meeting when it was proposed to pay the board of Rev. S. M. Mitchell, who has been preaching as a missionary for a considerable· time in both our east and west meeting houses. At that meeting the voters not only refused to pay the preacher’s board, but actually rescinded a previous vote appropriating money for the
current year’s preaching.”

After Jeremiah Chaplin came to Waterville to start the first classes at the Baptist institution that is now Colby College and formed a Baptist Church, Moses Appleton.attended its services in the schoolhouse, and when a society was formed to build a meetinghouse for that church in 1825, Appleton subscribed for two of the more expensive pews.

In 1792 Asa Redington and his father-in-law Nehemiah Getchell had built the first dam across the Kennebec at Ticonic Falls. That enabled control of the current for waterwheels to operate mills. There immediately ensued sharp competition for power rights. Among the Appleton papers is an agreement drawn up in 1799 for what was called the Ticonic Mills. Here is what it said.

“This indenture is made between Nehemiah Getchell, Asa Redington, Obadiah Williams, Elnathan Sherwin, Benjamin Runnels. Ebenezer Bacon and Daniel McFadden, all of the County of Lincoln in the Commonwealth of Massachuetts.

“It is agreed by all parties that Getchell and Redington shall pay one third of all reasonable expenses that shall be incurred in making repairs on the mill dam that is now across Ticonic Falls in Winslow; also one third of the cost of building sluiceways for fish to pass through said dam; also one third the expense of erecting any new works to make the dam more convenient; also one third of the cost of defending the case brought by the grand jury for the dam’s preventing passage of fish.

“It is also agreed that Williams and Bacon shall defray one third of all the aforesaid expenses, and that one third shall be paid by Sherwin, Runnels and McFadden.

“Any mills that may in the future be erected by any of the parties or by any other persons, shall not be supplied with any water that flows by the dam except by agreement of the present owners, and then only if there is more water than is necessary to supply their present mills. No grist mill shall be erected on the dam below the present grist mill of Williams and Bacon. without their consent.”

In 1815 Moses Appleton joined with nine other citizens in forming what was designated as the “New Library Association.” It was by no means a free library, but was to provide reading matter for those who bought shares in the corporation set up for the project. Appleton owned 4 shares. Those shares were not expensive, costing only 75 cents each.
When five years later the association had 45 shareholders, no one of them owned more than Appleton’s four shares. In fact none owned as many as three except the town minister, Joshua Cushman.

Another paper in the Appleton collection concerns the way people got public transportation across the Kennebec before the building of bridges. Here is the statement Appleton made before the town’s leading attorney, Timothy Boutelle in 1833.

“To the commissioners of Kennebec County: The undersigned represents that he and others were appointed ferrymen some years ago between this place and Winslow across the Kennebec River the proceeds of which ferry were to be applied for the benefit of the Proprietors of the Ticonic Bridge when that bridge should in the future be erected and the money was to be so held until the bridge was made passable and the ferry ceased operation.

“Last May the bridge was almost wholly carried away and its directors reactivated the ferry and provided a boat. but neglected to secure it against the spring freshet. so that it was battered nearly to pieces by the ice. In consequence they had for a long time no boat to put carriages and wagons across the river. Then Samuel Appleton repaired his own boat
and put it into use many days before the directors’ boat was repaired.

“In the meantime James Stackpole. Dr. Samuel Plaisted and Reuben Eaton. a majority of the Directors of Ticonic Bridge. assumed the authority to sell all rights in the ferry to the highest bidder at public auction. That act was taken in opposition to the protest of myself and William Pearson to whom, with others, the original grant had been made.

Thus the ferry was auctioned off to Daniel Moor and the boat was delivered to him.

“Under these circumstances, I wish to be discharged from my bond in relation to the ferry, as nothing will be paid by Moor for the benefit of the bridge, and nothing can be received from those who sold the ferry to him. I also believe that Moor is not a suitable person to operate the ferry, and if any accident should happen under his management I do not want as bondsman to be held responsible. It is in the public interest to have the former grant annulled and some person appointed who will maintain good boats and convenient service for the ferry. I recommend Samuel Redington as in very way a fit person to be so appointed. He is an excellent waterman and boat builder, a man of industrious and sober habits, and I will willingly be security for him.

Signed April 30, 1833, Moses Appleton”

And with that salute to Waterville’s old ferry, we say goodbye until next week.

Year: 1981