Gazetteer of the State of Maine With Numerous Illustrations, by Geo. J. Varney

BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY B. B. RUSSELL, 57 CORNHILL. 1882. Public domain image from

150    GAZETTEER    OF    MAINE.

River in the town is at Union Falls, or Pleasant Point, where the Saco
Water-Power Company in 1856 erected a good stone dam, affording
a power sufficient for 40,000 spindles ; but as yet it is utilized only by
a small saw and grist mill. Two miles above, at Salmon Falls, are
saw-mills, with a capacity of turning out 4,000,000 feet of lumber an-
nually. There are sites and sufficient power for many more mills.
Clay and sand for bricks, and granite are near at hand. One and a
third miles above are Bar Mills, where a narrow granite ledge nearly
bars the passage of the water. The power is partially improved by
heading, box and grist mills. Five miles above this are Moderation
Falls, at the Village of West Buxton, where there are woolen, saw and
heading mills. One proprietor at this place manufactures 7.000,000
feet of lumber annually. Clay and sand of excellent quality, and
plenty of granite are near at hand. The woolen mills employ about
25 hands, and manufacture annually about 936,000 yards of cloth.
One and a fourth miles above are Bonny Eagle Falls, with a power
equal to 3,000 horse power, or 13,000 spindles for 11 hours a day. It
is improved by a saw-mill with a capacity of turning out 4,000,000 feet
of lumber annually.

There are four villages in the town, Salmon Falls, Bar Mills, West
Buxton and Buxton Centre. The town was incorporated in 1772
being named by the first minister, Rev. Paul Coffin, for his native place
in England. Previously to that date it had been known as Narra-
gansett, No. 1, being one of seven lots assigned to the soldiers in the
war against the Narragansett Indians in 1675. The number of soldiers
was 840 ; and when the grant of No. 1 was made in 1728, nearly half
were living. No attempt was made to settle the Township until 1740
or 1741, when Deacon Amos Chase, from Newbury, Joseph Simpson,
Nathan Whitney, a Mr. Gage and a Mr. Bryant entered the plantation
and began to fell trees and build log cabins. No one remained
in 1745 when the French and Indian war commenced. It was
not until the fall of 1750 that 7 men, with their families, commenced
a permanent settlement near Salmon Falls. The dangers from the
Indians were even then not wholly over. The season previous to
moving in, these settlers had made some clearings and put in crops,
mostly, it appears, on the river below Little Falls, whence they went to
visit their openings occasionally to see if all was right. One day they
found the door of their little fort open, which they had left shut. An
experienced fighter of the Indians had told them that they should not
approach and return by the same path; and they now heeded his ad-
vice. After the war ended some Indians who came one day to trade
told the settlers a party of Indians were hiding in the fort at the time
the door was found open ; and that they had ambushed their path the
next day and missed them. At a later time while they wrnre still living
in the fort, the men being absent one day and a night, there was an alarm
given that savages were approaching. Mrs. Elden, wife of the cap-
tain, was quite equal to the occasion. She arrayed herself in regi-
mentals and taking a rusty sword, while the other women similarly
donned male attire, arming themselves with old muskets and bayonets,
whom Mrs. Captain Elden marshalled about the premises, giving orders
in the most stentorian voice she could command, as if to officers and
soldiers. This performance was repeated at intervals through the
night and succeeding day until their husbands returned. The town