Gazetteer of the State of Maine, 1882 page 182
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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

182    GAZETTEER    OF MAINE.

Hoosac Mount in the southern, and Pease and Clark Mountains toward
the centre of the town. The height of these is from about 1,000 to 1,600
feet. Both granite and lime-stone are found as the bed rock. The soil
in general is granitic, and is strong and productive, though hard to cul-
tivate. Along the larger streams it is a light loam, excellent for corn,
for which the town was formerly noted. In the southern part of
Kennard’s Mountain is a cave of considerable dimensions. Cornish
Village, the chief business centre, is situated upon the Ossipee River.

Before 1800 the business of the town was transacted, and courts and    c

trainings held, at the south part of the town. Caleb R. Ayer, Secre-
tary of State for Maine in 1856 was a citizen of Cornish.

Cornish was incorporated in 1794. It had previously been called
Francisborough and Francistown, from the Christian name of Francis
Small, who purchased the territory between the Ossipee and Little
Ossipee of the sagamore, Captain Sunday. The consideration was two
large English blankets, two gallons of rum, two pounds of powder,
four pounds of musket balls, twenty strings of Indian beads, and several
other small articles. Small afterwards conveyed a moiety of bis pur-
chase to Nicholas Shapleigh. The heirs of Small and Shapleigh made
a division of this estate, and Joshua Small, of Ossipee, tanner, sold
the land in tbe limits of this town as a part of the estate. This deed
of eonveyacne was made November 19, 1779, to Joseph Doe, of New-
market, N. H., and Benjamin Connor, of Newburyport, Mass. The
consideration was £1,980. The soil of the township on the removal of
the forest was found to be very productive, yielding abundant crops.

Pumpkins attained such a size that it was called by the first settlers
Pumpkintown. The first settlers were John Durgin and James
Holmes. The first Baptist meeting-house was commenced in 1805,
when Elder Timothy Remick was ordained pastor,—which relation was
continued to his death in 1842. A new church was built in 1842,
which, later, was removed to the village. The Congregationalist,

Free Baptists, and Methodists have now each a church in the town.

Cornish has eight schoolhouses, valued at $1,200. The valuation of
estates in 1870 was $810,678. In 1880 it was $428,285. The popula-
tion at the same date was 1,100, which in 1880 had increased to 1,169.

Comville is situated in the southern part of Somerset County.

It is bounded on tbe north by Athens, east by Hartland, south by
Skowhegan and wrest by Madison. The surface is quite uneven in
parts. Porcupine Hill is the greatest elevation of land, being about
500 feet in height. The outcropping rocks are principally granitic, but
there is also some slate. The soil is a gravelly loam, and yields well
in potatoes, oats, corn and wheat. Apple orchards are numerous and
thriving. The yield of corn was so good in the early days as to give
a name to the town. Maple, birch, beech, ash and hemlock constitute
the bulk of the forests.

Barker Pond, in the north-eastern part of the town, contains about
300 acres. The Wesserunsett River runs through the town from north
to south, furnishing four good water-powers. A branch also runs in
the same direction in the western part of the town. There are three
mills manufacturing long lumber and three shingle-mills. Other manu-
factures are horse-rakes, carriages and pungs. The State of Maine
Slate Company has its quarries in this town. Tbe nearest railroad


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