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
244 GAZETTEER OF MAINE.
The town was formerly a part of North Yarmouth, but was set off and incorporated in 1789. It then included Pownal, which was set off in 1808. The name of its principal stream, Harraseekit, was formerly applied to the town. The first church in Freeport was formed Decem- ber 21, 1789, by ten members dismissed from the first church, North Yarmouth, and the Rev. Alfred Johnson was ordained the following week. He was dismissed in 1805, being succeeded by Rev. Samuel Veazie, who died at the age of thirty years, of consumption, the night after he was carried from his burning house, February 6, 1809. Rev. Reuben Nason was his successor (1810-15). He came to the office of pastor from Gorham Academy. He is said to have been an excellent Christian man, yet with much of the Puritanic sternness. He was prompt to punish offences, yet quick to appreciate a joke. The boys of the academy once put a donkey in his place at the recitation. In- stead of becoming enraged, he simply told them that he thought they had shown excellent taste in selecting a suitable instructor—a donkey . to teach donkeys—and retired. This ended all their fun of that sort with him. Rev. John S. C. Abbott, the historian, also preached in Freeport for a time. There are now two Congregationalist churches, one of which is a very handsome edifice. The Methodists, Baptists and Free Baptists also have each a church. Freeport has an excellent high-scliool at the Corner. There are in the town seventeen public schoolhouses, valued at $25,000. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $912,053. The rate of taxation in 1880 was $1.17 on $100. The pop- ulation in 1870 was 2,457. In the census of 1880 it was 2,279.
Frenchville lies on the southern bank of tbe St. John River, in the north-eastern part of Aroostook County, 110 miles north-east of Houlton. It is on the stage-line from Van Buren to Fort Kent. For- merly it was the plantation of Dionne, named for Father Dionne, who built there the first Catholic church—St. Luce. It was incorporated Feb. 23, 1869, under the name of Dickeyville, in honor of Hon. William Dickey, of Fort Kent. The name was changed Jan. 26, 1871, to indi- cate the nationality of the inhabitants.
The town is very irregular in form, lying on a south-eastern bend of the St. John. On the south-eastern side it rests on the northern end of Long Lake, tbe north-eastern of the Fish River Lakes. The principal streams are Dufour, Gagnon, Rosignol, Bourgoin, and Cyr brooks, all emptying into the St. John, and each having falls suitable for mills. Gagnon Brook has two-saw-mills and two grist-mills, and Cyr Brook a small saw-mill. There are other small saw-mills, a cloth- dressing mill and a starch-factory in the town.
The soil is sandy on some streams, but there is much interval, and the fertility is general. The crops cultivated are chiefly buckwheat, oats, peas, wheat and potatoes. The most numerous forest trees are maple, cedar and fir.
The Catholics have the only church in the town. Frenchville has twelve public schoolhouses; and the children of school age number 1,112. The valuation of estates in 1870 was $80,600. In 1880 it was $107,753. The rate of taxation in 1880 was 1^ per cent. The number of polls in 1870 was 274. In 1880 the number was 375. The population in 1870 was given in the report massed with townships 16 and 17, Range 5, the aggregate being 1,851. In 1880, the same were given at 2,288.
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