Excerpts from:
THE
TOWN REGISTER
BENTON
CLINTON
FAIRFIELD
1909
AUGUSTA, ME.
PUBLISHED BY THE MITCHELL PUB. CO.
1909
Map - Published by THE MITCHELL PUB. CO., Augusta, Maine
History of Benton
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EARLY SETTLEMENT
Sometime about 1775 George Fitzgerald and David Gray came from Ireland, and
settle near each other, about 1 mile north of what is now Benton Station. Several
years later one Gibson settled about two miles north of the Station, on the present
river road. Previous to 1777 Stephen Goodwin from Bowdoinham located at
Goodwin’s Corner. About 1783 Gershom Flagg from Lancaster, Mass., settled on
the west bank of the Sebasticook, and received from the Plymouth Company the
grant of a strip of land, fifteen miles long by half a mile wide, for his services in the
construction of Fort Halifax. It is further related that he gave a portion of this land
to his brother-in-law, Hon. Joseph North of Augusta, who had surveyed for him.
About 1779 Job Roundy removed from Lynn, Mass., to land north of what is now
Benton Village, and began clearing the farm later occupied in part by his aged son,
William, who was born on the place in 1806. About 1790, about a mile south of East
Benton, John Denico, Simon Brown and Mr. Anderson took up land on the present
lower Albion road, and previous to 1800 Solomon Peck, a revolutionary pensioner,
came from Vermont and began farming in a primitive way, on the west bank of the
Sebasticook below Benton Falls. These were among the earliest settlers of whom
any record can be obtained; but from the year 1800 down the list grows larger. A
curious document still extant gives “An Inventory of the Real & Personal Estate of
the Inhabitants and non-resident Proprietors of the Town of Clinton, taken by the
Assessors of Said Town, May 1st, 1800.” According to this paper thirty-nine persons
(many of whose names will be hereafter mentioned) were assessed, the total tax on
their real estate being $511.96 and on their personal estate $354.83.
Among the settlers in Benton at the beginning of the present century were
Joseph and James North, the latter the father of the historian, Hon. James W. The
brothers were engaged in trade and lumbering, but James dying, February 10,
1812, Joseph removed to Augusta. In 1812, Dr. Whiting Robinson came from Albion
and bought the David Reed farm of Timothy, son of Ebeneezer Heald. In 1816 he
bought of William Fellow the farm north of that then occupied by Dominicus
Getchell, where he died about 1853. Getchell conveyed his farm, in February, 1822,
to John Reed. Next north of his farm lived Doctor Bowman, who died previous to
1816. Dr. Stephen Thayer came from Fairfield prior to 1836 and was located for a
year or two at when is now Benton village. The John O. Fowler farm, on the east
side of the Sebasticook, was first settled by one Barnes, nearly a century ago. Just
north of this farm Samuel Fowler, father of John O., settled early in the century.
Across the river from him lived “Squire” Stinchfield, over ninety years ago. His son,
Captain John H., and Captain Trial Hall, occupied farms in this vicinity, and in
Captains Hall’s barn the town of old Clinton held its meeting for a number of years.
On the road from Sebasticook river to Clinton Town House were two early
farmers – Charles Ames and Isaac Holt. Colonel Reed was an old settler. Previous
to 1820 Isaac Spencer built the house called “The Star and Eagle” (from a curious
device which he placed over the front door). It stands about a mile above the Falls,
on the east side of the river, and was later owned by Asher H. Barton, Sumner
Hodgkins and Mrs. Loudon Brown.
In April 1820, the Reed Spencer farm was deeded to Hobart Richardson. In the
same year Henry Sleeper and Samuel Hudson bought of Peter Grant one undivided
half of the lot afterward known as the Ford and Hudson lot. In 1824 Amos Barton
deeded the Joseph Hurd farm to Jonah Crosby. About 1830 Thomas J. Hinds bout
the mile square, and in June, 1833, sold it to Steward Hunt; and in October, 1831,
Johnson and Samuel Lunt conveyed to the Stinchfields, house lots back of the brick
store in Benton Village. Still other old settlers in this neighborhood were Abram
Roundy, brother of Job, who lived on the east side of the Sebasticook, and died
between 1850 and 1860; Nathaniel Brown, who lived on the Albion road and died in
the fifties; and Moody Brown, who occupied a farm next east of Nathaniel.
EAST BENTON
At East Benton, the number of early settlers included the following: Andrew
Spaulding, 1823, who took up a farm near Roswell Paul’s land; Samuel Spaulding
who came in 1831 and purchased about all the land formerly held by Denico, Brown
and Anderson; Capt. Andrew Richardson about this time settled about half a mile
west of the William Paul farm, which place he bought of the proprietors through
Reuel Williams of Augusta; John Spaulding, near Roswell Paul’s land; Noah Paul,
who came from Hallowell about 1830 and settled on the lower Albion road; Josiah
Hollingsworth and Solomon Hinds, who came some time between 1830 and 1840
and settled on a part of the Denico, Brown and Anderson tract.
BROWN’S CORNER
At Brown’s Corner, now generally known as Benton Station, an early comer was
Dr. Ezekiel Brown, a former surgeon in the Continental Army. His house sat at the
corner of the road leading to the bridge. Isaiah Brown also lived here about 1815.
About two miles north of this, on the river road, lived Samuel Gibson. About
1800 Timothy Hudson erected a house, as did also James Gray.
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INCORPORATION
The first entry in the records of the town of Benton is “an act to divide the town
of Clinton, and to incorporate the town of Sebasticook.” The act received the
Governor’s approval on March 16, 1842. Eight years after, on March 4, the town
voted to instruct the selectmen to report a new name for the town. They settled
upon Benton, in honor of Thomas Hart Benton. The name was approved by the
Legislature, and since 1850 the town has ably supported its honorable title.
In 1800 the Kennebec river road was laid out; in 1835 the Norcross road at East
Benton was accepted, and about 1855 the Clinton road from East Benton was put
through. The Unity road was laid out in 1810. The road from Hanscom’s Mills to
Albion, on the north side of Fifteen-mile stream, was laid out between 1850 and
1860; that from Benton Falls to Albion, called the lower road, was laid out about
1820-3; the Harris road, from Albion lower road to Winslow, was laid out in 1867;
the road from the old Asher Hinds house, on the Sebasticook river road, to the old
Smiley house in Winslow, was laid out previous to 1830; the road from Unity road to
Clinton line, near John Richardson’s house, was laid out in 1852; and road from the
Kennebec river road to the east end of Fairfield bridge was laid out in 1847. The
covered bridge between Benton and Fairfield was built in 1848. It was made free in
1873. Bunker’s island, between the two towns, was set off from Benton to Fairfield
several years ago. Previous to the building of the bridge Jacob Ames kept a ferry for
teams and foot passengers, about a half mile north of Benton station. The railroad
bridge, that formerly crossed the river from Fairfield to Benton above the covered
bridge, was built in 1858-9, and burned in 1873. The bridge at Benton Falls was
built in the fall of 1869. The so-called artificial bridge at Benton village was built in
1887. At the same spot, about twenty years ago, stood a covered bridge, which was
carried away by a freshet about 1871. A short distance above this bridge stood
another, --built in 1850, but was carried away prior to the building of the village
bridge. A toll bridge was built just below Benton Falls previous to 1800. It was
carried away several times, but the last being about 1871, after which it was never
rebuilt. The town house (formerly Israel Herrin’s store), stands in Benton village
just south of the brick store, on the opposite side of the road. It was purchased by
the town for its present purpose Nov. 6, 1860. Previous to this, town meetings were
held in No. 5 schoolhouse, at the Falls.