WORLD-OF-THE-kENNEBEC-1-readings.-

1605 - SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN VISITS THE MOUTH OF THE KENNEBEC This river Quinibequy is very dangerous for vessels half a league from its mouth, on account of the Small amount of water, great

THE LOWER KENNEBEC – PREQUEL

Imagine that your first view of the lower Kennebec is from the water.Seguin looms high, the arms of

Arrowsic and Popham reach out toward you Your eye is drawn up the shiny ribbon of water hills lumping

up on each shore, into the distance, drawing you onward to an unknown future

In our first readings we will travel with early arrivals, see the river as they did, feel their sense of a new region – one we know today with different eyes and perceptions as twenty-first century people

I hope you will come to class filled with their perceptions, and be ready to talk about how they felt about

OUR RIVER What was it like for them, and what is it like for you today? Do you recognize some of the areas they talk about?

Be ready to talk about some details that strike you as particularly interesting about what you read

EARLY OBSERVATIONS OF THE LOWER KENNEBEC

1 DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIVES: “With bodies painted black, - their faces, some red, some black,

and some blue, - not very tall nor big” – they were a symmetrical and comely people, clothed with beaver and deer skin mantles, fastened at their shoulders, hanging to their knees, and most without sleeves – shot with leather buskins, and their nakedness covered with a beaver flap They wore no beard; while the hair on the top of the head, “very long and very black,” was tied up from behind into a long knot Of quick perception and good understanding, they exhibited a courteous demeanor, mingled with kindness and gratitude “Their canoes are made without any iron, of the bark of a birch tree

strengthened within with ribs and hoops of wood.” Rufus King Sewall, Ancient Dominions

of Maine, p 62-3

READINGS - Early Observations of the Lower Kennebec

1 Description of the Natives – Rufus Sewall King ( 1859)

2 Samuel Champlain Visits the Mouth of the Kennebec (1606/1613)

3 Samuel Purchas’s Description (1613)

4 Relation of the Whole Voyage to Virginia – James Davies (1607)

5 Jesuit Pierre Biard visits the Kennebec (1611)

6 Rev Joseph Baxter,early missionary, arrives at Small Point (1721)

7 John Adams Crosses the Kennebec and proceeds to Powanalborough

8 Rear Admiral Bartholomew James (British Navy) enters the Kennebec and spends the night at Parker Head

9 (marked 3) Jonathan Hyde describes Bath as he saw it in 1792

10 (marked 4) William Allen & family go up the west side of the Kennebec to Hallowell (1792)

11 (marked 5) Missionary tour in Maine (1796)

12 Eliza Southgate describes early Bath (1801)

13 Edward Augusts Kendall travels goes from Woolwich to Bath 1807(?)

14 Timothy Dwight records his observations of Bath - 1822

EARLY DESCRIPTIONS OF THE KENNEBEC

1 DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIVES: “With bodies painted black, - their faces, some red, some

black, and some blue, - not very tall nor big” – they were a symmetrical and comely people, clothed with beaver and deer skin mantles, fastened at their shoulders, hanging to their knees, and most without sleeves – shot with leather buskins, and their nakedness covered with a beaver flap They wore no beard; while the hair on the top of the head, “very long and very black,” was tied up from behind into a long knot Of quick perception and good understanding, they exhibited a courteous demeanor, mingled with kindness and gratitude “Their canoes are made without any iron, of the

bark of a birch tree strengthened within with ribs and hoops of wood.” Rufus King Sewall, Ancient

Dominions of Maine, p 62-3

2 1605 - SAMUEL CHAMPLAIN VISITS THE MOUTH OF THE KENNEBEC

This river Quinibequy is very dangerous for vessels half a league from its mouth, on account

of the Small amount of water, great tides, rocks and shoals outside as well as within But it has a good channel, if it were well marked out The land, so far as I have seen it along the shores of the river, is very poor, for there are only rocks on all sides There are a great many small oaks, and very little arable land Fish abound here, as in the other rivers which I have mentioned The people live like those in the neighborhood of our settlement; and they told us that the savages, who plant the Indian corn, but very far in the interior, and that they had given up planting it on the coasts on account of the war they had with others, who came and took it away This is what I have been able to learn about this region, which I think is no better than the others

On th 8th of the month, we set out from the mouth of this river, not being able to do sooner on account of the fogs We made that day some four leagues, and passed a bay1 where there are

a great many islands From here large mountains2 are seen to the west

1 Casco Bay

2

The White Mountains

3 1607-Samuel Purchas’s description of the Kennebec- Was settled a Plantation in the River

Sagadahoc, the ships Gift of God and Mary and John being sent thither by that famous Justicier Sir John

Popham and others They found this coast of Virginia full of Ilands, but safe …They sailed up to discover the River and Countrey and encountered with an Iland where there was a great fall of water, over which they hauled their Boat with a Rope, and came to another fall, shallow, swift and unpassable They found the Countrey stored with grapes, white and red, good Hops, Onionon, Garlicke, Okes,

Walnuts, the soile good … In the River of Tamescot [Sheepscot?] they found Oysters nine inches in length; and were told that on the other side there were twice a great [Damariscotta?] On the 18 of January they had in seven hours space, thunder, lightning, raine, frost, snow,all in aboundance, the last continuing

4 1607: From, The Relation of the Whole Voyage to Virginia James Davies Munday being the

17th Auguste Captain Popham in his shallop with 30 others and Captain Gilbert in his shipes bott

accompanied with 18 other persons depted early in the morning from thear ships and sailed up the Tyver

of Sagadehock for to vew this Ryver and also to See whear they might fynd the most Convenyent place for thear plantation my Selffe beinge with Captain Gilbert So we Sailed up into this river near 14 Leags and found ytt to be a most gallant river very brod and of a good depth We never had Lesse Watter then

3 fetham when we had Lest and abundance of great fyshe3 in yt Leaping above the water on each syd of

us as we Sailed SO th nyght apochinge after a whill we had refreshed our Selves upon the shore about 9

of the Cloke we sett backward the to retourn and Cam abourd our shipes the next day following about

23 of the Clok in the afternoon We fynd this river to be very pleasant with many goodl Illands in yet and to both Large and deepe Water having many branches in ytt That which we tooke bendeth ytt Selffe towards the northest

The 23th beinge Wednesdaye Captain Gilbert accompanied with 19 others my Selffe on of them departed from the fort to go for the head of the river Sagadehock We Sailled att his daye So did we the Lyke the

24th until the evenynge Then we landed thear to remain that Nyght Here we fond a gallant Champion Land and exceeddinge fertill So hear we remained a nyght

The 25th beinge frydaye early in the mornynge we departe from hence and sailed up the river about eight Leagues faterr until we Cam unto an Illand being Lo Land and flat, att this Illans ys a great down Fall of watter the which runeth by both Sydes of this Illand very swifte and shallow In his Illand we found great

3

Great fyshe – undoubtedly sturgeon – described as follows by John Josselyn as follows on page 32 of his 1672 New England

Rarities:

_The Sturgeon The Sturgeon of whose Sounds is made Isinglasls, a kind of lLew much used in Pysick: This Fish is here in

great plenty, and in some Rivers so numerous, that it is hazardous for Canoes and the like small Vessels to pass to and again, as

in Pechipscut River to the Eastward.”

Sturgeon of up to 16-18 feet were taken in the early days at the Brunswick/Topsham falls They jump out of the water

and land flat on its surface Today (2010) they reach upward of 9 feet in length in the Kennebec

store of grapes exceeding good and sweet of to Sorts both red butt th on of them ys a mervellous deepe red,

by both the side of this river the grapes grow in abounance and also very good Hoppes and also Chebolls4 and garleck, and for the goodness of he Land ytt doth so far abound that I Cannot almost epresse the Sam Hear we all went ashore and with a stronge Rope made fast to our bott and one man in her to gyde her

aggainst the Swyfe stream we pluckt hr up throwe ytt perforce After we had past this down-Fall we all went into out bott again an rowed near a League farther up into the river and niyght beinge att hand we here staye all nyht, and in the fryst of the night about ten of the Cloke thear Cam on ath farther syd of the river sartain Salvaes Callinge unto us in broken Inglyshe We answered them again So for this time they departed The

26th beinge Satterdaye thear cam a Canooa nto us and in hear fower salvages those that had spoken unto us

in the nyght before His name that Came unto us ys Sabenoa He macks hemselffe unto us to be Lord of the river of Sagadehock

5 October 1611, Jesuit Pierre Biard visits the Kenenebec – (From The Jesuit Relations v.2)

We arrived at Kinibequi, eighty leagues from Port Royal, the 28th of October, the day of St Simon and St Jude Our people at once disembarked, wishing to see the English fort [at Sabino Head, Popham], for we had learned, on the way, that there was no one there Now as everything is beautiful at first, this undertaking of the English had to be praised and extolled, and the conveniences of the place enumerated, each one pointing out what he valued most But a few days afterward they changed their views; for they saw that there was a fine opportunity for making a counter-fort there, which might have imprisoned them and cu them off from the sea and the river; moreover, even if they had left unmolested they would not have enjoyed the advantage

of the river, since it has several other mouths and good ones, some distance from there Furthermore, what is worse, we do not believe that, in six leagues of the surrounding country, there is a single acre of good tillable land, the soil being nothing but stones and rocks Now inasmuch as the wind forced us to go on, when the third day came, Monsieur Biancourt considered the subject in council and decided to take advantage of the wind and go on up the river, in order to thoroughly explore it

We had already advanced three good leagues, and had dropped anchor in the middle of the river waiting for the tide, when we suddenly discovered six Armouchiquois canoes coming towards us There were twenty-four persons therein, all warriors They went through a thousand maneuvers and ceremonies before accosting

us, and might have been compared to a flock of birds which wanted to go into a hemp-field but feared the scarecrow We were very much pleased at this, for our people also needed to arm themselves and arrange the pavesade.5 In short, they continued to come and go; they reconnoitered; they carefully noted our

numbers, our cannon, our arms, everything; and when night came they camped upon the other bank of the river, if not out of reach, at least beyond the aim of our cannon

4 Cheboll- A plant, Allium- of the leek or onion family

5

A canvas screen, formerly sometimes extended along the side of a vessel in a naval engagement, to conceal from the enemy

All night there was continual haranguing, singing and dancing, for such is the kind of life all these people lead when they ar together Now as we supposed that probably their songs and dances were invocations to

the devil, to oppose the power of this cursed tyrant, I had our people sing some sacred hymns, as the Salve, the Ave Maris Stella, and others But when they once got into the way of singing, the spiritual songs being

exhausted, they took up others which they were familiar When the came to the end of these, as the French are natural mimics, they began to mimic the singing and dancing of the Armouchiquois who were on the bank, succeeding in it so well that the Armouchiquois stopped to listen to them; and then our people stopped and the others immediately began again It was really very comical, for you would have said that they were two choirs which had a thorough understanding with each other, and scarcely could you distinguish the real Armouciquois from their imitators.In the morning we continued our journey up the river

6 1721 - Rev Joseph Baxter, early missionary, arrives at Small Point

The next, viz.: Aug 13th, Colonel Wheelwright came on board our sloop early in the morning and then we sailed out of Casco-Bay, and having a good wind we arrived about noon at Small Point where we landed Col Wheelwright in order to his going to Arrowsic And in landing that GENTLEMAN AT small Point we had

an afflicting sight of a Good Fort and several Good Houses yt were totally destroyed and left empty

7 1765 - John Adams crosses the Kennebec at the Chops and Proceeds to Pownalborough Court House up the east side of the river in Dresden Autobiography of John Adams, pp 281-282

In the Spring of 1765 Major Noble of Boston had an Action at Pownalborough, on the Kennebec River Mr Thatcher, who had been his Council, recommended him to me, and I nagged in his cause, and undertook the Journey I was taken ill on the road, and had a very unpleasant time Excursion I is unnecessary to enlarge upon the fatigue and disgust of this Journey It was the only time in my Life when I really suffered the want

of Provisions From Falmouth now Portland in Casco Bay to Pownalborough There was a Wilderness, except North Yarmouth, New Brunswick an Lon reach, at each of which places there were a few Houses In general it was a Wilderness incumbered with the greatest Number of Trees, of the largest Size, the tallest height I have ever seen So great a Weight of Wood and timber has never fallen in my Way Birches,

Beeches a few Oaks, and all the Varieties of the Fir, i.e.Pines, Hemlocks, Spruces and Firs I once asked Judge Cushing his Opinion of their hight upon an Averadge, he said an hundred fet I believe his estimation was not exaggerated An Hemlock had been blown down across the Road He had cut out a log as long as the road was wide I measured the Butt at the road to the first Limb, the Branches atop were thick We coult measure no farther but estimated the Top to be fifteen feet, from the Butt at the Road to the Toot we did not measure: but the Tree must have been in the whole at least an hundred and (thirty) twenty feet The Roads where a Wheel had never rolled from the Creation, were miry and founderous, incumbred with long Sloughs

of Water The Stumps of the trees which had been cut to make the road all remaining fresh and the roots crossing th Path some above ground and some beneath so that my Horses feet would frequently get between the Roots and he would flounce and flounce and blunder, in danger of breaking his own limbs as well as

mine This whole Country, then so rough, is now beautifully cultivated, Handsome Houses, Orchards, Fields

of Grain and Grass, and the Roads as fine an any except the Turnpikes, in the State I reached

Pownalborough alive, gained my Cause, much to the satisfaction of my Client and returned home This

Journey, painful as it was, proved much for my interest in all their Causes, which were numerous and called

me annually to Falmouth Superior Court for ten years This year 1765 was the Epoch of the Stamp Act

8 1791 - Rear Admiral Bartholomew James (British Navy) enters the Kennebec and spends

an evening at Parker Head

at two o'clock I hove to off the Half-way Rock and caught about a dozen very fine large rock-cod for present use, and then made sail for Cape Small At three o'clock, the wind having freshened to a stiff gale, and the strong ebb-tide setting at the rate of nine knots against it out of the River Kennebec, the sea began to run extremely high, and several very heavy ones broke over the boat, who, having no decks, became in a dangerous state, and was at times nearly full and water-logged ; but, by keeping a very handy pump, withthree buckets, constantly going,

we reached behind Hanniwells'Point at halfpast four o'clock, and secured our frigate for

the ebb-tide

The first object was, of course, to get into some kind of quarters, and an old temporary

fisherman's hut at once afforded us that comfort ; which we set about repairing with tarpaulins and other useful articles from the boat, and in the course of an hour a large fire was lighted, the stores landed, and ourselves warmed and shifted About five we dined off a very fine

codfish and potatoes, cold roast beef and chicken-pie, and, having took a moderate quantity

of wine to complete the repast, I ordered the stores to be re-embarked, and at a little past six o'clock we was under way and running up Kennebec River

The night was coming on squally and prodigiously thick and dirty, and, therefore, by the advice

of my pilot, I ran the boat on shore on Parkers Flats, abreast of a gentleman's house of that name — for, from the situation of the tide, it was the only way we could reach the shore ; and, therefore, having moored the boat and left Roberts and Harry the black as keepers thereof, we marched over the flats through mud and water up to the knees for at least a mile before we got

to Captain Parker s hospitable mansion Kind and friendly to strangers was, indeed, this

worthy family, which consisted of the good gentleman, who was a captain in the militia and about eighty years of age ; his wife might probably have reached her fiftieth year, but could not have exceeded it ; the nephew was about twenty, and then building a dwelling-house

adjoining to that of his uncle's, who was to pay him the full cost of it after it was

furnished; the two nieces — would to heaven I could describe them !— was 'fairer than fair,'

four

rural artless clowns, composed this happy enviable family Such was the habitation I was

conducted to through mud and mire, and consequently I must be agreeably surprised to find that, however difficult and disagreeable the access was to this happy domain, yet the visitors

was amply repaid for their toils so soon as they reached this worthy man's fireside Dry

clothes being substituted in lieu of the wet, which we had each of us brought on our heads, we sat down to supper, which consisted of tea and toast, lamb-steaks and eggs, and a moderate quantity of cider and grog; for, as to wine, it is a luxury in which few, if any, indulge in he River Kennebec

The delicious meal being over (made infinitely more so by the company of the two amiable

girls), the old gentleman informed me it was his constant custom to assemble his whole family about that hour to prayers ; but, as probably 1 might not be inclined to join them in their mode of praying, 1 was at liberty either to withdraw into another room, or, if I preferred it,

go to bed To this I assured him that nothing could possibly oblige me more than the permission

to join him and his good family in prayer, and that I begged to add on this subject that it was also my own custom to assemble my ship's company every Sunday on the same occasion, to whom I invariably read prayers and a sermon of my own making Everything being adjusted, the old lady began by reading the lesson for the day, which was the 14th chapter of St John, which, I must confess, would have come much better from one of the young ladies, who appeared to me to have had the advantage of a good education, which I trust I shall stand excused in saying the aunt had not, from her inaccurate mode of reading a very plain epistle in John A heavenly hymn followed the lesson, which was sung divinely by the whole company except the travellers, but the voices of the two sweet girls far surpassed and excelled everything of the kind I ever heard, and I was as much in love with their singing as I was distressed at the aunt's manner of reading However, after an extempore prayer and sermon, which took a considerable time, and

which was a heap of tautology, from the old gentleman and one of the master masons then at work

on the new house, the service ended.