A look back at significant events in Merrill’s history

by Candy Nevers
Town Manager
    The town of Merrill will soon celebrate its 100th birthday since Incorporation as a town.  In 1840, Captain William Merrill purchased a parcel of land in what is now the Town of Merrill; he and his sons built the first frame set of buildings in the area now known as Merrill and  occupied the land and buildings for ten years before moving on.
  Carleton and Jeanne Cameron currently own and occupy the old Merrill homestead and the buildings are still standing straight and tall.   While going through old records so wonderfully preserved by longtime resident Jean Grange Sawyer and reflecting on Merrill’s past – the early settlers, the hardships and struggles, trials and tribulations, members of the Merrill Centennial Committee decided to dedicate the Celebration to the wonderful men and women who served not only the Town of Merrill, but also the Country – our Veterans.  Without those who are so willing to serve and lay down their life, we would not enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of religion; there would be no small towns like Merrill, and no Centennial Celebrations of small towns.  
    To be a successful town you must have successful citizens – the dictionary defines a citizen as owing allegiance to and being entitled to the protection of a sovereign state.  A citizen is also an inhabitant of a city or town, especially one entitled to the rights and privileges of a freeman.  Merrill certainly has its share of wonderful and successful citizens, many of whom have gone off to war to protect us and to preserve our freedoms.  Merrill also has citizens who are willing to step up to the plate to do whatever it takes to get a job done, such as building the Merrill Millstream Park and bringing the Centennial Celebration to fruition. 
    HISTORIC BUILDING — The former Methodist church in Smyrna on Route 2 is now home to the Smyrna-Merrill Historical Society. The comedy “Mother Goose Has Flown the Coop” will be presented there Friday at 6:30 p.m.
    Merrill sent many men off to war from the Civil War to the present  – old records prove that the following men from the area – went to war – and received war pensions ranging from $8.00 to $12.00 per month for service during the Civil War.  Sgt. James C. Sholler Co. D. 4th Regt. Of Infantry; John Briggs Co. G. 20th Regt. Of Maine; James Haskell Jr. Co. E. 31st Maine Infantry.; Joseph E. Tarbell Co. H 20th Maine;  Enoch Gardner Co. E. 20th Maine;  John Gardner Co. F. 4th Maine Regt; Ezekial Benn Co. F. 20th Maine Regt.;  James Anderson 24th Maine Regt.;  Isaac Adams 22 Maine Regt.; Private Royal S. Adams 22 Maine Regt.;  Franklin N. Baston, Elonzo Dagget – unknown;  Col. George Lilley 1st Regt.; John G. Tarbell Co. K. 1st Regt. Maine;  Francis M. Elwell, Thomas McKee Co. E., 17th Regt.;  Samual  Morrison, Pvt. Archibald Reed Co. H. 17th Regt.;  Randall Williams, Joseph W. Edwards, Pvt. Samuel D. Philpot Co. H. 16 Infantry;  Eldon D. Townsend, James Gerrish Co. G. 9th of Maine;  and Bertram P Gerrish.   Others may have gone to war and not returned, such as Mr. Campbell in the Legend of “Campbell’s Light.”   
    As you read the list of Veterans, you realize that many descendants of these brave men are living in Merrill and surrounding towns today.  They came home from war, carried on with the family farms, and continued the tradition of logging that is woven so tightly in the fabric of our history.  
    June 1, 1876, Township VI Range IV became the Plantation of Merrill.
    A notice from Albert A. Burleigh, County Commissioner to J.C. Sholler commanded Mr. Sholler to notify and warn the inhabitants of said township VI Range IV to gather together the residents to choose a moderator, clerk, three assessors, treasurer, collector, constable, school committee and other necessary plantation officers, and to organize said township into a Plantation by the name of Merrill.
    Mr. Sholler came to Township VI Range IV in 1874 and settled on what is known as the Earl Nevers Farm, he moved to the Clark Road in 1881on what is still known as the Sholler Farm.  The State of Maine was selling land on the Clark Road for 50 cents an acre.  They could pay this in road labor at 25 cents an hour.  Mr. Sholler and his son Walter grubbed out the road from the North Road or Route 212 to the farm he settled on the Clark Road – a distinguished citizen, he was Town Clerk for over 20 years, and he was a school board supervisor, assessor and road commissioner.
    After the sinking of the USS Maine February 15, 1898, Harry M. Gardner of Merrill went off to the Spanish American War along with Miles C. Dagget, Parker B. Gerry, Ralph L. Hackett, Ray O. Lilley, Earl B. McDonald and Shurben C. Sleeper of Smyrna.  At the successful conclusion of the War, these men came home to their families and resumed farming.
    Shortly after the turn of the Century, the former Township No. 6. Range 4 was incorporated as the Town of Merrill with a population of 298 and a taxable valuation:  Polls 83, taxable real estate $72,972.  In 1910, the population numbered 393, Polls 104 and taxable real estate $138,101.  In 1911 taken from the Report of Superintendent of Schools, the cost to educate Merrill’s children was $1,823.21 for the year.  Several of the teachers made a salary of $9.50 per week.  The report lists 148 scholars, which figures out to just over $12.32 per pupil per year.
    A town Report from 1910-1911 shows that the Town was spending about $1,000.00 on highways and $200.00 on State Roads; the County tax was $190.40 and debt for the town was $260.00.  Some of the articles for town meeting for 1911 were as follows:  To choose one or more surveyors of wood and bark.  To choose field drivers, to choose a pound keeper, to choose a truant officer, to choose surveyors of lumber, and to choose a fence viewer.   
    It is very clear that logging and lumbering was premier to Merrill’s economy with farming being essential to the independence of the local population.  Old records show that John Watson ran a starch manufacturing plant and L.W. Grant processed and sold long and short lumber.  The neighboring town of Smyrna boasted a physician.  Pictures remain today of the Grant sawmill.  
    Excerpts from Lizzie Clark Tarbell’s diary showed that during this time, the citizens of Merrill held barn raisings and dances on regular occasions.  Child hood death was a common happening in families and neighbors got together for card games, Bible readings and picnics often.  The people traveled to Oakfield, Dyer Brook, Moro and Smyrna frequently.  House and barn fires were very frequent happenings noted in the diary.  An occasional accidental gun shot wound was often recorded, the victim usually recovering quickly and a Mid-Wife delivered most babies during this time.
    Moving along in History, the following men joined the effort of World War I – Roy A. Bragdon, Onzey Campbell, Albert Clark, George D. Clark, Harry J. Feero, Albert C. Foster, Charles E. Haskett, William E. Haskell, James Johnston, Forest Lee, Ancil F. Mitchell, Carl Mitchell, Frank L. Mitchell, Graydon D. Murphy, Clair B. Noyes, Earl B. Noyes, Stanley O. Patchell, Clyde R. Reed, Everett A. Rockwell, Harold O. Tarbell, Ralph W. Tarbell, Joseph White, James M. Roach and Donald Mitchell.
    With World War I ending in late 1918, Merrill had a baby boon in 1919!  The following births were recorded in Merrill for 1919.  Harry Quinton Roach, Fred Philip Hardy, Alice Margaret Patchell, Earl Drexel Morrison, Daniel Fleetwood Green, Howard Asa Goodall, Allen Brown Tarbell, Reginald George Stewart, Albert Charles Clark, Ira King Tarbell, Ada Caroline Fisher, Avis Isabel Mitchell, Pauline Dawn Splan, John Rufus Stevens, Woodrow Hardy, John Gayland Anderson, Sophronia Martha Gardner, Joseph Ernest White, Glena Irene Stevens, and Camilla Angeline Thomas.
    Merrill residents ambled through the next two decades and started their own High School, drawing students from Smyrna, Dyer Brook, Moro and Stacyville.  For the most part, residents in Merrill did not notice the devastating effects of the Great Depression such as much of the country because many lived on farms with plenty of meat, poultry and vegetables to eat.  The women were quite adept at sewing, canning and quilting which kept the family warm and fed.  
    A town report from 1941 shows that the town raised $16,200.00 in taxes with the following breakdown – 27% to schools, 19% for the poor, 15% for roads, 12.5% for interest, 11% for state and county taxes, 10% for general government, miscellaneous 2.5% and debt reduction at 3% of the budget.   Comparing the budget breakdown to last year – Merrill raised 49% of the budget for education, 21% for highways, 12% for administration, 9% for health and protection, 4% for county tax, 3% for miscellaneous and 2% for requests and recreation.  
    Merrill sent many of her residents, men and women to join the efforts of World War II and two such men gave their all.  Robert Boyle and Ira Hersey.  Others who served – Owen  & William Anderson,  Merle & Ralph  Botting,  Alton Boyle, Harold  & Ralph Chute,  Allie, Harold & Lowell Clark, Charles Corey, Charles Ewings Jr., Ada C. Fisher, John Fitzgerald, Hubert Furrow Jr., Eloise, Flora, Herbert and John Gardner, Charles & Howard Goodall, George Grange, Hollis Hallet, Ernest Hersey, Eben Howard, Leslie Jones, Kenneth Kennedy, Thomas Lee, Robert Mayberry, Darrel, Donald, Joseph, Neil, Owen,  and Roger Mitchell, Claude Moore, John,  Rodney  & Verne McDonald, Dale & Delmont Noyes, Frances, Kenneth and Lawrence Peters, Asa Roach, Asa& Stanley Rockwell, Daniel, Herbert & Horace Russell, Joseph E. Seile, Ralph Sholler, Thomas Splan, John Stevens, Earl & James Stewart, Allan, Donald, Ira, Lester, and Rex Tarbell, Frank Tozier, Carl Tucker, Ernest White, James Wright and Eldon York.  
    The residents of Merrill joined the war effort by taking turns at Lookout Posts, blacking their windows at night and by purchasing food with ration stamps, buying War Bonds and going without daily conveniences such as nylons and sugar for the War effort.  
    After the men and women came home from WW II, the people of Merrill thought they wouldn’t have to do this again – but in the 1950’s many residents signed onto the Korean War Effort – and off went Kenneth Bustard, Rodney Chambers, Gerald Drew, Ada Fisher, Herbert Hardy Jr., Gilbert Haskell, Preston Lawlis Jr., Frederick Lilley, Sidney Lilley, Glenn McDonald, Gordon McLellan, Stuart McMannus, Roger Mitchell, Virgil Mitchell Jr., Zane Osnoe, James Roach, George Rockwell, Leo Roy, Frederick Sholler, Gary Sholler, Frank Stevens, and Donald White.  
    The fifties brought a time of prosperity to the residents of Merrill.  The 1956 Annual report shows lists 22 horses, 169 cows, 23 2 year old heifers, 9 baby heifers, $2,335.00 value of radios and televisions, $2,225.00 value of farm tractors and $2,000.00 value of other equipment in Merrill for tax purposes.  The report also lists a total value of real estate in Merrill as $188,696.00.  The town of Merrill raised $17,255.00 in taxes for 1956 spending $300.00 on streetlights a rather new category of expenditure!  The report also reports, “Pending legislation at the State level, the State might cut the Town’s reimbursement from the State if the schools it operates are within ten miles of another, while giving a ten percent bonus for consolidating!  Aren’t we going through this battle yet again?  
The Vietnam War
    Vienam veterans have received very little recognition -we fought this war from 1957 until the ceasefire was signed in January of 1973 – yet, official declaration was not declared until 1965!   Once again, Merrill residents served their country with honor – Richard Currier, brothers Arnold and David Ewings, Dwain Goode, brothers Jasper and Verne Lee; Curtis, Harold and Herman Lewin; Clark, Dean, Gary, Lyle, Phillip and Stephen Mitchell; Laurel & Rodney Peters, William Sawyer, Fred Smith, Harlan Tibbetts and Bryant White.  
    Times were a changing; more of the young people were going to college, some stayed “away” for careers never coming home to the logging business or to the family farm.   The small family farm began to disappear from the scenery, people were building homes in what was once potato and grain fields, resident were purchasing milk in cartons rather than getting milk from the family cow.  Life was changing; moms worked outside of the home, families had more cars than they had children, necessity and economics was forcing schools to close, and time marched on, waiting for no one.
Desert Storm – Gulf War  
    Once again, the call to duty rang out and once again the young men of Merrill we quick to respond.  Alden Bustard, Shane Batchelder, Robert Rockwell, Troy Cummings, Robert Furrow, Michael Furrow, Lonnie Peters, and Travis L. Russell all served their country and made the homefolk proud.  
    At this point in history, all of the schools in Merrill had closed and the children travel to Southern Aroostook Community School located in Dyer Brook for their education.   While the starch factories and small mills were long gone, a lone potato farm operated by Dale Boutilier of Oakfield is still active; Gene Lawlor and Michael Sawyer are still operating their several generation family farms and a cattle farm is located on Rebel Hill.  Logging is still the mainstay of the local economy and Merrill receives stumpage money from woodlots the town still owns to help reduce the rate of taxation.   Therefore, it seems, the more things change the more they stay the same.  A neighboring town built a Community Center and the folks gather there for public suppers when a neighbor has fallen on hard times just as they did in times past.  The Center is also a favorite gathering place for those who enjoy Country singing and music from stringed instruments.  The towns of Smyrna and Merrill joined forces and built a modern, state of the art Municipal Office that also houses the post office.  
    We are soon to celebrate Merrill’s Centennial Celebration – and as the Centennial Committee spent almost two years planning this event, they had time to reflect on the past and where we as a community has been, who we are as a community.  While looking at our history, we discovered that we still have descendants of Captain William Merrill living in the neighboring town of Smyrna.  Ramona White has her genealogy traced back to the 1400’s and it is clear that she is a descendant of the early settler.
After careful consideration, the Centennial Committee unanimously agreed to dedicate the Celebration to our wonderful Veterans – from the beginning, though the centuries to the present, because we realize that Freedom isn’t Free and that without our Veterans – we wouldn’t be the People that we are.