History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

402 HISTORY OF AMESBURY.
The present publisher, then a printer in the office, was urged
by the citizens to continue its publication, but declined at first,
then finally consented to try the experiment. Commencing
May 24th, 1849, he has continued as editor and publisher up
to the present time, a period of thirty-two years. The paper,
it may be said, has had a continuous existence, under its various
titles, of forty-nine years.
In the intervening years several attempts to start competing
journals have been made, but all have failed. The first of
these was the "Essex Mirror," by Page and Gilman in 1839.
It had a brief existence of four weeks. About this time the
same parties started a little daily sheet, which found a compet-
itor in "The Sheep's Foot," and "Reservoir of Science." Mr.
Currier, of The Villager, also published a daily paper for four
weeks, which failed of support.
POST-OFFICE.
Amesbury had no post-office till about 1820, the nearest
office being at Salisbury Point. This was in the time of mail
stages, and the one running from Newburyport to Portsmouth,
N. H., came through the Point and over Rocky hill to the
Mills, and all mail matter belonging there was taken from the
Salisbury office by this stage and left at Clark Maxfield's store,
where the Powow National Bank building now stands. Mr. Seth
Clark was for many years postmaster at the Point, which, at
that time, was a place of extensive business. About 1820 an
office was established at the Mills and Capt. Jonathan Morrill
was appointed postmaster. A writer in the Villager some years
ago said :
"We
remember well the advent of the first mail
into our village. The mail-carrier, a mere youth, mounted on
horseback, with saddle bags stuffed full of letters and papers,
drove up the yard of Capt. Morrill's, (now enclosed in the
grounds of Mr. Steere's residence,) dismounted and poured the
same on the floor of the old-fashioned kitchen. They were
there sorted and then displayed in the window, the superscrip-
tions facing the yard, into which people stepped to see if they
had letters or papers.
The only furniture of the office was an old, pine desk,
unpainted and without partitions, in which the entire contents