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History of Amesbury - Merrill.org

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444<br />

HISTORY OF MERRIMAC.<br />

morning in town by the pastor <strong>of</strong> St. Joseph church at the<br />

Mills. At Merrimacport a Methodist society has recently been<br />

<strong>org</strong>anized, which holds meetings in Citizens' Hall.<br />

There are seven school-houses in town, viz. : High<br />

school<br />

building at Merrimac Centre, Bear Hill, Highlands, Birching<br />

Meadow, Landing and two at Merrimacport. The school at the<br />

Landing has been discontinued, there not being a sufficient num-<br />

ber <strong>of</strong> scholars in the vicinity to require one. There are at<br />

present ten schools in town.<br />

During the early days <strong>of</strong> the settlement, " Jamaco " suffered<br />

from Indian raids, as well as other sections <strong>of</strong> the town, and it<br />

has been asserted that Capt. Foot was taken prisoner on one<br />

<strong>of</strong> their incursions and tortured to death ; but this tradition may<br />

be considered doubtful. It was not an uncommon thing for<br />

the people to flee to "Capt. Foot's fort" for protection, when<br />

danger <strong>of</strong> this kind threatened. Edward Cottle, one <strong>of</strong> the first<br />

eighteen, settled near Cottle's landing, and was so much troubled<br />

by Indians that he became discouraged, sold out and left for<br />

Dukes county. He had two houses burnt, one by Indians and<br />

the other by accident. On an alarm by the Indians in 1722,<br />

all fled to the fort, and it was on this occasion that a descend-<br />

ant <strong>of</strong> Edward Cottle : Anna Cottle, was born, who lived nearly<br />

a century. John Hoyt, 2d, was robbed and plundered by Indi-<br />

ans, he says, and it is very probable that but scanty accounts<br />

and traditions have reached us at the present day <strong>of</strong> those early<br />

troubles and trials. For the protection <strong>of</strong> "Birching Meadow"<br />

people, a garrison house was built on land recently owned by<br />

the late Enos Heath.<br />

The surface <strong>of</strong> the town is somewhat broken by numerous<br />

hills scattered over the territory, but there are many good farms<br />

which are well cultivated. Near the Landing district the ledge<br />

which underlies most <strong>of</strong> the territory in this region, crops out<br />

on the bank <strong>of</strong> the river and affords an abundance <strong>of</strong> valuable<br />

material for building purposes. When the Chain bridge was<br />

building at Deer island in 1792, Mr. John <strong>Merrill</strong>, who then<br />

lived in the vicinity <strong>of</strong> Hon. William Nichols', boated immense<br />

quantities <strong>of</strong> stone from this ledge to sink the piers. Mr. Mer-

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