- Silvester Gardiner
Dr. Silvester Gardiner (
June 29 ,1707 -August 8 ,1786 ) was a physician, pharmaceutical merchant and visionary land developer ofMaine .He was born in South Kingston,
Rhode Island . After studying medicine in New York, London and Paris, Dr. Gardiner opened a practice in Boston, where he became a lecturer onanatomy . He actively promotedinoculation forsmall pox , for which he proposed and established a hospital in 1761. But he made his fortune importing drugs for distribution and sale. He contributed generously to the construction of Boston's King's Chapel, where he was a warden, and also to the compilation and publication of a prayer book. But he is most remembered for his purchase and development of over 100,000 acres (400 km²) ofwilderness on theKennebec River in Maine, where he founded what is today the city of Gardiner.A proprietor of the old Plymouth Patent, his efforts to settle the territory were unceasing between 1753 and the
American Revolution . He selected the location of Gardinerstown Plantation, established in 1754 at thehead of navigation on the Kennebec River, at its confluence with the Cobbeseeconte Stream, which had falls to providewater power for industry. A millwright, carpenter and other workmen were induced to settle and build his town. He promotedimmigration and land cultivation. He contributed a valuable library, and built the first Episcopal church in Pittston, from which Gardinerstown would be set off in 1760.But in 1774, Dr. Gardiner added his name to a letter addressed to
Massachusetts Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson, affirming his allegiance to the Loyalist cause. When the British army evacuated Boston in 1776, Dr. Gardiner fled to Halifax, Nova Scotia. With few of his possessions, he then lived in Peel,England throughout the Revolutionary War. In 1778, his name appeared on theproscription andbanishment act, and his vast landholdings were confiscated. Even his personal collection of rare books were sold at auction. Because of an error in the confiscation of the Maine property, however, his heirs would be able to secure its return.In 1783, Dr. Gardiner spent time in
St. John's, Newfoundland , and in 1784 wrote a report enumerating its resources, advocating 11 reasons for settlement. In 1785, he returned toNewport, Rhode Island , where he died the following year and was interred under Trinity Church. The Christ Episcopal Church, built in 1820 overlooking the common in Gardiner, bears hiscenotaph .References
* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~megardin/early.html The Gardiner Story (1949)]
* [http://history.rays-place.com/me/gardiner.htm Historical Sketch of Gardiner, Maine (1889)]
* J. W. Hanson, "History of Gardiner, Pittston and West Gardiner", 1852, Published by Smith & Company, Hallowell, MaineExternal links
* [http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1158818 Friends of Gardiner Heritage Museum]
*worldcat id|id=lccn-n85-121816
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