Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/553

 HIGHWAYS. 449 long swamp to land formerly belonging to Humphrey Kent, and north of the Richmonds. Another eight rod way was laid out from the east to the middle highway, on which the school-house of the North District now stands. The west highway was originally laid out at least six rods and probably eight rods wide from the Long Swamp corner to the present village of Drownville, but was reduced to its present width by the purchases of the land owners, adjoin- ing this way. On the 30th of August, 1774, the Sowams proprietors met at Henry Bowen's tavern in Barrington, and by vote it was declared that the highways already voted as common highways belong to the towns where they are laid out. The town of Barrington then voted to sell such highways as could be spared or such parts thereof as were not needed for travel and to lodge the money in the bank to maintain a free school, and James Brown, Joshua Bicknell, and Josiah Humphrey were made a committee to sell and dispose of said lands on behalf of the town. Other highways have been laid out by the town which are referred to under town legislation. In the early legislation of the town, the road department was treated separately by a special tax, levied by the asses- sors, and worked out by the taxpayers of their representa- tives, under officers, styled surveyors of highways. In order to lighten the labor of the surveyors, the town was at first divided into two districts, New Meadow Neck and Peebee's Neck, and later into four or five. The repairing of high- ways was usually done in May or June of each year, after the spring planting and before haying. The tax of the sev- eral districts was made by the assessors and sent to the surveyors. Each surveyor consulted his own convenience as well as that of the inhabitants of his district in fixing the time for the highway service, when men and teams were called into service by a notice from the district surveyor. Each hand and team had a per diem allowance which was 29