Isaiah H. Hedge (1812-1888) was a physician, businessman,

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and philanthropist, who is the namesake and donor of Hedge Hall at

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

in Maine. Isaiah Hallett Hedge was born in

Woolwich, Maine Woolwich is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,068 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. Woolwich is a suburb of the city of ...

in 1812 to Edward Hedge and Martha Farnham Hedge. Hedge started a merchandising business in

Wiscasset, Maine Wiscasset is a town in and the seat of Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The municipality is located in the state of Maine's Mid Coast region. The population was 3,742 as of the 2020 census. Home to the Chewonki Foundation, Wiscasset is ...

, before moving to

Limerick, Maine Limerick (pronounced "LIM-rick") is a town in York County, Maine, United States. It is part of the Portland– South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The population was 3,188 at the 2020 census. History This ...

where he married Charlotte Ayre in 1840. Hedge attended

Castleton Medical College The Castleton Medical College Building, now known as the Old Chapel, is a historic building of the Castleton Medical College on Seminary Street in Castleton, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1818, it was the first medical college in Vermont, an ...

Castleton, Vermont Castleton is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. Castleton is about to the west of Rutland, the county's seat and most populous city, and about east of the New York/Vermont state border. The town had a population of 4,458 at the 2 ...

in from 1846 to 1848 and in 1850. Hedge moved first to

Gorham, Maine Gorham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,336 at the 2020 United States Census. In addition to its urban village center known as Gorham Village or simply "the Village," the town encompasses a number of ...

in 1850, and then Hedge moved to

Waukon, Iowa Waukon is a city in Makee Township, Allamakee County, Iowa, United States, and the county seat of Allamakee County. The population was 3,827 at the time of the 2020 census. History Waukon is often said to be named for Waukon Decorah, a Ho C ...

in 1855 for better opportunities. Dr. Hedge was a lifelong Freewill Baptist and was a supporter of abolitionism before the Civil War as a Whig and then a Republican. In Waukon he purchased a city block and constructed a home and actively practiced medicine in Waukon until 1875. Hedge also owned a drug store and medical partnership with Dr. Willard Chauncey, who married Hedge's only child, Ellen Augusta ("Nellie"), and they had three children. After 1875 Hedge traveled for his health and wintered in an orange grove in Florida. Shortly before his death, Hedge donated $5,000 to

for a chemistry hall which was named in his honor.

References

See also