Downeast Edition 2011 by Discover Maine Magazine

DISCOVER

MAINE Volume 8, Issue 6

Maineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s History Magazine www.discovermainemagazine.com

Hancock & Washington Counties

Free 2011

The Ordeal Of Father John Bapst

Raleigh, Ralph, Rags And Me

Priest nearly burned at the stake in Ellsworth

A true Maine hunting story from years gone by

Bangor Marine Survived Shipwreck Off Vera Cruz The colorful career of John Blagden

2 4 6 10 12 16 18 20 23 27 30 32 35 38 43 46 50 52 55 57 60 63

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

~ Inside This Edition ~

A Poacher’s Guilt “Wesley shacker” — hero or victim? Charles Francis Biomass Was “Out” When Oil Was Cheap Bucksport’s deep-water oil terminal supplied mills in Brewer and Lincoln Ian MacKinnon The Great Deer Isle Treasure Hoax Did Captain Kidd bury loot in Small’s Cove? Charles Francis The Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Surviving The Test Of Time While other symphonies are weakening, BSO carries on James Nalley The Ordeal Of Father John Bapst Priest nearly burned at the stake in Ellsworth Angela Clegg Tink Billings’ Cherryfield Garage John McDonald David Wasson: Mystic Abolitionist Brooksville minister took a strong stand against slavery Charles Francis The 1970 State Champions Brewer High Football Team Finished fifth in the nation Ian MacKinnon Bangor Marine Survived Shipwreck Off Vera Cruz The colorful career of John Blagden Ian MacKinnon The Life Of A Lighthouse Keeper In 1919 Revealed in a letter from the Milbridge Historical Society Terry Hussey Camp Island Stranded for 14 days, two brothers tell their tale Heath and John C. Norris The Saga Of The Gouldsboro Shaws Several family members hold a place in history Charles Francis Raleigh, Ralph, Rags And Me A true Maine hunting story from years gone by Art Wheaton The Genealogy Corner Searching for long-lost relatives down east Charles Francis The Bluenose Special Ferry service started 50 years before “The Cat” Ian MacKinnon Myrna Fahey: Southwest Harbor’s Glamour Girl Of Television Actress appeared in many famous television shows James Nalley Nazis Land At Hancock Point Residents provided information that led to spies’ capture Erick T. Gatcomb East Machias’ Sweet Fern Factory 1877 tanning factory lasted only a year Joyce Emery Kinney West Quoddy Head Lighthouse The guardian of Maine’s easternmost point James Nalley From Trafalgar To Eastport British war captain occupied Eastport without firing a shot Ian MacKinnon Directory Of Advertisers See who helps us bring Maine’s history to you!

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Angela Clegg Charles Francis fundy67@yahoo.ca Erick T. Gatcomb Terry Hussey Joyce Emery Kinney Ian MacKinnon John McDonald James Nalley Heath & John C. Norris Art Wheaton Discover Maine Magazine is distributed to fraternal organizations, shopping centers, libraries, newsstands, grocery and convenience stores, hardware stores, lumber companies, motels, restaurants and other locations throughout this part of Maine.

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Front cover photo: View of Copper Mine, Deer Isle (File # 100496 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org) All photos in Discover Maine’s Hancock & Washington Counties edition show Maine as it used to be, and many are from local citizens who love this part of Maine. Photos are also provided from our collaboration with the Maine Historical Society and the Penobscot Marine Museum

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

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Notes From The Fayette Ridge by Michele Farrar

resident Obama turned 50 the other day, a great milestone. This was also a milestone for me. For the first time in my life, I am older than the president of the United States. I could call President Obama a “young whipper-snapper.” My old friend Bob is older than me, and he calls just about everyone a “young whipper-snapper.” The checkout girl at the grocery store, the pharmacist, the ranger who collects our park fee, everyone else at the fishing spot — all “young whipper-snappers.” I asked him once just what that meant. He told me this story. Apparently Bob was in need of an air conditioner. Although he had lived many, many years without air conditioning, there was a heat wave a few years back that convinced even an oldtimer like Bob to break down and buy one. He was much chagrined — he was old enough to brag that most of his cars didn’t even have air conditioning. (“That’s why your windows go up and down,” he’d say.) He leafed through the pile of weekly sale fly-

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ers that crowded his mailbox, and found what appeared to be the best deal. He would drive to “the city” and find one of those “giant new super-stores” that carry everything including the kitchen sink. Since Bob is mostly familiar with the local hardware store and its ten aisles of merchandise, he was a bit awestruck at the sheer size of this giant new super-store. He realized immediately that he was in need of directions, but since he’s one of those guys who won’t ask for directions, he set out on his own. (He told me later he should have worn hiking shoes and a backpack with snacks and water.) The entrance he picked was in the grocery section of the super-store, which was easily four times bigger than his local supermarket. He wondered what he might be missing at his local store, but he had bigger fish to fry and turned his attention to finding his way from bananas to small appliances. Rows of fruit and vegetables soon became rows of cough syrup and hair dye, neither of which he’d ever needed. Onward he trekked, through ladies’, men’s and children’s clothing; shoes, toys, electronics, home furnishings, house and garden, lamps, kitchen appliances. (He later compared the walk to a train trip he once took from Florida to Maine. Since the tracks run through the worst parts of the cities, he saw piles and piles of discarded items and decided to make a list. When he was done, he said he could have furnished an entire house, including appliances, ten times over.) Finally, after about 25 minutes and twice that amount in terms of frustration, Bob found himself face to face with a row of fans and, yes, air conditioners. It didn’t take him long to find the empty spot where the sale items used to be. He had exactly two hundred dollars in the wallet in his back pocket — enough for the sale unit that was the right size for his living room.

His next choice for a unit that size would cost him $275.00. This was not acceptable. He decided to find some help. Although he had passed many, many store employees in blue uniforms, of course there wasn’t a single one in sight now. He backtracked all the way across the store and found the customer service center next to the fruits and vegetables where he had started out. He waited in line while six customers in front of him got served. Finally, it was his turn. As luck would have it, there was a young “whipper-snapper” behind the counter. Since Bob doesn’t generally trust this type, he was apprehensive from the start. He explained his need for the air conditioner that was on sale. The clerk advised him of his second choice, for $275.00. Bob said his wallet wouldn’t agree with that. The clerk then advised him to open a charge account, for which he would receive $10.00 off his first purchase. Bob said that $265.00 didn’t agree with his wallet, either. He explained that he’d driven quite a distance for this particular sale item, and he expected to drive right back home with it in the back of his truck. The clerk said something about “rainchecks,” to which Bob replied that if it was raining, he wouldn’t need the air conditioner in the first place. Somehow Bob talked that young whippersnapper into checking “out back,” and lo and behold, the kid returned with exactly what Bob had come to purchase. He happily paid his $200.00, watched the young whipper–snapper load it into his truck, and drove home. Apparently a “young whipper-snapper” is anyone who is young and full of excuses and useless suggestions. After hearing Bob’s story, I’m not sure I would call the President a young whipper-snapper. Or would I? ♠

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

A Poacher’s Guilt “Wesley shacker” — hero or victim? by Charles Francis

ilbur Day came by the poacher’s mindset at his father’s knee. Wilbur’s father was Sam Day. Sam was a big-time bear hunter. He killed 268 bear — some say more. There are those who called Sam Day a famous bear hunter. Then there were some who called Sam a poacher. Sam Day lived a fair portion of his life at a time when Maine had no hunting, fishing and trapping laws. Maybe that fact explains Sam’s predilection for shooting bear. Wilbur Day spent most of his poaching days under the scrutiny of Maine game wardens. Wilbur didn’t have the luxury of having lived in a period of legal and social tradition to excuse his actions. There is no question about Wilbur Day having been a poacher. In March of 1885 he pleaded guilty before a Washington County judge to killing a deer in closed season. He had a choice of paying $113 in fines and court costs or serving thirty days in the county jail for the offense. Wilbur did the time. Wilbur

did a lot more jail time, too — not only in the Machias lockup, but in the state prison in Thomaston as well. Did the jail time Wilbur Day served make him a bitter man? One would have to say it did. Late in his life Wilbur Day dictated his memoirs to his wife Suzie. Wilbur’s reminiscences portray him as something of a hero and as something of a victim. Ironically, it is possible to view Wilbur as both hero of his particular history — meaning the circumstance into which he was born and the circumstances in which he was raised and lived in — and as victim of his personal history. Wilbur Day could be seen as a hero for trying to testify against game wardens for unscrupulous practices. He tried to testify that a couple of Washington County wardens dropped poisoned meat where domestic animals were liable to find it. The poisoned meat was intended as a deterrent to deer-running dogs. The problem was the tainted meat also

killed pets and farm animals. According to Wilbur, “Whenever [the wardens] passed through a locality it became very unhealthy.” However, when Wilbur tried to get the county district attorney to bring charges, the matter was summarily dismissed. Wilbur Day was born John Wilbur Day in Wesley in 1864. He was the third of fourteen children of Samuel and Adelia (Elsemore) Day. He was probably named for an uncle who died in the Civil War, though there is at least one other John Wilbur Day in the family tree. Sam Day was termed a “Wesley Shacker” by the more respectable element of the community. “Wesley Shackers” didn’t hold steady jobs or run respectable farms. Though they might do a modicum of farming, they were the type that found life easier trekking thought the woods with gun or fishing pole in hand, or running a trap line, practices which were fine all year long so long as there were no game laws. When game laws were instituted, the

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

“Shackers” didn’t change their habits, which meant they were nothing less than professional poachers. Wilbur Day was born and brought up a “Wesley Shacker.” Early on, he learned to avoid responsibilities at home by taking off to the woods, rifle or fishing pole in hand. When he returned, his father, like as not, would tan his hide. But Wilbur wasn’t doing anything his father didn’t do. Was Wilbur Day a professional poacher all his life? The answer to this is no. There were times he tried to live the straight and narrow. He was a licensed guide. He also ran a sporting camp for a time — you can find him counted as a hotel keeper on census listings. But by and large, Wilbur made his way through life as a poacher. If you have ever read Edmund Ware Smith’s The One Eyed Poacher and the Maine Woods, you may think of a poacher as a sort of lovable cuss who does little more than put one over on a hapless game warden. In like manner, you may think of a poacher who is someone down on his luck trying to put food on the family dinner table. Wonderful as these fictive images may be, when push comes to shove, the poacher is simply another variety of common criminal. Edmund Ware Smith presents Jef-

ferson Coongate, the central character of The One Eyed Poacher and the Maine Woods, as a hero. Maybe that’s how Wilbur Day looked at himself — that is, when he wasn’t looking at himself as a victim — but Day was a criminal and he undoubtedly looked at himself as one. Wilbur Day established his criminal identity when he pleaded guilty to shooting a deer outof-season in March of 1885. This identity was reinforced when Wilbur spent twenty-two months in jail in Machias. It was further reinforced when he did better than three years in the Maine State Prison. The fact that he was granted a pardon at the behest of Warden George Hanson didn’t change this. Wilbur Day grew up being made to feel guilty. That’s what his father’s lickings did for him. Every time he aped his father by poaching, Wilbur added to his sense of guilt. In one ten-year period Wilbur was brought up on charges a total of sixty-eight times. Of course, the Fish and Game Commission denied him a guiding license. Wilbur got it reinstated by going to court. On one occasion, two wardens, George Ross and Oscar Bowers, beat Wilbur senseless. When Wilbur sued for damages, he was awarded just enough to cover legal fees. As children, we learn that we owe our lives

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to our parents. Most of us wish to repay our parents for this gift. Most of us want to repay the gift with one of like value. The gift that Wilbur Day’s father gave him was something more than his life. Sam Day, the poacher, gave his son a lot of beatings. With the beatings came a sense of guilt. Wilbur repaid his father by becoming an even darker incarnation. Wilbur out-poached his poacher father. And then he told stories about his misdeeds. Wilbur Day was a self-assertive individual. That much is shown in his court appearances. He was an independent cuss. No one would maintain the lifestyle he did without a streak of independence a mile wide. Was Wilbur proving himself independent of his father’s influence? His father made him feel guilty as a child. The best way Wilbur could find to exorcise that guilt may have been to turn himself into a fouler version of his father. When Wilbur was thirty-seven he married local girl, Suzie Trafton. Suzie must have been something of a martyr. She stayed with Wilbur twenty-two years, until his death in 1924. When Suzie proved unable to have children, the couple adopted a boy and girl. One might see in this act another effort on Wilbur’s part to deal with his guilt-ridden personal history♠.

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Biomass Was “Out” When Oil Was Cheap Bucksport’s deep-water oil terminal supplied mills in Brewer and Lincoln by Ian MacKinnon

ith German U-boats no longer torpedoing freighters and tankers off the Maine coast, post-World War II, the Eastern Corporation spent $285,000 to develop a deep-water oil terminal in Bucksport to supply the company’s pulp and paper mills in Brewer and Lincoln. More than 60 years later, Maine paper mills prefer burning biomass or natural gas to burning No. 6 (or Bunker C) fuel oil, the desirable boiler-firing fuel once shipped north from Mack Point in Searsport by the trainload. But in July 1948 few paper mills burned biomass, and Eastern actually built its Bucksport terminal to reduce oil prices. Some economic activity comes full circle every few decades, it seems. Until autumn 1922, both Eastern Corporation mills had burned coal, a fuel also used by most businesses and residences in Bangor and Brewer. The mills cumulatively had 11 boilers,

which were converted to burning Bunker C that year; Eastern also constructed three oilstorage tanks that could hold a total of 135,000 barrels. The company paid $226,814 to convert its boilers wholly to oil. Until 1948 small coastal tankers annually transported approximately 450,000 barrels of Bunker C to Eastern’s Brewer mill, located adjacent the Penobscot River’s shipping channel. Hauling 10,000 to 46,000 barrels apiece, these tankers sailed from oil refineries on the Gulf Coast and in South America. Just six years earlier, U-boat skippers had enjoyed an initial “Happy Time” while torpedoing such tankers as they sailed unescorted along the Eastern Seaboard. The Penobscot River’s multiple bends — especially at Fort Knox and off North Bucksport — and relatively shallow depth prevented larger tankers from accessing the Brewer mill. Wartime requirements had lim-

ited channel dredging since the early 1940s; even a fuel-laden small tanker could draw no more than 24 feet while plying the river to Brewer. Eastern officials cited various factors to justify the new deep-water terminal. “The availability of the small vessels has been on the decline for many years, while the freight rates per barrel on the smaller craft are ranging higher than on the large boats,” the March 1949 Eastern Echoes explained. “The cumulative result of all these adverse factors was to make total fuel oil costs at Eastern increasingly high,” the newsletter proclaimed, eerily echoing a similar issue affecting American businesses in the mid-1970s and again in the early 21st century. Corporate officials spent spring and summer 1948 examining 24 potential Penobscot Bay terminal sites “at distances varying from fifteen to thirty-five miles” from the Brewer

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

mill, according to Eastern Echoes. The best site would lie on deep water, with a railroad line and “a good highway” nearby; these requirements effectively limited the available sites to Searsport and Bucksport. Eastern Corporation ultimately acquired a site between Bucksport’s existing paper mill (now owned by Verso Paper) and the current Bucksport Town Dock. Site acquisition and project permitting happened fast; “with plans completed and the estimate approved, construction work was started in August and rushed toward completion by the year end,” reported Eastern Echoes. North of the Bucksport paper mill, construction workers assembled at an existing tank farm a new 150,000-barrel tank measuring 48 feet in height and 150 feet in diameter; surrounding this tank was an earthen dike. The new dock extended sufficient distance into the Penobscot River to provide a 35-foot draft at a typical low tide. A tanker measuring up to 550 feet in length could pull alongside the dock and discharge Bunker C at the rate of 8,000 gallons per hour. This oil reached Eastern’s new storage tank through a 12-inch steel underground pipe measuring 3,400 feet in length. Although built next to the river, Eastern’s

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new storage tank lay near the Maine Central Railroad’s Bucksport Branch and the River Road, today’s Route 15. Even with the railroad nearby, Eastern officials opted to transport Bunker C by tank trucks grinding north along the hilly River Road to Brewer. The first tanker to dock at Eastern Corporation’s new dock was the SS Andrew J. Humphreys, a converted Liberty ship laid down on August 8, 1943 and launched on September 25, 1943. Mooring at Bucksport on January 21, 1949, the tanker discharged 65,000 barrels of Bunker C, and “the new facility operated perfectly throughout,” according to Eastern Echoes. The Humphreys would be scrapped in 1969. The second vessel to dock at Bucksport was the 7,200-ton SS Paloma Hills, one of approximately 500 T-2 tankers built during World War II. Sailing from Aruba in the Dutch West Indies, the tanker arrived in Bucksport on February 18, 1949 — a clear, cold, and sunny winter’s day — and discharged 110,000 barrels of Bunker C. Tankers would continue unloading at the Eastern Corporation terminal for some years. The company never burned biomass at its Brewer mill, which later gained a new, larger oil-fired boiler that supplanted several smaller

boilers. This boiler provided heat, steam, and some electricity for the Brewer mill. Eastern’s failure to invest in biomass-fired boilers seems surprising given that wood yards existed at both mills. Yet in that era, paper companies purchased only logs, and woods crews left tree tops and limbs — the debris called “slash” — to rot in the Maine woods. Eastern Corporation owned extensive woodlands Down East; that industrial forest and other woodlands as far away as Canada supplied the company’s mills. In fact, for a while after World War II, tugboats would tow massive log rafts across the Gulf of Maine from Nova Scotia to the Brewer mill. Eastern Corporation ran profitably for many years and maintained a sales office in New York City; sales executives called on accounts throughout the United States. By the early 1960s, however, the company encountered rough times; in 1965, the money-losing Eastern suddenly shuttered its Brewer and Lincoln mills, displacing hundreds of workers and devastating the local economies. Both mills would reopen under new ownership, but the Brewer mill would fail in the early 21st century and never reopen. The Cianbro Corporation purchased the site a few years (Continued on page 8)

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The Square in Blue Hill. Item #117039 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org (Continued from page 7)

ago, leveled all but the office building and warehouse, and created a facility to manufacture industrial modules. Closed about the same time, the Lincoln mill would gain a new

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

The Great Deer Isle Treasure Hoax Did Captain Kidd bury loot in Small’s Cove? by Charles Francis

eer Isle, Little Deer Isle and the surrounding islands offer up some of the most picturesque scenery to be found in the state of Maine today. The first to settle there must have felt the same way, as most went on to produce generations of offspring. They included William Eaton of Haverill, Massachusetts, John Billings of Boston and the Scots Greenlaw brothers. All arrived about 1762. While the Revolution slowed settlement by

the late 1780s, there were enough people on the islands for a town to be formed. In 1789 Massachusetts Governor John Hancock signed the act which created the town of Deer Isle. Subsequently, two other towns were set off from it — Isle au Haut in 1868 and Stonington in 1897. The town of Deer Isle includes Little Deer Isle and the adjacent two thirds of Deer Isle. Deer Isle from its earliest days was connected to the sea. In the Golden Age of Sail, Deer Isle ships made their way to Europe, the Pacific and the Orient. Today lobstering tells the story of the earlier deep water connection. The story can also be found in the traditions, folklore and myth of the islands. In fact, Small’s Cove on Deer Isle has its own unique tale of the high seas. It is a tale of famous names from American history, pirates and buried treasure. It is a tale that started as an idle way to while away an evening and that came to be believed by all too many, even

though its creator never claimed that it was other than an amusing fancy. The great Deer Isle treasure hoax is based on the possibility that Captain Kidd could have buried a treasure chest in Small’s Cove. It is a story that includes two prominent Deer Isle summer residents, Frederick Law Olmstead and Franklin H. Head, and a host of famous — or seemingly famous — figures from the late 1600s on. It centers on a fictional lawsuit brought by Olmstead against some of the descendants of John Jacob Astor for the sum of $5,000,000. According to the tale, John Jacob Astor illegally gained ownership of a treasure chest containing a virtual king’s ransom in gold, Spanish doubloons and jewels. In reality, the chest belonged to the Olmstead family. The tale of the great Deer Isle treasure circulated in newspapers of the Gay ‘90s. It was clearly written as a fancy. Among other anachronisms, it had Jacques Cartier as a fur

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

trader and working for John Jacob Astor. Two fictitious early members of the Olmstead family were given the names Cotton Mather Olmstead and Oliver Cromwell Olmstead. Then there was a Penobscot Indian chief named Winnipesaukee. Frederick Law Olmstead is, of course, famous as America’s first great landscape architect. His creations include Central Park. Olmstead and his family began summering at Small’s Cove when Deer Isle was just beginning to attract a cottage clientele. One of the Olmstead’s summer neighbors was a Chicago humorist and satirist named Franklin Head. Today Head’s most enduring work is a parody titled “Shakespeare’s Insomnia and the Causes Thereof.” In 1894 Head wrote the story of Captain Kidd’s treasure as a summertime pastime for the Olmstead family. It was syndicated as “A Notable Lawsuit Summarized By Franklin H. Head.” It was still appearing in print as late as the 1950s, and even though it was usually accompanied by the disclaimer that it was “not a true story,” continued to be viewed by some as having elements of truth. According to “A Notable Lawsuit” the property where Frederick Law Olmstead had his summer retreat came down to him from one Cotton Mather Olmstead. This worthy

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was a fur trader operating in Maine in the late 1600s. He was said to have befriended the Penobscot Sachem Winnipesaukee, and even saved his life after an attack by a bear. In gratitude, the chief granted him Deer Isle in its entirety. The grant was made in 1699 and the transfer of ownership recorded on a piece of birch bark. When the United States became a country the grant was recognized by none other than Alexander Hamilton acting in his capacity as Secretary of the Treasury. At that time the grant was supposedly in the hands of Oliver Cromwell Olmstead. At this point — 1801 to be precise — the French explorer Jacques Cartier enters the picture. Cartier, of course, has the same viability as a Penobscot Indian bearing the name of a New Hampshire lake or two figures named for the greatest Puritans of the seventeenth century, and even predates them. However, he is presented as a French Canadian fur trader working for John Jacob Astor. Franklin Head has Cartier unearthing a treasure chest in a cave in Small’s Cove. Much later, Frederick Law Olmstead and his family supposedly discover where the chest had been buried and determine that John Jacob Astor had purchased it from Cartier. The wealth contained in the chest served as the base for

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the Astor family fortune. It was also the reason for the fictional Olmstead lawsuit. The Olmsteads go so far as to determine the value of what the chest contained and even recover it. It has the initials “W.K.” for William Kidd on the lid. Well after “A Notable Lawsuit” began appearing in the media, Frederick Law Olmstead wrote a commentary on it. In his commentary Olmstead expressly states the tale had never been intended to be more than a story read aloud to a small number of people. He traces the printing of the tale to its passing from mouth to mouth until it was written down in a manner that caused some readers to speculate that it did indeed have some sort of basis in fact. There is an addendum to the tale of the great Deer Isle treasure hoax. The cave in which Franklin Head placed the treasure chest does exist. It is some ten feet wide and has enough headroom for a child or short adult to stand upright in. It is about a mile from the site of Frederick Law Olmstead’s Small’s Cove cottage.♠ Other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

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Discover Maine 12

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

The Bangor Symphony Orchestra, Surviving The Test Of Time While other symphonies are weakening, BSO carries on by James Nalley

uring this period of economic instability, the classical and classical-pops music scene has never been so greatly affected. At the time of this printing, icons such as the Detroit Symphony have cancelled their season due to a strike, and legends such as the Chicago Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra are all on alert with some level of financial restructuring.Ticket subscriptions have also dropped dramatically,

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Pictured in the center is Kenneth I. Mummé of Orono, who played principal bassoon with the BSO from 1964-2005. (Mummé is also the father of Discover Maine Magazine’s editor.)

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

and mid-sized orchestras, including the San Jose and Honolulu Symphonies have folded. But in the city of Bangor, there is one musical organization that has stood the test of time and it is still going strong: The Bangor Symphony Orchestra, which is now one of the oldest continuously operating orchestras in the country. In an article in the Lewiston Evening Journal on Oct. 22, 1901, the simple announcement clearly summed up the early shape of this symphony orchestra in the city of Bangor: The principal selections will be the overture from William Tell and Haydn’s Second Symphony. The remainder of the program and the soloist has not yet been decided upon. There will be a course of six concerts. The Bangor Symphony was organized and directed by Horace M. Pullen, and until its recent incorporation under the new name has always been known as Pullen’s orchestra. Last spring it was deemed best to incorporate the organization and the papers were accordingly taken out and the name changed to its present form. (Continued on page 14)

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Perhaps one of the secrets to the BSO’s success is their ability to entertain folks of all ages. This photo was taken several years ago during a Halloween concert, when Stephen King narrated “Peter and the Wolf.” (Pictured in center is now-retired principal bassoonist, Kenneth I. Mummé)

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Discover Maine 14 (Continued from page 13)

Approximately five years earlier, a popular piano teacher from Bangor named Abbie N. Garland had made a decision that her hometown badly needed a symphony orchestra. Using her organization skills, she managed to find 16 capable musicians who were willing to perform in this fledgling orchestra. Its first concert occurred on Nov. 2, 1896 at the City Hall in Bangor with a program that featured Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony. After the premiere concert, Garland, led by conductor and the orchestra’s first music director, Horace Mann Pullen, was determined to have her orchestra survive. According to the history of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, during “the first year, she managed the organization…The second year, she recruited musicians and the third year, she sponsored the symphony’s subscription sales. She also worked tirelessly to educate the public about symphonic music and to create enthusiasm for unfamiliar pieces.” Over time, the reputation of the symphony had grown to be one of the staples

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

of the city of Bangor. Even when dignitaries visited the city, the symphony was a vital part of the proceedings. In the book Bangor: The Twentieth Century by Richard Shaw, “In the absence of an official visit by her husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor appeared in Bangor on May 20, 1941, the first formal visit by a first lady to the city. (After) speaking at a downtown park and dining at the Bangor House, Mrs. Roosevelt delivered an address at the old Bangor Auditorium following a brief concert by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and a speech by Maine Governor Sumner Sewall.” Since its founding in 1896, ten different music directors have come and gone, with the latest being the Grammy-award winning conductor Lucas Richman, who brings 20 years of conducting experience to the podium. The roster of musicians now number from 65 to 90, and they perform in the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus. Although the organization has become recognized as the longest running community orchestra in the country, it too has

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to weather the economic storm and make adjustments. According to a report by WCSH in Portland, it manages to keep the seats filled by lowering some of its ticket prices with focus on special promotions to get more people interested. Because primary sales have shifted from subscriptions to single-ticket concerts, a voucher program was initiated. This program distributes vouchers throughout the state and allows one person to attend the concert either for free or at a discounted rate. According to Executive Director David Whitehill, “We’re seeing not just one or two family members come, we’re seeing four or five family members come on that voucher, and we’re seating them at the best seats we possibly can. So a family of four can see the Bangor Symphony for $20. That’s cheaper than a movie.” Only time will tell. But considering the long history of this impressive organization, things will work out just fine.♠ Other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

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Wildes Woodyard

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Discover Maine 16

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

The Ordeal Of father John Bapst Priest nearly burned at the stake in Ellsworth by Angela Clegg

ake yourself back to 1854 when Father John Bapst S. J. was returning to Ellsworth after a move to Bangor some months earlier. Perhaps the furor that swept the town would have calmed. These were dangerous times, and Father John, a foreign Catholic priest, was in constant peril. Until now attacks had focused on possessions. The smashing of all the windows of the rectory and the attempted burning of the church had prompted Father John’s move. Ellsworth was a growing worry in his missionary circuit of Eastern Maine. A public battle had been inflamed by the Ellsworth Herald, as William H. Chaney, the editor, led a scathing opposition to Father John’s proposals. The entire dispute centered on the Catholic children having to read from the Protestant Bible at the public school. A protest was lodged to the Ellsworth school committee asking that the children be allowed

THE

to read the Douay version or, alternatively, to be excused from the King James readings. This was ruled against by the committee after receiving a petition circulated by Father John and signed by about 100 Ellsworth Catholics. The petition was dismissed for being controversial and causing animosity. Therefore, they ruled that all children read from the King James Bible. Several children were expelled for allegedly misbehaving, and others left voluntarily. Father John converted an old chapel and parochial school out of necessity. The Jesuit mission had always put emphasis on education. Questions were then raised about a diversion of funds, and the escalation continued. Here was a demand for religious liberty and a chance to improve religious toleration. Sadly, though, attacks in the press blew the situation way out of proportion. The Herald sympathized with the Secret Order of the Star Span-

gled Banner, commonly called the KnowNothings, the most active anti-Catholic group. The ferocity of the dispute had intensified in print and the Herald was certainly guilty of incitement. Father John had studied Catholic theology from the age of 12 at the College of St. Michael’s in Fribourg, Switzerland. No doubt he failed to see the threat he posed to the Protestant way of life. He was dealing with civilized men, where reasoned argument should be the way to resolve disputes. Unfortunately, though, by suggesting that the King James Bible was not for Catholics, he challenged the very basis of their moral code. Therefore, to the Protestants, Father John had committed sacrilege. Saturday evening, October 14th, 1854, after a sick call at Cherryfield, Father John stopped at Ellsworth. His intention was to say mass on the morrow. It was dark and rainy that night as

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

the situation finally exploded. An angry mob fell on him, convinced that he meant to destroy all they held sacred. The frenzied mob psychology took over, pushing the limits of reason, as they stripped Father John and robbed him. Worse was to come as they carried him away on a spiked rail. The violence was inflamed as curses, jeering and hooting mingled with the storm. The mob dragged Father John into the woods. As some tied him to a tree, others piled up brush about his feet. He would surely have been killed if there had been more matches. Thwarted in that effort, they proceeded to tar and feather him. What must have gone through Father John’s mind? The agony and the faith to endure, the suffering of physical pain and the mental anguish of fearing for his life. Dragged to his house, he was warned to leave and not say mass. Father John was likely fearful, but undaunted, as he did say mass the next day. The Ellsworth mob, in the light of day, must have been abashed with shame as the threat to kill Father John was not carried out, and he left in the carriage of an outraged and concerned Ellsworth citizen, Col. Charles Jarvis. On his return to Bangor, Father John was

P.O. Box 267, Ellsworth, Maine 04605 Tel. (207) 667-5584 • Fax (207) 667-2617

shown tenderness and treated with admiration. Both Catholics and Protestants alike were appalled by the incident. At an extraordinary public meeting the offense was denounced, and the Protestant community expressed their sympathy. They declared his “integrity and untiring zeal a source of blessing to the city.” These feelings were manifest in a gold watch given to replace the stolen one. Only two men were brought before the court, Gregg and George W. Maddox. The prosecutor, George Evans, State Attorney General, was disgusted with the locally recruited Grand Jury. He claimed that the jurors were all Know-Nothing supporters, which certainly seems feasible. The charges were dropped, although evidence against them was strong. Once again the press, especially the Herald, was foremost in leading a public trial. Articles in the Portland daily, Eastern Argus, denounced the tar and feathering. “That paper further deplored the increasing lawlessness prompted by religious bigotry in the name of humanity especially by men of good standing.” These were countered in the Herald by letters calling the hostile press “slobbering, driveling adulation and overdone sympathy.” Then, as today, the press held a lot of influ-

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ence. Father John’s determination helped him to continue the good work he began at the Indian mission in Old Town. That was in 1848, when he first arrived from Switzerland. Father John stayed at Bangor, where he was considered a local hero, until the Jesuit Society withdrew from Maine in 1859. In commemoration of Father John’s ordeal, a small bottle of his tarred and feathered clothes was laid under the cornerstone of the “new” Catholic church named for St. John the Evangelist, on York Street in Bangor. From there Father John moved to Holy Cross College in Massachusetts, and then on to Boston College as its first rector and president. In 1877 he went to Providence, Rhode Island, as pastor of St. Joseph’s Church. It was here that his health failed, and in 1879 he retired. In his final days, as his frailty and sickness worsened, he was tormented by the violent ordeal he had suffered at Ellsworth. He passed away at the age of 72.♠

Other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

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Discover Maine 18

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

Tink Billings’ Cherryfield Garage by John McDonald

Tink never quite got used to them and always said they were never as comfortable as the front seat of that fine ‘53 Chevy. It’s not much of a story but Tewkey likes it and keeps it ready for telling when needed. He doesn’t know where the teeth are today and doesn’t really care, but he remembers Doc Thomson sold the Chevy to a neighbor who drove it for years until the engine died and was removed, had a chain run through it and was then sunk in the cove and used for a boat mooring. We don’t use engine blocks for moorings these days, and I don’t want to editorialize, but many a boat that dragged its light-weight mooring in a storm is the worse on account of it, I think. Anyway, the rest of the fabled ‘53 Chevy sat on cinder blocks in the neighbor’s dooryard for years and was stripped for parts until — 10 or 15 years later — there was hardly a fender, or door, or window; not a bolt, a belt, or hose or clamp left of that car. All those memories are related to that lot where Tink once sold used cars, and it’s all part of the package when Tewkey gives directions past the spot where Tink’s garage used to be. If you’ve got the time and interest and you’ve shut off your GPS, Tewkey can even tell stories about that lot before Tink’s used cars came along. “Building The Coast Of Maine” Before that there was a small candy and ice cream store on the lot run by a German couple Specializing in named Shoemaker. They had thick German acCustom Stick-built Homes cents so some in town thought they were spies — of course — but nobody knew for sure. garages • Decks • Roofing Even if they were spies most figured they couldn’t do too much spying from that shop where they spent most all of their time selling ice cream. In summer as a kid Tink would go to the shop with his brother and sister to buy ice cream 393 bar Harbor Road, Trenton, Maine cones. Tewkey would sometimes order a vanilla www.coastalbuildersofmaine.com cone just to hear Mrs. Shoemaker say “Vun

have nothing against technology but there are things you’ll never get from your GPS no matter how clever it may be, and no matter how many “waypoints” it promises. Worldly-wise travelers today like to make fun of the way traditional direction-giver Tewkey Merrill of Cherryfield gives directions — “You want to take that right where Tink Billings’ used car lot used to be.” Most people think that’s funny because people from away — who have never set foot in Cherryfield — have no idea who Tink Billings is or where Tink’s used car lot used to be. But Tewkey knows Tink’s whole story and that’s how he remembers that particular right turn. It’s the kind of personal information you’ll never get from your snappy GPS. Being a storyteller Tewkey knows a lot of tales about Tink Billings, and a whole section of his “Tink file” is devoted to stories about Tink’s used car lot. One of his favorites is the one about the time Tink traded a 1953 Chevy Power-Glide to the dentist Doc Thomson for a full set of upper and lower false teeth. Tewkey said he loved that beautiful Chevy and hated to part with it, but he needed the teeth more so he made the trade. He and Doc Thomson haggled for days over the worth of the car and the value of the teeth. They finally came to what they thought was a mutually beneficial agreement. After getting the teeth,

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

Wha-nella, coming up.” Once they got their cones they’d go outside and around back where the Shoemakers had a flock of chickens in a large pen. The kids would stand there eating their ice cream cones, staring through the fence at the chickens while the chickens stared right back. There were no high-tech computer games in those days so kids had to find entertainment where they could, and chickens were as entertaining as anything else back then. Even today Tewkey will often think back at the Shoemaker’s chickens whenever he has ice cream in a cone. One night there was a suspicious fire in the shop and the building burned to the ground. The chickens managed to survive and before they moved away the Shoemakers sold the chickens to a nice family and sold the lot to Harold Hupper who eventually sold it to Tink who hauled a trailer onto the lot for an office and opened the used car business that Tewkey still likes referring to in his directions to people from away. If you’ve got even more time you can ask Tewkey about the building on the opposite corner where there was once a murder that still remains unsolved. When State Police arrived to investigate the murder an officer asked the local deputy to come up with a list

of anyone in town who might have wanted to kill the victim. Without skipping a beat, the deputy picked up the local phone book, handed it to the officer and said, “Here’s your list. Every person listed here probably had a reason to kill that man.” The officer knew it was going to be a difficult case to solve. Tewkey saves stories about that corner for tourists who are planning to stay most of the season.

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So if you have a GPS and you’re planning a trip Down East to Cherryfield and beyond, turn it off. Better yet, rip it out and let a traditional Maine direction-giver direct your travels Down East. You might never get to where you wanted to go but you’ll have more fun being lost than you’ve ever had and may never turn your GPS on again.♠

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Discover Maine 20

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

David Wasson: Mystic Abolitionist Brooksville minister took a strong stand against slavery by Charles Francis

wo of David Wasson’s best friends were members of the infamous Secret Six. Those two were George Luther Stearns and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Wasson numbered two of the most radical religious figures of his day as influences. One of those figures, the one who was the greatest of all influences on Wasson, was Theodore Parker. The other influence was Octavius Brooks Frothingham, Wasson’s chief biographer. The Secret Six were supporters of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. They gave Brown monetary as well as moral support in his scheme to provide slaves with guns and ammunition. After Brown’s capture, several of the Secret Six, including Samuel Gridley Howe, fled, fearing trial and subsequent imprisonment. The Reverend Theodore Parker was the greatest religious social reformer of the nineteenth century. Parker viewed traditional the-

ology as cruel and unreasonable. Many traditionalists felt he was not a Christian, and nearly all the pulpits in New England were closed to him. Parker was a major influence on Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. The Reverend Octavius Brooks Frothingham was an anti-slavery leader when abolition was not popular even in New England. He was a radical and rationalist, and the founder and first president of the National Free Religious Association, an organization devoted to the interests of “pure religion, the scientific study of theology, and [the] increase [of] fellowship in the spirit.” Frothingham was also an early and ardent disciple of Darwin. The above begins to place David Wasson in the time period in which he lived, as well as in a certain intellectual context. It does not indicate just how brilliant an individual Wasson was. And brilliant he was. Take his criticism of Ralph Waldo Emerson, for example. Wasson complained of the “unfinished na-

ture” of Emerson’s essays. The essays, Wasson said, lacked closely reasoned arguments. They were designed more “to catch the common ear...” As for Emerson, he spoke favorably of Wasson, seeing him as a “sharp new voice among the faithful.” William James, the father of American psychology and philosophy, also spoke favorably of Wasson. Of Wasson, James said “I look upon him as one of the great instructors of mankind.” So just who was David Wasson? David Wasson was Brooksville-born and bred. He trained for the ministry at Bangor Theological Seminary. Enoch Pound, who more than anyone set the seminary’s tone, prided himself on keeping liberal theology at as great a distance as possible from the Bangor school. Quite obviously, Pound was less than successful with David Wasson. When David Wasson was sixteen or seventeen he got in a fight. The year was 1840. The cause of the fight was the presidential contest

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between Martin Van Buren and William Henry Harrison. Wasson’s opponent was a bully. The fight left Wasson with a spinal injury that, as he grew older, crippled him. The name Wasson is a well-known one on the Blue Hill Peninsula. Author and artist George Wasson was David Wasson’s son. David Wasson’s father, also David, was a prominent area shipbuilder. The Wasson family was well-to-do — well enough to send David to Phillips Andover Academy and Bowdoin. Wasson left Bowdoin after a year to pursue theology in Bangor. Up to the time of his decision to study at Bangor Theological Seminary, David Wasson’s life followed what can only be viewed as a well-formulated plan. It was traditional in that it reflected the future radical’s Calvinist upbringing. The turning point in Wasson’s life would seem to be exposure to the ideas of Thomas Carlyle — in particular, the Carlyle theory of “freedom of mental action.” This means free will as opposed to Calvinist predestination. It led to Wasson’s belief that religion, to be meaningful, should center on “intelligent moral culture and spiritual development.” This means learning, particularly education of the self-directed kind. In short, Carlyle’s ideas played havoc with the conser-

vative training Wasson was receiving in Bangor. 1852 found Wasson minister of a Congregational church in Groveland, Massachusetts. Though he proved popular with the majority of parishioners, the governing body of the church found fault with a number of Wasson’s ideas — in particular, his anti-slavery views. The church powers saw to Wasson’s dismissal. It was at this point that Wasson met Thomas Higginson. Higginson was a liberal, a radical and a Unitarian minister. These were positions that Wasson would soon come to identify as his own. Higginson was also a major force in American letters. He would go on to edit the Atlantic Monthly and serve as literary executor for poetess Emily Dickinson. Thomas Higginson’s parish was in Worcester, Massachusetts. For a time Wasson lived with Higginson. When Higginson went on extended trips, Wasson filled in for him as minister. David Wasson lived a peripatetic life, continually moving. To a large extent the moves were the outcome of his search for relief from the back pains that resulted from his fight as a teenager. He lived in Concord for about a year and a half. Here he became acquainted with Emerson. Unlike most who knew the Con-

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cord sage for any length of time, Wasson did not fall under the great writer’s sway but rather used him as a jumping off point for his own thinking. Wasson also lived with George Stearns in Medford, Massachusetts. This was about the time of John Brown’s Harpers Ferry raid. Considering that Wasson was a close friend of two of the Secret Six, it would seem logical that he was at least aware of the intricacies of the plot to appropriate weapons from the federal arsenal. It should be noted that while in Medford, Wasson was dismissed from the Unitarian pulpit there for his abolitionist views. Though Wasson’s life was governed — at least in part — by a desire for relief from back pain, he acquired renown as a fill-in preacher throughout the late 1850s and early 1860s. He traveled as far as Cincinnati and served in Theodore Parker’s stead. Theodore Parker ministered to the largest of Boston’s congregations at the famous Music Hall. This was the famed Twenty-eight Congregational Society. Here, congregations often numbered upwards of 20,000. In 1865 Wasson was invited to replace the deceased Parker as permanent minister. This was after (Continued on page 22)

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 21)

he delivered his sermon “The Radical Creed.” Wasson accepted the invitation of the Twentyeight Congregational Society. This made him minister of “the most radical religious society in America.” The key to David Wasson’s theology is to be found in his essay “Unity.” It has been called the product of “the one complete cosmopolitan mind of [the] time.” Unity is Wasson’s term for Emerson’s “Oversoul.” Unity “returns man to his wholeness, his oneness with the natural world.” Religion, for Wasson, was man’s attraction to the oneness of nature. Unity is “a root of faithfulness.” Unity is attained intellectually with a scientific study of nature. “Unity” for David Wasson meant the community of mankind and mankind’s oneness with nature. All were one: spirit, God. Today David Wasson is viewed as one of the first great exponents of the nondenominational church. It is a contribution to society that has yet to be fully apprehended. David Wasson died in 1887. He lived barely sixty-five years. The last of those years were spent at menial jobs, necessitated by declining health and near blindness.♠

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

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The 1970 State Champions Brewer High football Team Finished fifth in the nation by Ian MacKinnon

h, but wasn’t autumn 1970 a wonderful season for Brewer High football! Two years earlier, Ken Perrone had coached the Witches to a Class A championship won by defeating the South Portland Red Riots 76 in a cliffhanger played at Wainwright Field in South Portland. Brewer did not repeat its state crown in 1969, but a year later, Perrone’s squad incorporated talented and experienced veterans, including 26 seniors seeking another run at gridiron glory. Working with the young veterans and novices who reported for practice in August 1970, Perrone and his assistant coaches — Mike Clark, Bob Gaboury (a Brewer High biology teacher), and Eric McDougall — molded a potent team that trounced the hap-

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less John Bapst Crusaders 47-0 on opening night. Actually, the Bapst squad was only the first victim falling to the Witch curse that fall. Brewer next trounced Cheverus 64-zip and then let Portland score a touchdown before beating the Bulldogs 40-6. Brunswick fell 526 to Brewer’s potent pass-run offense; the season’s fifth game saw the Witches defeat Lewiston 61-6. Brewer fans began to “believe” their gridiron squad had another shot at a state title when the Witches defeated Waterville 50-0. The season’s seventh game saw the Brewer High football team and band traveling south to Auburn for a Class A Northern Division match-up against the incredibly tough Red Eddies of Edward Little High School. Everyone attending that Friday night game

witnessed a take-no-prisoner fight between two championship-caliber teams. Red Eddies and Witches battled up and down the field; Edward Little surrendered only one touchdown to Brewer, but that proved sufficient, as for the first and only time that season the Witches scored only in the single digits, taking EL 6-0. Instruments blaring “The Horse” and the Brewer fight song — “Stand Up and Cheer for Brewer” — the Brewer High band marched across the football field afterwards in a triumphal procession that irritated many Red Eddy fans. A week later, Brewer romped 58-0 over Cony; the season’s ninth game saw the Witches beat Rumford 24-0. Yet even with nine wins behind them and (Continued on page 24)

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 23)

an unbeaten at-home streak that began in 1967, the Brewer boys avidly awaited their 10th game against a long-standing opponent that usually manhandled Witch football squads. Each November, on a Saturday near Veterans Day, Bangor and Brewer locked horns in gridiron combat, alternating the games between Bangor’s Garland Street Field and Brewer’s Doyle Field. Bangor traditionally dominated the annual fall rite, but Coach Gerry Hodge knew his Rams faced a different Witch squad on Saturday, November 14, 1970. Skippered by Perrone, the Brewer boys had defeated Bangor in 1968 and 1969. The 1970 Witches viewed Bangor as a potential 10th victory en route to a possible Class A match-up against the 7-1 Biddeford Tigers, slated to play Sanford that same afternoon. Packing the Garland Street Field stands, Bangor and Brewer fans watched a strong defensive game during the first half, when Brewer scored only 16 hard-earned points. The Rams had surrendered 35 points all season prior to today’s game, and at half time Bangor fans figured their Rams might contain the Witches.

“However, [Bob] VanPeursem took over in the third quarter and scored both his touchdowns to break the game wide open,” reported Bangor Daily News sportswriter Roger Hunton. VanPeursem carried the ball 14 times for 162 yards, and Ralph Payne, the fleetfooted back from Orrington, gained 145 yards in 17 carries.” Other familiar names assisted: Bruce Whitten intercepted a Bangor pass at the Brewer 30 to set up a subsequent touchdown, Steve Campbell chased and tackled Bangor ball handlers all over Garland Street Field, and fullback Dick Coffin scored a TD on a six-yard run and then caught a pass and scored an additional two points afterwards. “Brewer Puts Crunch On Bangor, 38-2,” blared a Page 1 Bangor Daily News headline on Monday, November 16. Coach Hodge admitted that “they were better than we were,” and the Timothy Geaghan Memorial Trophy, awarded to whichever team won the BangorBrewer game, went into a display cabinet at Brewer High School. But Perrone had already eyed Biddeford, which had defeated Sanford on November 14. He anticipated a tough game against the 8-1 Tigers; “they have a double threat in the backfield in their quarterback Mike Perrault and

halfback Andy Drapeau,” Perrone told Hunton. “Perrault is as fine a quarterback as there is in the state, and Drapeau is the state’s leading scorer [at 118 points], so you see what we’re up against.” After drilling the Witches all week, Perrone informed the local media, “We’re hungry, we’re healthy, and we’re ready!” As buses carried the Witches south on Interstate 95 to Garcelon Field at Bates College on Saturday, November 21, some impressive seasonal statistics rode along: • Completing 55 of 92 passes, quarterback Don McGlauflin had thrown for 700 yards, nine touchdowns, and 24 extra points; • Payne had rushed for 1,078 yards and scored 110 points; • Linebacker John Robichaud had gained 336 yards and scored 52 points while catching 23 passes. The Brewer buses exited the Maine Turnpike at Lisbon Street in Lewiston and headed to Bates College. Accompanying the Witches that cold day were the Brewer cheerleaders and band and myriad fans, all headed to the showdown with a Biddeford team that featured Drapeau, Perrault, running backs Mike Couture and Carl LeBlanc, and tackle Ken Maurice.

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The Tigers and Witches battled to a 14-14 tie during the first half as Perrault brilliantly confused the Brewer defenders. “He would call a play in the huddle, and after we had set up our defense, he would automatic out of it and run right through us,” Perrone said afterwards. “We weren’t adjusting to it.” Biddeford took an 8-0 lead, Brewer answered with a touchdown, the Tigers scored another TD to make the score 14-6, and the Witches scored a touchdown and two extra points with 3:30 left on the clock in the second quarter. The score stood 14-14. Writing later about the game, Hunton noted that “the Tigers did several things in the first half that no Brewer opponent has been able to accomplish during the campaign. They were the first team this year to score first against Brewer and the first team to score more than six points in a game against the very tough Witch defense.” At halftime, while freezing fans bought hot coffee and snacks at a concession stand and Brewer fans worried that their beloved Witches might lose the game, Perrone talked strategy with that “very tough Witch defense.” He had figured a way to stifle Perrault’s scrimmage-line creativity; if, as Hunton later wrote, Perrault suddenly “would call an automatic on

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the line,” the Witches would counter by shifting their defensive line. “Something else we started doing in the second half was blitzing our outside linebackers, John Robichaud and Steve Campbell,” Perrone recalled. “The Witches looked like a different team after the second half got under way and controlled the game from there to the end,” Hunton reported on Monday, November 23. With McGlauflin providing a key block so VanPeursem could run a two-point conversion and with a Scott Erickson interception setting up a five-yard Frank Breau TD rush at 1:55 in the fourth period, the Witches brought their fans to their feet, and the Brewer High band exultantly and repeatedly played the Brewer fight song. Playing tough throughout the second half, the Biddeford Tigers moved the ball 35 yards to the Brewer 20 late in the fourth period. Witch defenders and a Tiger penalty shut down Perrault’s first three plays; facing a fourth down and 20 with the ball on the Brewer 20-yard line, Perrault bulleted a pass and the TD to Tiger end Ron Ouellette. But Brewer scored 14 points in the third period and 20 points in the fourth period and defeated Biddeford 48-20. Playing “The

Horse” and the “Hawaii 5-0” theme, the Brewer High band marched across Garcelon Field before loading up the buses for the twohour ride north to Brewer. That glorious 1970 football season still resonates among Brewer High alumni, especially those graduates who, as students, played for Perrone, cheered for his 11-0 squad, or played in Curvin Farnham’s well-directed band. The Witches scored a breath-taking 488 points while allowing their 11 opponents only 40 cumulative points, with Biddeford scoring half that total. The only undefeated and untied high school football team in Maine that fall, Brewer placed fifth in the national rankings. A year later, the Brewer football team would not reach the Class A state championship, but would trounce the Bangor Rams at Doyle Field to end the 1971 football season. Honors fell to Ken Perrone and his players from the Class of ’72 as the only Brewer coach and graduating class to ever defeat Bangor four years in a row. It was a sweet time for Brewer football! ♠

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Bangor Marine Survived Shipwreck Off vera Cruz by Ian MacKinnon

The colorful career of John Blagden

uring his 25-year career with the Marines, John Blagden battled a fire consuming a gasoline-filled warehouse in China, helped search for Amelia Earhart, and fought at Guadalcanal. And if those exploits could not fill an adventure novel, Blagden also survived a shipwreck off Vera Cruz in Mexico. Although born in Bartlett, Tennessee in August 1903, Blagden already had Maine connections: his father, John Blagden, hailed from Carmel. Years later John Blagden would move to Maine and marry a Carmel woman — and he made Bangor his permanent home after wandering the world with the United States Marine Corps for a quarter century. Soon after his 17th birthday, Blagden joined the Marines and survived a rigorous Marine boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina. That legendary base lies on the Atlantic Ocean as does relatively nearby Hilton Head. Both locations technically are islands, but all resemblance ends there, however; every Marine “boot” who spends a sultry Low Country summer on Parris Island would appreciate Hilton

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Head’s air-conditioned splendor. In August 1920 air conditioning did not exist; Marine recruits simply endured. “Everything was new to you. You had to take it as it came. You either got through, or you didn’t,” Blagden told me when I interviewed him during the mid-1980s. From boot camp he reported to an infantry company dispatched to Haiti. Deciding to selectively enforce the Monroe Doctrine when yet another revolution disrupted Haiti’s uneasy government, President Warren Harding sent the Marines to “show the flag” and, as Blagden recalled, make “patrols to show we were still around.” In the 1920s Marines sailed with the fleet and served overseas, primarily in China and the Philippines. Except for Haiti, John Blagden remained stateside until his enlistment expired in mid-September 1922. He evidently enjoyed military life; within five months Blagden re-enlisted and soon reported aboard the USS Tacoma (C-18), a coal-burning cruiser launched at Mare Island, California in June 1903 and commissioned in January 1904. Blagden and

the ship were almost the same age; he outlived the Tacoma by many years. Assigned to the Navy’s Special Service Squadron in 1920, the USS Tacoma prowled the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico as Harding practiced an out-sized gunboat diplomacy with Latin American governments. “In December 1923, the Tacoma sailed from Balboa in the [Panama] Canal Zone and called at Galveston, Texas,” Blagden said. Then “there was some sort of trouble in Mexico, so we left Galveston for Vera Cruz.” During early morning on Wednesday, January 16, 1924, “the Tacoma was trying to get behind the Vera Cruz breakwater before a hurricane struck,” Blagden recalled. “At 5:29 a.m., while most of us were still asleep, the ship went aground on Blanquilla Reef. “Someone had extinguished the entrance buoy light and had placed another light on the reef,” Blagden said, his words hinting at maritime mischief. “Most of the crew went ashore, but some of us stayed aboard as an armed guard,” he (Continued on page 28)

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Discover Maine 28

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 27)

recalled. “When the hurricane hit, we had a rough day.” Four sailors drowned during the savage storm; among them were three radiomen and Captain Herbert Sparrow, whose career likely would have ended anyway with a court martial for stranding his ship. The Navy frowns on such behavior. “The next morning we were high and dry. The USS Richmond picked up most of us who were still on the ship and went to Tampico to refuel,” Blagden said during our interview. “A second storm blew up and wrecked the Tacoma.” The Navy held an official inquest that investigated the cruiser’s destruction, then struck the USS Tacoma from the Navy list and sold the wreck for scrap. Divers occasionally visit the sunken hulk today. Blagden’s second enlistment expired in February 1926. He traveled to Carmel to live several months with his uncles, then enlisted a third time that December. The Marines soon shipped him to Shanghai and then to Tientsin in China. Japanese troops had seized that German-held port during the Great War; now foreign troops patrolled the streets to enforce the peace. “On Christmas Day 1927, the Standard Oil Co. [in Tientsin] burned, and the Marines became firefighters. It was a mess!” Blagden re-

called. “There were three godowns, a type of warehouse perhaps 700 feet in length, which were packed with filled gasoline cans. We had a time getting those gas cans out!” The Marines returned to Shanghai. “There were troops there from Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan, keeping the foreigners out of trouble,” he said. Blagden served a few years in China before transferring to the USS Colorado (BB-45), a battleship that while based at Pearl Harbor in 1941would miss the Japanese attack on Battleship Row on Sunday, December 7. That terrible day, the Colorado was safely docked at the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Washington while undergoing an overhaul. But five years earlier, the USS Colorado and John Blagden “were at Pearl Harbor with two NROTC (Navy ROTC) companies aboard. Then came word that Amelia Earhart had disappeared, so the Colorado made a speed run from Pearl to Howland Island. “Our search found nothing,” Blagden recalled. The Marines sent him to Luzon in the Philippines in 1939. Assigned to Subic Bay Navy Base, Blagden was “the naval reservation patrol sergeant, the head of the police force. The base had a floating drydock. The only excitement occurred when the ships put into port, and the sailors tried to take over the bars!”

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During a normal duty rotation, Blagden might have stayed at Subic Bay until 1942. War clouds already rose above the Philippines horizon as Japanese forces muscled into interior China; Marine comrades still served there, and when Blagden shipped to San Diego in early June 1941, many Marines on duty in China and the Philippines wondered if Japanese troops might come calling. They did; Blagden knew some of the Marines swept up by Japanese troops occupying Chinese ports and the Philippines in early 1942. By then he belonged to the 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, soon dispatched from California to Pago Pago in American Samoa. That August, the 8th Marines and John Blagden landed on Guadalcanal Island as the United States launched its first ground attack against the Japanese Empire. The Marines fought on Guadalcanal until being shipped for rest and refitting to Wellington, New Zealand in March 1943. By then John Blagden was an old “China hand,” an experienced Leatherneck with multiple stripes on his sleeves and tales that entertained young recruits. “I was suffering from bouts with malaria, which I had contracted in Haiti, so I shipped back to the States” and a two-year assignment in Scotia, New York, he said.

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Heavy Marine casualties incurred at Iwo Jima and Okinawa meant that every Leatherneck was needed for the invasion of Japan. Blagden received orders sending him to Camp Pendleton, California in July, 1945. As did so many other Pacific-bound Marines, he celebrated when Japan surrendered that September. Retiring as a sergeant major in late 1945, Blagden moved to Maine and worked for 19 years in Base Supply at Dow Air Force Base. His wife, Annie (Worcester) Blagden, hailed from Carmel; the Blagdens settled into a modest home near Fourteenth Street on Bangor’s West Side. In the mid-1980s John Blagden still wore his Marine uniform on appropriate occasions — and the uniform, which he described as his Marine “greens” fit him comfortably. His medals included the Presidential Unit Citation received by the 8th Marine Regiment for fighting on Guadalcanal. Blagden belonged to the American Legion, the Marine Corps League, and the VFW, and volunteered his time with the Masons and Anah Temple Shrine. John Blagden died in Bangor on Friday, June 18, 1993. Born a long ways from the state he would call “home” after World War II, he proudly and capably served his country from the Caribbean to China. ♠

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Discover Maine 30

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The Life Of A Lighthouse Keeper In 1919 Revealed in a letter from the Milbridge Historical Society

by Terry Hussey

s a young girl in junior high school in 1918-1919, Louise Coates Hardie was required to make a book on lighthouses. “I must say it was an inspired assignment by some good teacher, as it was an experience I have long remembered with some affection,” she wrote in 1981. “Part of the project was writing personally to a lighthouse keeper, asking for the story of his life,” continues Hardie. “A pretty brash request I’d call it — but evidently I hit on a responsive keeper at Petit Manan Lighthouse in Milbridge, Maine, because he took the time to write the enclosed letter… I only hope I had the good sense way back then to thank him for it!” Many years later, the keeper’s letter found its way to the Maine State Archives. Archives called the Milbridge Historical Society, asking if they would like to have that letter for their museum. The full text of the keeper’s letter follows. The punctuation is the writer’s.

Petit Manan Lighthouse Milbridge, ME. 1/9/19 My Dear Madam, At your request I am sending you a brief sketch of my twelve years experience of Light House life in the District No. 1 on the Maine coast. My first station was Monhegan Island, twenty one miles to sea. The nearest town was Boothbay Harbor. We were transferred by a small steamboat every day in summer and three times a week in winter. The island is three miles long and one wide. The light house was situated on a high hill in the center of the island. There were two keepers. It was a 2nd order Vapor lamp flashing every minute. There was a village of two hundred people and from June until September about five hundred summer people lived there.

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The two keepers were very busy in summer as they had to take visitors through the tower and government buildings. I spent two years here. My next station was Saddleback Ledge, five miles to the Village of Vinalhaven. It is situated in the mouth of the East Penobscot Bay. The tower and dwelling were together. The light was 5th order fixed white light and fog bell sounding every ten seconds. The Keepers were three in number and had a furlough every ten days. Their families living on the Maine. I went to this station because the salary is the largest in the District. Stayed here three years. My next station was West Quoddy Head. The most-eastern point of land in the U.S.A. The tower and dwellings were situated on the end of this Head. The tower was striped red and white, fixed white light — a fog signal run by steam sounding three times a minute. We were three miles to the nearest village. We had to transfer our children by auto to school. We were two keepers in number, the watches were very hard as the fog never left — in summer only a few hours out of a week. I spent five years here. My next station was Petit Manan. I arrived here February first, 1917. This is a small island of 5 acres, very low — has two dwellings and school house. Tower 127 feet high and a 2nd order Vapor light flashing every two minutes. A fog signal run by crude oil engines — the whistle sounding three times a minute. The island is connected to Green Island by a bar. These two islands form a beautiful harbor — a great help in landing. This station is situated at the mouth of Pigeon Hill and Dyers Bay. It is very pretty here in summer but very bleak in winter. The winter of 1917 was a terrible experience for the three keepers. The nearest village is twelve miles away, making it bad to get supplies. With 5 naval persons and 20 men, women and children and the government only allowing a small amount of supplies at a time. We had to leave quite often for the maine. For three months the

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island was surrounded with fields of ice for miles and three times the keepers were very near losing their lives. If it had not been for the Patrol boats someone would have gone hungry a lot of times. The 2nd keeper on watch sighted a German submarine 1-1/6 miles east of Tower, making quite a lot of excitement. News came over phone the German sub was coming east at a speed of 12 miles an hour. It was sun down. The keeper on watch saw a four mast schooner four miles south of station. Took launch and went out to warn them they had better make a harbor. Arrived back at eleven pm. The keeper on watch saw a vessel December 7 making for the island with sails all torn and a flag in rigging, union down. It was blowing a heavy gale W.W. and zero. They tried to make their anchor hold in the lea of the island. It did not and they blowed out to sea. I telephoned everywhere for a tug boat to save their lives. At last we got SP [Shore Patrol] 265 at Nauset [Cape Cod]. Capt. Hadlock found the vessel nearly full water, sails all gone, towed them to the nearest harbor. We have a nice house. Hot water heat. Electric lights and telephone, a new launch, a 88 note player piano with one hundred dollars worth music, a good library and four daily papers. There is three of us in my family, my wife and a little girl five years old. Our Keepers all have large families. The Salaries have been raised this year. Principal Keeper receives $109, 2nd keeper $88, third keeper, $73. Our trouble now is a school teacher for the twelve children here. The Government teacher has been here three weeks this year. We want a teacher one month at a time, not one week. When we get the educational part for these children under control everything will be fine. Trusting I have made my life plain to you I will close. Respectfully yours, Leo Allen

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

Camp Island Stranded for 14 days, two brothers tell their tale by Heath and John C. Norris Note: the following is a true story which took place Down East off Roque Bluffs in September of 1978. Let’s go!” shouted my brother John as I hurriedly piled our belongings into the NANA, a leaky aluminum boat. We had prepared ourselves to the utmost degree, yet I checked the list once again. In our boat was everything we would ever need for the excursion — enough food to last four days, backpacks, goosedown sleeping bags, tent, camp stove, ten gallons of water and scuba diving equipment. As I breathed in the fresh salt air, I realized the beauty which surrounded me. The warm, glistening sun sat in a cloudless sky, a rich field of blue which stretched endlessly into the horizon. The brilliant sunbeams shimmering off the opaque green of the ocean waves gave the adjacent cliffs and evergreens a peaceful, picturesque glow. The blustering wind added a strange, ominous essence to the scene — yet we didn’t take heed of that stupendous breeze. We could not have known the black secret it had in store for us.

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Heading eastward toward our destination the situation became horrendous because the dilapidated craft cleared the water surface by a scant six inches. The weak outboard motor barely offered enough “oomph” to clear the four-foot swells. John manipulated the boat, and I bailed with fervor. We battled the waves for what seemed an interminable period, until I finally caught a glimpse of the two islands from the crest of a wave. “Land ho!” I hollered with ardent zeal. We landed in a drenched and weary state, yet the sight was so breathtaking that we just stared in wonder and amazement. The two islands, or “the Brothers,” as they are called, are certainly unique for several reasons. Shades of rich green, golden yellow and burnt amber engulfed the entire place. We slowly carried our belongings to the weather-beaten shack on the leeward side of the island. When I opened the door I was surrounded by an onrush of squawking sparrows that had used the shack as a mammoth birdhouse. Bird droppings were one inch thick on the floor, and the scene was extremely repulsive. I must say the odor didn’t help our discomfort much, either. After cleaning the shack we began to explore this fantasy land. The two islands were

nearly identical. Rich, rolling grasslands ran rhythmically into the sparkling sea beyond. A few barren dead trees guarded the place like sentinels of a past and forgotten age. Astounding granite formations of diversified structure skirted other sections of the islands. Their bright hues of amber, magenta and sage green burst skyward in gorgeous jagged formations. The color contrast was magnified because no other land was in close proximity. Precipitous rust-colored cliffs fell sharply to the wild frothing monster one hundred feet below. The swells thundered and boomed against the cliff faces with deafening sounds and raw vibrant power. I had a weird sense of omnipotence and also an undefined fear as I took in the ethereal beauty of the magic spot. When I awoke the next morning the beauty had totally vanished. Thick gray rolls of fog hovered pretentiously over our tiny refuge. The gloomy mass stretching into oblivion changed the mood of both myself and the island. We now realized that our boat was useless, and a sense of uneasiness was subtly felt. We wondered how long the fog would last and if we actually were prepared. We also realized that food rationing was extremely essential, and that we could only hope for a break in the weather. Our hopes and aspirations figured a

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lifting of the fog after four days, but we had no such luck. Our food lasted six days because of rationing procedures, including some of the mussels we had gathered. A killing fear was settling deeper in our bones with each passing hour. Diving on the seventh day helped to replace our dwindling food supply. The underwater currents were severe in strength and haphazard in direction. This made our task all the more dangerous, and John nearly drowned. We brought in six small lobsters and three crabs. We disregarded the heavy fine because of the ever-present pang in our stomachs. Now we could feast on steamed lobster and delicate crabmeat where not more than three hours earlier starvation was on our minds. After the food was gone we sat in the firelight and tried to grasp some conception of our fate. We sat shivering in the mist, cold, weary and disconsolate. A new sustenance had to be established but little to be found gave us less hope. Rocks, grass and seaweed tasted poorly, though Eulle Gibbons had said the latter wasn’t bad after sufficient boiling. We tried it. Yukk! As a duck flew overhead I jumped with excitement. We could throw stones at them! I (Continued on page 34)

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scurried over to the other island to begin my search, and John looked on the main island. I flushed several ducks but rocks were not very effective weapons. Even upon hitting two of them I realized the futility of my efforts as they flew onward. My mood was now deflated as I headed back to the shack. The anguish and fear inside of me sickened my stomach. A soft rain had drenched me, and I trudged on in a frozen state as the tears flowed from my eyes. I then saw a nest full of enormous speckled duck eggs. I gathered them and ran jubilantly back to our humble abode. We boiled the eggs in seawater and to our dismay they were apparently fertilized. Blood squirted out of them when they were cracked. Our ups and downs had totally depressed us, and things were very grim on the morning of the thirteenth foggy day. We had one gigantic succulent orange remaining. We wished that we had prepared ourselves more thoroughly. The wind howled, the waves grew larger, and our spirits dropped lower. Suddenly we heard a foghorn. As we squinted through the translucent haze we saw a Coast Guard boat heading towards us. Our joy was immeasurable. We loaded up when the

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

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the saga Of the gouldsboro shaws Several family members hold a place in history by Charles Francis

t is said that remarkable circumstances breed remarkable men. If this is so, it certainly applies to the Shaw family, whose history is closely linked to that of the town of Gouldsboro. In fact, several of the members of the Shaw family have borne the name Gould. The most famous of those is Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, whose exploits were portrayed by Matthew Broderick in the Civil War movie Glory. The Gould name — or more specifically that of Robert Gould — was given to several Shaws in honor of Robert Gould, for whom Gouldsboro was named. The first Robert Gould Shaw was born in Gouldsboro — or Gouldsborough as it was then called — in 1776. He was the son of Francis Shaw, a Boston merchant, who was closely associated with Robert Gould in the founding of Gouldsboro. In 1770 Francis Shaw and Robert Gould began investing substantial amounts of money in the township that was to become Goulds-

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boro. They and other investors had a vision of Down East Maine as the chief agricultural producer of New England. They saw the region being settled by hardy Yankee farmers who would clear the impinging forests and establish farms which would sell their produce to the markets of Boston and further south. The chief port for the region was to be Gouldsboro. The Revolution, however, put a stop to the grand scheme, and both Shaw and Gould lost a good deal of money. The setback did not put a stop to the Shaw family’s interest in Gouldsboro and Maine, though, most notably that of Robert Gould Shaw, the son of Francis Shaw. Robert Gould Shaw left Gouldsboro in 1789 to go to work in his Uncle William’s Boston accounting firm. Eventually, he went into business for himself, acquiring a substantial fortune through an association with Baring Brothers of London, the English banking firm which took over William Bingham’s east-

ern Maine lands. Shaw himself invested heavily in Maine land, more than recouping the family losses of the Revolutionary period with his investments. In his later years Robert Gould Shaw devoted himself to a variety of social causes. These ranged from the abolition of slavery to establishing a home for the orphans of mariners lost at sea. In the latter cause Shaw bequeathed $110,000 to establish the Shaw Fund for Mariner’s Children. It was an incredible sum for the time. That fund still exists today, and is administered by a board of directors to provide financial aid to the children of sea-going mariners with monetary problems. Samuel Shaw, Francis Shaw’s eldest son, served as aide-de-camp to General Henry Knox during the Revolution. He was also Knox’s chief aide when Knox was Secretary of War. Samuel Shaw went on to be the first (Continued on page 36)

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 35)

officially recognized American representative in China, serving as Consul in Canton. Francis George Shaw, the eldest son of Robert Gould Shaw, continued his father’s devotion to social causes. Among other things, he proposed the first successful reform school in the United States, the Reform School of Massachusetts, was active in mariner and seamen relief organizations, and an ardent supporter of abolition. In the latter cause he served as president of the Freedman’s Relief Association. Francis Shaw and his wife Sarah numbered Harriet Beecher Stowe and William Lloyd Garrison among their close family friends. It was Francis George Shaw’s son, Robert Gould Shaw, who brought the greatest amount of fame to the Shaw name as commanding officer of the 54th Massachusetts, a Union regiment made up of black recruits. Robert Gould Shaw died a hero’s death at the age of 25, leading the 54th Regiment into intense Rebel fire in an attempt to storm Fort Wagner at Charleston, South Carolina. At the start of the war in 1861 Shaw enlisted as a private in the 7th New York before transferring to the 2nd Massachusetts, where his natural leadership abilities led to a rapid promotion to captain. In 1863 he was offered command of the first black regiment to be recruited in the North. At first declining on the grounds that he was too inexperienced for regimental command, he finally accepted the position with the encouragement and support of his abolitionist parents. As commanding officer of the 54th, Shaw paid special attention to drilling his men and seeing to their needs, which included getting them regular uniforms and demanding they receive regular pay. As the 54th’s colonel, Shaw went well beyond what was exacted of him by leading his troops in the attack on Fort Wagner rather that directing them from the rear. He was shot through the heart just as he was

about to reach the top of the fort’s parapet. Because he was the commander of a black regiment, the Confederates stripped his body and dumped it into the mass grave with the rest of the dead of the 54th. Later his parents said they could hope for “no holier place” for his remains than with those of “his brave and devoted soldiers.” Robert Gould Shaw was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

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Today there are a number of memorials to Shaw and the 54th, including ones in Boston and Washington, DC. The saga of the Shaw family that played an important part in the founding of Gouldsboro is truly a remarkable one. It speaks of a time of heroes rising up to face the challenges of times long past but not forgotten.♠

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

raleigh, ralph, rags and Me

A true Maine hunting story from years gone by by Art Wheaton

Pictured left to right: Arthur R. Wheaton (author’s grandfather, holding the Winchester 45-70 rifle that made its way via U.S. mail many years later to the author, Ralph Beach, Compy Bacon, and Harley Fitch.

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rom an old family bible, the late Florence Beach Wallace, (daughter of Ralph and Hope Wheaton Beach) took the old tattered poem. She carefully and gently opened the fragile, folded paper that had been pressed thin between the pages. It was cracked and slightly yellowed with age, written in pencil and in the Old English style by Arthur R. Wheaton (1866-1938). This true story, from “the old days,” is probably meaningless to most folks, but it struck a chord of sentiment with me. It talked about a little hunting trip around 1919, involving Raleigh Neal of Waite, my grandfather, Arthur R. Wheaton, his dog Rags, and my uncle, Ralph S. Beach of Grand Lake Stream, Maine. It’s just a collection of words unless you knew the characters, each one a skilled woodsman and Maine guide, living when times were tough by today’s standards. Hard work and careful ingenuity was necessary to earn a living from the woods and waters. This was a time when our army returned from the Great War, Woodrow Wilson signed the Treaty of Versailles, and licensed (since 1897) Maine guides, with their sports, hunted deer, often using double end canoes paddled on the river and lake highways. One day my copy of this little poem came to life when my father related the true story behind those crafted rhymes. A story that reflected details of the journey and my grandfather’s own impressions of the world he lived in. Wonderful prose written by woodsmen, hunters and lumbermen who put their thoughts to words when time was not measured in dollars, but in sentiment and sensitivity to the world around them was not

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particularly uncommon in those days. In this case the imprint on his mind was converted to paper in mild protest of the times. One day, years after the discovery of the old paper in the family bible, I asked my father, “Do you remember the story?” “I remember the hunt,” he said. “Hold on a minute,” I responded, and grabbed my tape recorder. At his then-home in Forest City, Maine, my father, Woodie Wheaton (1909-1990), told me his recollection of the hunting trip that was the basis for the poem. “I know they paddled up at night and they came back in the night. Three canoes,” he said, “they took three canoes.” “They left from Grand Lake Stream and went to the foot of Compass (Pocompus), the old Bill Ellesmore campground, North Wabash Stream.” (A distance totaling 14 miles —comprised of eight miles to Coffin Point and another six to the old Ellesmore campground). “The state’s got a god-dammed campground there now —you could put up a hundred tents. The remnants of the old Bill Ellesmore Lumber Camp were evident but pretty much disintegrated at the time. They cut spruce all along there.” “When do you figure this took place, Dad?” I asked, “what year?” “Oh Jesus, I don’t know, but I’d say that I couldn’t have been more than ten years old (circa 1919), because I can remember the old man shot two bucks. Ralph shot a buck and a doe, and Raleigh shot two lambs. They were only there two nights, so they shot them six deer in two days. See, they got there in the middle of the night or early morning, pitched that tent, and then slept a little bit and hunted that day, stayed the next night, and hunted that day, and come home that night, see?” “Rags” was an old Fox spaniel dog (I suspect a Fox-terrier mongrel of some sort) we had at the time. Dad said, “I used to shoot a few birds over that dog. He was a treeing dog. We shot 60 birds here in the

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first year we used him. He’d bark, he’d tree ‘em and we’d go and shoot ‘em.” “Partridge, you mean?” I asked. “Lots of nights I’d go with that dog after school and get five or six birds,” he said. “Who was Raleigh?” I asked. My father said, “He was a relative of my father’s [a cousin], a guide and farmer. Raleigh Neal [1886-1958] was his name. And, Ralph S. Beach [1892-1972] married one of my sisters — he was a first class guide.” “I also remember that dog Rags. We’d pull these deer up to the yard from the barn — the old place [his boyhood home]. This foolish dog would guard them — he’d growl like hell if you come near ‘em. Christ, he couldn’t even bite his biscuit, you know, but he was going to guard the hell out of them deer.” “I know my father took them two deer to Boston. He took my mother along. He sold them to Bachelor and Schneider in Boston and they paid all their expenses. They took the train out of Princeton.” What would they get for the deer? “Oh, I guess $60.00 apiece for a good big deer.” And what were guiding wages then? “Oh, no more than $3.00 [a day],” my father said. “It was perfectly legal to shoot two deer and to sell them.” Later my father repeated to me again that he was about ten years old and the reason they paddled at night was due to the fact there was no wind. He also said, “Ralph carried a Winchester [Model 1886] 45-70 ½ magazine that held four shells, while Raleigh had a caliber 45-90 [Winchester Model 1886]. Arthur had his own Winchester [1886] 45-70.” Often good stories of the past are lost, or live only in the memory of the living. In this case we can relive this little adventure from my father’s recollection and the author’s creative words. Those days of long ago will live on in this poem. Here is the story from my grandfather’s old English scrawl.

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(Continued on page 40)

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— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 39)

Raleigh & Ralph & Rags & Me The plot was ripe; the wind went down At twilight, cool and clear, The hunters started on their way To stalk the foxy deer. Away they went upon the lake, Silently, side by side. At last they came to their camping ground; Which ended their dark long ride. The camp was made, the night was spent. Upon the ground they pitched their tent. At 4 A.M. I heard someone say, “Come boys,” don’t sleep all day!” Then we rolled out and scalt the tea, While Ralph made slugs for Raleigh and me. On each left arm laid a trusty gun, And a lot of damage each had done. With harness on and stars so bright, We hit the trail before ‘twas light. With ears so keen and silent tread, It could not be long ‘til a deer was dead. The days sped on and every night, We spun our yarns around camp fire bright. The yarns were true, as blood did tell, That many a buck his life did sell. The hunt was o’er, ‘tis now a dream, Our pleasant stay on Wabash Stream.

On Sunday morn we slept quite late, At half past ten we pulled our freight. Canoes were full, don’t tell the State, I know a warden’s heart would ache. And as I dream of the mossy floor, I seem to hear the same wind roar. I seem to see the antlered buck That gave us each our steak of luck. The stately buck and the timid doe Can never tell their tale of woe. The handsome buck, the doe, the fawn, They had their chance but some are gone. And we will follow, soon or late. Little it matters to the State, Where it’s graft, the rest is hate. Now think it o’er, my trusty friend, We’ll be here once and then the end. My pipe’s gone out but still I dream, Of our little party at Wabash Stream. I’m getting old but my heart is young. Worse songs than this are often sung. My eyes are dim but still I see, Raleigh and Ralph and Rags and me. —Arthur Rutledge Wheaton,1866-1938

Lewis & Karen Scribner, owner/operators

Eat In or Take Out

454-0500 Open sunday 6-2 Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs & Sat 6-2 Fri 6-7

Epilogue: Somehow this adventure did not end due to the inquisitive mind of my brother Lance, who wondered whatever happened to granddad’s gun? So here is the rest of the story. Lance, prior to a Grand Lake Stream Registered Guides meeting one day, dropped in to visit with Kenneth Wheaton (my father’s cousin). He mentioned that we had a picture of our grandfather, Arthur R. Wheaton, with some deer and his old gun. Out of the clear blue, Kenneth told Lance, “I know the person who bought that gun. Give me a little time and I think I can find his address.” Lo and behold, after a couple weeks Kenneth produced a name and address of a man near New Haven, Connecticut. Lance wrote a letter to him and received a response from the man’s son who said his father had passed away some time ago, but the old rusty gun was still upstairs in the closet and he would be glad to give it to him. The gun showed up via U.S. mail and although the condition was poor, it was in fact granddad’s old Winchester 45-70, immediately identifiable by the X’s notched in the comb of the stock. After great doses of hot water, cleaning solvent and gun oil, it would function once again, and although a remnant from another time, the provenance and sentiment remains. If this old warhorse could only tell its life story about its adventures in the Maine woods, and about the nights spent at “WishCumTru,” my grandfather’s hunting camp, about the numerous treks along many a cool November moonlit trail, about the often stroke of bad luck of beheaded “patridge” that got in its way, and of course, the whitetail deer hung on the camp game pole. Lance gave that old Model 1886 Winchester lever action rifle, with its well worn shiny receiver, faded wood stock with the X’s carved by jackknife, and its broken butt plate to my son. Arthur R. Wheaton would be pleased that his great grandson Shane will now carry the old 45-70 and continue a great family tradition.♠

One Local Family... Two Great Businesses

ARRIS pOIn Cabins & Motel

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— Hancock & Washington Countie —

Discover Maine

The St. Croix Club in Calais. Item #112582 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

Calais Motor Inn “The Inn For All Seasons”

Cable TV Convenient Parking Indoor Olympic Size Pool & Health Spa

the Commons

Naturally wonderful goods and events!

For Reservations Please Call:

(207) 454-7111

or toll-free: 1-800-439-5531 663 Main Street, Calais, Maine 04619 Less than a mile from the International Bridge

History with the click of a mouse Digital editions now available online!

www.DiscoverMaineMagazine.com

Over 90 area artisans. Authentic hand-crafted arts. Open Year Round Mon.-Sat. 10am-6pm Sunday 1-5pm (summer)

Two elegant 4-season waterfront suites with full kitchen for weekly rental in Eastport’s walkable seaside historic district.

207-853-4123

www.thecommonseastport.com

Discover Maine 42

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

Hancock House in Ellsworth. Item #100693 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

The Old Creamery Antique Mall

Stop and see us year-round!

located in downtown ellsworth

42 dealers, 6,000 sq. ft.

Downeast Maine’s Most Diverse Antique Shopping Experience Open 7 days a week 10am-5pm Always buying and selling antiques and collectibles.

207-667-0522

13 Hancock Street, ellsworth www.oldcreameryantiquemall.com • oldcreamery@downeast.net

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207-667-6228 • www.acadiavillageresort.com 50 resort Way • ellsworth, Maine

The holmes Agency Insurance Since 1868

Downeast Maine’s Insurance Tradition ~ Call For Quotes ~

667-8100

6 state street • ellsworth www.holmesagency.com

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

Discover Maine

the genealogy Corner Searching for long-lost relatives down east by Charles Francis

e all have long-lost relatives. It could be the black sheep of the family who went west and settled in California or Washington. For a time there was a scattered correspondence and then it died off. Perhaps it is a family member who enlisted in the military, someone from the West or Midwest who ended up settling in one of the eastern states upon being mustered out of the service. Perhaps this individual ended up in Maine, somewhere Down East, in Hancock or Washington County. Lewis Hodgkins of Indiana did just this after serving in the Union Army in the War Between the States. Hodgkins was mustered out of the Army at the end of hostilities, and rather than returning to Indiana, made his way to New York. In Pine Plains he met a young girl named Julia Tompkins and married her. Then the couple headed to Maine, where they settled in Ellsworth. This was after Lewis earned a medical degree at Dartmouth. Relatives back home eventually lost track of both. All that remained was a tradition that they settled in Ellsworth, Maine but no one knew for sure. It is a common happenstance. How do you check out family traditions such as these? How would one go about discovering if Lewis and Julia Hodgkins did indeed make their home in Ellsworth? There are actually a variety of ways to trace family mem-

Pri Steen Builders

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bers who were born or died or who once lived in Ellsworth or elsewhere Down East. A good place to begin is the Family History Center. There is one in Ellsworth on Beechland Road, and one in Machias on Court Street. Before you go to either, however, you might want to check out the family search website on the Internet. The information on it comes from the same organization that operates the Family History Centers, the Church of the Latter Day Saints. The Internet address of the latter is www.familysearch.org. You can find the phone number of the Family History Center nearest you in the telephone book. A call will provide you with the hours the center is open. There is something one should keep in mind regarding the information provided by these resources, however. All information available on the web or at the Family History Centers was collected by volunteers. Mistakes in spelling and dates are common in recording data. Family History Centers are a good place to begin researching family history as they are quite broad-based. There are other immediate resources in the Down East region, however, including the city and town offices found there. Many just starting to look into their family history overlook some of the most obvious

Mednow Clinic

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local resources, such as the offices where municipal records are kept. Town and city clerks are accustomed to fielding queries of a genealogical nature. They can usually point out the books which are the most likely repositories of birth, death and (Continued on page 44)

The Eagle’s Lodge

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667-3311 888-667-3311

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5 LOng LAnE, ELLSWORTH • 667-4655

Conveniently located to Bangor & Bar Harbor 278 High Street • Ellsworth

www.eagleslodge.com

Discover Maine 44

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 43)

marriage records of a particular individual without much difficulty if they have a general date and proper name spelling to work from. Some city and town clerks will actually look up information for a small fee. Of course, there is a fee for various document copies. As a general statement, local records in any Maine town or city that date from prior to 1900 are accessible to the general public. Records after l 900 are sometimes only available to immediate family members or others with a legal right to know. The public library is another source of genealogical data. They may have such resources as city directories and the vital records. The Ellsworth Public Library has a genealogy section which includes the Alvin S. Whitmore Collection of local history and genealogy. The Calais Free Library has the Genealogy Room. The Barracks Museum in Eastport has a room devoted to genealogy. One should also check out obituaries from local newspapers such as the Ellsworth American, or its predecessor the Herald or the old Eastport Sentinel. County clerk offices are another often overlooked source of genealogical information. The same caveats as for city and town clerks apply here. Beyond the immediate confines of the Down East region, there are the State of Maine offices that serve as repositories of vital records. These are the Maine State Archives and the Maine State Office of Vital Statistics. Both are in Augusta. The Maine State Archives has birth, death and marriage records for every town in Maine from l892 to 1922. The Office of Vital Statistics has records from 1923 to the present. The Office of Vital Statistics also has divorce records. Both offices charge fees for various services. As for Lewis and Julia (Thompson) Hodgkins, they indeed settled in Ellsworth. Perhaps it had something to do with being

close to the sea that was so far away from Indiana. Then again it may have had something to do with the fact Ellsworth was so far away from the scenes of Civil War violence and mayhem. Lewis Hodgkins had been captured and imprisoned by Rebels not once, but three times. City directories show that Lewis Hodgkins practiced medicine in Ellsworth. Lewis and Julia Hodgkins had a son, also named Lewis. He followed in his father’s footsteps as a physician. His name also appears in city directories. The younger Dr. Hodgkins

married Ida Norris of Ellsworth. They had a son, Norris. Information like the above on Lewis and Julia Hodgkins is all easily obtainable by researching just a few books and other sources readily available in Ellsworth. All that is necessary in many cases — as in that of Lewis and Julia — is approximate dates and possibilities of residence.♠ other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

Main Street, Ellsworth, ca. 1948. Item #26122 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and www.VintageMaineImages.com

Coastal Car Care, Inc. import & domestic Tune-Ups • Brakes • A/C Service Computer diagnostics Used Cars • State Inspections

CoMPlete tire ServiCe, inC.

207-667-4450 560 High St. • Ellsworth, ME

Enjoy Discover Maine All Year! Discover Maine Magazine is published nine times each year in regional issues that span the entire State of Maine. Each issue is distributed for pick up, free of charge, only in the region for which it is published. It is possible to enjoy Discover Maine year ‘round by having all nine issues mailed directly to your home or office. Mailings are done four times each year, 3 issues sent in your first mailing, 2 issues each in your other 3 mailings.

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High Street, Ellsworth

207-667-5344

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

Discover Maine

EAGLE ARBORICULTURE Professional Tree & Shrub Care

e h T

Fully Insured

Gifts Tin Signs Cowhide Rugs Authentic Wood Lobster Traps Buoys •Fishnet Leather Backpacks SheepSkin: Auto Seat Covers Custom Motorcycle Seat Covers Slippers , Mittens, Hats & Rugs

Richard Sprague P.O. Box 147 Mt. Desert 04660 Phone: 207-667-3526 Cell: 207-460-8483 Email: Rdspainter@yahoo.com

20 Years Experience

If 72 7B ew ar Ha e m rb or iss Rd ., R us . t. 3, .. Tr en Tu to n, rn ME a 04 ro 60 5 • und 66 ! 4- 7 47 4

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, ca. 1910. The lighthouse sits at the entrance to Bass Harbor on Mt. Desert Island. It was built in 1858. This is part of a collection of photographs that include scenes of Mt. Desert Island, Porcupine Island, Eggemoggin Reach to Rockland in Penobscot Bay and the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. Item #7813 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and www.VintageMaineImages.com

blacksheeptrading.com

Country store

antiques, Books & Wine Stop on your way to Acadia! 3 full floors with over 30 antique dealers and a wine shop with gourmet Maine food and other items. 9:30-5:30 Sat. - Wed. 9:30-7pm Thurs. & Fri.

410 Bar Harbor road • trenton

207-667-5922

MAINE’S OWN TREATS Come see and taste for yourself.

Pruning • Removals Insect & Disease Control Firewood • Bark Mulch Loam • Compost • Stump Grinding Consulting Arborist Licensed & Certified

over 30 flavors of jams and syrups made here at our gift shop.

Call Billy guess at 664-2522 www.eaglearboriculture.com

Write or Call For our Free Mail order Brochure

eaglearb@roadrunner.com Trenton, ME 04605

www.mainesowntreats.com

Gift Packs Many other Maine Food Products Free Samples Wholesale & Mail order

Open All Year

(207) 667-8888 68 Bar Harbor Road • Trenton, ME 04605

Discover Maine 46

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

the Bluenose special Ferry service started 50 years before “The Cat” by Ian MacKinnon

lmost 50 years before “The Cat” initially zipped from Bar Harbor in Maine to Yarmouth in Nova Scotia, a maritime connection between the American state and the Canadian province started as an idea to reduce transportation time and ex-

penses. That concept took seven years to coalesce into reality as the M.V. Bluenose, a 600passenger ferry. Although the Maine Turnpike opened in the late 1940s, Interstate 95 would not reach Bangor until the early 1960s and Houlton until the

Street bakery & e g de tta li co café • bistro

Hillard W. Walls & Sons

open 6:30 am to 10pm

full deli Sandwiches •burgers lunch • dinner dine inside or outside

Stop in evenings for spaghetti, manicotti, pizza and more!

breakfaSt all day

beside the post office on cottage Street.

under the red & White awning - 288-3010

www.cottagestbakery.com

The Bayview

Bar Harbor Stands Apart...

Elegant accommodations, ocean views and courteous service are just a few of the things that make the Bayview so special. We invite you to discover the others.

207-288-5861 or 1-800-356-3585 111 Eden Street • Bar Harbor, ME 04609

www.thebayviewbarharbor.com

Plumbing, Heating & Fuel oil ~ Since 1968 ~

• 24 Hour emergency Service • Sales, Service, installation • guaranteed Work • Water Pumps

288-3087 Fax: 288-4417 270 Main Street Bar Harbor

late ‘60s. In 1949, however, I-95 remained only a proposal, as Nova Scotia officials discussed what they could do to shorten the 600-mile overland route to the United States. In those years, Nova Scotians often vacationed “south of the border,” and provincial manufacturers

Gram’s Pizza Bar Harbor’s Favorite Pizza

• • • •

Large or small pizzas Eat in or Hot & cold sandwiches take out Wraps Check out our homemade fishcake burgers or oven-baked mac & cheese • Boxed lunches

270 Main St. Bar Harbor

residential • Commercial • industrial

We deliver

288-0747

One Great Company... Two Great Locations!

Main Street Market

& Lobster Pound Food, Spirits & Billiards Serving a full pub menu & lobster dishes Outdoor cookers & live lobster tank

288-0562 6 Pleasant Street • Bar Harbor

Daily Specials Lobster Rolls Lobster Stew Hot & Cold Sandwiches Beer & Wine Open Daily for

Breakfast & Lunch 7 Days from 5am-10pm

317 Main St. • Bar Harbor, Me. 288-8185

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

and farmers shipped products to American markets. “Getting there faster” would cut transportation costs and make Nova Scotian products more competitive. A proposal surfaced to establish a ferry service between hither and yon, the “hither” located somewhere in Nova Scotia and the “yon” somewhere in Maine, the nearest American landfall to Halifax et al. Yarmouth in southwest Nova Scotia provided a deep water port, and Canadian sights were set on Bar Harbor as a logical American counterpart. Canadian officials broached the idea to an initial lukewarm response in Bar Harbor, but a 1949 meeting saw the proposal gain key local support. Canadian engineers visited Bar Harbor to find a suitable deep water site and targeted Wingwood, an Eden Street (Route 3) estate belonging to the Stotesbury family. The property afforded sufficient ocean frontage and depth and lay “inside” the Bar Harbor Breakwater and the Porcupine Islands; these man-made and natural obstacles would protect the site against onshore storms. Bar Harbor voters authorized municipal officials to acquire and rezone Wingwood for a ferry terminal, and the Hancock County legislative delegation supported a 1951 bill to fund its construction. In typical Statehouse

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to order Call or Write to: the Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce P.o. Box 158, Bar Harbor, Me 04609

political fashion, the bill languished until 1953, when legislators finally okayed spending $1,000,000 (then considered a significant sum). Meanwhile, construction commenced in October 1952 on a $4,000,000 ferry at Davie Shipbuilding Limited (now MIL-Davie) in Lauzon, Province of Quebec. A Canadian contractor started rebuilding a Yarmouth wharf that December, and just before Christmas 1953, American and Canadian officials inked an agreement to initiate ferry service between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth. With her keel laid in July 1954, the new ferry took the name “Bluenose,” a colloquial Atlantic Maritime phrase describing Nova Scotians. The term has resonated among Canadian sailors ever since the fishing schooner Bluenose swept to victory to win the International Fishermen’s Trophy during a 1921 race. Davie Shipbuilding Limited launched the new Bluenose in May 1955. Measuring almost 320 feet from stem to stern, the new ferry could carry 150 vehicles, 600 passengers and 96 crewmembers. Vehicles loaded through doors placed in the ship’s port hull; loading the Bluenose took time, and required a parking dexterity that passengers would never need ashore.

Discover Maine

On June 8, 1956 the Bluenose made her inaugural voyage from Yarmouth to Bar Harbor. The event drew attention from local folks and the state media; onlookers occupied good vantage points along Mount Desert Island’s Frenchman Bay shore to watch the ferry approach the terminal built where the Stotesbury estate had been torn down. The appropriate American and Canadian dignitaries delivered the appropriate speeches while truckers waited to utilize the maritime shortcut. On a smaller scale, the Bluenose provided a traveling style akin to the ocean liners still plying the Atlantic between Europe and North America. Passengers could eat aboard the ferry or rent cabins that sheltered weary or seasick people during the vessel’s typical sixhour voyage across the Gulf of Maine. For 21st-century Mainers accustomed to the quick crossing offered by “The Cat,” six hours might seem an eternity today. In 1956, however, neither I-95 nor most portions of the TransCanada existed, so drivers could not zoom from Nova Scotia to the United States on well-maintained high-speed highways. Where that 600- mile drive around the Bay of Fundy usually required an overnight stay somewhere en route, a six-hour cruise aboard (Continued on page 48)

Canterbury Cottage Bed & Breakfast

Pet Friendly

Your hosts: Jennifer & Andre Lozano

207-288-5103 or 800-358-8550 “Committed to consistent quality food service and friendly hospitality for nearly 20 years.

www.barharbormaine.com e-mail: visitors@barharborinfo.com Only $10.00 Includes Shipping!

isLaNd auTO rEpair Foreign & domestic Specializing in Complete Automotive Repairs From Tune Ups to Major Engine Repair State Inspections

oPen Year round Cozy and comfortable accommodations in the heart of Bar Harbor.

12 Roberts Avenue Bar Harbor, ME 04609

207-288-2112

207-288-5388

Martha Helfrich & Rob Rochon, Innkeepers

1391 State Hwy. 102 • Bar Harbor, ME

www.canterburycottage.com

mdiauto.com • lesfossix@yahoo.com

VISIT OuR WEB SITE AT:

Open 7 nights a week Full Lunch Service Early Bird Special Menu 4:30-6:30pm Call for reservations

288.3700 185 Main Street, Bar Harbor M/V/D/ AAA ♦♦♦

Discover Maine 48 (Continued from page 47)

the Bluenose afforded high adventure on the high seas. Those passengers willing to venture onto the ferry’s outer deck might spy whales spouting to pod or starboard or see fishing trawlers working the international waters. Freighters and tankers standing into Saint John in New Brunswick might pass the Bluenose some distance away, and occasionally — just occasionally — an unidentified periscope might rise above the waves as a sub skipper examined the stately ship. Of course, the Bluenose dealt with weather issues, and passengers frequently dealt with motion sickness.Teenagers, or at least those not sickened, often shared a table or packed the lunch counter to watch their plates and glasses slide back and forth as the solidly built ferry pounded through rolling seas. During stormy weather, walking along the ferry’s inner corridors could challenge even seasoned sailors. For 20 years the Bluenose sailed year-round. Tourist traffic naturally collapsed in winter, only to pick up again in summer, but truckers loved the ferry for her ability to reduce their time to market. The ship became a Bar Harbor institution, with the ferry terminal and affili-

Your Hosts the Hanscom Family Welcome You to

Cromwell Harbor

MOTEL

359 Main Street, Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 www.cromwellharbor.com

(207) 288-3201 1-800-544-3201

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

ated parking lots stretching from the shore to Eden Street. Customs officials from the United States and Canada staffed the inspection facilities at the respective ports, and the Bluenose brought to Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island thousands of people, both tourists and truckers, who would have never set foot there. Time and technology gradually outmoded the venerable Bluenose, which shed its yearround service in 1976. Her owner, C.N. Marine, opted to replace the ferry in the 1980s with the Bluenose II, a much larger ship. The Bluenose departed Bar Harbor at 8 A.M. on October 16, 1982 and made her last run to

Yarmouth. The American-owned Electric Boat Company purchased the vessel for use as a support ship based at the company’s subbuilding shipyard in Groton, Connecticut. Mainers who sailed aboard the Bluenose will remember — and not always fondly — the ferry’s motion in the seas typical to the Gulf of Maine. The Bluenose also helped introduce many Mainers to the delights of Nova Scotia, a province that shares similar weather patterns and a rich maritime heritage with the Pine Tree State.♠ other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

Cars at the summit of Cadillac Mountain. Item #114465 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

The Burning Tree gourmet seafood • vegetarIan speCIaltIes only fresh, local seafood • organic produce — Owner Chefs —

serving Dinner 5-10pm • Closed tuesdays reservations recommended • 288-9331 Otter Creek, 9 miles from Northeast Harbor, 5 miles from Bar Harbor

Jordan’s Restaurant David Paine, owner “Home of Bar Harbor’s Best Blueberry Muffin”

• Breakfast Served All Day • Salads • Sandwiches • Fresh Maine Lobster Rolls • Breakfast & Lunch Specials • Open 5am til 2pm

288-3586

80 Cottage Street • Bar Harbor

antiques & Old Books

Main street, at the head of sea street, Northeast Harbor, Me 04662 JoAnne and Richard Fuerst Right here since 1976, and well-known for quality antiques: always select, uncommon and interesting - worth a visit! We are happy to ship your purchases from Pine Bough and Wikhegan

WIKHegaN BOOKs

Carefully selected rare and used books, our recently enlarged Book Room (at Pine Bough) has something for everyone. Special emphasis on nautical and Mt. Desert Region out-of-print titles! Both shops open daily in season (except sunday & Monday). Year-round by appointment.

207-276-5079

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

Discover Maine

Park Theatre building, Southwest Harbor. Item #102563 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

Open 7 Days

fernandez Gift Shop

Cooking from scratch for 25 years, featuring fresh lobster, fish and crabmeat daily, hand-cut steaks, salads, chowder, burgers and homemade desserts

SuNDay bRuNCH 11aM Lodging • Nightly Rates Double Occupancy Suites Open Year Round

• SWEATERS Knit-in designs in acrylic • HATS, MITTENS, SOCkS • FATHER CHRISTMAS STOCkINGS & OTHER DESIGNS • HAND - CARVED BIRDS & DUCkS By JOHN

207-244-7224 41 Bernard Road, Bernard, ME

(4 miles from Southwest Harbor off Rt. 102)

Seal Cove Auto Museum America’s Finest Collection of Brass Era Automobiles

Open daily 10am - 5pm

(207) 288-4775

207 244-5842 www.cafedrydockinn.com

357 Main Street, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679

1414 Tremont (Pretty Marsh) Road Mount Desert Island A scenic drive from Bar Harbor

207-244-9242 www.sealcoveautomuseum.org

Discover Maine 50

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

Myrna Fahey: southwest Harbor’s glamour girl Of television Actress appeared in many famous television shows by James Nalley

n an interview during the summer of 1960, a dark-haired actress complained that she was being typecast as “the good girl” in every one of her roles. Her track record to date had only consisted of roles as the innocent sheriff ’s daughter in Westerns or as the “damsel in distress” Maria Crespo in the 1957 television series “Walt Disney’s Zorro.” Within the year her wishes were answered, as she was awarded the role as the disturbed Madeline Usher in the film version of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” starring Vincent Price. Her performance would propel her career into more dark and complicated characters. But despite her satisfaction of receiving more dramatic roles, her resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor would also haunt her throughout her career. Myrna Fahey was born on March 12, 1933 in the town of Carmel, Maine. The daughter of a boat builder, Francis Fahey, she was raised

in Southwest Harbor where she eventually attended Pemetic High School and graduated in 1950. Known to her friends as both beautiful and charismatic, Fahey began competing in beauty pageants, where she was crowned “Miss Mount Desert Island” in Bar Harbor as well as the runner-up to “Miss Maine” in 1952. With a desire to make a career in Hollywood, Fahey left for California, where she enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse and acted for one season. She was quickly noticed by producers and awarded her first roles in television. In 1960 she was offered the role that would change her career in Roger Corman’s adaptation of “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe. Fahey’s portrayal of Madeline Usher, who had become insane from being buried alive, had finally broken her away from the “good-girl” roles and into more

sweet timber Frames Quality Hand-crafted timber Framed Homes & Barns

Traditional Mortise & Tenon Joinery Secured with Wooden Pegs Sustainable Building Methods

276-3254 The Unsinkable Legend™ 11 to 37 Feet

713 NORWAy DRIVE • BAR HARBOR, MAINE 04609

- Since 1982 1/2 MILE OFF ROUTE 3 NORWAy DRIVE IN SALISBURy COVE

www.bowdenmarine.com Phone: 207-288-5247 Fax: 207-288-5277 Open: Mon. to Fri. 8-5, Sat. 9-12

4 timber Frame Way, Mt Desert, Maine

www.sweettimberframes.com

complicated characters, whether it was on television or film. Her subsequent role was in the television series “Thriller” with Boris Karloff as host. According to a June 24, 1961 article in the St. Petersburg Times, even her continuing work in Westerns had become darker. For example, after a physical scene in “Bonanza” where she cut her lip, the cast presented her with an award for “Best Slapper in a Film Series.”

Carroll Drug Store your Convenient & Friendly Hometown Drug Store

Prescriptions • gifts Yankee Candles • uPS Eric Norberg, Registered Pharmacist

244-5588

3 Village Green Way, Southwest Harbor

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

During the 1961 television season, although it was not considered a “darker” character, Fahey accepted the role as Kay Dunsten in the CBS television series “Father of the Bride,” which was a sitcom based on the 1950 film that starred Elizabeth Taylor. This assignment was the longest sustained television role for Fahey, but it would come with some consequences. As stated in a 1961 article in the Chicago Tribune, “She got the role because she looks enough like Liz Taylor to be her sister.” Fahey adamantly responded in an interview in the Lakeland Ledger by stating, “The fact that I’m supposed to look like Elizabeth What’sHer-Name had nothing to do with my getting

(the part), because we don’t really look alike I don’t think, we just happen to have the same colorings.” Even though the show was popular enough for renewal, Fahey requested to be released from the show because most of the storylines were being focused on the father and not on her. Meanwhile, fame had treated Fahey well. Each winter in California she devoted herself to skiing and even organized an all-girl, all-actress ski club at Mammoth Mountain, California, with fellow actress Jill St. John. She dabbled in surfing and even became injured in Honolulu, Hawaii, after her board hit her head with such a force that she required stitches.

Discover Maine

Her other enjoyment was investing in the stock market, which became somewhat of an obsession, as her acting contracts required that she have a stock-ticker machine in her dressing room. In the mid-1960s Fahey was seen dating several high-profile figures such as David Niven, George Hamilton and even Joe DiMaggio. Her relationship to DiMaggio sparked death threats toward Fahey, which the FBI later determined came from a mental patient at the Agnew Mental Hospital in San Francisco. The delusional patient was distraught over the fact that DiMaggio should only be with Marilyn Monroe and no one else. Throughout her career Fahey appeared in 37 different television series, including wellknown programs such as “Bonanza,” “Maverick,” “Perry Mason” and even the original “Batman.” But in the early 1970s, with her bright future in television ahead of her, she began a long battle with cancer that eventually took her life on May 6, 1973, at the age of only 40. She was buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Bangor close to where it all began for this charismatic girl from Southwest Harbor.♠ other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

Myrna Fahey and Vincent Price in “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Fahey’s portrayal of Madeline Usher, who had become insane from being buried alive, finally broke her away from the “good-girl” roles and into more complicated characters.

At Beals Lobster pier Take out or enjoy your meal at our picnic tables overlooking the busy harbor! We also offer tables under a heated canopy during inclement weather.

LOBSTER - Live or Cooked We also serve: Clams • Mussels • Lobster Rolls • Our Homemade Chowders French Fries • Juicy Burgers • Blueberry Pie • Ice Cream • Wines & Local Beer

Box 122M • Route 102A Bass Harbor, Maine 04653

Enjoy the Quiet Side of Mt. Desert Island • Bass Harbor Light Museum • FREE Hot Showers • Camp Store - Laundry • FREE Cable TV & WI-FI • Shady or Wooded Sites • Separate Tenting Areas • Cabins • Heated Pool • Dog Run

Open Daily 9am - 8pm • Through October 10th • Grill opens at 11am

~ Al & Dixie Carsey ~

located next to the Coast guard Station

(207) 244-5857 1-800-327-5857

182 Clark Point Road, Southwest Harbor, Maine • 207-244-0001

www.bealslobsterpier.net

www.bassharbor.com

Discover Maine 52

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

Nazis land at Hancock Point Residents provided information that led to spies’ capture by Erick T. Gatcomb

n November 29, 1944 at approxiOn shore, Erich Gimpel, 34, and William near Lounder’s Corner and found their “city mately 10:00 pm, the conning tower Colepaugh, 26, made their way up a small path clothes” unusual. A short ways down the road, of U-1230 rose from the frigid wa- to what is today known as the Westside Road. he saw that their footprints led down a small ters of Frenchman Bay and did a 360° path where he used to hunt rabbit. He sweep of the area. No residents of the the men were met by another vehicle, this one made a note of it and continued toward sleepy town of Hancock could have home. driven by 29-year-old Mary Forni, a local suspected that a 252-foot German subAfter walking another mile the men housewife who had been attending a card marine lingered just a few hundred were met by another vehicle, this one game at Margaret Colwell’s residence. it was yards offshore, manned by over 50 Gerdriven by 29-year-old Mary Forni, a local snowing heavily and Forni considered offering man officers. A rubber raft was pulled housewife who had been attending a the men a ride, but drove on when neither man up and inflated on the bridge. The plan card game at Margaret Colwell’s resilooked up or waved. was to pull the rubber raft back to the dence. It was snowing heavily and Forni submarine after the two spies reached considered offering the men a ride, but the shore, but a broken tether made it impos- Dressed in topcoats, they carried suitcases that drove on when neither man looked up or sible to do so. With that, the spies were ac- contained $60,000 in American currency, waved. She, too, took note of their unusual companied by two uniformed German nearly 100 diamonds and two Colt .32 pistols. dress, particularly their hats, which were not soldiers, Fritz and Konrad. When the raft Trudging through the snow must have proven standard attire for Maine residents in the winreached the shore, the officers jumped out and difficult after spending nearly two months ter months. stepped foot on American soil, most likely the aboard a submarine. After reaching Route 1, the men managed At 11:15 pm, Harvard Hodgkins, a 17-year- to flag down a passing taxi. (Ironically, the taxi only uniformed enemies to do so in the 20th century. After exchanging a “Heil Hitler,” the old boy scout and high school senior, was had just come from returning young soldiers uniformed Germans rowed back to the sub- driving home after attending a local dance on to the Navy base.) Colepaugh, an American the Eastside. He saw the two men walking defector born in Connecticut and educated at marine and prepared to return to the open seas.

Daniel L. Steinke, D.D.S. Hillary S. Caruso, D.M.D. 24 Hour Emergency Care For Our Patients!

We emphasize comprehensive preventive care in a comfortable, caring environment. Quality Orthodontics, Relaxation Dentistry, Root Canal Therapy, Gum Disease Treatment, Oral Surgery and Implants, and other specialties right in our office.

422-3770

Pizza • Subs • Hot Coffee • Steamed Hot Dogs Mobil Gas • Diesel • Kerosene Megabucks • Instant Tickets We Take Most Major Credit Cards we have it all!

young’s market 130 US Route 1 • Gouldsboro, Me 04607 phone & FAX (207) 963-7774

open 7 DAyS A week 5:00AM - 9:00pM

8 Main Street, Sorrento

Full Service Mason Contractor Richard Henderson & Sons • Chimneys • Fireplaces • Granite Walls • Dry Laid Walls • Stone Veneer • Slabs & Walkways • Sea Walls

Ever-Green Wreaths • Wreaths and centerpieces shipped by UPS • Seasonal decorations and handcrafted gifts, too! (207) 546-3323 or 546-2066 Fax: (207) 546-4465

Free Estimates • Fully Insured All Work Guaranteed

93 Goods Point Road, Steuben, ME 04680

Hancock, Maine

www.maineevergreenwreaths.com

422-0979

email:bjason@prexar.com Shop open 9am-4pm Monday-Friday

198 MAIN STREET MILBRIDGE, ME 04658 207-546-2861 MARINE SUPPLIES COMPLETE LINE OF MARINE HyDRAULICS VHF RADIOS • PAINTS • HARDWARE

Terry Rumery/Owner

Hammond & sons Oil Company We Serve All Your Furnace Needs 24-Hour Emergency Service Serving: Cherryfield, Milbridge, Harrington, Centerville, Addison, Columbia & Columbia Falls, Jonesport & Beals

483-2876

Webb District Road Harrington, Maine

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explained to the cabbie that their vehicle had broken down and that they needed to reach Bangor. The driver accepted this story and offered Gimpel and Colepaugh a ride. Stopping at the taxi stand on Main Street in Ellsworth, the driver called his employer and explained the situation. The employer gave the driver permission to take the men to Bangor, provided they pay the fare of six dollars. After reaching Bangor the men took a 2:00 A.M. train to Portland where they ate breakfast and awaited the 7:00 A.M. train to Boston. The next day, December 1, they took a final train to Grand Central Station in New York. In Manhattan they found an apartment and paid two months’ rent in advance. That same day Harvard’s father, Dana Hodgkins, a deputy sheriff, returned from a hunting trip. Harvard relayed the story of the strange men and Dana took his son to the cottages along the beach to see if they had been broken into. Later that day the elder Hodgkins was in Bangor, where he ran into an agent who worked at the FBI field office. Within an hour of telling the agent about the strange men, three FBI personnel were at the Hodgkins residence in Hancock, interrogating Harvard and jotting down notes. Toward the end of December Colepaugh confided in an

North Atlantic Lobster Sales, Inc.

old school friend that he was working for the Germans. The friend reported the information to the FBI who quickly brought Colepaugh in for questioning. After confessing to his new career in espionage and laying out details of the German plot, Colepaugh was taken into custody and 1,100 agents began a search for Gimpel in New York. On January 1, 1945 FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover announced to the nation that the two spies had been captured. While the official story from the FBI was that the Germans were sent to spy on the U.S. military, many people believe that Gimpel and Colepaugh were in fact saboteurs, sent to sabotage the Manhattan Project — the codename given to the project to develop the atomic bomb for wartime use — and other U.S. targets. One notable voice in favor of the saboteur theory is that of Blue Hill resident Richard Gay, a former CIA covert operative and NSA operations officer, who has written a book on the subject. (They Came to Destroy America [2003], $16.95. Pictorial Histories Publishing Co. Inc.) Harvard Hodgkins’ youthful face appeared in countless newspapers as the press descended upon Hancock Point. The New York Journal-American was so enamored with Hodgkins that they flew him to New York (his first ride in an airplane) and gave him the

Lobster Bait Trucking Established 1971

Discover Maine

celebrity treatment. He was whisked all over the boroughs, where he met Governor Thomas Dewey, boxer Joe Louis and baseball great Babe Ruth, and was presented with the key to the city. He was later granted a full scholarship to Maine Maritime Academy, which he attended before joining the Navy. Mary Forni, too, was honored for her antispy efforts. A town reception was held and Forni was given a $100 war bond. William Colepaugh and Erich Gimpel were both given a military trial at Fort Jay on Governor’s Island, New York, and were sentenced to death by hanging. Before their sentences could be carried out, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt died and all federal executions were halted for four weeks. After taking office, President Harry S. Truman commuted the men’s sentences to life imprisonment. Colepaugh moved to Philadelphia upon parole after serving 17 years in federal prison. He is believed to have spent his final years in Florida where he died in a rest home on March 16, 2005. Gimpel served ten years in various federal institutions before being deported to Germany. He later moved to Brazil where he still resides today.♠ other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

Beals-Jonesport Co-op Stephen M. Peabody-Manager

Retail & Wholesale

207-497-5765

483-2888 (office) 483-2908 (wharf)

1-800-HAS-BAIT Mason Bay Road Jonesport, Maine

497-2020

Open Mon-Sat

69 Johnson Street • Lubec, Maine

Wharf Street West jonesport, Maine

420 Mooseneck Road, South Addison

Main Street Auto Repair

Pro Shop Snack Bar Riding Carts Club Rentals

(Formerly Lubec Packing Company)

B ar r en vi ew Golf Course

Nine-hole Course 207-43GOLF1or 207-434-6531

Located on Route 0ne in Jonesboro, Maine www.barrenview.com

Towing & General Repairs

Lobster Marine Supplies

Do you love Maine like we love Maine?

Subscribe to Discover Maine Magazine

142 Main Street • Jonesport Anson Alley, owner & operator

Subscription Form on Page 44

497-2616

Call 1-800-753-8684 • (207) 874-7720 info@discovermainemagazine.com

Discover Maine 54

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

Looking upriver in East Machias. Item #100608 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

“Where would your home be without Walls?”

Heating SYSteMS

We are a restored Victorian home on the Machias River. Within short driving distances to all Washington County points of interest, and Campobello Island, St. Stephen & St. Andrews in nearby Canada.

Prices from $60-$90 (including tax & breakfast) Extended Stay Discounts 309 Port road, route 92 • Machiasport, Me 04655 www.captaincates.com • 207-255-8812

gERALD L. WOOD & SOn

LLC

general Trucking Bulldozer & Backhoe gravel & pulp Serving Downeast Maine For Over 50 Years!

David Wood • 255-0615 Gerald Wood • 255-8007 Machiasport, Maine

IN-stOre FINaNCINg

207-255-3555 1-800-544-3706

Walls

tV, aPPlIaNCes & HOMe FUrNItUre

5 MaIN street, MaCHIas

N A TS R G

SCuStoM a wWoodWorkS buck Eric Holm: Owner “Custom Timber Frame Homes and Camps”

271-1275 Machias, Maine www.SAWBUCkcustomWOODWORkS.com

Tom’s Mini Mart

Custom Auto Body

24 Hour towing

autobody Collision repair Mechanical

207-255-8310

132 Northfield Road • Marshfield

Full service Deli • Pizza Hot & Cold sandwiches gulf gas • Open 7 Days

255-4003

US Rt. 1, Next to Bluebird Motel, Machias

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

Discover Maine

east Machias’ sweet Fern Factory 1877 tanning factory lasted only a year by Joyce Emery Kinney

ow that more than 130 years have passed, an air of confusion and mystery surrounds any mention of the East Machias sweet fern tanning factory built there in 1877. Sweet fern, so called, is not a fern but is an aromatic low vigorous growth which is often a nuisance to blueberry rakers. Few people outside of East Machias have ever heard of a sweet fern factory. The tanning of animal hides was once an important and almost essential factor in the agricultural economy of Down East Maine. At that time horses and oxen provided power for farm labor and transportation, while other animals supplied food, or material for clothing. When animals obliged their usefulness, their skins (or hides) were useful for tanning. At that time every provident householder in small towns kept a cow, chickens, and a pig in their back yards. The pig was of particular importance as an efficient garbage disposal that converted many materials otherwise wasted, into luscious ham and pork chops; even its skin could be tanned and made into gloves.

Flo’s Wreaths

“In Business For Over 40 Years” • Assorted Wreaths of Many Sizes • Centerpieces • Kissing Balls • Candy Canes (207) 255-3094 • Hearts Fax: (207) 255-6059 1-800-321-7136 • garlands

Wholesale/Retail/Mail Order 367 Ridge Road Marshfield, Maine 04654 www.floswreaths.net

Hanscom’s Fresh Pack Blueberries Wholesale/Retail

370 Ridge Road Marshfield, Maine 04654 (207) 255-3094 • Fax (207) 255-6059

The tanning process used an extract from hemlock bark that was plentiful in Eastern Maine. The extract was difficult to transport, so tanneries were built at the source of supply where they were maintained until the supply of hemlock was used up. Then the tanneries were moved or built elsewhere. Many farmers did their own tanning, although there were many small tanneries in Maine. During the 1860s and 1870s, one of the largest tanneries in the world was located in what was then called Hinckley Township (now Grand Lake Stream). There were other large tanneries in Princeton and Vanceboro, and the supply of hides needed was so great that hides were brought from as far away as California, Texas and even South America. The Shaw Brothers tannery in Hinckley Township used one million hides a year for sole leather, which they shipped to Boston and New York. A new process using an extract of sweet fern and alder was developed in 1876, and was

1770

said to produce a better tanning color and finish, and tougher leather from calfskin and sheepskin. A factory in Hancock used sweet fern and alder for tanning, and it was claimed that the sweet fern-alder extract would eliminate one of the steps of the tanning process. When this manufacture of the extract failed, it was said to have been because of insufficient capital investment. The idea of producing a tanning extract from sweet fern and alder was taken up by East Machias groups, since both fern and alder were plentiful in the area. Capital was invested by a New York group, and local people pledged money in support. A company was formed to produce the extract, with a capital stock of $20,000 — a fortune at that time. Nearby towns became more than a little envious of this new enterprise, because sweet fern and alders grew in hated profusion everywhere in the county. The idea of making money from these pestilential nuisances held an almost irresistible appeal.

Burnham Tavern Museum

• Witness to the first naval battle of the American Revolution • On the National Register of Historic Places • Entertaining and Educational Tours 14 Colonial Way • Machias, ME 04654

(Continued on page 56) Expanded Café Area

4 Colonial Way • Down town Machias

255-8855

Summer Hours: Mon-Sat 9-6 ALL nATuRAL AnD ORgAnIC gROCERIES! LoCAL CHEESE, MILK, EGGS & vEGEtABLES FRoM LoCAL FARMERS! oRGANIC & BARtLEtt WINES AvAILABLE!

207-255-6930 Hours: 9:30-3:30 Monday-Friday, June 15 - Sept. 24

www.burnhamtavern.com

FRESH MADE SANDWICHES AND SALADS AvAILABLE

Fresh Organic Coffee and Fresh Baked Goods!

Overlooking the River - 38 units open Year Round • Efficiency and Apartments Available • Refrigerators & Microwaves in every room • Full Service Restaurant on Premises • Phone • Wireless Internet Access • Bus tours Welcome • International Atv trail 103 Main St., Machias, ME 04654

Tel: 255-4861 • www.machiasmotorinn.com

Major Credit Cards Accepted

Discover Maine 56

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 55)

attitude toward the Sweet Fern Factory, suggesting the factory be used to process sugar from sugar beets. In time this was found to be expensive and impractical, and the factory was left idle. The Sweet Fem Factory which had arisen so quickly as a great enterprise faded almost as quickly. Much of the original investment of $20,000 (a great fortune in those days) went up the 96-foot smokestack in a sweetly

Construction of the Sweet Fern Factory began the first day of June, and for some reason the use of alder in the extract was dropped at this time. Twenty-five men were employed in building the factory, and the Machias Union printed glowing accounts, describing in detail information about the carefully designed machinery and buildings, which cost $16,000. The first load of sweet fern, 1,100 pounds, was brought to the factory on July 1 by William Phipps of Plantation 14, who was paid $5 a ton. Within weeks the price was increased to $7 a ton, and by late August the factory had 300 tons of sweet fern stored. The Machias Union said the cash paid for sweet fern, labor, timber and other materials had been a blessing to the community, and since local people had invested heavily in the enterprise, the profits would be theirs. The Sweet Fern factory was expected to have the works completed and ready to run by October 1, but the first lot of the extract was not run off until the middle of the month. The Machias Union rarely mentioned either the sweet fern or the factory after that, and all information became conspicuous only by its absence. In May of the following year, the Mahias Union took on an entirely new and different

scented aroma. There seems to be no record of the effectiveness of the sweet fern extract that was produced. The fern itself at first suffered from an abundant harvest, became scarce for a while, but returned in time to its former profusion. The alders, having been dropped from the process, did not suffer.♠ other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

Sardine factory, North Lubec. Item #101854 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

maine sea salt company Guptill’s Lawn & Garden First Salt Works in Maine in Over 200 Years!

Toro & Husqvarna Tractors Carter Go-karts Stihl Saws & Trimmers Husqvarna Saws & Trimmers Generators & Culverts • Safety Equipment Log Splitters rt.1, east Machias, Me 04630

Come for a FREE TOUR and Salt Tasting! 11 Church Lane (off Rte 192 north of Machias) Marshfield, Maine

the Machias Bay area Chamber of Commerce • area information • day trip ideas • relocation Packages • tourist Packages 85 east Main Street, Suite 2 The Heart of P.o. Box 606 Washington Machias, Me 04654 County (207) 255-4402

www.machiaschamber.org

email: info@machiaschamber.org

Natural Sea Salt created with the sun...

207-255-3310

(207) 255-4130 • www.guptills.com eQuiPMent SaleS & ServiCe

Stephen Cook, the “Sea-Salt” Man

www.maineseasalt.com

Graphic Design Freelance

~ Independent Contracting ~ Magazine/Newspaper layout Print Display ads • Brochures Menus • Flyers • editing Over 20 years experience Prompt ~ Creative

i am the designer of discover Maine Magazine Michele farrar

dmmgraphics@myfairpoint.net • 800-753-8684

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

West Quoddy Head

lighthouse

The guardian of Maine’s easternmost point by James Nalley

Discover Maine

ocated on a bank overlooking the entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay is the historic West Quoddy Head Lighthouse. Since 1808 there has been a lighthouse hhere to guide all of the ships safely through the waterway, with its candy-striped tower first put into service later in 1858. It is one of only two striped lighthouses in the United States, with the other being the Assateague Lighthouse in Virginia. Considered one of the best assignments for lighthouse keepers in the region, the location includes a colorful 130-year history until it became automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1988. In the early 19th century vital shipping commerce into Passamaquoddy Bay was threatened by the treacherous volcanic outcroppings in the waters. To protect the local economy, residents created a petition for Congress to fund the construction of a lighthouse. According to their petition in 1806, “We suggest that the site on the mainland, the bank being forty feet above the water, is the most projecting and the nearest to acceptability that we are of opinion that this is the most eligible and judicious that can be pitched upon for the purpose, and in our judgment (Continued on page 58)

quIK SHOP 94 Main Street, Lubec

The

Your eco-friendly destination

easTland MoTel 3 miles from

Campobello Island

20 Rooms

Cable tV • air Conditioning Wireless Internet available 385 County Road (Route 189) Lubec, Maine Locally Owned & Operated - Scott & Mary Greene

Open 7 Days a Week • Hours • Mon. - Fri. 5:30am-9pm Sat. & Sun. 7am-9pm

• Sandwiches made to order • Fresh dough pizza • Powerball & Megabucks

Coldest Beer in Town! 207-733-2422 207-733-9791 (fax) Find us on Facebook!

www.eastlandmotel.com 207-733-5501

Uncle Kippy’s

restaurant George & Sonia Olson - Prop.

Specializing in Seafood & Steaks Fresh Dough Pizza Fully licensed

(207) 733-2400 170 Main Street • lubec www.unclekippys.com 2 minutes from the International Bridge to Campobello

McFadden’s Variety Groceries • Beer & Wine • Sandwiches Fresh Pizza • Gas • Movies Megabucks & Lottery Tickets

Open 7 Days A Week 5AM to 8PM

733-2134 rt. 189, lubec, Maine

Featuring the work of Maine artisans and craftspeople 56 Pleasant Street, Lubec, Maine 04652 207-733-6128 Jewelry • Books • Painted Glass Handbags & More Visit us online at:

www.shopmainemade.com

Your 4 season, 1 stop Maine made shop!

Discover Maine 58

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 57)

the elevation should not be less than 75 feet above the ground exclusive of the lantern.” In response Congress allocated $5,000 in funds and on April 21, 1808, a wooden, octagonal tower was constructed with a small residence that welcomed its first lighthouse keeper, Thomas Dexter. According to the history of West Quoddy Head at Lighthouse Friends, “(Dexter), the first keeper assigned to West Quoddy, earned an annual salary of $250. At many light stations, keepers were able to grow crops and keep livestock, but the soil at West Quoddy was unsuitable for such ventures. Dexter was thus forced to travel extensively for supplies, and his salary was raised to $300 a year in 1810 to compensate him for the extra trouble.” But despite the new light and ample funding, fog would prove to be the biggest threat, especially with the dangerous Sail Rocks located just 500 yards offshore. In 1820 the station was adapted with one of the nation’s first fog bells. Since fog covered the coast approximately half of the summer season, the keeper remained very busy handstriking the 500-pound bell. “The keeper of Quoddy Head Lighthouse, in the State of Maine, shall be allowed, in addition to his present salary, the sum of sixty dollars annually,

DownEast Drawings

Wildlife Art Gallery & Gifts

Stop here first for your Downeast travel information Maine traditions are celebrated in our large selection of Wildlife and Scenic Art for fastidious people. Originals, Prints, Note Cards, Note Pads, and More.

Bird inFo

Fred & Patty Hartman • 207-733-0988 Rt. 189, P.O. Box 105, Whiting, Maine 04691

www.downeastdrawings.com Credit Cards • We Ship

the new friendly restaurant, Inc. • Home Style Cooking • daily Specials Open from 11AM to 8PM for Lunch & Dinner 7 Days A Week

853-6610 route 1, Perry, Me

for ringing the bell connected with said lighthouse,” according to Lighthouse Friends. Until 1837 a total of four different fog bells were used that included the original 500pound bell, a 241-pound with a high-pitched sound, a larger 1,545-pound bell, and a 14foot triangular steel bar. According to records, the fourth bell was unable to “be heard much more than a quarter of a mile in heavy weather.” With no suitable replacement, the lighthouse continued to warn vessels to the best of its ability. After only 20 years of service, the harsh environment had caused the original wooden structure to deteriorate, and Congress sent funds for its replacement. In 1831 a rubblestone tower and residence was completed, but according to keeper Alfred Godfrey in his 1843 report about the station, it was poorly constructed: “The house leaks all about the eaves and windows in rainy weather. The chimneys smoke badly (and) we have no rain water cistern, no well. Our water for domestic use is obtained from a spring about 200 yards from the house. The tower is built of rubble stone, badly laid. In winter the walls are coated with ice from the effect of leakage. The windows of the tower blow inward in storms from being insufficiently framed. The inside of the glass is coated with ice, from the condensed

OHIO BROOK

DISPOSAL dumpsters, roll offs, recycling & residential Services

726-9581 ~ Shane Curtis, owner ~

vapors of the burning lamps, and in summer the glass is also covered with sweat and condensed vapor.” During the early 19th century, Congress had continued to fund lighthouses but only to minimum standards. Despite the existence of superior Fresnel lenses made in France and complaints by European mariners sailing into the United States, the U.S. government still refused to enhance lighthouses along the eastern seaboard. In 1856 after years of complaints, a record $15,000 was sent to West Quoddy Head for a complete renovation of the lighthouse. Within two years, it was fitted with a third-order Fresnel lens, a brand new 49-foot brick tower and wood-framed residence. Soon after the construction, the light’s familiar red and white stripes were added, which was influenced by the Canadian lighthouses to help them visually stand out in the snow. With fog a continual problem, a fog signal trumpet (powered by a hot-air engine) was added but eventually replaced with a steam whistle, which remained in service for the next 20 years. Throughout its existence, West Quoddy was considered one of the best assignments that a keeper could receive. When necessary, the mere threat of removal of the assignment was enough to either change a keeper’s ways or

The Eastport Area Chamber of Commerce Invites you to visit our scenic city and the beautiful surrounding towns. Motel and camping accommodations, Bed & Breakfasts Restaurants and art galleries Salt-water fishing, Windjammers, Whale Watching and more!

1-207-853-4644

www.eastportchamber.net

“Join us for dining on the working pier.” Featuring Family Style Downeast Cooking Chowder • seafood • steaks Chicken • Pasta Vegetarian & Children’s Menu Hours: Lunch 11am-4pm Dinner, 4pm-9pm. Lounge - Till Close Now Supplying Gas & Diesel for Fishing & Pleasure Boats

167 Water Street, Eastport, Maine 04631 • 207-853-4700

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

leave. For example, in a random inspection of the station in 1872, it was found to be in horrible condition. As stated in the inspection report by James Cogswell, “The boilers were stained with dirt and dusty, the steel rods of the engines were somewhat rusty…the tower showed neglect…the brass work greasy…and the walks and fence about the grounds, were in poor condition.” As punishment, Cogswell recommended that keeper John Guptill be transferred. Guptill immediately tendered his resignation. It had obviously become a special place for everyone who had served there. After the turn of the century,the station had undergone more renovations that expanded the living quarters for up to two families, and it was eventually officially manned by the U. S. Coast Guard. Dozens of keepers happily took assignments there until 1988, when the station had become fully automated despite some debate. According to Jeremy D’Entremont at New England Lighthouses, “The last Coast Guard keep at West Quoddy Head…was Malcolm Rouse. Asked by the Boston Globe what he thought of automation, Rouse responded: ‘It’s the best duty a man can have for being with your family. I’m up when that sunshine hits here — it’s the first place it hits — and oh, I’ll miss that, it sure is beautiful.’” Today the lighthouse is still in its original location but within the grounds of the West Quoddy State Park. For 24 hours a day, it still flashes its sequence of two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on and nine seconds off, which is visible up to 18 miles offshore. The former living quarters have been transformed into a visitor center where enthusiastic volunteers of the West Quoddy Head Light Keepers Association welcome more than 15,000 people every season who wish to get a glimpse into the romantic and mysterious life of a lighthouse keeper. Perhaps it is best stated by Gwen Wasson, the granddaughter of former keeper Ephraim Johnson, “He felt like a very rich man. He loved it, there on the ocean, doing what he wanted to do with his family around him.”♠

Discover Maine

Old Man rock, Eastport.Item #100674 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

Bay City Garage

Owners: Walter & Colleen Cummings

“Quiet. Quality.” On the ocean Overlooking Beautiful Campobello Island Visit the easternmost city on the east coast and experince “Something Different.” Spacious rooms, many with balconies, furnished in 18th-century tradition. Open Year Round • Ferries to Canada (In Season) • Handicapped Friendly Rooms Wireless Internet Access • Direct Dial Phones • Color Cable TV

Automotive Services Propane Exchange We carry soda, milk, beer, wine, tobacco, scratch tickets, Megabucks, Powerball Open at 7:30am Mon.-Fri., 8am Sat. & Sun.

US Rte 190, Eastport • 853-2736

CROW TRACKS Est. 1983

seasIDe COttage aVaIlaBle

Wood Carving gallery

Major Credit Cards accepted

R.J. LaVallee

23a Water street, eastport, Maine 04631 Phone/Fax (207) 853-4747 email: info@themoteleast.com

The Best Place Downeast to buy Woodcarvings 11 Water Street • eastport, Maine

www.themoteleast.com

www.crowtracks.com

Call 853-2336 or visit our web site

Discover Maine 60

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

From trafalgar to eastport British war captain occupied Eastport without firing a shot by Ian MacKinnon

ir Thomas Hardy certainly knew how to ruin a perfectly good day for Spaniards and Americans alike. Established in Eastport in l808, Fort Sullivan had attracted no serious War Department attention during the War of 1812. Mounting four 32-pounder cannons atop a prominent hill overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay, the fort had sheltered federalized Maine militia until late l813. With their commander, Major General Jacob Ulmer, sacked and jailed based on rumor mongering committed by Eastport’s notorious smugglers, the militiamen whiled away their time at Fort Sullivan until their enlistments expired in late December l813. Abandoning Fort Sullivan, the Maine boys headed home. The fort remained unmanned that winter. Meanwhile, events in Europe would soon propel Eastport into history. In April l814, the recently abdicated Napoleon took his entourage into exile on Elba, believing the war against France “c’est finit.” Whitehall released ships and regiments to reinforce hard-pressed British forces battling the upstart Americans in Upper Canada and as far west as the Pacific Ocean. Whitehall intended to occupy key towns along the New England coast and bolster an intermittent blockade, trapping American merchant vessels at other ports farther south toward Chesapeake Bay. The United States claimed eastern Maine as sovereign territory — some Mainers defined “eastern” to encompass the forests stretching to the St. John River and the St. Lawrence River. Great Britain disputed such nonsense

voiced by the “Jonathons,” the caustic nickname with which British sailors smeared their American opponents. To solidify its claims to eastern Maine, Whitehall ordered American fortifications at Eastport (also called Moose Island), Machias, and Castine to be captured and held. British troops would act offensively elsewhere, too, to deliver the royal “thumping” believed necessary to convince President James Madison and a recalcitrant Congress to declare the War of 1812 null and void. Dusting off proposals initially penned in 1812, Whitehall developed a two-pronged effort to capture Fort Sullivan. Sir Thomas Hardy sailed to Bermuda with a squadron comprising HMS Ramillies, a 74- gun ship of the line, and HMS Terror, a “bomb” ketch mounting 10 cannons. Hardy’s diminutive squadron escorted transports that, after anchoring off Bermuda in mid-July 1814, embarked the 102nd Regiment of Foot,

numbering almost 600 soldiers. The offensive’s second prong would sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Two transports would carry a Royal Artillery detachment and a few engineers under escort by HMS Martin, an 18-gun sloop. This miniscule squadron would rendezvous with Hardy’s squadron at Shelburne, Nova Scotia. Not exactly a household name in the United States, Sir Hardy had garnered everlasting fame in Britain for the audacity and bravery he displayed on October 21, 1805. Off Spain’s Cape Trafalgar that autumn morning, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson had led a 27-ship British fleet in a brazen attack against a combined French-Spanish fleet. Designating HMS Victory as his flagship, Nelson had tapped as his flag captain the relatively unknown Captain Thomas Hardy. On this bloody day, as HMS Victory battled various French warships at pistol-shot range, Admiral Nelson and Captain Hardy

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853-9400 • 35 Water Street • Eastport, Maine

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Clark

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Providing Complete Insurance Coverage Automobile • Homeowners • Renters Fire • Business Liability • Worker’s Comp Commercial Packages • Boat Motorcycle • ATVs/RVs

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90 Germain Street • Calais, Maine 04619

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26 Main St., Calais, ME 04619

(207) 454-7515/7516 (800) 336-7515

www.theinternationalmotel.com

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

courageously walked the deck amidst whistling shot and shell and crashing cordage. A French bullet ultimately struck and mortally wounded Nelson. Hardy survived the battle. The British fleet carried the day and shattered the enemy fleet. Not quite nine years later, Sir Thomas Hardy could be excused if he believed the Eastport expedition a bit melodramatic. After all, British spies had flitted in and about Fort Sullivan for months, and although American Army Major Perley Putnum brought 80 soldiers of the 40th Infantry Regiment to Eastport in late April 1814, Sir Hardy could not doubt that overwhelming odds would convince Major Putnum to lower his flag without firing a shot. Actually, Putnum’s soldiers — perhaps 25 to 30 in all — had exchanged shots with British sailors along the Moose Island shore not long after arriving in Eastport. Two British “tars” suffered wounds during the skirmish. For a short time, Putnum left the British wondering if he might shoot, after all, if they attacked. Sir Hardy’s combined fleet met HMS Borer, a l4-gun brig, off Grand Manan Island on July 11, 1814. Hardy promptly sailed with his fleet around Campobello Island, which effectively

blocked the American soldiers at Fort Sullivan from detecting his presence until HMS Martin suddenly emerged from Head Harbour Passage (then dubbed Eastern Passage or Ship’s Passage) while flying a white truce flag. Meanwhile, HMS Borer stood into Lubec Channel (then called West Passage) and sailed westerly around Moose Island to prevent the American soldiers from escaping in that direction. With no American warship to patrol Passamaquoddy Bay and nose about the Britishheld islands across the way, Major Putnum had no inkling that, like Napolean 11 months later, he was about to meet his Waterloo. In fact, a journal kept by the 40th infantry’s Captain Jacob Varnum suggests a somnolent garrison caught napping. Varnum was the fort’s second-in-command. On July 11 “when we were sitting on our piazza in the morning enjoying a cool breeze from the ocean,” Varnum revealed so many decades ago, “suddenly the reach or strait inside of Grand Meuan [Grand Manan Island] became whitened by the canvas of a large fleet of vessels making directly for our harbor. “It was a beautiful sight but rather ominous,” Varnum recorded in classic understatement. The American soldiers stood by their 32-

lyons towing

– 24 HouR sERVICE –

(Continued on page 62)

24 Hospital Lane, Calais, Maine 04619 207-454-7521 www.calaishospital.com

1231 RIVER RoAd • CALAIs

WASHIngTOn pLACE Home the way you want it; healthcare when you need it. Assisted Living in the Saint Croix valley Facility Features and Benefits:

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pounders as HMS Martin appeared and soon anchored about a half mile offshore. A British officer came ashore under the truce flag and promptly found Varnum, who escorted the officer to Major Putnum. The Brit gave Putnum Sir Hardy’s demands for an unconditional surrender. Demurring while the British officer returned to HMS Martin, Putnum resolved to base his next decision upon the recommendations of that venerable American institution — the committee. Putnum “called the officers for consultation” and asked “that we each deliver our opinion,” Varnum recalled. “I was for giving them a round or two from the battery and then retreat, if practicable” to escape from Moose Island, he indicated. Other officers had spotted HMS Borer tacking around Moose Island, however. Believing that a defiant stand would result in “an unjustifiable sacrifice of life,” these officers “preferred surrender” to glory, Varnum wrote. Agreeing that discretion made better sense than valor, Putnum ordered the American flag hauled down in mid-afternoon while HMS Ramillies anchored with her gun batteries run out and pointed at Fort Sullivan. Varnum subsequently admitted his folly at

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Discover Maine

• unique accommodations offering private and semi-private suites • three appetizing meals a day • Private dining rooms for your special functions • transportation • Recreation and social activities • Afternoon refreshments

• Preferred access to skilled nursing services, Alzheimer’s care and physician’s offices at Atlantic Rehabilitation and Nursing Center • Staffing 24 hours each day • Personal assistance with bathing, dressing, hygiene • Weekly laundry & housekeeping service

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454-2366 32 Palmer St. Calais, Maine 04619

Discover Maine 62

— Hancock & Washington Counties —

(Continued from page 61)

seeking battle with the British. HMS Borer had moored to deliver enfilading fire across the only escape route available to American soldiers fleeing Moose Island, and a determined stand by 80 infantrymen against some 600 Royal Army soldiers “was too desperate a chance for any show of success for us,” Varnum realized. So Sir Thomas Hardy occupied Eastport without firing a shot. The Royal Navy quickly transported Fort Sullivan’s 73 enlisted men to prison in Halifax — Putnum, Varnum, and the five other American officers signed their paroles and departed for Boston, arriving there on July 20, 1814. The British would occupy Eastport for almost four years.♠ other businesses from this area are featured in the color section.

Church and schoolhouse, Grand Lake Stream. Item #100917 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

Nook & Cranny Restaurant Washington County’s Best Kept Secret Our Menu Includes: Maine Seafood, Greek, Italian, Mexican, French & Traditional American Favorites

get away from it all… fish for bass or salmon, go canoeing, kayaking, swimming or snorkeling in the clear water of West grand lake.

Always Fresh! 575 Airline Road (Off Rte. 1 to Rte. 9, 2 miles) Baileyville, Maine 04694

(207) 454-3335

www.nookncrannyrestaurant.com

FOSS & SOnS, InC. • Gravel • Loam • Bulldozer & Backhoe Work • Septic Systems • Sitework • Parking Lots

448-2335 • WESTOn, ME

hike the wilds of Maine, then watch the sun set across the lake. ten secluded cabins and delicious meals contribute to a family vacation you won’t soon forget.

…on the shores of West grand lake

86 Main Street Princeton Maine 04668 www.bellmardinn.com • Small town friendliness • Comfortable rooms • Good homemade food • Reasonable rates • Cable tv/internet • Excellent bass fishing • Boat rentals for guests • Guide service reservations

Open Year Round

1-800-99leenS www.leenslodge.com grand lake Stream, Maine 04637

Owners Sandra Smith & Doug Clements Over 20 years in the lodging business

Call us at: 207-796-2261

— Hancock & Washington Countie —

Directory Of advertisers Business

Page

A Straight Stitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 A.R. Whitten & Sons Inc. . . . . . . . . . .36 ABM Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Acadia Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Acadia Sunrise Motel . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Acadia Village Resort . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Airline Lodge & Snack Bar . . . . . . . . . .3 Andy’s Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Atlantic Eyrie Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Atlantic Oceanside Hotel & Conference Center . .32 Atlantic Rehab & Nursing Center . . . .61 Auto Radiator Service . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Bangor Letter Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Bangor Motor Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce . .14 Bangor Window Shade . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Bar Harbor Campground . . . . . . . . . .29 Bar Harbor Chamber of Commerce .47 Bartlett Chapel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Barren View Golf Course . . . . . . . . . .53 Bass Harbor Campground . . . . . . . . .51 Bay City Garage & Uhaul . . . . . . . . . .59 Bay Meadow Cottages . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Bayviews Bed & Breakfast . . . . . . . . . .5 Beals-Jonesport Co-Op . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Bellmard Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium . . .30 Big Jay Tree Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Blue Bird Ranch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Blue Hill Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Blue Hill Hearth Bakery & Pizzzeria . .8 Blue Hill Peninsula Chamber of Commerce .20 Bluenose Cottage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Bold Coast Smokehouse . . . . . . . . . . .39 Bowden Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Brown Family Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Buck’s Harbor Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Buck’s Restaurant & Catering . . . . . . . .7 Burnham Tavern Museum . . . . . . . . .55 C.W. Martin Concrete Inc. . . . . . . . . . .11 Café Drydock & Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Calais Motor Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Calais Regional Hospital . . . . . . . . . . .61 Canterbury Cottage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Captain Cates Bed & Breakfast . . . . . .54 Carousel Diversified Services . . . . . . .22 Carroll Drug Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Cary Brown Trucking & Excavation .63 Charlie’s Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Cherryfield Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Business

Page

Children’s Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Chowdah’s Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Clark Insurance Agency . . . . . . . . . . .60 Clay Funeral Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Cleonice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Clouston Trucking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Coach House - B - B/W Brewer . . . . .14 Coastal Builders & Sons Inc. . . . . . . . .18 Coastal Car Care Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Coastal Carpentry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Coastal Plumbing Heating & Oil Co. .39 Colonels Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Colonial Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Complete Tire Service . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Cottage Street Bakery & Deli . . . . . . .46 Country Store Antiques . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Cromwell Harbor Motel . . . . . . . . . . .48 Crow Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 D.C. Air & Seafood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 D.L.C. Cedar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Duff & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Dorsey Furniture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Downeast Drawings & Wildlife Gallery . . .58 Downeast Windjammer Cruises . . . . .19 Eagle Aboriculture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Eastern Maine HomeCare . . . . . . . . . . .5 Eastland Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Eastport Area Chamber of Commerce . . . .58 Eastport Chowder House . . . . . . . . . .58 Ellsworth Auto Supply Inc. . . . . . . . . .16 Ellsworth Chamber of Commerce . . .17 Evergreen Home & Hearth . . . . . . . .27 Ever-green Wreaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Fantail Pub & Lobster Pound . . . . . . .46 Fernandez Gift Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 Fiddlehead Inn Bed & Breakfast . . . .22 Fiddlers Green Restaurant . . . . . . . . .34 Finelli New York Style Pizzeria . . . . . .16 Flo’s Wreaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Foss & Sons Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Francis Cormier Construction . . . . . . .9 Frank’s Bake Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Freedom Power Equipment . . . . . . . .11 Friends & Family Market . . . . . . . . . .27 Fundy Bay Printing & Copy Center . .37 G.F. Johnston & Associates . . . . . . . . .33 G.M. Allen & Son, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Galeyrie Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Galt Block Warehouse Co. . . . . . . . . .13 Galt’s Vault’s Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

cary BrOwn

trucking & Excavating • Sand • Gravel • loam • Septic Systems • Sitework Make your Summer & Fall plans now!

207-592-1018 cell 207-448-7752 home pO Box 243 • Danforth, Me 04424

Business

Page

Gazebo Sports and Gifts . . . . . . . . . . .12 Gerald L. Wood & Son, LLC . . . . . . .54 Gram’s Pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Grants Custom Auto Body . . . . . . . . .54 Grasshopper Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Guptill’s Lawn & Garden . . . . . . . . . .56 Gutter Guys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 Hammond & Sons Oil Co. . . . . . . . . .52 Hammond Lumber Company . . . . . .18 Hanscom’s Fresh Pack Blueberries . . .55 Happy Crab Sports Bar & Grill . . . . .60 Harris Point Cabins & Motel . . . . . . .40 Healing Co-Op . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Hilights Salon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Hillard W. Walls & Sons . . . . . . . . . . .46 Hinckley’s Dreamwood Cottages . . . .32 Home Fashions Outlet . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Horton McFarland & Veysey . . . . . . .16 International Motel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Island Approaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Island Auto Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Island Country Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Isle Au Haut Company . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Ivy Manor Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 J.C. Milliken Agency Inc. . . . . . . . . . . .16 J.M. Brown General Contractor . . . . . .5 J.E. Tracey & Son . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Jim’s Small Engines . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 Johnson’s Mobil Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Jon D. Woodward & Son, Inc. . . . . . . . .8 Jordan’s Restaurant & Variety . . . . . . .48 Karen’s Main Street Diner . . . . . . . . . .40 Lane Conveyors & Drives . . . . . . . . . .22 Leen’s Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62 Llangolan Inn & Cottages . . . . . . . . . .33 Look Bros. Septic & Pumping . . . . . .38 Lougee & Frederick’s Florist . . . . . . . .12 Lyons Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Machias Bay Area Chamber . . . . . . . .56 Machias Motor Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 Main Street Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 Main Street Auto Repair . . . . . . . . . . .53 Maine Concrete Repair . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Maine Equipment Company . . . . . . . .14 Maine Historical Society . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Maine Sea Salt Company . . . . . . . . . . .56 Maine-ly Maine Gift Shop . . . . . . . . . .27 Maine’s Own Treats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 Mainescape Garden Shop . . . . . . . . . . .8 Market Bistro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Business

sunset park marina Serves all your boating needs ♦ Boat Launching & Docking ♦ Boat Service ♦ Gas ♦ Winterizing ♦ Service for Summer

Call Tim for Details & Pricing

448-2294 or 694-7463 (cell)

Page

McFadden’s Variety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 MedNow Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Merle B. Grindle Agency . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Napa Auto & Truck Parts . . . . . . . . . .17 National Park Canoe & Kayak Rental 34 Nice Twice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Nook & Cranny Restaurant . . . . . . . .62 North Atlantic Lobster Sales . . . . . . .53 Ocean Spray Cottages . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Ohio Brook Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 Oli’s Trolley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Orland Karate DoJo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Owen Gray & Son Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Parkside Restaurant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Penobscot Energy Recovery Co. . . . .15 Penobscot Marine Museum . . . . . . . .26 Pestco of Maine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Pine Bough Antiques . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Points East Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Poirier’s Garage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Prin A. Allen & Sons Builders . . . . . . .9 PriSteen Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Pumpkin Patch RV Resort . . . . . . . . .22 Pyramid Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Quik Shop Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Rackliffe Pottery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 RC Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Red Barn Campground . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Richard Henderson & Sons . . . . . . . .52 Richard Parks Furniture . . . . . . . . . . .17 Riverside Inn & Fine Dining . . . . . . . .37 Roger’s Plumbing & Heating . . . . . . .11 Roosevelt Campobello International Park .40 Rooster Brother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Rumery’s Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Ruth & Wimpy’s Restaurant . . . . . . . .36 S.R. Tracy Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Sandman Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 SaraSara’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Sawbuck Custom Woodworks . . . . . .54 Schooner Ada C. Lore . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Seal Cove Auto Museum . . . . . . . . . . .49 Seawall Motel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Shepard’s Select Properties . . . . . . . . .10 Shop Maine Made . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 Sky View Window Cleaning Service . . .3 Southwest Food Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 Southwest Harbor & Tremont Chamber . .50 St. Croix Valley Chamber . . . . . . . . . .61 Steinke & Caruso Dental Care . . . . . .52

136 Sunset Park Rd., East Grand Lake, Orient

Discover Maine

Business

Page

Stewart’s Wrecker Service . . . . . . . . . . .4 Stillpoint Rehabilitation & Wellness LLC . .12 Stonington Lobster Co-op . . . . . . . . . .9 Sunset Park & Marina . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Sweet Timber Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Telephone Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 The Bayview Bar Harbor . . . . . . . . . .46 The Black Sheep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 The Brooklin Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 The Burning Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 The Captain’s Galley . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 The Colony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 The Commons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 The Eagle’s Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 The Eastland Motel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 The Granite Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 The Holmes Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 The Ice Cream Lady . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 The Inn at Ferry Landing . . . . . . . . . . .9 The Lookout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 The Motel East . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 The New Friendly Restaurant . . . . . . .58 The Old Creamery Antique Mall . . . .42 The Scrimshaw Workshop . . . . . . . . .28 Tideway Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 Timberland Acres RV Park . . . . . . . . .28 Tom’s Mini Mart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 TR Ginise Paving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Tri State Equipment Service . . . . . . . . .4 Tri-City Pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Uncle Kippy’s Restaurant . . . . . . . . . .57 Vacationland Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Walls TV & Appliance . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Wardwell Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Washington Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Welch Farm Cottages . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 West End Drug Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 West’s Coastal Connection . . . . . . . . . .5 Whitten’s 2-Way Service . . . . . . . . . . .23 Whole Life Natural Market . . . . . . . . .55 Wikhegan Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 Wildes Woodyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 William Coffin & Sons . . . . . . . . . . . .53 Williams & Taplin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 WKIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Wreaths Across America . . . . . . . . . . .18 WZON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 Young’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Clay Funeral Home (207) 794-2941 7 Lee Road, Lincoln Toll Free Nationwide 1-800-734-2941

Bartlett Chapel (207) 448-2322 24 Houlton Road, Danforth Toll Free Nationwide 1-800-757-7434

Hancock & Washington Counties