The Greatest Generation Life in the early 1900s

by Dwight Mills

It seems plausible to me that my parents’ generation, the Greatest or G. I. Generation, saw more change during their lifetimes than any previous generation in recorded history. They literally went from the horse and buggy days to the digital and space age, seeing people walk on the moon. They just missed the Spanish-American War but had siblings around for that. Aviation was new, not yet used commercially or in the military, and automobiles and electricity were quite new and not seen much in rural Maine. Plastic had been invented much earlier but did not become economically feasible until Bakelite was developed in 1907.

Edward Lee Mills was born in a small farmhouse on Waterford Corner, just above Norway Lake, in 1907. Theodore Roosevelt was then President. His father, Zenas, born before the Civil War in 1860, had helped build and was now the caretaker for the ‘laboratory’ home of C. A. Stephens, later the namesake for the hospital in Norway. He was then a non-practicing medical doctor and a well-known author.

Mary Agnes Martin was born at home in the Shadagee section of Greenwood in 1909, while her father was outside removing a dirt banking that had served as winter insulation around the perimeter of the house. William H. Taft was then President. The first Indy 500 was in 1911 and the Titanic sunk in 1912.

Both Mary and Lee attended one- room schools that had one teacher and usually went up through the 8th grade. Around 1913, Mary’s older sister, Elvira, had her appendix removed on the kitchen table. Surgeon Wallace Webber came by car from Lewiston, picking up Dr. Bolster in Poland. Vi’s appendix had ruptured so they operated immediately, with assistance from a neighborhood lady with no medical training. Vi wasn’t expected to survive. Meanwhile, Vi’s father picked up a nurse, with a horse and buggy, at the train station in Locke’s Mills. When the nurse reached the home, the doctors had already left. She stayed a week and a half and Vi ended up living into old age.

In 1915 Lee’s family moved from

Norway to Albany in a two-horse buckboard. In those days neither family had electricity. Water was by hand pumps and toilets were outhouses. Television was non-existent. Mary’s family did have a crank phone. They had to call the home of Dan Cole and he would then connect them to the desired party. Laundry was done by scrub board and rope clothes lines. When Mary was about 8 she had a bad toothache. Her father took her to a doctor in Bryant Pond in a horse and sleigh. On the road between Lake Christopher and the railroad tracks the horse was spooked by a train, bolted, and ran, overturning the sleigh and occupants.

About that same time Mary’s grandmother’s funeral was held in the schoolhouse. The influenza pandemic occurred in 1918. While walking to school that year Mary heard distant church bells ringing in Bryant Pond. She later learned that signaled the end of WW1.

1919 found Lee traveling about two miles by horse and buggy to school in Mason. About that time Zenas bought his first car, a Model T touring car. Lee was a passenger when Zenas first tried driving. Suddenly, he lost control and was pulling back on the steering wheel and yelling “whoa, whoa.” They ended up crashing off the road.

In 1920 Mary’s oldest sister was playing piano for silent movies. Mary attended one that starred Gloria Swanson.

When Lee was 14, he broke his wrist starting his brother’s car with a hand crank. In the 20s Lee worked for his father in the woods, cutting trees with a crosscut saw, peeling off bark and sawing them to 4' with a buck saw. Later they stamped each piece with an “M” and hauled them by sled on snow to the Pleasant River. They ended up going down that river and the Androscoggin River to Oxford Paper Co. in Rumford. Lee also rolled snow on the roads in Albany with a four-horse team.

The 1920s found Lee owning nine different motorcycles about the time that the Maine State Police was starting out and using motorcycles. Lee owned Harley Davidson, Indian, Ace and Henderson bikes.

1928 found Mary attending Farmington Normal School, forerunner of UMF, for six weeks to become a teacher. For eight years she taught at oneroom schools in Shadagee, Irish Neighborhood, and Mason. She received $13 to $14 per week with no summer pay. The only benefits were exercise carrying water and wood to light a fire.

During those years Lee mined at the Bumpus Mine with a hand drill and dynamite and later did road building across northern New England for the Civilian Conservation Corps, a government work program in reaction to the Great Depression. They married in 1936 and proceeded to witness many changes to all aspects of life. Movies

(cont. on page 48)

(cont. from page 47) had sound, radio had appeared, cars had improved, flight was very different, appliances were appearing to make life simpler.

My brother, Blaine, was born in 1939 and when I was born in 1944, they went to the hospital in Rumford. There was still no hospital in Norway. They had to cross the Androscoggin River on a ferry to get there. Mary spent 2 - 3 days in the hospital and I was there 10 days. The entire bill was $76.60.

In the late 40s and early 50s the Greenwood roads were cleared of snow by a huge, slow tractor that had a wing on each side. They didn’t start plowing until it was done snowing. It took three days to clear the roads.

By the early 50s Lee was moonlighting his industrial job with electrician work and he went to work for Cole’s Hardware in Bryant Pond. Gardner Cole had gotten a Motorola franchise and Lee and two other men were busy installing TVs and antennas for the new technology soon to arrive. At home we watched a test pattern for Channel 6 for two weeks before programming began.

Both Mary and Lee made it into the 21st century and saw huge changes. Lee actually got to drive enclosed and heated vehicles and Mary had gone from the scrub board up through the wringer type washers to the modern type. She also got to use a dryer. Neither one got into computers but Lee, being an electrician who was entirely self-taught, and a two-way radio guy, was probably getting close to embracing the digital age.

Fryeburg Fair, established in 1851, will host its 173rd annual eightday Fair from Sunday, October 1st thru Sunday, October 8th, 2023. Tickets are $15/day and include the Night Show. Children under 12 are always free. Tuesday, October 3rd is Senior Citizen’s Day and our 65 & over friends are free. Tickets can be pre-purchased online or at the gate. Weekly passes (all 8 days) are $100 and must be purchased in person at the Fair. Gates are open daily at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m., give or take, depending on crowd size.

The 2023 Fryeburg Fair opens at 7 a.m. on Sunday, October 1st and highlights include the Firemen’s Muster, Sheepdog Trials, the first of four Pig Scrambles, Ox and Draft Horse Pulling, Flower, Poultry, Dairy Goat, Fleece, Fiber and Sheep Shows, Wreathmaking, Baking Contests, and the very popular Tractor & Big Rig Pull!

New this year on opening Sunday is the Open Youth Horse Show from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the grandstand. Jenn Coen, Superintendent of the event, assisted by her daughter, Chloe, says, “Our event is about horsemanship and the relationship and teamwork between horse and rider. Horsemanship is way more than just getting on and riding. The entrants will paint their horses to start the day and we’ll have interactive games for the crowd to cheer on. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone!”

Woodsmen’s Field Day is on Monday, October 2nd starting at 9 a.m. and is the largest spectator woodsmen’s event in North America. Contestants come from all over the U.S. and Canada to compete in 28 woods skills events. This year we bring back the Tea Boil!

The Fair’s very popular tossing (cont. on page 52)

(cont. from page 51) events, the Women’s Skillet Throw starts at noon on Monday followed by the Men’s Anvil Toss. Both events are open to members of the public who want to cast some iron thru the air! Sign up on Monday by 10:30 a.m. at the Livestock Office!

Want to show the world your masterful home skills and hobbies for ribbons and awards? The Agricultural Exhibition Center is for you! Enter your garden vegetables, baked goods, quilts, canned/jarred/preserved foods, photographs, artwork, oil paintings, plants, floral arrangements, crocheting, sewing (and so much more!) for judging and the all important bragging rights! Download your entry form at our website and return it by August 15th. Enter our amazing and competitive Baking Contests by 12:45 day of event. All rules and details of each contest are available at www.fryeburgfair.org.

New this year, the Agricultural Ed- ucation Department will be offering a scavenger hunt for kids K-12. This activity focuses on the agricultural exhibit areas of the fair, such as our livestock, fiber center, garden center, etc. and is aligned with the committee’s mission of teaching people about the vast topic of agriculture and food production. Katherine Kugelman, Superintendent says, “Brochures and maps with all of the details can be picked up at our booth in the Natural Resource Center or across the fairgrounds at the various agricultural exhibit areas. After completion, they will receive a small prize with the possibility of being entered into a daily raffle for a backpack full of ag-related goodies.” Coming up soon Fryeburg Fair’s website will also host a whole new section where you can access a list of just our agricultural demonstrations, shows, etc. happening across the fairgrounds throughout the week of the fair.

We’ve got some new upgrades to the Farm Museum area and we welcome our new curator, long-time Fair employee Erlon Jones. He’s following in his late parents’ footsteps; Ed & Diane Jones were the curators for 26 years.

As always, our food options are everywhere and awesome! Shopping, crafts, gifts, musicians, entertainers, flower arts, fiber arts, farm & history museums, two beer tents, 3,000 head of cows, horses, oxen, poultry, rabbits, and more.

What does Fryeburg Fair’s Dairy Department do with all the milk collected during Fair week? Dave Richardson, Dairy Superintendent says, “Well, all the milk from last year’s Fair went to Pineland Farms and they made cheese out of it! It’s been aging all year, and this Sharp Cheddar will be for sale during this year’s fair. We’ll have 5,700 seven-ounce blocks for sale and the proceeds will benefit agricultural education. We haven’t set the price and the location of the sale yet. Stay tuned. This will be a very special product!”

Harness Racing changes a bit this year moving to a five day schedule running Tuesday thru Saturday with the first race at 1:30 as always.

Our Mechanical Pulls are big crowd favorites. We have the Tractor & Big Rig Pull on the first Sunday at 4 p.m. On Tuesday tractor pulls at the Swine & Goat Grandstand starting at 9 a.m. (cont. on page 54)

(cont. from page 53) include lawn and garden size up to fullsize tractors. Tuesday is also Antique Tractor Show Day and they are displayed on the north side of the Swine & Goat Grandstand. The 4x4 Truck Pull is on the last Sunday, October 8th and great news - we’re starting at 3 p.m. Our Pull lineup is noisy, competitive and fun!

Dreamland Amusements brings back their most popular rides the Super Himalaya, Dream Catcher & Alien Invasion along with 27 others to choose from! Last year was an outstanding first show for Dreamland at Fryeburg Fair! They loved being in Maine for the first time. Dreamland’s commitment to the fairgoer experience means tickets can be purchased in advance online and credit cards are always accepted on site. Go to Dreamland’s website www.dreamlandamusements.com for ride & ticket info.

This year’s Night Show 2023 ros- ter brings you 12 O/C (Maine’s very own-Country-Monday), The Marshall Tucker Band (from South Carolina-Southern Rock, Blues Rock & Country Rock-Tuesday), Niko Moon (Country Singer/Songwriter-Wednesday), The Great Escape (A Tribute to Journey-Thursday), Emily Ann Roberts (from The Voice!-Country-Friday, followed by our annual fireworks show) and Bad Habit (Rock-Saturday)!

The Grand Parade on Saturday, October 7th begins at 10 am. Grab your coffee and breakfast and don’t miss this narrated showcase of the Fair’s best livestock, floats, bands, businesses and antique cars.

Camping at Fryeburg Fair, Maine’s largest fair, is the greatest! With 3,000 campsites we’ve got one for you and all your family & friends. Call 207-9352912 or email camping@fryeburgfair. org.

Getting here - our rural roads mean

it’s best to have a good approach and takeoff plan as we wave you in. Here’s some insider tips! #1 - arrive early and stay late. Plenty of seating and resting spots at the Fair. Enjoy an easy day. #2 - Weekends and perfect fall weather days are busiest. Adjust your plans accordingly. #3 – come into the Fair arriving from the North and leave the same way if possible. Good news – our ticket lines move fast and even faster if you buy them online.

Our full program is available on our social pages, at www.fryeburgfair.org, and printed copies are on site.

Fryeburg Fair. A family tradition. Love it as a child and come back with your own children and grandchildren. We’ll be waiting for you.

4 miles from Waterville

The 1947 Fryeburg-Brownfield Forest Fire

Modern firefighting techniques paid off

by Charles Francis

It was another “yellow day” in south ern Oxford County. The pall of smoke that hung over Fryeburg and Brown field was so dense that cars had to use their headlights, even at midday. Most of these cars were filled with people fleeing before the racing walls of flame that at times reached a height of three hundred feet. At one point the choking haze became so unbearable that the watchman at the Pleasant Mountain lookout tower abandoned his post for

It is 1947, the year that Maine burned, the year that countless small fires and four major ones caused the greatest damage the state had experienced to date. Two of the big ones began on October 17th — the York County fire and the Mt. Desert Island fire, and two on October 23rd — the Washington County fire and the Fryeburg-Brownfield fire. All told, two hundred and Knight and Welch Garage in North Waterford. Item # LB2007.1.101925 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

Mainely Puppies Plus, LLC