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Volume 33 | Issue 2 | 2024
Maine’s History Magazine
Greater Kennebec & Androscoggin River Valleys
Lewiston’s Frederick Payne Maine’s former Governor & U.S. Senator
Pittsfield’s 2nd Lt. Carl Alexander “These are my credentials”
Kurt Russell’s Rangeley Roots Hollywood star spent childhood summers here
www.DiscoverMaineMagazine.com
Greater Kennebec & Androscoggin River Valleys
Inside This Edition
2
Maine’s History Magazine
4 I t Makes No Never Mind James Nalley 5 A Snowy Night In Hallowell Speed led to winter collision in 1898 Brian Swartz
GREATHER KENNEBEC & ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER VALLEYS
8 Pilgrims And Kennebec River Valley Beaver Pelts to England repaid their debt John Murray 16 The Portland-Lewiston Interurban “Finest in the state of Maine!” Jeffrey Bradley
Editor Dennis Burch Design & Layout Liana Merdan
20 Lewiston’s Frederick Payne Maine’s former Governor and U.S. Senator James Nalley
Field Representative Don Plante Contributing Writers Jeffrey Bradley Charles Francis Ruth M. Knowles John Murray James Nalley Brian Swartz
26 Pittsfield’s 2 nd Lt. Carl Alexander “These are my credentials” James Nalley 30 The Genealogy Corner Tracing Irish Ancestry Charles Francis
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34 Kurt Russell’s Rangeley Roots Hollywood star spent childhood summers here Charles Francis 38 John Ware And The Pioneers Of Norridgewock A glimpse into the town’s history Ruth M. Knowles 46 Norridgewock’s Major John Moor The Sword of Bunker Hill Charles Francis
Are you hiding what we’re looking for ?
Publisher Jim Burch
10 Exchange Street, Suite 208 Portland, Maine 04101 Ph (207) 874-7720 info@discovermainemagazine.com www.discovermainemagazine.com Discover Maine Magazine is distributed to town offices, chambers of commerce, financial institutions, fraternal organizations, barber shops, beauty salons, hospitals and medical offices, newsstands, grocery and convenience stores, hardware stores, lumber companies, motels, restaurants and other locations throughout this part of Maine. NO PART of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from CreMark, Inc. | Copyright © 2023, CreMark, Inc.
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Levesque family in their Marion automobile in Lewiston, ca. 1917. From the Collections of Franco Center, courtesy of www.vintagemaineimages.com, Item # 6859 All photos in Discover Maine’s Greater Kennebec & Androscoggin River Valleys 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.
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In Loving Memory Tricia C. Asselin, 53 Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40 William Frank Brackett, 48 Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34 Michael R. Deslauriers II, 51 Maxx A. Hathaway, 35 Bryan M. MacFarlane, 41 Keith D. Macneir, 64 Ronald G. Morin, 55 Joshua A. Seal, 36 Arthur Fred Strout, 42 Stephen M. Vozzella, 45 Lucille M. Violette, 73 Robert E. Violette, 76 Joseph Lawrence Walker, 57 Jason Adam Walker, 51 William A. Young, 44 Aaron Young, 14
Never Forgotten
Lewiston Strong
Greater Kennebec & Androscoggin River Valleys
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It Makes No Never Mind by James Nalley
A
t the time of this publication, this region of Maine, which covers more than 5,000 square miles, will not only be experiencing the beginnings of winter, but also a wide array of holiday and New Year’s events. Although there are plenty to choose from regarding the latter, the following are some choices (in no particular order). First, for those looking for live Christmas trees, there is Trees to Please (www.trees-to-please.com). Located on Smithfield Road in Norridgewock, they offer freshly pre-cut Christmas trees or the opportunity to cut down your own Balsam fir or Fraser. There is even an option to select a potted tree to plant in your yard! As a bonus, it offers a lovely gift shop, where you can purchase Christmas wreaths, holiday ornaments, and other related goods made by local artisans. Second, since 1969, downtown Waterville has turned into “Kringleville” every December. Families and children of all ages can watch the Christmas parade of lights and enjoy arctic animals, a miniature gingerbread house, and a mini-ice-skating rink. There is, of course, Santa Claus. It is managed by a dedicated group of volunteers in partnership with the Children’s Discovery
Museum and the City of Waterville. Third, in the spirit of giving, there is the Christmas Program at the Maine Children’s Home in Waterville. This program is the only one of its kind that provides brand new clothes, winter essentials, toys, books, and games to more than 1,100 Maine children whose families are facing financial hardship. This program mainly relies on the generosity of donors, volunteers, and community supporters. Overall, there are five ways to support the program: 1) Give new items from the “Urgent Needs” List; 2) Purchase items on their Amazon wish list; 3) Participate in “Our Giving Tree Campaign”; 4) Become a volunteer; and 5) Make a monetary gift. For more details, see www.mainechildrenshome. org/programs/christmas-program. Finally, of course, no holiday season is complete without a New Year’s celebration. Among the many throughout the state, New Year’s Auburn is one of the largest and best. Visitors can ring in the New Year at the Beer Garden, which not only features beer, but also wine and other beverages from local brewers, pubs, and restaurants. Meanwhile, food trucks from across the state will provide delicious food, after which you can dance the night away to music performed by live local bands. Of
course, there is a countdown culminating in a huge fireworks display! Best of all, admission is free. At this point, my readers have come to expect a witty tale or a joke. However, in light of the seriousness of a recent event and its timing with the holidays, I will end with the following poem by Sandy Siewers. In the meantime, be strong Maine.
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When snowflakes dance on winter winds And colored lights shine Christmas cheer, When children’s laughers fills the air And family gathers from far and near, I try to celebrate with them And not let my hurting show. But the empty spaces within my heart, At this season, seem to grow, ‘Till ofentimes it fills the days And many night times too. With aching thoughts and memories Of Christmases I spent with you. Yes, memories do hurt, it’s true, But I have this feeling too. I’m so glad I hold these memories. For with them I hold part of you. So, for now I’ll wipe away the tears And join with loved ones dear To celebrate this Christmas time, For I know that, in my heart, you’re here.
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A Snowy Night In Hallowell Speed led to winter collision in 1898
by Brian Swartz
W
inter lay heavily over the lower Kennebec Valley in early January 1898. Cold reinforced the snow that had blanketed Hallowell, yet despite the chill reddening cheeks and exposed skin, people moved about the city one night — and at least one person moved way too fast. Although snow hampered travel, people could move through Hallowell via horse-drawn sleighs, the Maine Central Railroad, or the seven-mile Augusta, Hallowell, & Gardiner Electric Street Railroad Co., a trolley line established in 1890. Mainers did not “plow” the roads then; a local government might hire men and horses to
compact the snow on the primary local streets with a cylindrical granite roller, but those streets remained snow-covered until the next thaw. And a hilly, snow-covered street was great for sledding. Hallowell abounded in such streets that January. Then, as today, side streets roll downhill to intersect Water Street (modern Route 201) in the city’s downtown. Today, for drivers descending Winthrop, Central, Union, and Academy streets, there is little room (and time) for error at the stop signs or traffic lights, especially the light at Winthrop and Water streets. The problem is not exclusive to vehicles powered by internal combustion
engines. In January 1898, Hallowell Weekly Register publisher and editor Walter F. Marston reported (albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek) on an incident that occurred long after sunset on Saturday, January 8. The perpetrator violated a particular municipal ordinance. Casting the incident in nautical terms, Marston wrote that “owing to the narrowness of the thoroughfare, it is one of the harbor regulations of Hallowell, that no craft shall come down Academy St. except in tow.” He referred, of course, to horsedrawn conveyances, and the city had adopted an ordinance designed to pro(cont. on page 6)
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(cont. from page 5) tect such vehicles and pedestrians moving on Academy Street. Why? “Between Powder House Hill and Water street are two obstructions dangerous to navigation”: the Maine Central tracks and the trolley tracks. Sometime after sunset on January 8, “in defiance of municipal regulations and public safety, a double-runner came down Academy street under full steam,” Marston reported. He referred to a double-runner sled that likely had a seat made from a single wooden plank to which were secured two steel runners up front and two more in the rear. Possibly drawing on his past experience sledding on Academy Street, Marston stressed that “the speed down this hill is such that an inexperienced coaster [sledder] has but one breath and two heart-beats on the trip — the first at the top, the last at the bottom where Academy Street intersected Water Street.” That Saturday night, “this trip was
a record-breaker by several seconds,” he indicated. The person (or people) aboard the sled moved too fast, and “at the cotton mill [on Academy Street], the double-runner hauled the wind [changed direction] so as to leave Leigh & Wingate’s on the lee, then run for Joppa for anchorage.” Hallowell residents understood Marston’s geographical references to the double-runner’s progress on Academy Street. According to Vintage Maine Images, Joppa extended from Temple Street to Vaughan Stream and “was the poorer section of the city and included commercial establishments and residences.” So the double-runner apparently headed for Joppa. But the sled never completed its voyage, because a “Mr. Horne, of West Gardiner hove in sight” while steering a horse-drawn “fine sleigh … with sheets full, light sails and everything drawing, bound for
Clearwater drug store,” Marston noted. “Neither craft showed any lights” on that dark night, he wrote. The double-runner “struck the sleigh on the port bow [left front] and passed completely through it to the starboard quarter [right side] cutting it down to the water line” by smashing the runners’ supports. Tossed “on his beams end,” the poor horse bolted, “carrying away some windward braces and light standing rigging,” and “the skipper was washed overboard,” reported Marston. Horne lay bleeding from “a bad scalp wound and was at first believed to be dead.” City Marshal Henderson and other folks rushed to the scene, and Horne soon stirred. Henderson found the sled “floating derelict [abandoned] but entirely uninjured,” so “the crew had taken to the life-boat and made all speed for the nearest harbor,” Marston said. Apparently tracking the crew in the snow,
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com the city marshal soon learned that “the owner of the sled was reported abed and sound asleep!” Henderson confiscated the double-runner, which he discovered that the owner had acquired at a Knights of Pythias fair in December. The wrecked sleigh, “now available as kindling wood and old iron,” was moved to a nearby stable. There, Marston closely examined the sleigh. “It was not merely damaged or even smashed, but pulverized,” he commented. Disgusted at losing his brand new (but uninsured) sleigh, Horne rented a horse and sleigh at the stable “and when last seen was sailing close-hauled for West Gardiner.”
The final mass at St. Mary’s Church in 2000. In June of 2000 the Franco Center took over the building. (Courtesy of the Franco Center)
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Pilgrims And Kennebec River Valley Beaver by John Murray
Pelts to England repaid their debt
A
fter arriving in Plymouth in 1620, the Pilgrims struggled with surviving their first hard winter along the Atlantic coast. The human will to survive is strong, and the Pilgrims survived, and established a permanent settlement. Along with improving the skills required to harvest wild game and fish, forest land was cleared for agricultural purposes, and their farming skills gradually improved. By the early fall of 1625, the Pilgrims managed to have a large harvest of corn, and it was the first time that the Pilgrims had an excess of a resource. The Pil-
grims were in debt to London Merchant creditors, who had funded their voyage to North America, yet the corn was of little value to ship it back to England as payment of the debt. As the creditors in England grew
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more impatient with the Pilgrim’s inability to repay their outstanding debt, the Pilgrims needed a new strategy. Luckily with foresight, the parts of a small sailing boat called a shallop were stored in the hull of the Mayflower. After this boat was assembled the following spring after arriving in the new land, it was initially used for fishing the local coastal waters, and now it would be put into service for a different mission. It was decided that a few men would sail up the coast to search for other tribes of native Indians who might be willing to trade more valuable local resources
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com for the harvested corn. The little sailing boat was filled with corn, and with Edward Winslow as the skipper, set sail in a northward direction up the coast. Some days later along the then unnamed coast of Maine, the shallop would enter the mouth of a large river which would come to be known as the Kennebec River. The small crew of Pilgrim men sailed upriver on the Kennebec until they were hampered by the quicker moving current rapids. Unable to progress further upriver, the boat was brought to the shore, and it was here that the Pilgrims encountered the resident inhabitants. The native Indians in the Plymouth region had been friendly, but the Pilgrims did not know what to expect with other Indian tribes. Fortunately, these native Indians were also of a good disposition. These friendly Indians had an established village in the vicinity of the river basin, and curiously greeted the oddly dressed pale-skinned men who spoke with a different tongue.
Although there was a language barrier between the Pilgrims and the Indians, a rudimental dialogue was established between the two parties, and the Indians soon recognized that the Pilgrims wanted to trade. With the large natural resource of fish and game in the Kennebec region, the resident Indians were a tribe that specialized in fishing and hunting. Very little farming was done, and only a meager amount of corn was grown by the Kennebec Indians. Excited about the large load of corn that the Pilgrims possessed, the Indians gladly took all the corn that was stored in the shallop and traded seven hundred pounds of beaver fur pelts in return. Upon returning to the Plymouth settlement, the beaver fur pelts were loaded onto the next ship that sailed back to England. The beaver furs prompted much interest with the London Merchant creditors, and a land grant was given to the Pilgrims that gave them
sole rights to the land along the Kennebec River basin. This land grant allowed the Pilgrims to control and take full advantage of the beaver fur trade that had been established with the Indians. In 1628, a trading fort was constructed on the eastern bank of the Kennebec River close to the Indian village so the Pilgrims could establish a more efficient trading system with the Indians. The Indians were quite proficient with capturing beaver and were capable of obtaining large numbers of them. These native Indian hunters would hunt beaver all along the 150-mile length of the Kennebec River. During these hunting trips, some groups of Indians would regularly travel upriver to Moosehead Lake, which was the fertile source of the Kennebec River, and home to large populations of beaver. Skills required to capture beaver had been practiced for thousands of years by the Indians. Beaver meat was
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(cont. from page 9) considered delicious, and the fur hides were used for clothing, footwear and blankets. The Indians used a variety of methods to capture beavers, including spears, nets and snares. Beavers feed on the bark of trees, so the Indians would use cut willow and poplar branches as bait, and wait in concealment for the beaver to arrive. As the beaver approached to eat the bait, the Indian hunter would use a long spear to dispatch the beaver. Nets were constructed from sinew, and these nets were placed under the water at the entrance of the beavers den. The net was tied to a stout pole, and multiple sets of moose hooves were attached to function as a bell. When the beaver became entangled in the underwater net, the moose hooves would rattle together from the shaking of the net, alerting the hunter who was waiting nearby with spear. Snares were fashioned from animal skins that were partially
tanned, and twisted together to form a loop. These snares were placed at the entrances of beaver dens, and in known beaver travel routes. Upon returning to the Kennebec River basin to conduct more trade for the valuable beaver fur pelts, the Pil-
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grims became quite aware of the large number of beavers in the region when the Indians provided a huge amount of beaver pelts that could not fit into the boat. The Pilgrims took all that could fit for the journey back to Plymouth, and then upon arriving, the colony car-
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com penter modified and enlarged the size of the boat. This was accomplished by cutting the existing boat in half, then it was lengthened by approximately six feet with attached cut timber. This additional deck space would allow for the transport of more fur pelts. During their five years of constructing the trading fort on the shore of the Kennebec River, the Pilgrims would ship 12,500 pounds of beaver fur pelts to England. These shipments of beaver fur pelts would fully repay the debt owed to the London Merchant creditors. With the outstanding debt paid off, all profits thereafter would immensely benefit the Plymouth colony. Pilgrim trade with the Kennebec Indians would continue for nearly thirty years. By this time, the French were well aware of the valuable beaver that were coming from the area, and had also established trade with the native Indians. With other traders competing with the Kennebec Indians, the margin of profit was decreasing for the Plymouth Pilgrims. In 1661, it was decided to sell the Kennebec River trading fort to businessmen of the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony. As it turned out, this was a wise business choice for the Plymouth Pilgrims. Beaver populations along the Kennebec River basin were beginning to noticeably decline due to overharvesting of the animal. During the year 1646, the French would export 33,000 pounds of beaver fur pelts. Shortly thereafter, with increas-
ing hostiles from the French, the new owners of the Kennebec River trading fort would abandon the area with the start of the French and Indian war. For nearly a hundred years afterwards, the Kennebec River basin would have no European settlers in the area. The ancestors from the Massachusetts Bay Colony reclaimed the tract of land
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where the previous trading fort once stood, and in 1754 constructed a new fort called Old Fort Western. This fort would encourage settlement in the location, and the area would continue to grow and prosper, until ultimately becoming modern day Augusta — the capital of Maine.
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A participant in the 1923 State of Maine Winter Carnival in Augusta jumping over a barrier in a skating event. Item # 27724 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and www.VintageMaineImages.com
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The Seagraves ladder built in the 1930s shown in front of the Norway Fire Department, ca. 1959. Item # 5541 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and www.VintageMaineImages.com
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The Arthur L. Mann Memorial Library in West Paris, ca. 1910-15. Item # LB2008.19.115902 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org
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The Portland-Lewiston Interurban by Jeffrey Bradley
T
“Finest in the State of Maine!”
he interurban railway that connected Portland and Lewiston for nearly 20 years was possibly the best in all New England. From 1914 to 1933 this high-speed system provided reliable electrified streetcar freight and passenger service on a dedicated 30-mile single-track right-of-way until financial difficulties made that unfeasible. Coming into possession of the Androscoggin Electric Company when mill magnate and financier W Scott Libby died just prior to opening day, the PLI, as it came to be known, was a proud symbol of progress, and better constructed than many railroads. Offering limited-express and local service,
the cars left each city terminus on every hour of the day. All infrastructure and rolling stock were owned by the company, which also provided the most modern methods of power distribution, and the line became known for careful efficiency. In town the cars shared the line with other slow-moving trolleys, but once in the open countryside they whizzed along on their own private track at speeds up to 60 miles per hour. Two or more would be hitched together for special occasions. Interurban describes an electrified high-speed rail system that travels in and between city, town, and country and carries mostly passengers. Electric power, turbines, and relay stations en-
abled this kind of transit to come into its own during the age of steam. Prospering in the earlier part of the 20th century, nearly 15,000 miles of trackage existed by 1915, and for a time they ranked among the country’s top-five industries. Nowadays most consist of four or more coaches but the PLI was essentially a single high-speed streetcar. Particularly in rural Maine and especially during the winter when goods and services moved about the primitive roads by horse-drawn wagon, this kind of transport was viewed as a viable alternative. Yet, by 1930, thanks in part to the automobile, most lines were gone. Planning began in 1902 but construction delayed until 1910. The pre-
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com vious welter of lines, changeovers, and mishmash of fares made the three-hour roundabout trip nearly unbearable despite the cheap fares and frequent service. Maine Central and the Grand Trunk Railroad connected the two cities by steam, but service was sketchy and the fare cost 95 cents. While public agitation for a direct electrified route increased, in the way of railroads, nothing was done until the mergers, incorporations and other back-room shenanigans could be sorted out, and what finally emerged was a line that ran from Morrill’s Corner in Portland to the outskirts of Auburn with scheduled stops at Deering Junction, West Falmouth, West Cumberland, South Gray, Gray, North Gray, Lower Gloucester, Upper Gloucester, Danville, Littlefield’s Corner and Fairview Junction. Grading began with Italian laborers using horse-drawn carts to perform the mostly nonmechanized work.
Construction stopped for the winter but started again in spring as the line gradually crept toward Portland. The year 1912 proved especially busy with a series of reinforced concrete bridges thrown up over the Presumpscot, Royal and Little Androscoggin Rivers, brick substations that doubled as passenger depots erected in West Falmouth, Gray and Danville along with the overhead power lines, a new passenger terminal that ran the entire length of a city block finished in Portland, and the first deluxe Laconia passenger cars delivered to the newly-completed car house on Middle Street in Lewiston. Libby’s death caused turmoil — the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville Street Railway very much wanted to own it — but with the newly minted Portland-Lewiston Interurban passing into the hands of the Androscoggin Electric Company, service commenced on July 10, 1914. Interestingly, the whole
thing was built without a single issue of stock. High demand occasioned hourly departures from Portland starting at 4:45AM and ended with the last arriving in Lewiston at 11:05PM. Scheduled running time for the local stops was an hour and 30 minutes with a minimum fare of 10 cents and a through fare of 75 cents. Both service and price were an improvement over traveling by steam. Immediately successful, the railway drew some 90,000 passengers its first four months, and two daily freight trips were also scheduled. No signals existed along the right-of-way, so conductors called for dispatch orders from the register stations in Deering and Fairview Junction or tapped overhead telephone wires by portable antenna. At the Deer Rips location, the Androscoggin Electric Company used waterpower to generate electricity transferred by relays to the auxiliary steam turbine in Lew(cont. on page 18)
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(cont. from page 17) iston. Ten bridges dotted the line, the highest incline was at four percent, and no sharp curves existed. Town speed was held to 15mph, but the locals averaged 25mph in open country with limited-express service averaging 10 miles per hour faster; a run starting in Monument Square made only five stops to shave a full 20 minutes off the trip. Nine handsome passenger cars in green and grey livery trimmed with dark red featuring letters and numerals etched in gold comprised the fleet. Inside was room for 52 with the main compartment divided from a smoking section. Floors were of interlocking rubber tiles, the leaded glass windows were finished in wood, and two sets of Pullman steps were found at either end. Twenty reversible plush green seats occupied the main compartment plus two leather longitudinal end seats. There were no toilets. Each 46-footlong coach had air brakes and brass whistles and was attached to the wires
Discover the
by a ‘shoe’ that was quieter, more durable and ensured a steadier contact than previous configurations. They were fast and comfortable and the crews polite and attentive — a far cry from the bone-rattling highway buses that came to displace them. Four box motors — basically a passenger or boxcar refitted as an engine with few seats or windows — were mostly used for handling freight or snowplows and there was a powerful steeple-roof Baldwin locomotive. An old photo taken near New Gloucester reveals a well-constructed roadbed, track, trolley poles and amalgam of high-tension wires. Although mishaps occurred in the crowded cities, operating over the single track at high speed without any signals occasioned only one accident of consequence. On January 11, 1924, two cars were involved in a rear-end collision at Deering Junction that left 16 injured but no fatalities. The long downgrade at Dan-
power of community resilience.
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Portland–Lewiston Interurban car, 1915
ville Hill that paralleled the highway was the scene of madcap races between early automobiles and the speeding streetcars and after several near misses at grade crossings automatic signals were installed.
Young boy dressed as a young St. Jean Baptiste for a parade in Lewiston that was held annually from 1875 to 1966 to celebrate the patron saint. (Courtesy of the Franco Center)
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Lewiston’s Frederick Payne Maine’s former Governor and U.S. Senator
by James Nalley
I
n the early 1900s, a young boy from Lewiston took every menial job he could find to make ends meet for himself and his family. For example, he worked as a newsboy, grocery clerk, theater usher, and dishwasher, all while attending public schools in his native city. Eventually, he earned his business degree and slowly made his way into politics, serving as the Mayor of Augusta, the Governor of Maine, and a U.S. Senator. Within his tenure as mayor and governor, he made important and necessary changes for the State of Maine. As for the Senate, it was politics as usual. Frederick Payne was born on July 24, 1904, in Lewiston. He received his early education at public schools in Lewiston, eventually graduating
y Sp Dail
from Jordan High School. He went on to study at the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance (currently Bentley University) in Boston, Massa-
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chusetts, where he graduated in 1925. Payne then worked as a financial manager and chief disbursing officer for the Maine & New Hampshire Theater Co., which operated 132 movie theaters throughout New England. His first official entry into politics was in 1935, when he was elected Mayor of Augusta. He served as mayor until 1941. With higher ambitions, in 1940, he ran for the Republican nomination for Governor of Maine, but lost to State Senator Sumner Sewall, a former airline executive with a history as a World War I fighter ace. However, after Sewall was elected Governor, he named Payne as the State Finance Commissioner and Budget Director. He did not remain in this position for long, since he, like
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com many other able-bodied individuals, joined the war effort in 1942. In this case, he joined as an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Upon returning home to Maine in 1945, Payne spent the next three years working as a manager of the Waldoboro Garage Company, while planning his return to politics. In 1948, Payne was elected as the 60th Governor of Maine after soundly defeating his Democratic opponent, Biddeford mayor Louis Lausier, by a margin of 66% to 34%. He easily won re-election in 1950, defeating Democrat Earl Grant by 61% to 39%. As governor, Payne was extremely productive, making wide-ranging changes to the state. For instance, he began a long-range highway modernization program financed by a $27 million bond issue, and developed an effective highway safety program that greatly reduced the number of highway deaths. In addition, he expanded (cont. on page 22)
Governor Frederick Payne holds two lobsters as part of “Down the Maine Hatch Day” in 1951. Item # LB1992.301.165 from the Atlantic Fisherman Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org
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(cont. from page 21) the Maine Development Commission, which focused on the planning, execution, and implementation of business district plans. According to The New York Times (June 16, 1978), “His biggest accomplishment as governor was the revamping of the state’s sagging financial structure through the enactment of a 2% sales tax.” Being a somewhat unstoppable political force, Payne naturally drew accusations from his rivals. In this regard, during his second term as governor, he was accused of accepting a bribe involving the state liquor industry. As stated in The Washington Post (June 17, 1978), “There was the revelation that Payne, like Sherman Adams, presidential assistant to President Eisenhower, had received gifts from Bernard Goldfine, a Boston industrialist. Adams later resigned.” Meanwhile, Payne, at his rallies for U.S. Senate in 1952, openly explained that he “had been a
friend of Goldfine for many years and that Goldfine had helped bring prosperity to Maine by revitalizing mills and creating jobs.” Subsequently, Payne testified before a special investigating committee, after which he was cleared of all charges. Two years later, when Goldfine was serving a federal prison term on a charge of contempt of court for failing to furnish income tax data, Payne helped by operating Goldfine’s textile interests. In 1952, Payne won election to the U.S. Senate, after defeating incumbent Senator Owen Brewster in a heated primary. At that time, Brewster was a close confidant of Senator Joseph McCarthy (the senator of whom the term “McCarthyism” was coined) and an antagonist of Howard Hughes. Hughes, in turn, heavily funded Payne’s primary challenge, after which Payne went on to defeat Democrat Roger Dube in the general election.
In a strange turn of events, Payne, after a series of magazine articles and Hollywood films sensationalized youth gangs and violence, supported legislation to ban automatic-opening or switchblade knives. Foreshadowing today’s political environment, Payne, during the congressional hearings, suggested that immigrants were the source of the violence: “Isn’t it true that this type of knife, the switchblade knife, in its several different forms, was developed abroad, and was developed by the so-called scum, if you want to call it, or the groups who are always involved in crime?” Soon after, the ban on switchblade knives was enacted into law as the Switchblade Knife Act of 1958. Payne and other congressmen supporting this Act believed that by stopping the importation and interstate sales of automatic knives, it would reduce or eliminate youth gang violence by blocking access to what had become (cont. on page 24) Where Friends & Family Gather
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A ski race during the 1923 Maine Winter Carnival in Augusta. Item # 27725 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and www.VintageMaineImages.com
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(cont. from page 22) a symbolic weapon. However, no laws are fool-proof, and according to the article “Youth Gangs Worsening Violence Prompts Crackdowns and Community Mobilization” (1991) in the Congressional Quarterly by Charles Clark, “While switchblade imports, domestic production, and sales to lawful owners soon ended, later legislative research demonstrated that youth gang violence rates had, in fact, rapidly increased, since gang members turned to firearms instead of knives.” Interestingly, according to GovTrack, “From January 1953 to August 1958, Payne missed 147 out of 795 roll-call votes, which is 18.5%. This was much worse than the median of 6.6% among the lifetime records of senators serving in August 1958.” The disclaimer here is that GovTrack does not track why legislators miss votes, but it is often due to medical absences,
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major life events, and running for higher office. Out of all of the votes that he missed, one of the most important was the Civil Rights Act of 1957. In 1958, Payne ran for re-election and was challenged by former Maine Governor and rising Democratic star Edmund Muskie. Muskie easily won the election, with 60% of the vote against Payne’s 39%. He was one of the 12 Democrats who overtook Republican incumbents and established the party as the “party-of-house.” This election was considered the largest single-party gain in the Senate’s history. As is well known, Muskie went on to become a career Senator, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Vice-President in the 1968 presidential election, and the U.S. Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter. After his loss, Payne retired from political life and settled down in Wal-
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doboro. In his later life, he served as a trustee of the Bentley School of Accounting and Finance, and was an industrial consultant and district manager of Walsh Engineers, Inc. On June 15, 1978, Payne died at his home in Waldoboro at the age of 73. He had been suffering from emphysema for several years. He was subsequently buried at the German Protestant Cemetery in Waldoboro. Despite his relatively long career in politics, with its mixed results and controversies, Payne will best be remembered for his work as Governor of Maine. Most importantly, during his tenure, a 2% sales tax was sanctioned, executive power was increased over state agencies, the bonded deficit was erased, and a surplus in the state treasury was secured.
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Postcard image designed by William Robinson Miller showing Main Street in Fairfield, with the Hotel Gerald on the left, ca. 1910. Item # 25816 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and www.VintageMaineImages.com
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Pittsfield’s 2 Lt. Carl Alexander nd
by James Nalley
O
“These are my credentials”
n June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied (American, British, and Canadian) troops landed on a 50-mile stretch of coastline in northern France, making it one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history. Known as Operation Overload or D-Day, the British and Canadians overcame light opposition when capturing the beaches codenamed Gold, June, and Sword, whereas the U.S. faced heavy casualties (more than 2,000) on Omaha beach. Meanwhile, Utah beach, the westernmost landing area, was taken by elements of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division (with relatively few casualties), thus securing a clear pathway into France. Approximately four weeks
later, members of 8th Infantry Division landed on Utah beach and battled their way through the hedgerows of the small
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French towns. Among them was Second Lieutenant Carl H. Alexander from Pittsfield. Born in Vanceboro on August 5, 1916, Carl was the son of Daniel Alexander, who worked for the Central Maine Railroad. At the age of 16, Carl and his family moved to a farm in Pittsfield, where he helped his father tend the crops until he joined the U.S. Army approximately nine years later. According to his biography in Silent Heroes by Madison Taylor, Carl’s younger sister, Iris “Peg” Bailey recalled her “older brother’s humor and kind demeanor, especially when he played with his younger sisters. She described him as a ‘wicked tease,’ recalling stories of him
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com teaching her to drive a car. To his mother’s dismay, he even enjoyed smoking a pipe.” Eventually, like his older brother, Bob, who enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a paratrooper, Alexander wanted to “see the world” and experience life beyond the small town of Pittsfield. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 20, 1941, in Portland. As stated by Taylor, “Military service was very common in the community and family… and Peg recalled a friendly competition between her brothers, both of whom joined during peacetime.” After being commissioned as a second lieutenant, Alexander trained at Camp Crowder in southwest Missouri. Established in 1941, the camp was re-designated as a U.S. Army Signal Corps replacement training center, an Army Service Forces training center, and an officer candidate preparatory school, the first of its kind at any mil(cont. on page 28)
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(cont. from page 27) itary base. This was where he met Evelyn Adelman, whom he married on September 13, 1943, in Pittsfield. In early 1944, Alexander was assigned to the 8th Infantry Division, 28th Infantry Regiment, and sent to England for additional training, in preparation for an offensive into northern France. On July 4, 1944, the division landed on Utah beach in Normandy, roughly one month after the initial D-Day landings. Like many of the Allied regiments, the goal was to continuously push through the small towns of France and attack the distracted Germans and their unbalanced forces. According to the article The 8th Infantry Division by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the division entered combat on July 7 and eventually captured the cities of Rennes and Brest. At that time, Alexander’s unit fought their way through the hedgerows as they pushed towards
Rennes, with the news of being relieved once they reached the city. However, on July 13, Alexander and his platoon were part of an attack on a German ammunition dump near Rennes. After an enemy shell wounded another officer, Alexander singlehandedly carried the man to safety and continued to organize his men. At that time, he was hit by a second shell. According to Taylor, realizing that his “wounds were fatal, he refused aid and encouraged medics to save the other officer instead. He then gave instructions to his platoon to finish the attack and died moments later.” Eventually, when U.S. Brigadier General Charles Canham (the deputy commander of the 8th Infantry Division) arrived to accept the surrender of German troops in Brest, the commander of the Brest garrison, General Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke, asked the lower-ranking officer to show his cre-
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Men competing in a log chopping competition at the New England Sportsmen’s Rendevouz event on Lake Maranacook in 1935. Item # 104781 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society / MaineToday Media and www.VintageMaineImages.com
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The Genealogy Corner
I
Charles Francis
Tracing Irish ancestry
n the early decades of the twentieth century, an attorney named Matthew McCarthy made a name for himself in Rumford. Among other things, McCarthy was a municipal judge. In addition, his law office was notable in that it trained a French Canadian by the name of Albert Beliveau for the Bar. Beliveau went on to become the first French Canadian to be appointed to the Superior Court. Beliveau subsequently married Matthew McCarthy’s daughter, Margaret. They, in turn, were the parents of one of the most notable figures in Maine politics, Severin Beliveau. Matthew McCarthy was second generation Irish. His parents were Wil-
liam and Mary (Gallagher) McCarthy. Matthew McCarthy was born in 1874 in Glenburn, where his father was a prosperous farmer. William and Mary McCarthy were part of the great Irish migration to America of the 1860s and ‘70s. Many Irish who came to Maine during that period settled in the Bangor area. Many more went further north and founded the town of New Limerick in southern Aroostook County. Matthew McCarthy was educated in Glenburn schools, Eastern Maine Conference Seminary in Bucksport, and the University of Maine Law School. He passed his bar examination in 1900. He
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first practiced law in Bangor, and then Lewiston, before settling in Rumford in 1905. Matthew McCarthy married twice. His first wife was Mildred Lynch of Orono. His second wife, Mabel Lavertu, was from Berlin, New Hampshire. His second marriage is somewhat unique for the time as it is one of the first recorded instances of an Irish and French Canadian union. Matthew and Mabel McCarthy had three children in addition to Margaret — William, Matthew Jr., and Mary. All became teachers in Rumford. Obviously, a good deal is known about the McCarthy family in Maine.
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com The same, however, cannot be said of Matthew McCarthy’s Irish antecedents. Matthew McCarthy’s obituary (he died in 1965) simply states that his parents were born in Ireland. The situation is not all that unique, though, as many Irish immigrants to the United States in the nineteenth century are simply listed in official records as having been born in Ireland. This, of course, presents problems for those interested in tracing their Irish ancestry. But there are a few ways to find the information you are looking for. One of the most common methods of researching Irish ancestry when a family’s origin is simply given as Ireland is to look for similar names and the dates of their migration. The reason for this is that emigrants almost always moved in groups. In the case of the William McCarthy who settled in Glenburn, there were a number of other McCarthys who migrated to Maine at
the same time. Most of them settled in New Limerick. These McCarthys trace their origins to County Cork. Therefore, the place to start researching the Irish ancestry of Matthew McCarthy would be in that county’s records. The above method of researching Irish family history works fine from about the year 1850. But before that time, other problems arise. The reason for this is that before 1850, ships from Ireland did not sail to America on a regular schedule. For this reason, many emigrants moved to an Irish port city like Belfast or Dublin for a time, where they waited for a ship to sail. Many even made their journey in stages, first having a stopover in a port like Liverpool or Bristol in England. The most important fact to establish for your ancestors is a county of origin. If it turns out to be incorrect, you must start over, trying another county. Researching Irish family history
to any great extent is extremely difficult. One reason for this is that major repositories of records in Ireland were twice destroyed by fire, first in the early 1800s, and then again about 1922. Another reason is the commonality of surnames like Kelly, Murphy, and Murray. For example, there are an incredible number of Michael Murphys in the world. In addition, names with prefixes like O’Neil and McNeil often had the prefix dropped and Neil could become Neal. Those building a family tree of their Irish ancestry will quickly find two things. The first is that it is impossible to go back much before 1800. The church records of Irish Protestants are somewhat better, as a general statement, than those of Irish Catholics, but the further back you go, the more difficult it is to find records for average people. On the other hand, if you are descended from landed gentry, you will most likely find (cont. on page 32)
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(cont. from page 31) a family history stretching back to antiquity already in existence. Then, too, there is the fact that many Irish actually trace their roots elsewhere other than Ireland. Those folks are Scots and Welsh, Gaelic or Celtic and even English. Sometimes, once in America some Irish referred to themselves as Scots-Irish. It is a term, however, that has no meaning in Ireland. Only in America is it used. For those interested in tracing their Irish ancestry, there are researchers in Ireland who will do the leg work for a fee. Before contacting one, however, do some background work on the nuts and bolts of researching Irish family ties on your own. The best way to begin researching is to get a book on Irish genealogy. The book should contain data that includes the entire British Isles. One of the best and most recent is Angus Baxter’s In
Search of Your British & Irish Roots: A Complete Guide to Tracing Your British, Welsh, Scottish & Irish Ancestors. Once you have a good idea of the ins and outs of tracing Irish genealogy, then you can decide whether it is worth your while to hire someone to trace your ancestry in a particular Irish county. The most important step in tracing your Irish roots is usually found in learning everything possible about your ancestors after they arrived in this country, as in the case of Matthew McCarthy. The fact that your ancestors most likely came with a group of Irish emigrants, as did Matthew McCarthy’s, serves as the first real starting place.
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Kurt Russell’s Rangeley Roots Hollywood star spent childhood summers here by Charles Francis
I
n 1993, when the University of Maine ice hockey team was on the west coast preparing to participate in the final four festivities of the NCAA hockey playoffs, Maine reporters covering the team were surprised to see actor Kurt Russell, a regular at the team’s practices. When Russell, who showed up wearing University of Maine colors, was asked why he was supporting the Maine team, the Maine reporters were even more surprised to learn that Russell had ties to the state and that he owned property there. When he was a youngster growing up, Kurt Russell spent most of his summers in Rangeley. His grandparents
lived on what could only be described as a wilderness farm. That property had passed to him, and he and his family summered there on a regular basis, a fact that had escaped the attention of the Maine press. Kurt Russell is a Hollywood star. His three most successful movies, Tombstone, Stargate, and Executive Decision have grossed over two hundred million dollars. While he is generally not known as a serious actor, he won critical acclaim for his role opposite Meryl Streep in Silkwood. An even less well-known side of Russell is that he is a political maverick who has spoken to such prestigious organizations as
the conservative Cato Institute. In fact, Russell’s open conservatism – he is an avowed Libertarian – has led the Hollywood press corps to describe him as “still trying to deal with his Cro-Magnon heritage.” One example of his heritage was his sponsorship of an annual celebrity deer hunt in which all proceeds, including the game itself, went to charitable institutions. (Russell ended the hunt due to opposition in the press and from animal rights activists.) Russell traces his particular Libertarian philosophy to his experiences as an adolescent in Rangeley. In fact, in an interview he said, “I feel more at home in the woods. I’m a real nature person.” (cont. on page 36)
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(cont. from page 34) The comment was made in 1997 to a reporter from the Canadian newspaper Calgary Sun. At the time, Russell and his family were vacationing at a secluded beach house in the Musculus region of Ontario. In the interview, the actor compared Musculus to Rangeley, and it was an apt comparison. The Rangeley area where Kurt Russell’s grandparents lived and where he acquired his particular vision of the way things should be is known today as a summer and winter sports resort. It lies deep in a heavily forested region that stretches well into Canada. It is a region of rugged fir-covered mountains which provide habitat for all sorts of wild game and boasts sparkling lakes and streams filled with trout and salmon. In short, it is a paradise for hunters and fishermen, and that is what Kurt Russell grew up learning to do. Kurt Russell was born in Spring-
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com field, Massachusetts in 1951. As a child, he was signed to a ten-year movie contract by none other than Walt Disney himself. Among his early pictures was The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes. His first love, however, was baseball, and his intent was to become a professional baseball player, which was a distinct possibility as he possessed, as they say, all the “proper tools.” A shoulder injury ended his hopes in that direction, however, and he then made acting his career. Russell was the featured guest speaker of the Cato Institute’s twentieth anniversary banquet in 1997. In his address, he said he had been a Libertarian for more than two decades. He also said, “I think a lot of people are Libertarians and are afraid to admit it, or don’t know.” According to the official position of the Libertarian Party, the only role
of government should be “to help people defend themselves from force or fraud.” Among other things, the party opposes a compulsory draft, government control of the media, and government subsidies to businesses and farms. It believes drug laws cause more harm than good, that minimum wage laws cause unemployment, and that services should be paid for with user fees rather than taxes. In short, it wants the government to stay out of people’s lives. It is a philosophy that has found formal expression in this country as far back as the time of Thoreau who has been paraphrased as saying that “government is best which governs least or not at all.” If Kurt Russell can trace his Libertarian philosophy to his experiences in the forests of the Rangeley region, he is not the only person to be able to credit similar experiences to the formation of his political philosophy. Another who
can do so is Russell Means, who starred in The Last of the Mohicans and Natural Born Killers. Means is much more than an actor, however. Besides having been a candidate for the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party, he is the founder of AIM, the American Indian Movement, and the author of the autobiography Where White Men Fear to Tread. Means sees “American Indians [as] caught in the same dilemma as Libertarians… We’re just for freedom.” Russell Means was born on the Lakota/Oglala Pine Ridge Reservation in the Black Hills. His upbringing there had much in common with that of Kurt Russell in the Rangeley area. Perhaps there is something to be said, then, for having what the Hollywood press has called a Cro-Magnon heritage of growing up learning to hunt and fish.
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John Ware And The Pioneers Of Norridgewock A glimpse into the town’s history by Ruth M. Knowles
T
he town of Norridgewock was first settled by the English in 1773. The name was derived from the famous Indian Chief Norridgwog. A great deal of history was being made here in Norridgewock at this time in the settlement of the State of Maine. William Warren and William Fletcher were the first settlers. Most of the early settlers were young men. Back in those times men depended upon their own efforts to make their way in the world. At the beginning of the Revolutionary War on April 1st, General Arnold
and his men marched through Norridgewock where they stopped at the home of Thomas Farrington. It was here that Arnold saw the first white child, Abel Farrington, born of English parents. At the close of 1776, there were only about ten settlers living within the limits of Norridgewock. According to The History of Norridgewock by William Allen, one of the most distinguished early pioneers in Norridgewock was John Ware. A cooper by trade, he came to the town in 1787 at twenty years of age with only
a single suit of clothes. In 1809 the County of Somerset was established and Norridgewock was made its shire town. John Ware was the principal agent in establishing Somerset County and was a Representative to the court in 1808 and 1809. He also served as town treasurer in 1799, 1800, 1801 and 1806. John Ware operated a large store along with his brother-in-law Richard Sawtelle of Huguenot descent. Sawtelle was known as a man who was always honest in his dealings. He and Ware also served together on a committee which banded together to face the
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com British threat to Colonial shipping and importing. Ware was also the proprietor of the first bridge across the Kennebec River. It is said that John Ware never took time to get married or even court a girl, though in spite of all the demands he maintained an active public life, giving the newly established Somerset County a jail along with the acre of land on which the jail was built. On top of this, he helped with a committee to build the first meetinghouse and church which stood in the town until it burned in 1960. John Ware played somewhat a part in the beautification of Norridgewock. John wanted poplar and willows, but his good friend and lawyer Ithamar Spaulding, who directed and furnished the trees, preferred elms. Mr. Spaulding got his way. It was in Norridgewock that John Ware built up a large fortune. Allen states in his history of the town that Ware was accommodating to those he considered his friends, but a bitter en-
W
emy to those that opposed him. The friends that helped him swell his fortune could often be found partaking of the strong drinks that were sold in Ware’s store. It is also recorded that in all of John Ware’s early projects his workers were paid with liquor. Another means of profit for John Ware was the Indian trade. The Indians greatly desired the things that were sold in the store and came many miles to deal with him. John bought their furs and sold them at an enormous profit. John Ware had a pet beaver. Hanson’s History of Norridgewock tells the story of the beaver as follows: “About the time 1796, Mr. John Ware procured a beaver from an Indian friend which he domesticated and kept in his store. It was the custom to let him out at midnight and he would follow his instincts in the neighboring Kennebec and return at dawn of day to his home. One night the beaver was kept in the store, and a violent southeast rainstorm came up and drove the rain violently (cont. on page 40)
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(cont. from page 39) under the street door. Mr. Ware heard noises all night beneath him, but he little suspected the cause. Upon going down into the store in the morning, Mr. Ware found his beaver who, fearing a flood, had prepared according to his nature to resist it by sawing up the chairs and whatever else came in his way to manufacture a dam. The absence of mud however rendered it somewhat leaky — but it was in the way of the flood.” In 1816 the town of Norridgewock found it necessary to revise the inventory of the town. John Ware thinking himself not fairly treated by the assessors, moved from the town, taking a large part of the property of the town with him. He first moved to Bloomfield (Skowhegan), then soon afterward to Athens. He died on August 1st of 1829. A man by the name of Dr. Ephraim Ware is buried in Athens, possibly John Ware’s father.
In his autobiographical poem, Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Lord Byron wrote, “But there are deeds that should not pass away, and names that must not wither...” Here are some of the other noteworthy pioneers of this town. James Waugh, Esq. came in the winter of 1774-75. His son James Waugh Jr. was born the following year, being the first male child born of English parents within the limits of the County. John Clark came to the town in 1774. He served in the breastwork at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Here he felt the need to prepare for death and became a Christian. Oliver Wood acted as an agent for the Plymouth Company. He was for a long time the only acting Justice of Peace in the town. Mariah Gould was one of the early settlers. He served in the Revolutionary War. Peter Gilman carried the mail on
horseback for twenty years starting on the day that a Post office was first established. He followed the course of the river for forty-five miles and back once a week. Deacon Solomon Bixby was one of the early settlers of the town. He served fourteen years as one of the selectmen. Deacon William W. Dinsmore was a member of Norridgewock church for eighteen years. His conversations and prayers were welcomed by the sick and afflicted. When the town of Norridgewock was incorporated on June 18, 1788, there were seventy-nine families living in the town. The number of inhabitants was estimated to be three hundred and twenty. At there first town meeting Gov. William King received all but one of the town votes.
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Canoe racers at Shadow Pond Slope during the Moosehead Lake Carnival in Greenville on January 23, 1966. Item # LB2005.24.19102 from the Boutilier Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com
Main Street in Rangeley. Item # LB2007.1.102159 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org
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Norridgewock’s Major John Moor by Charles Francis
O
The Sword of Bunker Hill
n October 12, 1904 the words to The Sword of Bunker Hill rang through the old Congregational church on the banks of the Upper Kennebec. The singer was Emma Dunton, the great-great-granddaughter of Colonel John Moor, one of the heroes of the Battle of Bunker Hill. The occasion was the dedication of the Major John Moor Memorial in the Norridgewock Cemetery. The ceremony was being held inside because the weather was too inclement to hold it outside. The reason why Colonel Moor’s memorial is referred to as the Major John Moor Memorial is that Moor’s rank was that of major during the American Revolution. The fact that The Sword of Bunker
Hill was sung at the dedication of the Major John Moor Memorial is significant for a number of reasons. The sword that Moor carried at Bunker Hill laid in repose gracing the ceremony. There was an even more significant reason why the singing of the song was appropriate, however. Some hundred and more years ago The Sword of Bunker Hill was viewed as a national anthem. The song, which had been written in 1861 at the very beginning of the Civil War, was once — along with The Battle Hymn of the Republic — seriously considered for the honor of the nation’s official national anthem. Colonel John Moor, along with four sons by his first wife, was one of the
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com early settlers of Norridgewock. Moor and his sons arrived there in 1780. Some years later, in 1791, he became one of the early settlers of North Anson, where he built the first mill. While in Norridgewock he became an officer in the local militia, which accounts for his rank of colonel. His involvement in the militia of the upper Kennebec region was the least of his accomplishments from a military perspective, however. John Moor was one of those quiet American farmers who, when the call to duty sounded, answered. That call led him to serve in the French and Indian Wars as well as at Lexington and Concord. Then came the Battle of Bunker Hill, the battle that some historians consider the most important in the Revolution. John Moor was born in Litchfield, New Hampshire in 1731. His father Samuel was a farmer who also served in the French and Indian War.
In 1755 John Moor was farming in Derryfield, New Hampshire when the call for volunteers went out to fight the French under Montcalm. Moor, who was a militia captain at the time, commanded a company of some five hundred men at Crown Point. In August of 1777 Moor was taken captive by Indians allied to the French, and sold at Quebec. His captivity included being transported to a prison in France. Between the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 and the beginning of hostilities marking the onset of the Revolution, Moor farmed in Derryfield. Then when reinforcements were needed to protect the munitions stored at Lexington, Moor recruited a force of New Hampshire men that joined the minutemen formed at the rude bridge where the shot heard round the world was fired. Shortly after that, Moor was commissioned a captain in John Stark’s regiment. With him came thirty-four
of the thirty-six able-bodied men of Derryfield. Much later Moor was to be dubbed the “Knight of Derryfield” for his actions both on and off the field as a representative of that town. The Battle of Bunker Hill has been touched upon by every student of early American history. Every Patriot who participated in the struggle, which actually took place at Breeds Hill, has been identified, and every aspect of the battle has been dissected. For this reason, the actions of John Moor and the men under his command are a matter of fact and not fancy. The New Hampshire men in Stark’s regiment, along with men from Connecticut, were the ones chosen to defend the hill, as those Americans who had run out of ammunition left. George Bancroft, in one of the most famous passages in American history, describes the event with the following words: “The little handful of brave men... (cont. on page 48)
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(cont. from page 47) would have been... cut off but for the unfailing courage of the provincials at the rail fence and the bank of the Mystic. They had repulsed the enemy twice, they now held them in check till the main body had left the hill [then] the New Hampshire soldiers under Stark quit the hill they had so nobly defended.” At first, the Battle of Bunker Hill was looked upon as an American defeat. Later, however, when it came to be realized that American forces had beaten back highly trained British regulars with relative ease and would have continued to do so had they not run out of ammunition, it became a rallying point for later battles. This was the reason why the song that was sung at the dedication of the Major John Moor Memorial, The Sword of Bunker Hill, came to be written in 1861. The Sword of Bunker Hill was written by William Ross Wallace, a Kentuckian and an ardent Union sympa-
thizer. In it, a dying veteran asks his son to bring him the sword he tore from the hand of a British officer at Bunker Hill. What the veteran is doing is passing on a legacy to the son, for as the words of the song say: For, boy, the God of freedom bless’d The Sword of Bunker Hill. The message of The Sword of Bunker Hill was clear to those fighting on the Union side during the Civil War. They were picking up the sword that “the God of freedom bless’d” at Bunker Hill. When the Major John Moor Memorial was dedicated in 1903 in Norridgewock, that message was still very much alive. According to newspaper reports of the dedication of the Major John Moor Memorial, the descendants of Moor all stood at his grave and sang America. It had been those same descendants who had paid for the memorial, a stone of Maine granite.
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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com
High School building in Bingham. Item # LB2007.1.104255 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org
In Memory of
Charles Francis
October 1, 1942 - June 10, 2023 Charles "Charlie" Laurance Humphrey Francis, age 80, of Lower Wolfville passed away June 10, 2023, in the Valley Hospice, Kentville. Born October 1, 1942, in Portland, Maine, USA; he was the son of the late Henry Russell Francis and Marguerita (Woods) Francis. Charlie was first and always a teacher. He grew up in the Unitarian Church. He was also a voracious reader in the fields of science, theology, literary critique, and popular history. Genealogy was a strong interest. He became a regular contributing writer for Discover Maine Magazine, sharing articles on the popular history of Maine for over 20-years until his death. Charlie earned degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, where he obtained a degree in Canadian Studies; and University of Maine at Orono, where he earned a Master of Science Degree in Education. After his studies, Charles taught first in Mars Hill, Maine, USA. He then continued teaching at NYA in Yarmouth, Maine, USA, and at Searsport District High School where he taught history and English, was involved in curriculum development and coached cross-country. Following retirement in 1990, Charlie moved to Monroe, Maine, USA, where he served as Chair of the Selection Board. In the early to mid-1990s, he served aboard the light ship “Nantucket”. His interest in the history of his community was shown in his leadership in restoring the Civil War statue in Monroe. His fascination with Canadian history led him to Halifax and his Howe family connection. Charlie fell in love with his wife’s country and became a proud and fervent citizen of Canada in 2002. Together they were the owners of his “Shangri-la” near Annapolis Royal. He delighted in living in the heart of Canada's birthplace. Nature and the environment were his sources of spiritual connection. Gardening, daily runs, which in later years became daily walks, fed his joy. Charlie is lovingly remembered by his wife, Mary Lou Rockwell of Wolfville; daughter, Sarah Francis of Gray, Maine, USA; grandchildren, Curtis Austin and Margaret (Maggie) Austin of Gray, Maine, USA; special first cousin, Jack Woods, Peapack, New Jersey, USA; and Jetta the Cat of Wolfville. Cremation has taken place and in accordance with Charlie’s wishes, there will be no service. Memorial donations may be made to the Valley Hospice in Kentville or The Lodge That Gives in Halifax (1-888-939-3333). Arrangements have been entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home, 34 Coldbrook Village Park Dr., Coldbrook, NS, B4R 1B9 (902679-2822). Courtesy of Serenity Funeral Home
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Three men fishing in a canoe near Rockwood. Item # LB2016.15.1650 from the Jake Gillison Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org
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1890 Primitives....................................................................46 ABC Pool & Spa Center.........................................................22 ABT Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.......................................32 Advantage Insurance............................................................43 Affordable Well Drilling Excavation & Forestry.....................20 All Points Transportation......................................................36 American Awards Inc. .........................................................23 Asian Cafe.............................................................................24 Asian Noodle Bowl...............................................................24 Augusta Civic Center...............................................................8 Back Office Solutions Maine.................................................25 Bean Maine Lobster..............................................................12 Ben's Auto Body...................................................................11 Bessey Insurance..................................................................43 Bingham Motor Inn.............................................................41 Bob Temple Well Drilling.....................................................23 Bob's Cash Fuel....................................................................47 Box Drop Mattress & Furniture.............................................27 C&S Market.............................................................................8 Central Maine Community College.......................................17 Chalet Moosehead Lakefront Lodging.................................42 Chuck Wagon Restaurant.....................................................28 City of Lewiston....................................................................18 Clark Auto Parts....................................................................48 Cole Harrison Insurance........................................................37 Collins Enterprises................................................................33 Colonial Valley Motel............................................................33 Conlogue's Building..............................................................32 Countryside Auto Body & Repair............................................7 Covenant Heating.................................................................36 Cushing Construction............................................................29 D&H Insurance......................................................................43 Damboise Garage.................................................................25 Dan's Automotive Repair & Sales.........................................43 Daryl Horak Logging............................................................24 Design Architectural Heating...............................................17 Devaney Doak & Garrett Booksellers....................................44 Dirigo Federal Credit Union..................................................18 Dixfield Discount Fuel, Inc. ..................................................30 Downtown Diner....................................................................8 E.J. Carrier, Inc. ....................................................................48 Ed Hodsdon Masonry, Inc. ....................................................7 Elmer's Barn & Antique Mall..................................................9 Emerald Janitorial................................................................15 Farmington Farmers Union & Union Rental..........................44 Feed Commodities International..........................................26 Fine Line Paving & Grading...................................................40 Flagstaff Rentals...................................................................46 Fonzo's Pizza, Seafood & More............................................40 Franco Center Performing Arts & Events................................7 Franklin-Somerset Federal Credit Union.................................5 Freeport Antiques and Heirlooms Showcase........................12 G&G Cash Fuels.....................................................................23 George's Banana Stand........................................................39 Ginny's Natural Corner.........................................................47 Gray Family Vision Center.....................................................14 Greenwood Orchards Farmstand & Bakery..........................29 Greg's Auto Repair................................................................47 Hall & Smith Energy..............................................................41 Hammond Lumber Company...............................................27 Handy Andy Heat Pumps......................................................34 Hardys Motorsports..............................................................47 Harris Drug Store..................................................................42 Harvest Time Natural Foods.................................................24
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Hathaway Mill Antiques.......................................................27 Hilton Garden Inn Auburn Riverwatch.................................16 J.P. Clarke Plumbing Services...............................................37 J.T. Reid's Gun Shop................................................................6 Jackman Power Sports..........................................................41 Jimmy's Shop 'N Save...........................................................48 Joe's Flat Iron Café................................................................47 Jordan Lumber Co. ...............................................................38 Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce..............................23 Kersey Real Estate.................................................................30 Kimball Insurance.................................................................43 Kimball Korp.........................................................................43 Kirkpatrick's Service & Repair.................................................9 Kramers Inc. .........................................................................28 Kyes Insurance......................................................................32 Lakes Region Power Systems................................................35 Lakeview Lumber Co. ...........................................................10 Laney's Pit Stop.....................................................................38 Langlois' Collision Center Inc. ...............................................16 Larsen's Electric....................................................................43 Lavallee's Garage..................................................................48 Law Office of Brian D. Condon, Jr, Esq. .................................23 Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce........18 Liberte Auto Sales.................................................................20 Limitless Farm LLC Medical Cannabis....................................26 Lincoln Street Radiator Shop..................................................5 Linda Bean's Maine Kitchen & Topside Tavern......................12 Linda Bean’s Maine Lobster...................................................12 Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Vacation Rental.........................12 Linkletter & Sons, Inc. ............................................................5 Lisbon Community Federal Credit Union...............................20 Lizotte Construction..............................................................25 Looking Ahead Clubhouse....................................................16 Luce's Meats & Maple...........................................................40 Macomber, Farr & Whitten Insurance......................................9 Maine Family Federal Credit Union.......................................22 Maine Historical Society..........................................................5 Maine Pellet Sales LLC.............................................................7 Mainely Puppies Plus, LLC.......................................................6 Maine's Northwestern Mountains........................................36 Mama Bear's Den..................................................................41 Mason's Carpentry.................................................................43 McAllister Accounting and Tax Services.................................11 McNaughton Construction....................................................27 Melissa's Pub & Grill..............................................................20 Mike Wainer Plumbing & Heating........................................40 Ming Lee Chinese Restaurant................................................25 Monkitree....................................................................24 Moosehead Motorsports.......................................................42 Mountain Valley Variety........................................................30 Mount Blue Motel.................................................................33 N.C. Wyeth Research Foundation and Reading Libraries.....12 Naples Packing Co., Inc. ........................................................44 Native Maine'ah Pellet Stove Services...................................21 Niedner's Floor Finishing......................................................43 Northeast Laboratory Services...............................................9 Old Mill Pub Restaurant........................................................38 One Day At A Time Coaching.................................................26 Oquossoc Grocery..................................................................35 Otis Federal Credit Union.....................................................29 Our Village Market................................................................45 Oxford Casino............................................................back cover Oxford Federal Credit Union.................................................31 Pa’s Tradin’ Company.............................................................15
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Patterson's General Store.....................................................10 Penobscot Marine Museum..................................................13 Phil Carter's Garage..............................................................11 Pine Tree Orthopedic Lab.......................................................28 Pitcher Perfect Tire Service..................................................34 Presidential Pest Control.......................................................14 R&B's Home Source..............................................................40 R.E. Lowell Lumber Inc. ........................................................23 Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust..............................................45 Rangeley Lakes Trails Center.................................................45 Rangeley Made in Maine......................................................35 Rangeley Saddleback Inn.....................................................34 Rangeley Vacation Rentals...................................................37 Rare Woods USA...................................................................32 RDA Automotive.....................................................................6 Record Building Supply, Inc. ..................................................6 Rick's Repair..........................................................................10 Rita's Catering.......................................................................10 River's Edge Sports...............................................................36 Rolfe's Well Drilling Co. ........................................................24 Ron's Transmissions................................................................8 Roopers Beverage & Redemption.........................................19 Rottari Electric........................................................................6 Route 26 Antiques & Flea Market..........................................15 Russell & Sons Towing & Recovery.......................................14 Sackett and Brake Survey Inc. ..............................................38 Sarge's Pub & Grub...............................................................35 Seahorse Lounge..................................................................30 Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce.......................39 Smile Again Dentures, Inc. ...................................................22 Smokin' Good Times ME........................................................46 Solon Corner Market.............................................................39 Sprague & Curtis Real Estate.................................................23 Station Grill Restaurant.........................................................22 Sterling Electric.....................................................................34 Stevens Electric & Pump Service Inc. .....................................4 Strong Hardware & Building Supply....................................46 Styling Dog Grooming Boutique.............................................7 T&L Enterprises.....................................................................46 The Bankery & Skowhegan Fleuriste.....................................39 The Cote Corporation............................................................17 The Lure Restaurant.............................................................30 The Meadows.........................................................................8 The Sterling Inn....................................................................41 The Sugarbowl Family Entertainment..................................37 The Tribune Books & Gifts.....................................................6 The Wood Mill of Maine.......................................................45 Todd's Discount & Gift Shop..................................................29 Town of Carthage.................................................................44 Town of Mexico.....................................................................30 Trail's End Steakhouse & Tavern............................................46 Trailside One Stop.................................................................41 Vasvary Electric.......................................................................9 Vintage Maine Images............................................................5 Weber Insurance...................................................................43 Weeks & Sons Well Drilling..................................................25 Whittemore & Sons Outdoor Power Equipment....................39 Willie’s Electrical...................................................................32 Wilson Funeral Home.............................................................4 Wilson Paving & Excavation LLC...........................................15 Winslow Supply, Inc. ............................................................10 Woodlawn Rehab & Nursing Center.....................................39 Wood-Mizer of Maine...........................................................44 Woody’s................................................................................42
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