ANDROSCOGGIN HISTORY

DAVID YOUNG ELECTED PRESIDENT

At the annual meeting of the Society at High Street Congregational Church on May 28, 2002, David Colby Young was elected as our new president. We look forward to his leadership.

We extended thanks to A. B. (Bob) Palmer for his work on behalf of the Society as President and in other positions for many years. He, along with Alma G. Palmer and Natalie G. Foye were elected honorary directors.

Catherine Thorpe became a new member of the Board of Directors.

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT

The Society has several projects pending and we continue to need help in maintaining our collection. We ask all members to consider ways to help the Society, whether it involves a large commitment or only a couple hours during the coming summer or year. Here are opportunities we ask you to consider:

· Vice President

· Member of Board of Directors (3 vacancies)

· History Committee to work on a student-oriented county history and/or on a pictorial book for the county to observe its 150^th anniversary.

· Collections Management Committee to catalog and sort our collections.

· Program Committee to arrange speakers for the coming year.

· Recruit new members for the Society.

· Staff museum during Great Falls Balloon Festival on Saturday, August 17, 2002.

· Add name to volunteer list to be on call for small projects from time to time.

Please call President David Young (786-2129) or Executive Secretary Michael Lord (784-0586) to let us know how you wish to help.

DANVILLE BICENTENNIAL

In celebration of the bicentennial of the founding of the Town of Danville, Morin Brick Company of Danville has kindly donated a number of custom made bricks with “Danville 1802 – 2002" imprinted on them. We have them here at the Society for five dollars per brick, or six for twenty-five dollars, plus tax. Please drop by and help buy down the brick wall in our hall!

Many thanks to Morin Brick Company.

ANDROSCOGGIN ROUND TABLE

On Thursday, July 18, 2002, at 10 A. M., in our museum, Mr. James Henderson of the Maine State Archives will speak on their Collections Management Software. This software is intended to be the standard software for historical organizations throughout the state of Maine. Please come and bring a friend; it is free and open to the public.

INGRID P. DUTCH (1925-2002)

Ingrid P. Dutch, widow of Hal Dutch, died March 4, 2002, in Florida, after a long illness. As a member of our Society, she served on the Board of Directors (1986-1997) and as Recording Secretary (1990-1997). We extend our condolences to her family.

POSTCARDS

We have antique Lewiston-Auburn postcards for sale at the Society. You may come to our office in the County Building to purchase them. By mail, please add $3.50 S&H, plus 5% sales tax.

Lewiston Standard Set – 26 cards $20

Lewiston Collectors’ Set – 42 cards $40

Auburn Standard Set – 16 cards $12

Auburn Collectors’ Set – 28 cards $25

Both Standard sets – 42 cards $30

Both Collectors’ sets – 70 cards $60

These are real bargains. These cards are being offered singly on eBay for $3-8 each and at postcard shows for $2-4 each. Incidentally, we gave two combined standard sets to “The Maine PBS Great TV Auction.”

DIARY OF EDWARD C. WELLMAN

John White, a former president of the Androscoggin Historical Society, has permitted us to transcribe the 1885 diary of an ancestor, Edward C. Wellman. At the time, Wellman was treasurer of People’s Savings Bank in Lewiston.

Jan. 1 A very warm day. Moved into my new bank. [This appears to be a move from 198 to 200 Lisbon Street, both in Pilsbury Block.] Like the room very much. Had a handsome walnut desk mooven [sic] in this morning. In the evening Lila and I went over to Mrs. Stanleys to spend the evening. It was Mrs. Stanley’s fifteenth anniversary. Had a very pleasant time

Jan. 3 . . . Had the floor painted in my new bank.

Jan. 4 Nice day. Did not go to church in the morning. Went to the Cong. concert in the evening.

Jan. 5 12_ Warm. Helped Edgar bonner in the evening on his books.

Jan. 6 30_ Very warm and foggy with rain. Regular meeting of the N. M. R. Assn. [Northern Mutual Relief Association, a temperance society.] Also the evening for installation but was posponed [sic] two weeks. Four new members taken in this evening.

Jan. 12 We were visited to day with a very severe rain storm with high wind. River rising rapidly and signs of the ice breaking up. A new Brussells carpet laid in the Directors room.

Jan. 13 Pleasant but cool. In the evening went to an entertainment given by the Golden Cross order [Union Block, now 21-29 Lisbon St.]. Readings by Dennett and singing by the Mendelssohn Club [a Lewiston men’s singing group] & Miss Sumner.

Jan. 15 Snowed nearly all day. In the evening went to a whist party at Bertha Chamberlains. Mr. Edwards and Bertha played against Lila and I. record 67 to 49.

Jan. 20 8_ below Attended the regular meeting of the N. M. R. Assn. Installation of Officers for the term of six months. P. P. Getchell President .F. S. Hoyt. V. “, C. O. Morrell Treas., E. C. Wellman Coll., Lila Wellman Chaplain, Miss. Palmer Secty., Number present, twenty.

Jan. 27 Cold. In the evening called on Cora Young & Ida Colburn and invited them to a whist party at our house Thursday evening Called at Ida’s and played whist ECW & Miss. C. 27 Mr. C & Lila 14

Jan. 28 10_ below nearly all day Snow with heavy wind all day. Severest day of the winter. Did not open the bank in the evening.

Feb. 2 Very cold and windy. At the meeting of the Trustees to-day the salary of the Treas. was raised to $1,000 dollars. [Mr. Wellman received a raise!]

Feb. 10 A very severe rain storm all day. Went to a meeting in Golden Cross Hall about assessment insurance. Mr. Barker started this morning for New Orleans to attend the [Cotton Centennial] exposition.

Feb. 11 Cold again. Thaw of yesterday frozen. Childrens party at the store this afternoon. Lila went as one of the children.

Feb. 15 Salvation army came to town. [Ralph Skinner, Historically Speaking on Lewiston-Auburn Maine Churches notes, page 160, the Salvation Army did come in 1885.]

Feb. 16 Worst snow and wind storm of the winter. Began about 9 o’clock in the evening. Most severe snow storm of the winter.

Feb. 19 Clear and cool. Played for Mr. Ballard at his concert in Auburn. Very good house. After the Concert went to the K. of P. ball [Lisbon Block, 256 Lisbon St.]. A very fine company present, and enjoyed myself very much. Lila and I danced four times.

Mar. 17 Paper Carnival held in City Hall this evening. [Sponsored by Ladies’ Social Circle of Bates Street Universalist Society, this included a concert by Auburn Band.] About 200 characters represented. Geo. Washington & Martha, King and Queen, Heralds, The Seasons, Morning & Night &C. Lila represented Morning and had a very pretty costume. Had a supper & dance. Profits $273.85

Mar. 19 A. P. Conant [a grocer]failed and went into insolvency [but still listed in business in 1887].

Mar. 26 A. M. Jones [shoes, boots]went into Insolvency.

May 21 Mooved [sic] into Mr. [Jesse W.] Whitehouses house [86 Horton Street].

MAJOR DONORS

We thank the following who have given generous donations to the Society so far this year:

Mechanics Savings Bank, $300.

Attorney Irving Isaacson, L & A Fund, $300.

Edward and Sharon Chapman of Chapman Trucking of Auburn, $50.

Ronald A. Vallee of Maine Thread/Lewiston Rubber & Supply, Inc., of Lewiston, $100.

Potential donors are reminded that a donation to the Society entitles you to a tax deduction under I. R. S. Code 501 (c)3.

ACQUISITIONS

We have acquired the following items during the past few months:

Donations

· Records of Lewiston, Maine Vol. II Town Records 1852-1863 Vital Records Prior to 1865, compiled by Douglas I. Hodgkin. By Picton Press.

· Photocopy of AHS Catalog Prehistoric Artifacts, compiled by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, 1984. By Nancy Lecompte.

· The Deacon Elijah Livermore House, published by Livermore-Livermore Falls Historical Society, 2001. By the publishers via Muriel Bowerman.

· Leeds Maine Bicentennial 1810-2001, by the Leeds Historical Society, 2001. By Marilyn Burgess for the Leeds Historical Society.

· 1912 photograph of the G. L. Ripley home, 34 First Ave., Auburn. By Richard A. Fraser of Poland, ME.

· Antiques, Museums & Historic Places of Western Maine, pamphlet published by the Maine Lakes and Mountains Tourism Council, 2002. By Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments.

· Four sepia toned 11x14 and three 8x10 photos: 1) Court St., Auburn ca. 1917, showing Cushman, Hollis Shoe Co. & Free Will Baptist Church; 2) Durham Ferry, ca. 1914; 3) Parade of Payne’s 2^nd Regiment of Lewiston, in Mechanic Falls, ca. 1910; 4) Bradford’s Store in Turner, ca. 1915; 5) skating on the Androscoggin by Lewiston, ca. 1890; 6) corner of Lisbon & Main Sts., Lewiston, ca. 1895; 7) Sunday papers steamer transport in Mechanic Falls, ca. 1910. By Sidney Gordon of Norway, ME.

· One philatelic cover with an “International Dog Team Mail from Lewiston to Montreal” label, dated 28 December 1928. By Duane Douglass of North Berwick, ME.

· L. L. Bean, Inc. A Company Scrapbook, ed. by William David Barry, 1987. By Philip Savignano for L. L. Bean.

· Ten-grade piano course sold by A. Laurence & Co. of 319 Lisbon St., Lewiston, ca. 1924. By William & Dorothy Gagne of Auburn.

· Polaroid transfer prints from local area, ca. 2001. By Jody Dube of Auburn.

· List of Grand Jurors from 1928-29, relative to a photo in our collection. By Linda Lyman of Livermore.

· Short (8 pp. typescript) history of labor in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine. By Charles Scontras of Cape Elizabeth, ME.

· Two Desjardins Dance School signs, two Desjardins Furs coat hangers, one Flander’s coat hanger. By Ray Marshall of Auburn.

· William & Dorothy Gagne family material, viz.: 3 weaving hooks (Hill Mill), 3 flood picture books, 1 photo album, 1 scrap book, WW2 ration books, soldier’s correspondence (KIA), 1 pocket watch with dome stand, misc. postcards. By William & Dorothy Gagne of Lewiston.

· Maine Guide to Crafts and Culture, pub. by Maine Crafts Association, 2001-2002.

· Managing a Nonprofit Organization in the Twenty-First Century, by Thomas Wolf, 1999. Signed by author.

· Maine History, Vol. 38, #3 to Vol. 40, #2 inclisive. By John White.

· Milk bottle caps from Brookdale Farm Dairy, F. H. Goss, Auburn. By Franklin Goss.

· Twelve photographs of local store and church interiors. By Robert Sherman of Gowell’s Market on Hampshire Street, Auburn.

· Selected transcripts of the Charles Starbird Indian Scrapbook in our possession. Transcribed and donated by Nancy Lecompte of Ne-Do-Ba, Lewiston.

· Mrs. Winslow’s Domestic Receipt [Recipe] Book for 1877, pub. by J. G. Cooke, Lewiston, ME. By Douglas I. Hodgkin.

· Lewiston United Baptist Church - Church Women’s Cook Book, 1954. By Douglas I. Hodgkin.

· History [of] the Auburn Corn Roasters Association, 1894-1907. By Leon M. Norris.

· Framed 8x10 picture of Albert Hannibal Kelsey of Lewiston Mill fame. By Kerck Kelsey of South Freeport, Maine.

· CD-ROM of the Lewiston-Auburn 1860 Directory. Also the 1852 Lewiston Falls Directory on disk. Transcribed by an anonymous donor.

· Photograph of Lewiston & Auburn taken from the now removed cupola of the Libbey Mill, 1997. By Steve Carlson.

Purchases

· The 2002 Resource Guide, published by The Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce.

· The History of Secondary Education in Androscoggin and Franklin Counties in Maine, by Richard Wyman Healy, 1949.

· Canning Gold - Northern New England’s Sweet Corn Industry, by Paul B. Frederic., 2002.

· A Brief History of Trinity Parish - Lewiston, Maine - 1854-1903. Pub. 1902.

· “Minot Bicentennial 2002,” calendar, by Lucill Hemond Hodsdon of Norway.

· Short Stories of Some Minot Residents, 2002, by Noella Hemond of Minot and Lucille Hemond Hodsdon, 2002.

· Minot Homesteads Then & Now, 2002, by Hemond & Hodsdon, 2002.

· “Bakerstown Births – Minot, Early Poland, Auburn & Mechanic Falls, 1750-1950 or so!!, 2002, by Hemond & Hodsdon, 2002.

· Counties, Cities, Towns and Plantations of Maine – A Handbook of Incorporations, Dissolutions, and Boundary Changes, pub. by Maine State Archives, 1980.

· Yankee Stepfather, General O. O. Howard and the Freedmen, by William S. McFeely, 1968.

· Photograph of the North Auburn Primary School, ca. 1900. Some students named.

GOINGS-ON AT THE SOCIETY

by Michael Lord, Executive Secretary

The first meeting of our new Androscoggin Round Table was a success. Kathleen Amoroso of the Maine Historical Society spoke to us on Thursday, February 14, 2002, at 10 A. M. here at our Society’s offices. She spoke on the new Maine Memory Network database on the Internet that scans local historical Maine photographs and documents. Twenty-five persons were in attendance from all over Androscoggin County as well as neighboring counties. The speaker used a laptop computer and the M.H.S.’s new computer projector. Some of our photographs are scanned and included in the database now. You can learn more at www.mainememory.net.

On March 6, 2002, I went to Rockport for the Philanthropy Partners Conference put on by the Maine Philanthropy Center. The one-day session had workshops on successful fund-raising campaigns and getting more resources from funders.

On April 12^th I attended the Maine Philanthropy Center Conference titled “Basic Development Tools: Individual Giving & Capital Campaigns” put on by Dr. Thomas Wolf, Chair and CEO of Wolf Keens & Company. It was held at the University of New England, Westbrook College Campus. Dr. Wolf conducted one of the most professional and useful philanthropy conferences I have ever attended.

Our regular and business meetings were canceled on March 26^th due to inclement weather. We plan to reschedule Michael Graham on the Shakers & Poland Spring Hotel for this fall or spring.

School groups continue to tour our museum, including fourteen persons from Auburn Adult Education on May 22^nd and forty-three fourth-graders and teachers from Webster School in Auburn May 23^rd.

Dennis Stires of the Maine National History Day Committee thanks us for sponsoring a first place trophy. We sponsored the Senior Group Documentary trophy winners of Cheverus High School. They were Sean Higgins, Trent Montgomery, and Ben Saufley. Their entry was titled “Evolution of Rock in the ‘60's.”

Our former intern, Zachary B. Blair, received a Points of Light Award for his meritorious service here at the Society. He met with Governor Angus King on March 28^th.

Please drop by the Society to pick up a new 2002 Lewiston-Auburn, Androscoggin County Map, which contains our advertisement.

Our Fiscal Year 2001-02 (June 1^st to May 31^st ) business totals are as follows: telephone calls - 734; museum visits - 323; library visits - 321; letters - 1,053; programs sent - 161; meeting attendance - 179; meeting notices sent - 641; business meeting & sub-committee meeting attendance - 75; newsletters sent - 474; Balloon Festival attendance - 26+; annual dinner attendance - 41; Androscoggin Round Table meeting attendance -25 (February only).

LITTLEFIELD’S TAVERN OF DANVILLE

Littlefield’s Tavern . . . was the regular meeting place for the Augusta coach and the one from Farmington [on the way to Portland]. . . . Stagecoach drivers along the various routes tried to so plan their schedules that they could dash up to the door at about the same time. . . .

A new stagedriver, though, whether he would or not, helped furnish free entertainment for everybody interested in contests of physical strength. The other drivers and the boys who lived at Littlefield’s Corner challenged him to a wrestling match at the tavern. His success or failure at his initiation into the stagedriving business doubtless determined, too, his social standing in the community.

Source: Mary Louis Stetson, “Stagecoaching in Western Maine Offered Travel Thrills for All,” unidentified clipping in our “Stagecoach” file.