FOR YOUR HEALTH: COVID-19 and “Sandwich Generation” Caregivers

Taking care of their kids and their parents can keep many in the Sandwich Generation from saving for their own future—but help is available.

(NAPSI)—The Sandwich Generation, named for the population of Americans caring for both their school-aged children and an aging parent or other relative, has been uniquely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent survey and white paper from New York Life, “Caregiving and COVID-19: How the pandemic is expanding the sandwich generation.” This is largely due to an enhanced demand on the typical type of care the generation provides as a result of the coronavirus’ effect on schooling, healthcare, and everyday work and life. The survey found it was largely millennials and particularly women shouldering the burden.

How COVID-19 has Affected the Sandwich Generation

The coronavirus is stretching both time and money thin for the Sandwich Generation, sometimes at the expense of their financial, physical and emotional well-being.

This demographic has spent thousands of dollars in total care for their dependents over time—and the coronavirus pandemic is intensifying this budget crunch. On average, 69 percent say they’re paying for this care out of their own daily budgets, with 27 percent working more hours to get the extra funds, 27 percent drawing from their emergency savings, 20 percent sharing costs with a sibling and 18 percent ultimately delaying paying bills.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the data found, more than half of those in the Sandwich Generation spend more each month caring for others, as nearly one-quarter of people report spending extra each month on top of the average $1,000. As a result, about four in 10 put less each month toward their savings and about one-third have less for their retirement, debt, or their personal well-being. Over time, these can make a big difference for a financial portfolio and create additional concerns for financial health.

“As COVID-19 exacerbates the stress on the Sandwich Generation and the economic outlook remains uncertain, preparing for the unexpected becomes critical to achieving long-term financial security,” advised Dylan Huang, Head of Retail Annuities, Investment Solutions and Wealth Planning, New York Life. “While our data suggests a troubling trend of Sandwich Generation families sacrificing long-term savings for shorter term needs, the outlook is not all dark skies. This report shows that those working with financial professionals are able to improve their financial well-being and feel more confident about their financial solutions, their family’s future, and their own retirement.”

What’s Next

As the evolving Sandwich Generation navigates its family responsibilities and day-to-day routine, it’s important to keep the financial basics in mind and prioritize time to set their family up for more success and less stress in the future. Thinking about life insurance, their emergency fund, and ensuring that their investment portfolio is diversified and within a comfortable risk tolerance, are all areas that can provide security over time and let the Sandwich Generation focus on their loved ones instead of worrying about their finances.

Learn More

For further facts, stats, as well as to see the entire report and survey methodology, visit www.newyorklife.com.

LEGAL NOTICES for Thursday, January 28, 2021

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
COURT ST.,
SKOWHEGAN, ME
SOMERSET, ss
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
18-A MRSA sec. 3-801

The following Personal Representatives have been appointed in the estates noted. The first publication date of this notice January 21,2021. If you are a creditor of an estate listed below, you must present your claim within four months of the first publication date of this Notice to Creditors by filing a written statement of your claim on a proper form with the Register of Probate of this Court or by delivering or mailing to the Personal Representative listed below at the address published by his name, a written statement of the claim indicating the basis therefore, the name and address of the claimant and the amount claimed or in such other manner as the law may provide. See 18-C M.R.S.A. §3-80

2020-333- Estate of DIANNE G. SORENSEN, late of New Portland, Me deceased. Diane A. Canby, 1033 San Jose, CA 95125 appointed Personal Represen­tative.

2020-336 – Estate of HELEN A. TAYLOR, late of Madison, Me deceased. Stephen J. Taylor, 8 Phyllis Court, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-340 – Estate of LENORE P. GRIFFIN, late of Jackman, Me deceased. Robyn D. Hernandez, 1540 Pushaw Road, Glenburn, Me 04401 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-341 – Estate of ELIZABETH FARRAR THEOBALD, late of Cambridge, Me deceased. Adeline F. Theobald, 260 Hockhockson Road, Tinton Falls, New Jersey 07724 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-342 – Estate of DONALD E. NEVILLE, SR., late of Pittsfield, Me deceased. Donald E. Neville, Jr., 1480 Main Street, Pittsfield, Me 04967 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-343 – Estate of DANIEL W. OAKES, late of Pittsfield, Me deceased. Christine Beck, 30 Boutelle Road, Bangor, Me 04401 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-346 – Estate of BRIAN A. ROGERS, late of Pittsfield, Me deceased. Tania Carnrick, 3 Pinehurst Avenue, Winslow, Me 04901 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-347 – Estate of EDWARD A. QUIMBY, SR., late of Madison, Me deceased. Jonathan Quimby, PO Box 3, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-348 – Estate of RALPH M. DEBAY, late of Detroit, Me deceased. Donna M. Gilbert, 422 Smithfield Road, Oakland, Me 04963 and Robin Schissler, 61 Troy Road, Detroit, Me 04929 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2020-351 – Estate of PAUL B. TURCOTTE, SR., late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Wilton W. Turcotte, 68 Old Point Avenue, Apt. 1A, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2017-234 – Estate of CECILE V. GREEN, late of Madison, Me deceased. North Country Associates, Inc., PO Box 1408, Lewiston, Me 04243-1408 appointed Personal Representative.

2020-323 – Estate of GERALD S. KNOWLES, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Timothy S. Knowles, 34 Chandler Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-001 – Estate of ROSEANNA LEBLANC, late of Jackman, Me deceased. Nicole Leblanc, 37 Squannacook Road, Shirley, MA 01464 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-004 – Estate of BARBARA ANN MEYER, late of Mercer, Me deceased. Bruce E. Meyer, 1609 Beech Hill Road, Mercer, Me 04957 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-005 – Estate of DALE S. WATSON, late of Skowhegan, Me deceased. Ricky Dale Watson, 18 Jewett Street, Skowhegan, Me 04976 and Jane Ann Watson Davis, 13 Henderson Street, Madison, Me 04950 appointed Co-Personal Representatives.

2021-006 – Estate of TERRI L. PAINE, late of Madison, Me deceased. Alice M. Paine, 535 Main Street, Madison, M e 04950 appointed Personal Representative.

2021-009 – Estate of LINDA T. COLLIER, late of Fairfield, Me deceased. Scott T. Bureau, 107 Oakland Road, Fairfield, Me 04937 appointed Personal Representative.

To be published on January 21 & January 28, 2021.

Dated: January 15, 2021 /s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(1/28)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
41 COURT ST.
SOMERSET, ss
SKOWHEGAN, ME
PROBATE NOTICES

TO ALL PERSONS INTERESTED IN ANY OF THE ESTATES LISTED BELOW

Notice is hereby given by the respective petitioners that they have filed petitions for appointment of personal representatives in the following estates or change of name.

These matters will be heard at 1 p.m. or as soon thereafter as they may be February 3, 2021. The requested appointments or name changes may be made on or after the hearing date if no sufficient objection be heard. This notice complies with the requirements of 18-C MRSA §3-403 and Probate Rule 4.

2020-331 – Estate of TYLER BRANDON QUIRION. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Tyler Brandon Quirion, 26 Martin Stream Road, Fairfield, Me 04937, requesting his name be changed to Tyler Brandon Maddux Brochu for reasons set forth therein.

2021-003 – Estate of CINDY MARIE DANIELS. Petition for Change of Name (Adult) filed by Cindy Marie Daniels, 919 Hole in the Wall Road, Athens, ME 04919, requesting her name be changed to Cynthia Marie Daniels for reasons set forth therein.

Dated: January 15, 2021 /s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(1/28)

STATE OF MAINE
PROBATE COURT
SOMERSET, SS
NOTICE TO HEIRS

Estate of
LINDA T. COLLIER
DOCKET NO. 2021-009

It appearing that the following heir of Linda T. Collier, as listed in an Application for Informal Probate of a Will and Appointment of Personal Representative is of unknown address as listed below:

JOANNE RATTE, address unknown

THEREFORE, notice is hereby given as heirs of the above named estate, pursuant to Maine Rules of Probate Procedure Rule 4(d) (1) (a), and Rule 4 (e) a.

This notice shall be published once a week for two successive weeks in The Town Line, with the first publication to be January 21, 2021.

Name and address of the Personal Representative: Scott T. Bureau, 107 Oakland Road, Fairfield, Me 04937.

Dated: January 14, 2021
/s/ Victoria Hatch,
Register of Probate
(1/28)

Vassalboro planners will not meet in February

by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Codes Officer Paul Mitnik has announced that due to a lack of applications, the Vassalboro Planning Board will not meet in February. The next regular Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, March 2.

Oak Grove School Foundation offers grants

The Oak Grove School Foundation is accepting applications for grants to support the education and cultural needs of students and nonprofit organizations in the greater Central Maine area.

Recipients must be educational, charitable or religious organizations that are tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

Grant requests should be received by April 2, 2021. Funding decisions will be made in May and shortly after the funds will be distributed in July. Recent grants have ranged $500-$5,000. The OGSF has also provided seed money for initiatives that last up to three years.

Groups interested in obtaining application forms and guidelines should contact Joann Clark Austin, Oak Grove School Foundation, P.O. Box 150, South China, ME 04358-0150, or Susan Briggs at briggsusan@gmail.com or https://sites.google.com/site/ogsfoundationorg/.

I’M JUST CURIOUS: Illusory truth effect

by Debbie Walker

Have you ever heard the term “Illusory Truth Effect”? I went looking for an answer and found it on Wikipedia, a website on the internet. My question was, “If you hear something enough does it become real?” The following is what I learned:

“Illusory Truth Effect is the tendency to believe false information to be correct after repeated exposure.

“Repetition makes statements easier to process relative to new, unrepeated statements, leading people to believe that the repeated conclusion is more truth.”

“Illusory truth effects impact on participants who knew the correct answer to begin with but were persuaded to believe otherwise through the repetition of a falsehood.”

“Illusory truth effects play a significant role in such fields as election campaigns, advertising, news media and political propaganda.”

I read this stuff and I understand what they are saying but it set my mind just a buzzing. I was thinking about the negative words that some people live with day after day.

We are told that we need to be careful of the things we tell our children. After reading about the truth effects the first thing I thought of was the children who are told they are stupid or dumb, etc., each day.

Or the child who is told day after day by a parent that they are just like the other parent, none of which was compliments for them. The child hears the negative words and internalizes them. Sadly, the parent doesn’t understand yet.

Women who are dealing with abuse coming from a spouse are often criticized and misunderstood by all. People don’t understand why she would take such abuse. The thing is, this woman has been told for years that she is worthless, an anchor around his neck, dumb, not worthy of how nice he is to her, etc. Is it any wonder she has no confidence, she may not be able to put words to it but this would be one big reason?

Like I said, it started my head just a buzzing. What do you think?

This is short tonight. I’m just curious where those three little words take your mind. Let me know, I am interested. Contact me at DebbieWalker@townline.org. Thanks for reading and have a great week.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Dame Cleo Laine & Nat King Cole

Dame Cleo Laine

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Dame Cleo Laine

Still living at 93, singer Dame Cleo Laine recorded a CD consisting of 12 songs on the BMG Classics label, simply entitled Jazz; they include Duke Ellington’s Just a Sittin’ and a Rock­in’, Mel Torme’s Walking Shoes, Johnny Mercer’s Midnight Sun, the Gershwin brothers’ Lady Be Good, W.C. Handy’s St. Louis Blues, and Cy Coleman’s You Can Always Count On Me, etc.

She had a who’s who of some of the finest jazz musicians – Gerry Mulligan (1927-1996) on baritone sax, trumpet player Clark Terry (1920-2015), and harmonica virtuoso Toots Thielemans (1922-2016) – along with guitarist Mark Whitfield and the soprano saxophone player Jane Ira Bloom, both of whom are still living and active. Laine’s husband, the late Sir John Dankworth (1927-2010) scored the arrangements and conducted a small ensemble of additional lesser-known session players. Ettore Stratta (1933-2015), who produced hit recordings for Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand and others, trouble-shooted the album to completion.

Laine brought her unique savory intelligence to each song, easily joining the ranks of Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Ella Fitzgerald, June Christy, Suzanne McCorkle, Norah Jones, Michael Feinstein, Nancy Wilson, Dick Haymes and Sarah Vaughan, to name some favorites.

Nat King Cole

Nat King Cole

Singer Nat King Cole (1919-1965) recorded Home (When Shadows Fall) and Tunnel of Love on a 1950 Capitol ten-inch 78 with the arrangements and conducting of Pete Rugolo (1915-2011) who was noted for the charts he scored for Stan Kenton’s band. It is the kind of record akin to an exquisite flower, whose petals of beauty continue to unfold, every time I hear it in its details of instrumentation from the woodwinds and muted brass or the blending of Cole’s voice with the harmonies of the small sized chorus.

Nat King Cole sold more records for Capitol than any other artist, including Sinatra and the Beatles. He was also very good-natured but an incident occurred just before he died of lung cancer at the age of 45, in 1965. He called the label and, when the switchboard operator replied, “Capitol records, home of the Beatles!”, he slammed the phone down.

 

 

 

SOLON & BEYOND: South Solon meeting house

Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percyby Marilyn Rogers-Bull & Percy
grams29@tds.net
Solon, Maine 04979

Since I don’t have any recent news, again this week, I am going to put in a short history about the beautiful old church in South Solon, called the South Solon Meeting House.

The South Solon Meeting House was designed in 1841. A small group of men was responsible for the persevering and the financial assistance necessary for the business of building. A South Solon Meeting House Corporation was formed in 1841. The members of the corporation was formed in 1841. The members of the congregation agreed that a bond for the building be put up through the purchase of shares in the corporation. One church pew was to be considered a share. There were 44 pews and when the total number fell short of subscription, the unsold pews had to be purchased by a few of the already existing shareholders. The final price to build was $475. The building was completed before Christmas, and on January 4, 1843, the congregation assembled to dedicate the new house at the crossroads .

Underneath the new Meeting House Gallery, a stove warmed the winter air. Three ministers of different denominations took part in the service.

During the 1920s new highways began to appear throughout Maine, but South Solon did not lie on any direct or traveled route. It no longer had a post office; there was no “corner store.” After the schoolhouse was closed, the area was made part of the Solon School District, and the children taken to the village by bus. The Meeting House center of the life of a small rural congregation, stood inanimate.

The reopening of the South Solon Meeting House after 35 years of being abandoned is a story which begins during the 1930s, when a Maine Woolen Manufacturer named Willard H. Cummings and his wife, Helen Warren Cummings, purchased the fields which adjoined the meeting House land. Mrs. Cummings led a cooperative effort for the repair of the building. Because of the efforts and community interest, repairs commenced during the summer of 1939 with paint, shingles and other supplies donated, and labor willingly volunteered.

During the summer of 1940, services were held regularly every other Sunday afternoon. In keeping with the original proposition that the building be interdenominational, ministers of various sects were invited.

A bold turn in the history of the South Solon Meeting House evolved during the 1950s in a project of five years duration, the interior walls were decorated with fresco paintings by artists from the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

(Information was taken from the book, The Story of A Meeting House, by Mildred H. Cummings, published by The South Solon Historical Society, 1959 )

Have told you that I am going through old papers in an effort to straight them out, I came across the following letter in 2012. I’m not going to put the name of the person who sent it, but it is one of the ones that keep me writing! It starts with these words… “I was especially impressed with Marilyn Roger’s column. The story started out tame enough with the news about the super map brought to the Solon Elementary School. The real treat came when Marilyn went on to describe journalism.”Always fight for progress and reform, never tolerate injustice and corruption …These days so many news personalities (I am reluctant to call them journalists), fail to remember the original purpose of the press. The quote from Edward R. Murrow certainly reminded me of one of my journalistic heroes.

It was refreshing to hear so many words of truth from someone writing for a local “free” weekly paper. Someone once said, “The best things in life are free. (This news was in the free The Town Line paper!)”

The person who sent the above letter to me goes on; “I hope that people will always be able to enjoy the results of your effort to publish the truth, both small and large. I do wish you well and hope local folks continue to support your endeavors. My many, many thanks for those kind words that do keep me writing!”

And now for Percy’s memoir: May you have the grace to ask God: To give you judgment to see the right courage to choose the right, and willingness to follow the right; To build on faith rather than on doubts; To move forward in the hope of what can be accomplished and not be held back by what cannot be done; The possibilities in the new and not be paralyzed by the difficulties to be overcome; To discover a sense of mission that life may be important and purposeful for you rather than dull and purposeless; To measure values in terms of service to others rather than benefit to self—Ask always, Is there a better way?

CRITTER CHATTER — Gray fox: in a class of its own

a gray fox brought to the shelter.

by Jayne Winters

Don Cote, of Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab, has a soft spot for foxes and although rehabs mostly reds, I sense he’s partial to the grays. When I visited a few weeks ago, he led me to an enclosure which housed a beautiful gray fox which will be released this spring and proceeded to explain the differences between the two species.

Maine’s red fox population is widespread, occurring in all 16 counties. Adults weigh 7-15 pounds and are red/orange in appearance with a white chest, black legs, and bushy white-tipped tail. The gray fox is most often found in central, mid-coast and southern Maine, although Don stated there is evidence they are moving north. They weigh about 10 pounds and are “grizzled” in coloration, with a mix of white, red, black and gray fur, often with a touch of red on the neck, ears and lower legs. They are easily discerned from reds by the black stripe down their tail with a prominent black tip at the end, with the tail making up almost a third of their total body length. The gray has fairly short legs, with an elongated torso in comparison to other foxes. Its eyes are oval-shaped, with a thick black stripe running from the inner corners down to its mouth.

Both species have excellent hearing and eyesight which prove particularly useful when hunting for prey hidden under the snow or ground. Both species are primarily nocturnal, but are seen during the day especially in spring and summer when hunting for their young families. They eat a wide variety of plants and animals, depending on the season, including small birds, eggs, mice, voles, rats, rabbits, insects, snakes, carrion, berries, apples, corn, seeds, and nuts. Foxes are found in diverse habitats and do well in a mix of fields and forest; the loss of natural habitat, however, has forced them to adapt and they’ve become quite tolerant of living near people.

Important to note, however, is that the gray fox isn’t simply a gray-colored red fox—it belongs to a different genus altogether. DNA testing reveals it isn’t closely related to other canines and is likely the oldest fox species in the world – more than 10 million years old! It isn’t really known why they’re so different, but one theory is that they may have been isolated to a particular area of the world and needed to develop certain characteristics to survive. Like a cat, its nails are retractable, making it the only member of the canid (dog) family in North America that can easily climb trees (reds climb, but not as well as grays) and jump from branch to branch. Their sharp claws give them the ability to climb as high as 50-60 feet, aided by forearms which can be rotated.

In doing further research, I found the gray fox has a body built for speed, easily reaching 28 mph. It loves to swim and utilizes ponds/lakes by chasing its prey into the water. Due to its build and stamina, the fox doesn’t tire easily, but the prey will become exhausted, making it vulnerable to drowning, after which the fox retrieves it.

Don told me they admit only one to four gray foxes a year and shared the sad story of two that had been hit by a car. Both were taken to the vet for evaluation and although neither had fractures, died of internal injuries within hours. Another gray that came to Duck Pond Rehab had come into contact with a porcupine, its mouth and snout filled with quills. For those who don’t know, porky quills are extremely painful and can be life-threatening. They have to be removed in one piece very carefully with pliers, as if broken or missed, can migrate to other parts of the body. Although Don and Amy, a longtime volunteer at the Center, removed the quills, the fox had to be tube fed until it could see the vet, but sadly died before the appointment. The gray fox currently in residence was admitted this past fall and will be released in the spring.

Donald Cote operates the Duck Pond Wildlife Care Center, on Rte. 3, in Vassalboro. It is a nonprofit federal and state permitted rehab facility which is supported by his own resources and outside donations. Mailing address: 1787 North Belfast Ave., Vassalboro ME 04989 TEL: (207) 445-4326. EMAIL: thewildlifecarecenter@gmail.com.

MAINE MEMORIES: The Grocery Trip!

by Evangeline T.

Hello and welcome to Maine Memories, little snippets of life from our home state.

As a child, I lived in a small house located between two hills. One was called Cemetery Hill, since there was a cemetery at the beginning of it. The other was Freeze Hill, because families living there had the last name of Freeze. A nearby dirt road went nowhere, except back into miles of woods. Cars were few, so sliding on the hills in winter was allowed without fear. It wasn’t unusual to find kids taking advantage of snowy days and the thrills of sliding down a slippery, icy slope!

Also located between the two hills was a pond called Mill Stream, a railroad crossing, and two houses: ours and a large farm owned by a neighbor. He had a frog pond in his field, and whenever it froze, my friends and I put on our skates and had fun.

We always had plenty of snow. Our road was scraped by the town, so perfect sliding hills were available. Back then, the road wasn’t plowed, just scraped with a grader pulled behind a truck. The grader had a high blade on it. A man had to guide the blade with a steering wheel, an image I’ve never forgotten.

Against such a backdrop, something unusual — and a little frightening — happened. It began with Mrs. Freeze putting together a grocery list. She told her two sons and daughter to take their sleds and go to the general store for supplies. It was approximately a mile away to
town and wouldn’t be that much of a trek.

Putting on their coats and boots, mittens and hats, they got their sleds and started out, list in pocket. When they walked past my house, they decided to ask me to go, too, so with mother’s permission, off I went, with sled in tow. Plus, a nickel for candy at the general store!

Now, the general store sold everything from groceries to blue jeans. I liked that place, full of wonders galore. One had to do with a pair of jeans so big, they would’ve fit the Jolly Green Giant! These jeans were hung from store supports and used as an advertisement, and they certainly were conversation-starters! Very memorable. And imaginative!

On arrival, we gave Mrs. Freeze’s grocery list to the clerk, who busily went about gathering all the items together. Meanwhile, we each selected our own candy, mine being a roll of candy wafers by Necco. The clerk handed us a grocery bag, and went ran out into the frosty cold morning.

Trudge, trudge, trudge. The snow was packed solid and going back took longer. When we got to the top of Cemetery Hill, someone suggested we hook our sleds together like a train. Sounded like a fun idea! Then, placing the groceries on the biggest sled with the smallest boy holding them, everybody got ready.

Uh-oh. We were setting ourselves up for disaster, without even knowing it.
Down the hill we sped, laughing and having a great time. Then, half-way down, the middle sled suddenly veered sideways. You guessed it, the whole train turned over, collapsing
like a house of cards.

The sleds, kids, and groceries all came to a stop, and it’s a sight burned onto my memory. One of the girl stood up with eggs dripping from her black coat. My candy wafers were a trail of different colors, marking a path down the hill.

We stood there in the midst of this terrific mess, quiet, not knowing what to say. One of the boys finally broke the silence. “Our mama’s gonna kill us,” he muttered. “Whose bright idea was this, anyway?”

“We all agreed. That means, everyone’s to blame,” his sister piped in, “including you.” Yes, she was right; we were all to blame, definitely.

We gathered up as much as we could, packed it securely and headed home. My house was first, and since I wasn’t bringing groceries, I didn’t get into trouble. The others left me with sad looks on their faces. I could only imagine what kind of greeting they encountered, with a dozen broken eggs in the bag!

They never told me what happened, and none of them were ever sent to the general store for groceries with their sleds again. A lesson learned…but at least it wasn’t a total loss. I managed to save some of my candy wafers, and boy, did they taste good!

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Historic listings – Winslow

Fort Halifax in disrepair.

by Mary Grow

Important note: one of the properties described below is privately owned. Please respect the owners’ rights and privacy.

The final place along the central Kennebec River that is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and as a National Historic Landmark is Fort Halifax, in Winslow. It was built in 1754, the same year as Fort Western, in Augusta, and for the same purpose, to protect British interests against Natives and against the French in Canada. The project was so important that Colonial Massachusetts Governor William Shirley came to the Kennebec and personally chose the site, according to Henry Kingsbury’s Kennebec County history.

Major General John Winslow and 600 militiamen from Massachusetts built the fort on a wedge-shaped peninsula on the east bank of the Kennebec River and the north bank of the Sebasticook River. They arrived on July 25 and the first stage of construction was done so fast that Captain William Lithgow and a 100-man garrison moved in on Sept. 3.

The name honors George Montagu-Dunk (1716-1771), second Earl of Halifax. Halifax, Nova Scotia, is also named after him.

(One source calls him the British Colonial Secretary, but since, according to Wikipedia, in the 18th century that post existed only from 1768 to 1782, his influence on the American colonies in 1754 would probably have been as President of the Board of Trade, a position he assumed in 1748.)

Winslow, after whom the town of Winslow is named, had plans for a quite elaborate fort. In 1755, Wikipedia says, Captain Lithgow (by 1756 Colonel Lithgow, according to the same article) opted for a less expensive and easier to build plan, and the fort was finished in 1756.

An on-line drawing of the fort in 1755 shows a palisade enclosing a square area (120 feet on a side, according to another source) with two-story blockhouses at the southeast and northwest corners. A barracks two stories high with what appear to be gable windows in a third story fills the northwest corner and half the north side. There are a smaller building that another source says contained officers’ quarters and a warehouse for supplies; an armory extends along the east side. (Kingsbury gives a quite different description.)

Roads lead to two more blockhouses on higher ground to the northeast, more than 1,000 feet away. Governor Shirley reported the first one was finished by mid-October 1754; the other was started in May 1755.

Fort Halifax, in Winslow.

Fort Halifax withstood at least two Native attacks, in the fall of 1754 and in July 1756. Wikipedia says it was abandoned and sold to a private owner in 1766.

A Winslow history on-line says when Benedict Arnold’s Québec expedition stopped there in 1775, the fort was a community meeting place, a tavern and a dance hall. Kingsbury, too, says religious services, public meetings and other events attracting a crowd were held in the fort buildings.

By 1775, another source says, surveyor Ephraim Ballard owned the property. His wife Martha joined him in 1777; she was the midwife later made famous by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s 1990 A Midwife’s Tale.

Ezekiel Pattee made his home in one of the hilltop blockhouses, and in 1775 at least one town meeting convened there. Winslow was incorporated April 26, 1771; Pattee was elected selectman that year and served until 1790. He was also town treasurer from 1771 to 1794, except for one year, and town clerk in 1771 and 1772.

After the Revolution the fort was mostly torn down. The state (until 1820 Massachusetts) used the surviving buildings to trade with Penobscot Indians, the Winslow history says. By the second half of the 19th century, only the southeast blockhouse was still standing. It was in poor condition, having been used for various agricultural purposes, including housing cows and chickens.

Kingsbury credits three residents with repairing the blockhouse in 1870. In 1873 and 1874, the Winslow history says, local residents repaired the roof and rebuilt enough of the underpinnings so the building stood straight again.

Kingsbury, writing in 1892, said the Lockwood Company had also reroofed the building. No one knew who owned the land, he said; but he urged the town to “honor itself” by restoring the fort.

In 1924 the Fort Halifax Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution acquired the structure, which then stood in the middle of a commercial area featuring fuel suppliers and warehouses, and began maintaining it and raising public awareness.

The state acquired the property from the DAR in 1965. It was designated a National Historic Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 24, 1968. In the early 1970s, Town of Winslow officials began buying adjacent land and with local donations and state and federal grants created Fort Halifax Park, opened in 1981.

The flood of April 1, 1987, swept over the park, sending the blockhouse down the Kennebec in fragments and covering the grounds with mud and debris. Work crews brought back original timbers from as far as 40 miles downriver and the blockhouse was reconstructed the next year. It is described as the oldest wooden blockhouse in the United States.

In the 2014 Winslow Town Report, then Town Manager Michael Heavener (who served from October 2006 until June 30, 2020) reported a $95,000 Land and Water Conservation grant that helped a town fund-raising committee pay for more than $193,000 in improvements to Fort Halifax Park.

Winslow has three other listings on the National Register of Historic Places. It also shares the Arnold Trail along the Kennebec (see The Town Line, Jan. 7, p. 10) and the Two-Cent Bridge between Waterville and Winslow (to be described in a later article).

The Winslow archaeological site presumably represents the oldest part of the area’s history. It was listed on the register on Dec. 27, 1990; the listing says the address is restricted, and there is no Wikipedia article corresponding to the link displayed. This writer assumes historical preservation authorities want to protect the site from unauthorized excavation.

The next oldest Winslow historic place (decades younger than Fort Halifax) is the Brick School on the east side of Route 32 (Cushman Road). Wikipedia says it was built between 1790 and 1820 – the historical marker on the building says 1806 – and is one of Maine’s oldest surviving district school buildings.

The one-room, one-story schoolhouse that served District 5 sits on a granite foundation. The ells atop the brick walls are shingled. The narrow wooden door and two windows are on the south side. Inside, Wikipedia describes a cloakroom and a fieldstone fireplace on the windowless west wall, with the rest of the building the classroom.

The school was discontinued in 1865. The building was left empty or used for storage until 1972, when the Winslow Historical Society bought it. In the 1990s, the society sponsored a more-than-$20,000 restoration project.

The society disbanded and, according to a Nov. 21, 2014, Central Maine Newspapers story by Evan Belanger (found on line), ownership of the building went back to the grandchildren of long-time owner Francis Giddings.

On Oct. 7, 2014, Town Manager Heavener reported to the town council that the Giddings were willing to convey the building to the town. Belanger described councilors’ and school officials’ deliberations: could they afford to maintain the building? And if they could, what use would it be?

Belanger wrote that immediate repairs were estimated to cost up to $13,500, and annual maintenance $1,000 to $2,000. He quoted some town and school officials who wanted the town to buy it and use it as a living history site to educate schoolchildren and adults.

Early in December 2014, Belanger reported, the Winslow Council voted unanimously to take ownership of the former school and to forgive $200 in back taxes. The Winslow Historical Preservation Committee, a town body that succeeded the historical society, assumed responsibility for the property.

The little red brick schoolhouse.

The brick schoolhouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The final Winslow property listed on the historic register and in Wikipedia is what those sources call the Jonas R. Shurtleff house. It is listed in the on-line Winslow encyclopedia and other sources as the Jonas B. (for Ball) Shurtleff house; this name is almost certainly the correct one.

Shurtleff bought the former Cushman property, about 13 acres, on the west side of what is now Route 201 (Augusta Road) in 1849. The previous owner was Rev. Joshua Cushman, a Revolutionary War veteran. One source says Cushman settled in Winslow in 1784. Kingsbury lists him among the early settlers along the Kennebec south of the Sebasticook, but not among 1791 resident taxpayers, and says Cushman graduated from Harvard in 1787, was ordained in Winslow on June 10, 1795, and died early in 1834.

Shurtleff built his house between 1850 and 1853, and it is little changed on the outside since. The tall wooden house has a granite foundation, vertical siding, and a gable roof. Windows, the open front porch and the gables are decoratively trimmed. Originally painted brown, it is now red with white trim.

Wikipedia called the architectural style “vernacular Gothic Revival.” In architecture, “vernacular” means a style that uses local materials, reflects local ideas and often does not require a professional architect.

In a brief on-line piece written in 2017 for MaineHomes newsletter, Julie Senk, of Portland, calls the house a Carpenter Gothic cottage and says Carpenter Gothic was a version of Gothic Revival tailored to local taste.

Jonas Ball Shurtleff (June 11, 1805 – Dec. 31, 1863) was a New Hampshire native who moved to Beaver, Pennsylvania, in 1826. He published a newspaper called the Tioga County Patriot until 1844 and served on the Pennsylvania Governor’s council and staff. He came to Waterville in 1847 and ran a bookstore for two years; then he was a traveling representative for textbook publishers until his death. He is buried in Fort Hill Cemetery, on Halifax Street, in Winslow.

In 1854 Shurtleff transferred title to the house to his second wife, Mariette or Marietta. He lived there until his death, and she until her death in 1903. When Kingsbury finished his Kennebec County history in 1892, Mariette and her two sons, Albert Thomas and Warren Ames, then aged 45 and 43, respectively, had a farm and orchard.

The Shurtleff House.

Wikipedia says the Shurtleff house has always been “a local landmark and minor tourist attraction.” It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The Maine Historic Preservation list includes one former Winslow listing that has been removed. Winslow’s Shrewsbury Round Barn was listed on the National Register Feb. 19, 1982, and was removed Jan. 15, 2004, because it no longer existed. The listing places the barn at 109 Benton Avenue, which, according to Google maps, is on a slope a little south of the town office – an unlikely place for a farm.

However, the Vintage Aerial on-line listing shows a 1964 aerial photo of a farm with a large round barn at the intersection of Benton Avenue and Roderick Road, on flat land about three-quarters of a mile north of the town office. Residents’ comments accompanying the photo say the farm belonged successively to James Lowell Deane; to his son-in-law, Donald Corbett; and to the Charles Auger family. It burned in 1991, and comments suggest suspicion that the fire was not accidental.

Sources:

Kingsbury, Henry D., ed. Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892).

Websites, miscellaneous.