Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Historic listings, Augusta Part 6

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The Kresge Block.

by Mary Grow

Last week’s exploration of Augusta’s Water Street Historic District talked about the designated historic buildings on the northern half of the east (river) side of the street. This article will continue south along the river.

The Kresge Block at 241-249 Water Street is the newest of the Water Street buildings that rate individual Historic Places recognition. It was built in 1932 for S. S. Kresge’s five and dime store (which Wikipedia calls a department store).

(Sebastian Spering Kresge [July 31, 1867 – Oct. 18, 1966] was a Pennsylvanian who founded the S. S. Kresge chain of discount stores and the Kresge-Newark department stores. Bowdoin College’s Kresge Auditorium is named in his honor. The S. S. Kresge stores became Kmart in 1977.)

Before the Kresge Block, Augusta’s Museum in the Streets on-line brochure says, an Italianate building on the site housed Dirigo Business School, identified in 1886 as Dirigo Business College, which opened in 1867 and operated from various locations. An online source calls it a two-campus school when it lost accreditation and closed in 2003.

Wikipedia calls the Kresge Block “a distinctive and rare local example of commercial Moderne architecture.” The Museum in the Streets uses the term “Art Deco.”

Although built of the same brick and granite as its neighbors, the Kresge block stands out. It is only two stories tall, and its tan-colored bricks contrast with the reddish ones on either side. Between the second-floor windows, which are rectangular without arches, elegant three-piece pilasters rise to a flat front with, per Wikipedia, “a multicolor crosshatch brick pattern.”

The ground floor has a double storefront, metal-bordered windows (some sources call the borders bronze, others copper) and on the north end an entrance to the second floor with a metal hood above it. Professional offices occupied the second floor in the 1930s.

The Museum in the Streets says the Kresge store opened in a 4,500-square foot space. Amenities included “mahogany counters…and a modern soda fountain.”

In 1978 or 1979 Richard Cummings bought the building, which then housed a Jupiter Discount Store. He moved Stacy’s, the Hallmark stationery store he had opened in 1973 and named for his daughter, Stacy Gervais, into the ground floor. In 2007, the family restored the front of the building to its 1932 look.

A Dec. 14, 2015, Kennebec Journal article by Jessica Lowell announced the store’s closing at the end of the year, after almost 43 years in business. The article said Augusta developer Tobias Parkhurst would buy the Kresge Block in January 2016 and planned to rent two second-floor apartments and two separate ground-floor retail spaces.

Lowell’s article quoted Parkhurst and others involved in real estate who said the market for downtown buildings has turned upside down as shoppers drive to suburban malls and strips. In areas like Augusta’s Water Street, street-level retail spaces have lost value, while upper-floor office space and apartments are sought after.

The Kresge Block was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 1986.

The Vickery Building.

Continuing south, the Vickery Building at 261 Water Street is another granite building, like the Libby-Hill Block described in the immediately previous article (see The Town Line, Feb. 4). Designed by John C. Spofford, it was built in 1895 to house Peleg O. Vickery’s printing and publishing business (see The Town Line, Nov. 12, 2020, p. 10).

John Calvin Spofford (Nov. 25, 1854 – Aug. 19, 1936) was born in Webster, Maine. (The 1886 Maine Gazetteer describes Webster, incorporated in 1840, as the town immediately east of Lewiston, also bounded by Wales, Litchfield, Bowdoin and Lisbon. After some boundary changes with its neighbors, in 1971 its name also changed; instead of honoring statesman Daniel Webster of New Hampshire, it now honors Anasagunticook Chief Sabattus.)

Spofford’s training and career were primarily in the Boston area, but he designed buildings in Bangor, Belfast and Lewiston as well as Augusta. In 1890 and 1891 he designed the first addition to the Maine State Capitol.

The Vickery Building is four stories tall. As described in Wikipedia, it is in Italianate commercial style, with Ionic columns on each side of the recessed street-level door; elaborately trimmed windows on the second and third floors; and smaller fourth-floor windows topped by more trim and a parapet.

The Vickery Building was used commercially for most of its existence. The 1915 Maine Register contains an advertisement for C. E Downing Insurance in the Vickery Building. A May 5, 2020, Kennebec Journal article, again by Jessica Lowell, says until it went up for sale sometime before 2017, occupants included medical offices, the Vickery Café, the Children’s Discovery Museum and a drugstore.

In 2017, Andrew LeBlanc and Jona­than Miller, partners in Mastview Development, bought what Lowell describes as four adjoining buildings and began converting them into apartments. The new Vickery has 23 one- and two-bedroom apartments, she wrote, with monthly rents from $1,000 to $2,100.

She quotes LeBlanc and Miller as saying they want to preserve the historic exterior appearance of Water Street while providing comfortable modern living spaces that they expect will attract residents of varied occupations and income levels.

The Portland Builders website gives the building address as 257-271 Water Street and says a historic preservation grant helped create 13 of the apartment units. More information about the Vickery apartments is available on line at www.thevickery.com.

The 1895 Vickery Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 22, 1984.

The Doughty Block.

Immediately adjoining the Vickery Block, and if the address on the Portland Builders website is correct incorporated into the contemporary Vickery, is the Doughty Block at 265 Water Street. Built in 1890, it is the only six-story building in downtown Augusta. With only three windows across its façade, it is narrower as well as taller than its neighbors.

The exterior is brick, with arches over the windows, five horizontal stone bands separating the floors and a conspicuous cornice extending its flat roof. The online Maine encyclopedia calls its design “somewhat odd”; Wikipedia says it combines Italianate architect, by 1890 going out of style, with Renaissance, just coming into fashion.

The owner was Charles Doughty. The designer was Charles Fletcher, described by Wikipedia as “a prominent local builder.”

Captain Charles E. Nash, author of the chapters on Augusta history in Henry Kingsbury’s Kennebec County history, says Charles F. Fletcher was born on Church Hill in northeastern Augusta in 1846. He began his career as a builder in 1873, and in 1889 partnered with George C. Robbins, of Sidney.

Church Hill was named for Samuel Church, who migrated from Connecticut to Maine around 1780 and settled in Augusta in April 1800. The contemporary Church Hill Road is on the east side of the river and runs north from Route 3 into southwestern Vassalboro.

The Doughty Block, like the Kresge Block, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 1986.

Continuing south past the intersection of Water, Winthrop and Front streets, the Masonic Hall at 313-321 Water Street is another of John Spofford’s designs. Wikipedia calls it “a restrained interpretation of the Renaissance Revival.”

The 1894 building is four stories high and has enough street frontage to allow for five separate retail areas. Built of red brick, it has an arch over the center entrance and more arches over the top-floor windows, which are connected to the third-floor ones by brick columns.

In 1970, George R. Caswell wrote a history of the building and some of its occupants. The Maine State Library’s copy is available online.

Caswell’s sources included a June 14, 1915, speech by Henry E. Dunnock in observance of the Trinity Commandery’s 50th anniversary and a Jan. 18, 1919, speech to the Abnaki Club, by Lewis A. Burleigh. According to them, the building was the fifth permanent home for Augusta Masons (the third was a victim of the 1865 fire [see The Town Line, Feb. 4], and the organizations met in temporary quarters in an attic for a few months).

Caswell credits Herbert M. Heath for the hall and for founding the Abnaki Club. On May 14, 1894, Heath created the Masonic Building Association, with $40,000 in capital and a board of directors consisting of five members from each of four Masonic groups: “Bethlehem and Augusta Lodges, Cushnoc Chapter # [,] Trinity Commandery and 103 Masons.”

The Association paid Edwin C. Burleigh, Thomas H. Lang and Eugene Whitehouse $9,000 for the Water Street lot and hired Spofford to design the building. On June 14, 1894, they held a cornerstone-laying ceremony that began with a 500-person parade, reviewed twice by Governor Henry B. Cleaves and the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Maine, Horace H. Burbank.

The parade stopped at the corner of State and Winthrop streets, where Burbank laid the cornerstone for Lithgow Library (to be discussed later in this series). The marchers continued downhill to Water Street, where Burbank and other dignitaries laid the cornerstone for the Masonic Hall.

Caswell includes a list of the cornerstone’s contents. Among them were documents relating to the Masonic lodges, lists of 1894 state and city officials, two pictures of wooden buildings that had previously occupied the site, a photograph of Spofford and copies of the June 14, 1894, issues of the Kennebec Journal, Maine Farmer and New Age, Augusta’s three newspapers of the time.

The Masonic Temple was dedicated on April 18, 1895, the first day of a five-day Great Masonic Fair that raised more than $5,000 toward furnishing the new temple.

Caswell found Abnaki Club records showing the organization spent almost $4,000 on its rooms, which included a smoking room, a billiards room, an Octagon Room, a parlor and a cloakroom and passageway. One expenditure was to have the word “Abnaki” in a panel in the floor outside the Octagon Room; the passage and room floors and the panel were all made of oak. By the time Caswell wrote, the wood – and the word – were hidden under linoleum.

The Masonic Hall, now listed online as Bethlehem Lodge, at 317 Water Street, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 2, 1986, at the same time as the Kresge and Doughty blocks.

Main sources:

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

Websites, miscellaneous

Next: still more historic buildings on Water Street, in Augusta

Drive thru sock hop in Madison

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Madison American Legion Auxiliary is sponsoring a Drive Thru Sock Hop, at Madison American Legion at the back entrance facing Reny’s, on Saturday, February 27, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Donate new socks for homeless veterans, homeless shelters and others in need. Men’s, women’s, teenagers, children – warm socks and every day socks.

Members of the auxiliary will be outside waiting for donations with ‘50-’60s music.
If you can’t make the Sock Hop, there are drop off boxes at Reny’s and Family Dollar, in Madison, as well as at Sun Rayz Tanning & Hair Salon, at 171 Waterville Road, in Skowhegan.

If you are unable to get to the drop off locations or the Sock Hop, monetary donations are accepted and they will purchase the socks. Make checks payable to Madison American Legion Auxiliary, earmark Sock Hop, and mail to Madison ALA, P.O. Box 325, Madison, ME 04950. For more information, contact Harriet at 635-2051.

Valentine’s Day is a day of caring for people we care about in all the ways of love

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by Gary Kennedy

Valentine’s Day or St. Valentine’s Day is referenced as the feast of St. Valentine and is celebrated on February 14. This is a day set aside for the acknowledgement of love and affection. But it wasn’t always that way.

Saint Valentine, of Rome, was a third century Roman Saint known for courtly love and is also the patron saint of epilepsy. How these two events, disease and courtly love, became paired I haven’t a clue. However, St. Valentine began in C.226 at Terni, Italia, Roman Empire. St. Valentine the man had a short life, approximately 42 years but was a bishop and a martyr of the Catholic Church.

St. Valentine was credited with many miracles. Bits and pieces of his life were archived in the church and catacombs of San Valentino, in Rome, which was a site of importance all through the middle ages. Eventually these artifacts were transferred to the church of Santa Prassede, during the pontificate of Nicholas IV. His skull is on display with a crown of flowers at Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. Other relics were taken to Dublin, Ireland, where they remain to this day. This location is still very popular for those seeking romance. Actually, there were two St. Valentines, St. Valentine of Rome and St. Valentine of Terni. A history can be made for both men and both reached Martyrdom. Unfortunately, the church of the time, and for some time after, used the two martyrs’ in different ways which made the two the most confusing of the saints.

In any case we aren’t searching for the religion here but the symbolic romantic notion. Love birds were said to pair at this time, mating for life. If you want to have fun and romance on this Valentine’s Day don’t be researching the saints that have to do with love.

Every day of the year has at least one saint and some have even been removed to make room for others. I will give you one example only and that probably won’t play into your Valentine. St. Perpetua died on March 7 but this date was later assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas. I mention this one as some devoted Catholics are familiar with St. Aquinas. The earliest feast and celebration days were for those Martyrs venerated as having shown for Christ the greatest form of love in accordance with the teaching. “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends.”

That was the kind of love initially intended to describe the foundation for this holiday. Emperor Claudius II executed two men both named Valentine on February 14, but in different years, of the third century A.D.. Their martyrdom was established by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine’s Day. The holiday of Lupercalia and Valentine’s Day somehow got mixed up and really put the true meaning to shame. Lupercalia involved the killing of a goat and a dog and removing their hides to be used as whips. Women would be lined up and naked men would whip them with these hides. The men were naked and after the ritual would pair up with one of the women. This was a very sick holiday but such was the history. As religion evolved so did holidays, that had some connection.

Now St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated with displays of love such as delicious confections, jewelry, foods and romantic cards displaying words of love and affection. It has turned out to be a day of caring and thankfulness for people we care about in all the ways of love, affection and appreciation.

GROWING YOUR BUSINESS: Why do customers use your company?

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Growing your businessby Dan Beaulieu
Business consultant

How often do you ask yourself that question? How often to you ask you customers that question? Think about that as a different approach to your messaging and your advertising strategy. The true purpose of any business is to find a need and fill it. No less but often a lot more.

Yes, they hire you because they have a need for what you offer.

People need to be fed; they need a restaurant.

People need to be fed pizza; they need a pizza parlor.

People need to have their house remodeled; they need a contractor.

People need a new bathroom; they need a plumber.

And… well, you get the picture.

Now the next step is to dig a little deeper. This mean finding out things like.

What do people consider a great restaurant? Or another way to look at it, what do people hate about restaurants?

What kind of pizza do they prefer? Or another way to look at it, what do people dislike about pizza parlors?

You see where this is going right? You will not have a business without customers. And you will not have a successful business with happy, contented and most importantly repeating and returning customers. And the best way to do this is to find out what they like and give it to them.

In the end it is all about not only giving customers what they need and want but it is also figuring out how to give them more. It is about something called the customer experience.

Customer service is one thing. Customer service is giving the customer what they asked for. It is about making sure that they are getting what they want when they want it. It means taking care of a customer when they come into your store. It is about mowing their lawn or plowing their driveway the way they asked you to do it. It is about giving them what they expect, what they pay for. That is customer service and that is a certainly a good thing.

Customer experience is taking it to another level. It is much more than giving the customers what they want it is delighting them as well.

It is the extra handful of fries that Five Guys throws into your bag of fries.

It is the car repair service department that also washes your car before they return it to you.

It is that special sample of new top shelf Tequila that your local Mexican restaurant asks you to try out.

It is that beautiful poinsettia that your landscape company leaves at your door at Christmas.

It as all of these special things that lead to great customer experience that goes beyond merely satisfying your customers but keeps them coming back for years and years and that is the very best way to grow your business.

SCORES & OUTDOORS: Brown-tail moth caterpillar is back in the news in 2021

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browntail moth caterpillar

Roland D. Halleeby Roland D. Hallee

Well, it looks like the brown-tail moth caterpillar is back in the news in 2021 with news that they are abundant in the central Maine area, including Waterville, Vassalboro, China, Albion and Winslow, according to a Maine Department of Agriculture Conservation and Forestry report. In all, 54 Maine communities were on the list.

I have seen and been around brown-tail moth caterpillars before, but the summer of 2020 was my first contact with one.

We had been doing some extensive outdoor renovations at camp this spring. With the tick population at record high numbers, we’ve been clearing and pushing back growth and decaying leaves further back into the woods, away from the camp. We had also torn down our old screened-in room, and prepared a new platform for the new one to be installed later. During all of this, we dress accordingly, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and boots, to try to alleviate the possibility of ticks jumping on-board.

Apparently, there was another enemy out there. With the high, sustained winds, I somehow came in contact with airborne hairs from the brown-tail moth caterpillar. Saturday found both my arms, left shoulder and upper thigh on my left leg, covered with a pinkish rash, that itched like the dickens.

I have since dispatched three of the caterpillars I have found strolling along my deck.

They were accidentally introduced to the United States in the 1890s. During the early 20th century they were present from eastern Connecticut northward into New Brunswick, Canada, but a subsequent severe population collapse reduced the territory to parts of coastal Maine and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, by the late 20th century. One theory for the decline appeared to be a parasite introduced to combat gypsy moths. Starting in 2015 there has been a population spike and territory expansion along coastal Maine.

Hairs from the caterpillars are toxic for humans, causing a poison ivy-like itchy rash of up to weeks duration due to mechanical and chemical irritation. Direct contact with larvae is not necessary, as the hairs are shed and can become windblown. Toxins in the hairs remain potent for up to three years. Outdoor activities such as mowing a lawn or raking leaves in the fall can cause exposure.

The brown-tail moth is an invasive species in the United States and Canada, having arrived in Somerville, Massachusetts, circa 1890, and becoming widespread there and in neighboring Cambridge by 1897. Initial outbreaks were most evident in pear and apple trees. Doctors reported “poisonings” (skin rash) far worse than poison ivy rash. Within a few years it was seen as a serious, fast-spreading, horticultural and health problem – apparently, not enough though, to cause a complete shutdown of the country. Through the early parts of the 20th century it was present in much of New England from eastern Connecticut to Maine, and northward into New Brunswick, Canada, but the 1906 introduction of the parasitic fly Compsilura concinnata to counter gypsy moths collaterally impacted brown-tail moths. By the late 20th century the habitat was reduced to the coast and islands of Maine, and also parts of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Cold and wet weather hinders re-expansion of the population outside its current territories, although starting in 2015 there has been a population spike and territory expansion in coastal Maine, from Portland to Bar Harbor.

Photographs taken from aerial fly-overs are used to identify areas where the trees have been denuded of leaves, by the moth, and where the branch-tip tents are present. The white-winged adults are nocturnal and strongly attracted to light; a report from 1903 likened their appearance around streetlights as being akin to heavy snowfall.

The brown-tail moth produces one generation a year. Eggs are laid in July and hatch in August.

In the United States, many species of birds prey on the winged adults, including English house sparrows and blue jays (I wonder if that is what has led to an increased number of blue jays around our bird feeders at camp?)

How to control it? Branch-tip webs can be clipped in winter and very early spring, and either dropped into a bucket of soapy water or burned. Gloves should be worn. Appropriate pesticides should be applied before early May because that is when the larvae start to develop harmful hairs. For organic garden and farm situations there are sprays that use a strain of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).

Cicely Blair wrote a paper about the rash caused by the brown-tail moth caterpillar in the British Isles. It, and other descriptions, confirmed that loose hairs can break off and cause very itchy rashes on contact with skin, as well as breathing difficulties similar to asthma if inhaled. Rashes can persist for weeks. The same symptoms have been reported as far back as 1903. The reactions are due to a combination of mechanical and chemical stimuli, the barbed hairs in effect becoming lodged in and physically irritating the skin.

The species should be handled using protective gloves at all stages of its life cycle. Shed hairs blow about, and can be brought indoors on clothing and shoes, so rashes can occur without the victim coming in direct contact with the caterpillars.

Brown-tail larvae have been reported as feeding on 26 genera of non-resinous trees and shrubs belonging to 13 different families. This is considered unusual. Non-specific host plant feeding combined with its tendency to reach extreme outbreak densities makes this species a major pest of fruit orchards, ornamental trees and hardwood forests. Partial list of plant species: apple, cherry, beach plum (Cape Cod, Massachusetts), beech, elm, grape, hops, maple, oak, pear, raspberry, rose and willow. An early description of the introduction to the United States in the 1890s identified pear and apple trees as most greatly afflicted, but mentioned that once trees were entirely bare of leaves, the larvae would descend to the ground in great numbers and move toward any leafy plant, including vegetable plants.

The hairs are almost like silent attackers. You may acquire the rash without even knowing it, as I did. All the precautions and protections I took were to no avail once the hairs became airborne.

I did find out, though, that baby powder will relieve the itching, but the best “antidote” I found was Benadryl spray or cream. That completely took away the itching, although the rash remained.

Meanwhile, be on the lookout for the little irritating critters come warmer weather.

Roland’s trivia question of the week:

In Super Bowl LV, the Kansas City Chiefs failed to score a touchdown in the game. This has happened three times in the Super Bowl era. Once in 1971 when Dallas defeated Minnesota, 24-3. When was the other?

Answer can be found here.

Roland’s Trivia Question for Thursday, February 11, 2021

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Trivia QuestionsIn Super Bowl LV, the Kansas City Chiefs failed to score a touchdown in the game. This has happened three times in the Super Bowl era. Once in 1971 when Dallas defeated Minnesota, 24-3. When was the other?

Answer:

2018. The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3.

SOLON & BEYOND: Going back to when Flagstaff died

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

It brought back many memories of what was happening in Flagstaff and the Dead River area way back then! It is taken from a very old paper, probably almost 50 years ago; yellow with age and ripped in places. There are no words left of what newspaper it was printed in, or who wrote it; (but it wasn’t me!) Some of the headlines say, Dead River Dam; Maine’s Hydro – El…words that finished some of that part were missing.

Maine’s hydro-electric output will be increased by thousands of kilowatts with the completion of a giant multi-million dollar project now in its initial stages at Dead River .

Already axes have sounded clearing away the heavy timber growth to open up the area where the engineers and construction crews will build a dam which will create a 26-mile long lake increasing the Kennebec River storage capacity by one-third. The entire project is expected to be completed sometime during the summer of 1950, culminating years of studies, surveys and preparations.

Like all progress, it will not be accomplished without some heartaches, for the waters to be backed up by the dam will cover the land on which is now located the little community of Flagstaff.

In 1944 the population of the sparsely populated plantation was given as only 97 and since that time most of these people have gradually moved away. Still the few remaining ones, sadly watched the preparation for construction of the dam which will inundate their land and that of their forefathers. But land purchases started 20 years ago and they knew that someday the dam would be built.

They will receive financial remuneration for their property losses but will look with regret as the waters slowly rise over the land of their childhood memories .

However, their nostalgic losses will be far outweighed by the benefits the new dam will bring to the rest of Central Maine in electric power output and river control.

Added Power Capacity: The Dead River storage basin will contain no generating equipment at its Long Falls dam but never the less will provide additional prime capacity from the Central Maine Power Company’s five generating stations on the Kennebec River.

This will amount to an estimate 17,000 kilowatts and capacity for periods of short duration up to 30,000 kilowatts.

Provisions will be made in the construction for the installation of a generating unit at some future time.

Situated between two high points of land split by a narrow flow of white water known as Long Falls in the southeast corner of Township 3, Range 4, the dam site is in part of Somerset County near the Franklin County line. This point is 20 miles from The Forks where the Dead River empties into the Kennebec River some 16 miles above the huge Wyman Station near Bingham.

Backing up from this 25-foot high 500-feet long dam will be a new lake created along a tortuous section of Dead River. In some places it will spread out over low lying lands and in others it will be confined by shaped, 26-mile long lake will rest on the new dam at Long Falls.

(The next couple of inches got torn off in this old paper sometime in its long life, so I will skip down a bit.)

Participating with the Central Maine Power Co. in the dam construction of the $4,800,000 project are the Hollingsworth and Whitney Co. and the Great Nothern Paper Co., both of which have plants on the Kennebec River. Thus far, work in the project has been confined to clearing operations and construction of roads into the site of the dam. The W.H. Hinman Co. has made considerable progress on the new road with the coming of Spring.

I will be continuing with more from that old paper next week, and probably some about all the fires that were around us during those sad days.

But as always; here is Percy’s memoir: Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance, self control, diligence, strength of will, content, and a hundred other virtues which the ungrateful will never know.

Don’t worry, be happy, especially on Valentine’s Day.

OBITUARIES for Thursday, February 11, 2021

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DOREEN L. SCOTT

FAIRFIELD – Doreen Lyn Scott, 60, passed away suddenly on Friday, January 8, 2021. Doreen was born in Waterville on September 23, 1960. She was the daughter of Norman and Gwendolyn Scott.

She attended Fairfield schools and graduated from Lawrence High School in 1978.

Doreen loved to shop and was on a shopping excursion when she passed away. She loved Christmas and started her next year’s Christmas shopping the day after Christmas and shopped all year long for her family and friends.

Doreen was predeceased by her parents, Norman and Gwendolyn Scott; and an uncle, Don Adams, of Winslow.

She is survived by a sister, Penny, and brother, David, both of Fairfield; a brothers, Danny, of Canaan, and Steven and wife Cynthia, of Winslow; nieces and nephews, Chris, Brian, Kevin, Bradley, Rose, Bobby, Heather, and Rory; as well as many great-nieces and nephews; many aunts, uncles and cousins.

A graveside service will be held at a later date.

An online guestbook may be signed, and memories shared at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com

Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral & Cremation Care, 107 Main St., Fairfield.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Doreen’s name to Humane Society Waterville Area, 100 Webb Rd., Waterville, ME 04901.

JOHN L. WRIGLEY

OAKLAND – John L. Wrigley, 53, of Oakland, passed away unexpectedly at home on Monday, January 11, 2021. John was born February 16, 1967, where he resided most if his life at his family farm with his late mother, Alice L. Wrigley, and his late aunt, Beverley O. Wrigley.

He graduated from Messalonskee High School, in Oakland, in 1986. He worked for Fabian Oil, in Oakland, for approximately 10 years and Hammond Lumber Co., in Belgrade, for approximately 25 years.

John enjoyed spending time with his family and friends as well as camping, attending races and four-wheeling. He also took great pride for the last 15 years restoring his grandfather’s 1946 Red Chevy pickup truck.

He is survived by his stepdaughter, Maila E. Couture, of Oakland; and his brother, Jason Meade and his family, of Skowhegan; his uncle Dana and aunt Marie Wrigley, of Oakland, aunt Betty and uncle Tom Pierce, of Belgrade; his cousin, Bill Wrigley and Heidi Otis and family.

In honoring John’s wishes there will be a celebration of life at a later date.

Arrangements are in the care of the Wheeler Funeral Home, 26 Church St., Oakland, where condolences may be shared with the family on the obituary page of the website at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

LOIS M. STARBIRD

CLINTON – Lois M. (Gibson) Starbird, 87, of Clinton, passed away on Saturday January 23, 2021, following a long illness. She was born February 4, 1934, the daughter of J. Holman Gibson and Freda (Dixon) Gibson.

Lois grew up on the Gibson and Son Dairy Farm, in Clinton, where she was no stranger to hard work. She not only delivered milk by horse and buggy, but also picked beans and hayed the fields alongside her parents and brother.

Lois graduated from Clinton High School and then married Donald Starbird, also of Clinton. Together they built and sold homes in the community. Lois also was employed in the offices of Skiland Woolen Mill, in Clinton, Harris Bakery Co. and Marden’s store, both in Waterville.

She found great enjoyment in gardening, selling Avon products, being a charter member of the Evening Extension, fishing, camping and traveling. Lois traveled to many places in New England as well as California, Alaska and Kamloop, British Columbia, Canada. She went on many bus trips with friends, Virginia and Phyllis, enjoying every minute and had the stories to prove it.

In her later years Lois looked forward to camping and fishing with her longtime companion, Gordon Flewelling, and his family. Their adventures took them from the light houses on the coast of Maine to the back woods beyond Greenville.

Lois was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Donald Starbird; and most recently her brother, Wendell Gibson.

She is survived by her companion, Gordon Flewelling; her children, Joyce (Smith) Starbird, Leslie Starbird, Linda Starbird and her partner, Celena Ranger, and David Starbird; several grandchildren; and great-grandchildren; and a special “sister cousin” Ellen (Humphrey) Russell and her husband, Neil.

At Lois’s request no services will be held.

An online guestbook may be signed, and memories shared at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral and Cremation Care, 107 Main St., Fairfield.

IRMA W. SIMON

CHINA – Irma Wilcox Jones Simon, 92, passed away from natural causes on Saturday, January 30, 2021, at the Oak Grove Center, in Waterville.

Irma was born on December 3, 1928, in an old stone cottage on the campus grounds of the (Quaker) Friends’ Central School, in Overbrook, Pennsylvania, to (Headmaster) Dr. Barclay L. Jones and Esther L. (Coffin) Jones.

She had three older sisters, Louise, Frances and Hoylande.

A love for nature began at an early age as she was known to spend hours after school in neighboring fields playing, exploring, and studying the flora and fauna of the natural world around her. In the summers, Irma and her parents and sisters vacationed in South China, where a family cottage was built above the shores of China Lake. Here, she fell in love with the lake and time spent with cousins and many Quaker Friends and relatives. Irma always called South China, her “home”.

Irma attended Earlham College, in Indiana, graduating in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. There she met Stephen W. Simon, her future husband of 19 years. Upon their divorce in 1971, Irma and her five children moved to Maine to stay. As a “Maine-iac”, she once worked as an assistant teacher in Waterville High School’s science department where she was affectionately known to her students as “Mother Nature”. She was involved in a federal program called Project Tree at the elementary school, and for many years passed on her knowledge and love of nature as a volunteer working with counselors and campers at the (Quaker) Friends’ Camp, in South China, establishing a pond and the Woods Trail. Irma also became the first laboratory employee for Northeast Laboratory Services, in Winslow, was a histologist at the former Mid-Maine Medical Center, and an inorganic chemist and bacteriologist in the Department of Environmental Protection lab for the State of Maine which she loved until her retirement.

As a life-long Quaker, Irma attended her beloved Vassalboro Friends Meeting, in East Vassalboro. As a member of the Peace Committee for several years, she promoted peace-making endeavors and activism, and participated in peaceful demonstrations across New England.

In her retirement years, Irma enjoyed traveling out of state to visit family and friends, looked forward to summer gatherings of family, and Jones and Coffin cousins at the family cottage, and time spent on the shores of China Lake.

She was a lover of nature, birds and cats and an active member of several national and local environmental and wildlife organizations including the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the Maine Wolf Coalition and the China Lake Association. She was strong willed, never one to miss an opportunity to express her opinion regarding politics and the environment, believing world peace was possible and climate change can be fixed. This trait also served her well in overcoming several health crises in her lifetime.

In passing, may her spirit now run with the caribou in Alaska, howl with wolf packs, canoe the wild rivers of Maine, enjoy the waters of China Lake, and fly with all her feather friends. May she know that good people continue to work hard to end hatred and violence, to protect our earth, and to save our wildlife.

Irma is survived by her five children, Sylvia (Robert) Eppig, Andrew Simon, Peter (Melinda) Simon, Esther (James) Emmert and Emily (Russell) Poulin, as well as 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be hosted at a later date in Maine.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to either The Vassalboro Friends Meeting, the China Lake Association, or the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

ALBERT R. BOYNTON

WHITEFIELD – Albert R. Boynton, 94, of 98 Mills Rd., died Sunday, January 31, 2021, at his home. He was born May 18, 1926, in Whitefield, to Chester A. Boynton and Addie F. (Knight) Boynton.

He was the youngest of seven children. He was born at the mill house across the road and moved to his current address one year later.

Albert was very much influenced by his mother who died when he was six years old. He always referred to her as “Mama”. He spoke of how she baked big pans of molasses cookies and raisin squares and took the responsibility to open the church and played the piano there. She had a marble top table full of African violets and took all the kids with her in the car to collect bills for his father’s sawmill business.

After she died his father kept their family together through the Great Depression even after losing his lumber business. Albert thought of him as a hero. It was a hurricane in 1938 that brought their family out of the Depression, when they were able to take a portable sawmill to Peterborough, New Hampshire, to clean up downed trees for wealthy families. Albert called it an “act of God”.

He went to Peterborough High School for two years. When the family moved the sawmill to Plainfield, Massachusetts, Albert went with his brother, George, to East Hartford, Connecticut, and attended school there for a semester. He then returned to Whitefield with his family and finished high school at Erskine Academy, in South China, graduating in the class of 1943.

After starting classes at the University of Maine at Orono, Albert decided to enlist in the Navy because he wanted to choose the branch he served in. He chose the Navy because he liked the blue uniforms rather than the olive drab. He entered boot camp in May 1944, on his 18th birthday, and served for two years on the USS Goodhue.

It wasn’t until later years that he shared with great emotion what it was like to have his ship hit by a Kamikaze and witness the loss of many of his shipmates. When he came back from serving in World War II, he returned to UMO, finishing with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering.

He graduated in 1950 and got a job at Togus as an orderly to be able to pay for equipment for dairy farming. He met his wife Carolyn there who was an RN at the facility, and they married in 1954. She was the first and last girlfriend that he ever had. Albert worked for 30 years as a rural mail carrier in Whitefield, Coopers Mills and Somerville. He went the extra mile for his customers and enjoyed working with many special people. The job of mail carrier suited him to a “T”.

Albert went out of dairy farming when his barn burned in 1967 but always maintained a small herd of dairy cows. He accepted Jesus as his Savior on Palm Sunday 1971 which was the defining moment of his life. His faith influenced every aspect of his life from then on.

In retirement Albert cared for Carolyn for 12 years until her death in 2003. He was a member of Calvary Bible Baptist Church, in Whitefield, and later South Somerville Baptist Church. He enjoyed being in God’s House and reading and studying His Word. He passionately wrote letters to local papers on issues of life and morality. He was an avid reader and was always singing.

Albert was predeceased by his wife, Carolyn Tarbox Boynton; three daughters, Jeanne, Nancy and Mary Anne; and a grandson, Taylor Kittner, his mother and father; and six siblings, Virginia, Alden, Marcia, George, Dana, Shirley and their spouses.

Albert is survived by a son, David Boynton and his wife Melissa, of Whitefield; a daughter Beverly Cronkhite and her husband Rick, of Whitefield; a daughter Janet Kittner and her husband Wilfred, of Charlotte, North Carolina; grandchildren Kate Parker and husband Joe, of Augusta, Sam Boynton and wife Julie, of Walpole, Massachusetts, Meg Dyer and husband Jeff, of Palermo, Sawyer Maldovan and girlfriend Taylor Hickey, of Whitefield, Miranda Proud and boyfriend Josh Grenier, of Fairfield, Justin Cronkhite and wife Courtney, of Whitefield, Addie Joslyn and husband Jeremy, of Jefferson, Olivia Finnemore and husband Brendon, of Rockland, Jonah Cronkhite and wife Lydia, of Waldoboro, and Natalie and Brigitte Kittner, both of Charlotte, North Carolina; great-grandchildren are Cora and Ivy Parker, Ilyda, Vivian, and Ruby Dyer, Mia, Riley, and Izzy Proud, Abe Cronkhite, Brennan, Grayson and Haven Joslyn, Afton Finnemore, and Makiyah and Mitchell.

He was also the guardian to Larry Sturges. Albert was very much looking forward to meeting three more precious great-grandchildren this year. Albert also leaves behind many nieces, nephews and friends.

The funeral service will be private. Spring burial will be in Highland Cemetery, in Jefferson.

Arrangements were by Plummer Funeral Home, 983 Ridge Rd., Windsor.

Condolences, stories and photos may be shared at http://www.plummerfh.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Pine Tree Camp, 114 Pine Tree Camp Rd., Rome, ME 04963; Zoe A. Women’s Center, 1056 Commercial St., Rockport, ME 04856; or Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104.

MICHAEL J. COYNE

FAIRFIELD – Michael J. Coyne, 51, passed away Thursday, January 28, 2021, at MaineGeneral Medical Center, Thayer campus, in Waterville. He was born December 2, 1969, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the son of Michael G. and Rosanne M. (Beaudreault) Coyne.

He graduated from Waterville High School in 1988. He was a veteran who proudly served his country in the United State Marine Corps from 1988 to 1989 until his honorable discharge.

He was employed as a cook for 20 years at Belanger’s Drive-In, in Fairfield, Thomas College, in Waterville, as head chef for 10 years and Camp Pinecliffe as head chef for the last five years.

He was a member of the Grover-Hinckley American Legion Post #14, in Fairfield, the women’s Auxiliary and the United Bikers of Maine. Michael loved to cook, tell dad jokes and spend time with his granddaughter, Gracelyn. He enjoyed Harley-Davidson, Bald Eagles and the Marine Corps.

Michael is survived by three daughters, Makayla Coyne, of Augusta, Victoria Blaisdell , and boyfriend Matthew Quinn, of Fryeburg, Kyrrah Guerin, of Waterville; granddaughter, Gracelyn; twin brother, Gregory Coyne and wife Lori, of Natick, Massachusetts; brother David Coyne and life partner Shannon Cortois, of Waterville; niece and nephew, Adam and Katherine Coyne; father, Michael G. Coyne and wife Marlene, of Augusta; second family, the Blaisdells, Kelly, Lori and Roger.

He was predeceased by his mother, Rosanne Mary (Beaudreault) Coyne; stepsister, Sheila White.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the convenience of the family.

Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan and Scott’s Cremation and Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Rd., Skowhegan ME 04976.

In lieu of flowers, friends wishing may make donations in Michael’s memory to the American Legion Post #14, 86 Main Street, Fairfield, ME 04937.

EMMA Z. DRYSDALE

WATERVILLE – Emma (Zeffer) Drysdale, 97, recently of Waterville, passed away on Thursday, January 28, 2021, at Lakewood Northern Light Continuing Care, in Waterville. She was born in Edison, New Jersey, on August 3, 1923, the daughter of Peter and Juliana (Tompa) Zeffer.

Emma lived in the Metuchen and Edison area of New Jersey most of her life, marrying Gordon W. R. Drysdale and raising her family there. Family was most important to Emma.

She was a member of The Ascension Lutheran Church, of New Brunswick, New Jersey, and worked at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital for many years, retiring in 1994. She moved to Sarisota, Florida, in 1998 and then to Waterville in 2005.

She is survived by a daughter, Bonnie Cohen and husband Paul, of Orono; son, Gordon R. Drysdale and wife Nancy, of Fairfield; grandchildren, Danette Baltutis and husband Tony, of Azle, Texas, G. Edward Drysdale and wife Rebakah, of Auburn; three great-grandchildren, Emma and William Drysdale and Kate Kirchner; many nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband, Gordon; four sisters, Julia Kalman, Edith Bascelli, Margaret Margolis and Irene Anderko.

At Emma’s request, there will be no visitation or funeral services. Interment will be at the convenience of the family at Franklin Memorial Park Mausoleum in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan and Scott’s Cremation and Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Road, Skowhegan ME 04976.

DONALD SCHILLING JR.

BENTON – Donald Schilling Jr., 40, passed away on Saturday, January 30, 2021. Donald was born at Central Maine Medical Center, in Lewiston, on January 5, 1981.

He had numerous close friends who can attest to his heart of gold. Donald loved listening to music, watching game shows, drawing and doing puzzles. He was very proud of his children who gave him great joy. Fly high superman.

Donald was predeceased by his mother, Kathy Lynn Schilling and his maternal grandparents.

He is survived by his three children, Gavin, Alivia and Danica; his father, Donald Schilling Sr.; his sister, Melissa and her spouse, Jeremiah Musselman; his companion, Christine Berryman; many aunts and uncles; and lots of cousins.

No services will be held at this time.

An online guestbook may be signed, and memories shared at http://www.familyfirstfuneralhomes.com.

Arrangements are by Lawry Brothers Funeral and Cremation Care, 107 Main St., Fairfield.

NANCY L. RODRIGUE

WINSLOW – Nancy L. (St. Pierre) Rodrigue, 76, passed away Sunday, January 31, 2021, at Oak Grove Center, in Waterville. She was born November 22, 1944, in Brunswick, the daughter of George and Georgette (Johnson) St. Pierre.

She was educated in the schools of Brunswick and on December 27, 1976, she married Joseph Rodrigue. She enjoyed reading and crocheting.

Nancy is survived by daughter, Nancy Clowes, of Waterville; granddaughter, Terri Clowes, of Waterville; two brothers, James St. Pierre, of Portland, LonAllen St. Pierre; two sisters, Linda St. Pierre and Betty St. Pierre.

She was predeceased in 2020 by her husband, Joseph Rodrigue.

A graveside service will be held at a later date at the convenience of the family.

Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan and Scott’s Cremation and Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Rd., Skowhegan ME 04976.

MARLENE A. HARRIS

WINSLOW – Marlene Amber (Ham) Harris, 81, passed away on Monday, February 1, 2021, at her home, in Winslow, following a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer. She was born in Waterville on July 1, 1939, to Amber (Jakins) and William E. Ham.

Following graduation from Winslow High School in 1957, Marlene became employed as a private secretary to Miss Pearl Fisher at the former Thayer Hospital, in Waterville. She met and married Richard E. Harris on February 1, 1958, exactly 63 years ago. They raised three children in the home they built together in Winslow. Later, they built a summer cottage at Prince Edward Island which they enjoyed for over 45 years.

Marlene achieved her medical assistant certification and was proud to work with several local physicians, including over 25 years as Dr. John W. Towne’s medical assistant. After retirement in 1997, she and her husband spent winters at their home in Fort Meade, Florida. Both in Maine and Florida, she was very active in the Order of Eastern Star and was a Past Matron of Martha Washington Chapter #15.

Marlene was talented, creative and industrious. She was an artist and restored many antiques with her husband. She loved art, music and was an accomplished knitter and quilter, making quilts for all her family. An active person, she especially enjoyed square dancing, country dancing and clogging, and roller-skating. She and her husband rode motorcycles together for many years and owned and showed antique automobiles.

Marlene had a busy, happy life and will be remembered by her family for her independence, stamina and sheer determination, especially during her illness. Throughout her life, she shared her love and care for many people, and for many animals, both wild and domestic.

Marlene is survived by her husband, Richard; a daughter, Allison Watson and her husband Michael; a son, Martin Harris and his partner Rhonda Kennedy; three grandchildren, Melissa Audet Stewart, Brian Audet and his wife, Sydnee, Benjamin Audet and his fiancée, Felicia Paradis; two great-grandchildren, Cameron and Abigale Stewart; a brother, Wayne E. Ham and his wife, Peggy; and two nephews, Jason Ham and Christopher Ham and his partner, Sarah Austin.

Her eldest son, Dana R. Harris, predeceased her.

A celebration and remembrance of Marlene’s life will be held at a later date in the spring.

Arrangements under the direction and care of Dan and Scott’s Cremation and Funeral Service, 445 Waterville Rd., Skowhegan, Maine.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be sent in her memory to the Humane Society Waterville Area, 100 Webb Rd., Waterville, ME 04901.

Give Us Your Best Shot! for Thursday, February 11, 2021

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To submit a photo for this section, please visit our contact page or email us at townline@townline.org!

SHARING: Pat Clark, of Palermo, photographed this indigo bunting and rose-breasted grosbeak at a feeder.

CLEANING UP: Joan Chaffee, of Clinton, sent this photo of a red winged blackbird finishing up on an orange.

TRIO OF TROUBLE: Michael Bilinsky, of China Village, captured these three chipmunks in his garage.

 

Vassalboro selectmen approve firefighters Cost Recovery contract plan

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by Mary Grow

Vassalboro Fire Chief Walker Thompson and semi-retired lieutenant/board of directors vice-president Michael Vashon joined town selectmen at their Feb. 4 virtual meeting to discuss a proposal to contract with Cost Recovery, a firm that seeks compensation for firefighters’ expenses from insurance companies.

Vashon said the department would submit estimates of firefighters’ and truck time for every fire or other incident. Cost Recovery would bill the appropriate insurance company, keeping 20 percent of amounts recovered. The rest would go to the fire department, which is separate from the town.

Town residents would be exempt from the program, Vashon said, except if they damaged department property, for example by running over a fire hose.

About 50 other Maine fire departments already contract with Cost Recovery, Vashon said; the company’s recovery rate is from 60 to 70 percent. Vassalboro could cancel the contract at any time.

Vashon and Thompson plan to keep half the money for firefighters’ supplies that traditionally are bought through donations and fundraisers. They proposed giving the other half to the town, hoping selectmen will add it to the fire department reserve fund, set aside to buy firetrucks and other major equipment.

Selectmen approved the idea, with board member Robert Browne adding the proviso that the bookkeeping not be too complicated. Town Manager Mary Sabins thought it would not be.

Thompson reported that the “old and brittle” boiler at the North Vassalboro fire station sprung a leak in January. It was patched and should last the winter; the fire department budget request includes $17,500 to replace it.

The chief also reported that so far in 2021, the fire department has responded to 20 calls, compared to seven calls by the beginning of February 2020. He thanked the town public works crew for clearing snow and fallen trees during recent storms – “They do a great job.”

After the firefighters signed out of the virtual meeting and Town Attorney Kristin Collins signed in, selectmen continued discussion of the revised draft marijuana ordinance. Several minor revisions and clarifications were proposed.

The draft ordinance prohibits new marijuana businesses in Vassalboro after its effective date, which will be not the date of enactment, but the date selectmen give their approval. Its eight pages of definitions and regulations apply to businesses in operation or approved before that date.

Registered caregivers are not affected by the ordinance, unless they are operating a cultivation facility, defined as a growing facility larger than 1,000 square feet. Sabins said state officials told her Vassalboro has 20 registered caregivers, but cannot provide names, addresses or information on the size of operations.

Businesses affected by the ordinance must be licensed every two years, must pay a licensing fee (to be determined – Collins said Maine municipalities’ current fees range from $500 to $5,000) and must continuously conform to the regulations and standards in the ordinance.

The latest version of the ordinance is available on the town website, www.vassalboro.net, in the center column under the third heading, “What’s New in Vassalboro.” Selectmen plan to continue discussion at their Feb. 18 meeting.

In the same section of the website is the schedule of budget committee meetings, in preparation for the June 7 annual town meeting. Selectmen discussed the budget at an in-person workshop Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 9, and plan a final review of their version on Feb. 18. The first budget committee meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 4, after a 6 p.m. selectmen’s meeting.

The other major topic at the Feb. 4 meeting was continued discussion of Conservation Commission member Holly Weidner’s proposed resolution on a carbon tax that would be paid by fossil fuel companies and returned to state residents. Assisted by Peggy Horner, she explained the environmental benefits of such a plan.

Weidner proposes the selectboard adopt the resolution and send it to the state legislature, the Congressional delegation, Governor Janet Mills and President Joe Biden. After a discussion of how state, regional and national plans interact, selectmen for the second time postponed a decision.

In other business, board members agreed they should ask for a meeting with a state Department of Transportation official, the commissioner, if possible, to try to get the North Vassalboro section of Route 32 higher on the department’s repair and maintenance priority list. Board Chairman John Melrose said he and resident Ray Breton talked about flooding problems; the road surface and sidewalks also need attention.

Melrose, a former Maine Commissioner of Transportation, believes the state’s present plan is to resurface Route 32 with so-called skinny mix, a thin layer that he said some people call “black paint.”

Browne and fellow board member Barbara Redmond approved Melrose’s proposal for an engraved granite marker at Monument Park, in East Vassalboro, where the Civil War soldier’s statue stands between the China Lake boat landing and the Vassalboro Historical Society building.

The granite will come from a collection at the public works garage. Provost Monuments, in Benton, will engrave the words “Monument Park” for $825 – a discounted price, Melrose said, as bills for other park improvements have been discounted. Road Commissioner Eugene Field and landscaper Steve Jones recommend a crushed stone underlayer rather than a more expensive cement base.

A second discussion of the theme for the 2020 town report, covering the period from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, led to the tentative decision to combine historical connections between the State of Maine, created March 15, 1820, and the town of Vassalboro, incorporated April 26, 1771, with contemporary effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Selectmen planned to continue discussion at their Tuesday, Feb. 9, afternoon budget workshop. Residents’ suggestions and information are welcome and may be sent to msabins@vassalboro.net.

The next regular Vassalboro selectmen’s meeting is scheduled for 6:30 pm. Thursday, Feb. 18.