Abel Jones house returns to his descendants

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The Abel Jones House. (photo by Roberta Barnes)

by Roberta Barnes

Old houses/buildings can appear to be of no interest other than to be torn down and replaced with modern structures.

When you take a moment and think of old buildings in need of more than a coat of paint the building can look quite different. These old buildings, such as the Jones house on the Jones Road, in China, Maine, are part of the journey that led to today’s communities, states, and our country.

The craftsmanship put into not just the interior woodwork, but such things as an organ. (photo by Roberta Barnes)

If the owners allow you to look inside of old buildings, you can see the hand-made beauty that is a reminder of our past. The historical appreciation of the craftsmanship that went into the building of these old houses and even the small wood stoves and fireplaces that heated each room are treasures that go beyond monetary value.

This summer on Saturday, August 26, Jen Jones, a China Historical Society member, offered a brief tour of her newly-acquired Rufus Jones homestead. The tour included a few downstairs rooms inside the Jones House built by Abel Jones in 1815. Jen and her younger brother were on site to talk with those on the tour and answer questions about their ancestral home where they, children, and grandchildren will occasionally stay throughout the year.

The tour began inside the new China library still under construction. History of the Jones family was given by speakers’ Quaker historian Joann Austin, South China Library head Jean Dempster, and Jen Jones great-great-granddaughter. Outside in the library’s parking lot on our way to tour inside the Jones house, a side of the house not seen in most photographs, is visible. From this distance it looks as it will once the restoration has been completed.

Many stories were told about the Jones ancestors. One of the stories told was of a horse being attached/hitched to the sleigh and then going across China Lake to visit people on the other side. All those stories showed the long journey that led the Abel Jones homestead to no longer being seen as an old house, but one of historical value.

In the small dining room, hanging over the mantle of the fireplace, is a painting of the husband and wife of the early owners. (photo by Roberta Barnes)

Once at the Jones house, walking through the small rooms transformed an old rundown house into treasures of the past. The craftsmanship put into not just the interior woodwork, but such things as an organ, cast iron wood stove, sofa and highly-polished pumpkin pine wide floorboards made the outside peeling paint and slanted floors unimportant.

Entering through the back door of what looked to be part of the barn attached to the house, many old tools were visible. From there a small kitchen was dominated by a multifunction red brick wood stove; an old model electrical stove suggested that it had not been used for years. Cupboards seen in today’s kitchens were absent. However, a large cupboard door covering multiple shelves and a butler’s pantry, common in the past, erased the need for today’s cupboards.

In the small dining room, hanging over the mantle of the fireplace, is a painting of the husband and wife of the early owners. To the right is a framed hand-drawn map that is another reminder of past treasures.

While the peeling paint and slanting floors might not rate high on a realtor’s appraisal value, the historical value of the Jones house is another story. The two ladder-back chairs stopping visitors from going upstairs because of unsafe floors were examples of furniture beginning in the mid-17th century.

Outside on the side of the house facing the street is the metal plaque designating the Jones house as the birthplace of Rufus M. Jones. Many people associate the house with the important Quaker writer and historian Rufus Matthew Jones 1, as this was his birthplace and childhood home. His history and accomplishments are extensive.

This Jones house on the side of China Rd., built in 1815 by Abel Jones, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 by Gregory K. Clancey Ar­chi­tectural Historian of the Me His­toric Pre­ser­vation Comm.

Clancey writes that at that time in 1983 the Jones House is still owned by members of the Jones family. In The Town Line article written by Mary Grow in July 2021, she states that “The South China Library Association is the present owner.” Nevertheless, today the Jones house owners are members of the Jones family, ancestors of Abel Jones the original owner.

In Clancey’s application to have the Jones house put on the national registry he described some of the house in this way. “The Jones homestead is a typical Maine Federal farmhouse – two-and-one-half stories with pitched roof, five bays long, two bays deep, with a long one-and-one-half story ell projecting from the rear wall. The main section is perpendicular to the road. Sometime in the late 19th century the house was re-oriented toward the dooryard and road. The new door was given a simple Queen Anne canopy. All rooms are very simply decorated, with wallpaper applied over plaster. A few rooms retain simple Federal mantlepieces. One of the mantels is an exact copy of the original, which was somehow destroyed. A large barn and small shed of late 19th – early 20th century construction stand behind and to one side of the ell.”

If you were not able to attend the tour, you can find some of the Jones family history in books and copies of old newspapers at those places of recorded stored knowledge we call libraries. Some history can also be found online. Jen Jones suggested such resources as Wikipedia – the Abel Jones House, china.goveoffice.com, The Town Line articles such the 1997 South China Inn Community, and books such as Friend of Life – Biography of Rufus M. Jones and A Small Town Boy, by Rufus M. Jones.

EVENTS: China Historical to offer Jones house tours

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Old Rufus Jones homestead in South China.

China Historical Society member Jen Jones will be offering a brief tour of her newly-acquired Rufus Jones homestead on Saturday afternoon, August 26. The get-together at the historic location on the Jones Road will begin at around 4:30 p.m. Jen will provide some family history and reflection on her ideas for the property. The inside look will likely be limited to a few rooms but will certainly foster a sense of the age and heritage of the house. Quaker historian Joann Austin and South China Library head Jean Dempster will also be available to provide some more history and information regarding the site’s transition. While weather issues may impact this event, they hope to see any China residents, and neighbors, who are interested in this dynamic piece of our local heritage.

LAKE LIFE TODAY: part 9

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by Elaine Philbrook

Lake Life Today is a series of articles that are hoped will inspire you to see how, by taking just a few steps, you can make a difference and help preserve the quality of water in our lakes for future generations.

These articles have been collected and organized by LakeSmart Director Elaine Philbrook, a member of China Region Lake Alliance (aka “the Alliance”) serving China Lake, Webber Pond, Three Mile Pond, and Three-Cornered Pond. The Alliance would like to thank our partners at Maine Lakes and Lakes Environmental Association (LEA) for information to support this article.

Septic System
Get your septic tank pumped!

It’s that time of year when we start thinking of the change of seasons. Along with the change of seasons it’s also time to think about how your septic system is functioning, and specifically about maintaining your septic tank. It’s always a good idea to know where your septic tank and field are located, and to look for signs of any malfunctions. Foul odors, lush and tall green grass, and certainly outbreaks of black effluent (i.e., liquid waste or sewage) are some signs of a failed septic field.

Untreated effluent that escapes from a failing septic field is a potential source of additional and unwanted phosphorus into the lake. Also, other chemicals and other toxins that may be part of the untreated effluent may also contaminate nearby drinking water wells. That same untreated effluent may break out of the septic field and run over the ground and into the lake, or flow directly into groundwater which then carries unwanted nutrients, bacteria, and viruses along with it. This is not good for you, your family, your pets, your neighbors, and especially your lake.

Your treatment (septic) tank is an essential component of your septic system. There are baffles at the inlet and outlet of the tank, but it’s the outlet baffle that prevents “suspended solids” from exiting beyond that point. If the outlet baffle fails, this could be a major source of compromising your septic field’s capacity to distribute and treat effluent as the septic field clogs with suspended solids. Pumping your septic tank removes sludge and scum before it builds up and potentially flushes into your septic field due to a failed outlet baffle. While pumping your septic tank it’s extremely important to have your septic pumper check the septic tank’s baffles, particularly the outlet baffle.

The major factors affecting the frequency of pumping are the number of people using the septic system. This amounts to the total wastewater volume entering the septic field based upon your septic tank size.

It’s a good idea to check with your service provider at the time of pumping to see if they think you are on a schedule that fits your tank’s capacity and volume.

As a rule of thumb, you should pump your septic system’s tank every two to three years for year-round residents and every three to four years for seasonal residents.

Many owners of seasonal properties pump their septic tank far less often in the mistaken belief that their camp’s limited seasonal use justifies an extended pumping schedule. In fact, most seasonal properties have at least several weeks of intensive use due to large family occupancies or large numbers of visiting guests. This intensive use can put a huge demand on the septic system’s capacity. Regular pumping on a conservative schedule is the best way to assure your septic field isn’t compromised, which could result in shortening your septic system’s useful life. The prorated cost of regularly pumping your septic tank and checking your baffles is a minor cost compared to the substantial expense of having to completely replace your septic field.

For more tips on caring for your septic system see:
https://cdn.branchcms.com/DrynVOJolO-1457/ docs/ Lake%20 Library/ Septic-two-pager-11×17-FINAL-5.14.21.pdf.

If you have any questions about what you can do to ensure the integrity of your valued lake or if you would like a free LakeSmart evaluation you can reach Elaine Philbrook by email at chinalakesmart@gmail.com and follow-up to read the next Townline Newspaper.

Live lightly on the land for the sake of the lake (LakeSmart).

Read the complete series here.

China nomination papers available for November election

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by Mary Grow

China’s municipal elections for members of the select board, planning board and budget committee will be held Tuesday, Nov. 7. Nomination papers are now available at the town office; Friday, Sept. 8, is the deadline for returning signed papers to be on the local ballot.

Select board members are elected from the town at large. Some positions on the planning board and budget committee are filled by district. A map of China’s four districts is on the website china.govoffice.com, under the Planning Board subheading under the main heading Officials, Boards & Committees.

Positions to be filled this year are:

  • On the select board, two seats. Members whose terms end this year are board chairman Wayne Chadwick and Jeanne Marquis.
  • On the planning board, three seats: District One (northwestern China; Michael Brown is the incumbent); District Three (southeastern China; the incumbent, Walter Bennett, resigned this month and will not seek re-election); and alternate at large, elected from anywhere in town (Natale Tripodi is the incumbent).
  • On the budget committee, three seats: District One (northwestern China; Kevin Maroon is the incumbent); District Three (southeastern China; Michael Sullivan is the incumbent); and the chairman, elected from anywhere in town (Thomas Rumpf is the incumbent).

In addition to the positions for which candidates are needed for the Nov. 7 election, town officials are looking for volunteers to be appointed to fill vacant positions on the planning board and budget committee.

The District Four (southwestern China) planning board position has been vacant all year; an appointee would serve until the November 2024 local election. Because of Bennett’s resignation, the District Three seat is empty; that appointee’s term would run until Nov. 7, and he or she could run for election to a full two-year term, until November 2025.

Budget committee secretary Trishea Story resigned after this spring’s pre-town meeting deliberations. This position can be filled by a resident of any part of the town; an appointee would be expected to serve until the November 2024 election.

China broadband committee set to present request to select board

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by Mary Grow

China Broadband Committee (CBC) members held a short meeting Aug. 10, primarily to approve a request to select board members before that board’s Aug. 14 meeting.

CBC members’ focus is on applying for a state grant through the Maine Connectivity Authority (MCA) to extend and improve internet service to China residents. They are working through Direct Communications, an Idaho-based company that promotes rural broadband, and its local subsidiary, Unitel, of Unity, Maine.

The second round of applications is due in September. Having not been awarded funds in the previous round, CBC members hope to do better this time.

CBC chairman Robert O’Connor had drafted a letter supporting the application for select board members to sign. Committee members unanimously approved it. He also intended to ask people who signed supporting letters for the first application in the fall of 2022 to re-sign and re-date them.

O’Connor said Direct Communications will be the grant applicant, with China a proposed recipient. MCA procedures have changed, and the maps that supposedly show what areas need better service – or any service at all – have been made more detailed, he said.

Another CBC meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 17, in the portable building in the town office complex, to continue grant application planning.

China transfer committee discusses rude behavior at transfer station

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by Mary Grow

China transfer station committee members continued to discuss rude behavior by a few users of China’s transfer station at their Aug. 8 meeting.

Committee chairman Paul Lucas witnessed one instance. He was 30 yards away, but could plainly hear a man who was “yelling” at station manager Tom Maraggio.

“I couldn’t believe the way he was talking to you,” Lucas said.

Maraggio and the rest of the staff are required to enforce regulations that are set by the state, the Town of China and the agreement between China and Palermo under which Palermo residents use the China facility.

Maraggio said unpleasant incidents are uncommon. The majority, but not all, offenders are Palermo residents, and the blue bags they are required to buy are often a cause.

Ever since the China-Palermo agreement was signed in 2016, Palermo residents have been required to use the bags. They, like China residents, have an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag on their rearview mirrors.

The current contract calls for the price of the blue bags to be adjusted annually in January. As of January 2023, an on-line site says a roll of eight 15-gallon bags costs $12.80, a roll of five 30-gallon bags $14. Apparently some people have ignored the bag requirement and get upset when they are caught.

Palermo’s two representatives on the committee had no sympathy for people who take out their annoyance on transfer station personnel. Robert Kurek, who chairs the town select board, said if Maraggio can provide names, he will talk with offenders.

Incidents are recorded on the cameras at the transfer station. Committee members discussed ways of discouraging rude behavior.

A related problem is that China and Palermo residents alike let people from other towns use their RFID tags. Committee members have discussed requiring new tags with the vehicle license plate on them and an annual sticker.

No action has been recommended, because China Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood believes both towns’ residents should pay for a new tag and Kurek thinks Palermo residents should not. Kurek suggested China take the cost of Palermo’s tags from the annual fee Palermo pays China.

The good news at the Aug. 8 meeting was a report from the Municipal Review Committee (MRC), the organization representing the towns that used the recycling facility in Hampden until it closed in May 2022.

Lucas shared copies of an email from MRC executive director Michael Carroll, who reported that Innovative, new owners of the facility, had conducted a small, successful demonstration in preparation for reopening. The demonstration used about 30 tons of solid waste from five towns near the facility.

No information is yet available on a reopening schedule. Meanwhile, China’s waste is landfilled in Norridgewock.

Committee member James Hsiang asked about promoting recycling. Maraggio replied that there is less reason to do so because prices for recycled materials are low. For many materials, shipping costs exceed revenue, to the point where recycling adds to, instead of reducing, disposal costs.

For example, he said, the price of recycled cardboard used to be $150 a ton; now it’s $40 a ton. China still recycles corrugated cardboard; he figures the town is breaking even, but not earning revenue.

Transfer station committee members scheduled their next meeting for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12.

China board finishes review of proposed town solar ordinance

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by Mary Grow

China Planning Board members finished review of the proposed town solar ordinance at their Aug. 8 meeting, so co-chairman Toni Wall could send it to select board members before that board’s Aug. 14 meeting.

Wall said she would also forward recommended amendments to the Planning Board Ordinance. Voters could be asked to approve or reject either or both amended documents in November, if select board members decide to put them on a local ballot.

Wall announced that District Four planning board member Walter Bennett has resigned, effective immediately. There are now two vacant seats, District Three (southeastern China) and District Four (southwestern China).

Any resident of either district, as shown on the district map under Planning Board (under Officials, Boards & Committees) on the website china.govoffice.com, may contact the town office to express interest in being appointed.

Planning board members approved two of the three permit applications on their Aug. 8 agenda. They found the third one unready for action.

Approved were:

  • Michael Brown’s application to reopen a general store in the 9 Main Street building, in China Village, that was for many years a general store under successive owners; and
  • Michelle Bourque’s application for the existing Busy Bee daycare associated with Grace Academy, at 363 Route 3, in South China, a primarily administrative change that required planning board action.

Brown is a planning board member. During review of his application, he moved out of his chair among board members, participated in discussion only to answer questions and did not vote.

He said he has an agreement to buy the former store building as soon as the present owner’s new house is ready. His preliminary plan is to run a butcher shop and delicatessen – not a convenience store, not a sit-down café, not immediately a pizza shop.

He will not sell gas, and the underground tanks have been removed. Proposed operating hours listed in his application are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. He plans to keep the residential quarters in the back (west) part of the building, with a separate entrance.

Bourque, Grace Academy’s executive director, explained that the daycare has been licensed through the academy as long as it served only home-schooled youngsters. She wants to add public-school students and therefore needs a Maine state license, which requires a local planning board permit.

The only physical change planned is probable future addition of a fence around the playground behind the building. Operating hours will be regulated by demand.

The permit might not be used, Bourque said. She has accepted a full-time kindergarten teaching position out of town, and will open in China only if she finds qualified people to do the day-to-day work. She is proceeding with the preliminaries anyway.

Planning board members decided neither application needed a public hearing, since neither proposal was new to its neighborhood. They found both projects met all town requirements and approved them unanimously.

The third application was from Valery Flannery, who said she and her husband are selling their 166 Weeks Mills Road property. On the 5.1-acre lot are their house and garage and a separate daycare building. The daycare closed June 2, she said.

Their real estate agent suggested the Flannerys get advance approval to subdivide the property, in case a potential buyer wanted to rent multiple housing units.

Sorry, board co-chairmen Wall and James Wilkens said, “we can’t do that: we need to approve a specific application for a specific plan, not a concept. Should future owners choose to subdivide, they would need to apply to the board.”

The next regular China Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening, Sept. 12.

CHINA: Town appoints new codes officer; rec. committee member

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Discuss holding in-person town meetings, pre-pandemic

by Mary Grow

China select board members faced a long and varied agenda for their Aug. 14 meeting. They settled some items and postponed others for more discussion.

They unanimously approved the appointment of Zachary Gosselin, of China, as the new codes enforcement officer and health officer. Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood, who has been filling the codes enforcement position since Nicholas French left, expressed thanks to French for continuing to answer questions long-distance, and to others who have assisted her, especially deputy clerk Tammy Bailey.

Also appointed was Kevin Freeman as a member of the town recreation committee.

Select board members had planned to consider a November local ballot to present ordinances prepared by the planning board, a new solar ordinance and an amended planning board ordinance. However, Hapgood had not received the expected drafts for them to read.

Board members therefore postponed action to their Aug. 28 meeting. The ordinances will need review by the town attorney and approval by the select board to go to voters on Nov. 7; the deadline for warrant articles is Friday, Sept. 8.

Select board member Janet Preston reminded the others that they previously talked about asking voters whether they prefer the annual town business meeting in the spring to be an open meeting, as in pre-pandemic days, or a written ballot. She and Hapgood will discuss preparing an opinion survey for the polls Nov. 7.

Robert O’Connor, chairman of China’s broadband committee, gave select board members a letter supporting China’s application for a state grant to expand broadband access and asked them to sign it. They voted unanimously to do so.

O’Connor collected letters of support last fall, before an unsuccessful grant application, and is asking writers to re-sign and re-date them. The deadline for the next application is Sept. 14; awards are to be announced Nov. 17.

China residents who support China’s application for a grant in Cohort 2 of the Maine Connectivity Authority’s “Connect the Ready” program are invited to write letters addressed to China Broadband Committee and send them by email to bob@mainebob.com or by the postal service to Bob O’Connor, China Broadband Committee, 8 Great Oak Ln, South China ME 04358.

Another Aug. 14 select board decision was unanimous approval of the contract with Travis Mitchell for repairs and painting for the town office and associated buildings on Lakeview Drive, postponed from the July 31 board meeting (see the Aug. 3 issue of The Town Line, p. 3). Since the July 31 discussion, Hapgood and Mitchell had added more painting to the contract. Should other changes be needed, Hapgood and Mitchell said they and China Director of Public Services Shawn Reed will continue to work together.

Mitchell was the only bidder for the building repairs, and Hapgood said no one had submitted a bid to build the planned storage vault on the south side of the town office. She, select board members and building committee chairman Sheldon Goodine discussed reasons and options.

Reasons, they agreed, were mostly that local contractors have all the work they can handle, and this summer’s weather has not helped them keep to schedules. A lack of employees is another problem.

Board members will decide at their Aug. 28 meeting whether to seek bids for the foundation soon and the building early in 2023, or to postpone the whole project to 2023. They expect whenever the work is done, the cost will be higher than projected months ago.

Hapgood reported that China’s senior citizens’ fuel fund, which used federal ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to help senior residents pay fuel bills, needs to be renewed if it is to continue. So far, she said, $36,500 has been spent; $38,500 is left.

Board members supported continuing the program. Hapgood will check with the town attorney to see whether they can renew it or whether voter approval is required.

The manager said the town needs to change its website company. Board members accepted her recommendation to change to A2Z Computing Services, in Oakland, Maine, which she said does the Town of Albion’s website, among others.

Summer intern Bailee Mallett and staff members have been working on a new town logo, Hapgood reported. Select board members chose their favorite from samples she shared; Mallett will continue refining the logo.

In other business, select board member Jeanne Marquis said she attended a Palermo select board meeting at which residents discussed ways to minimize effects of, or perhaps block, the proposed LS power line, planned to bring wind-generated electricity from northern Maine to Coopers Mills. One suggestion, she said, was a town vote on a power line moratorium.

One of two proposed routes for the line would go through Albion, China and Palermo. Information is not yet available on when a final route will be chosen.

Board members took no action. As board chairman Wayne Chadwick pointed out, the issue is two-sided and complicated: people don’t want power lines cutting through their back fields and woods, but they do want power, especially renewable energy.

Kennebec County Sheriff’s deputy Ivano Stefanizzi repeated his usual warnings – beware of scams of all sorts, and don’t speed unless you want a ticket – and added another: don’t leave your car unlocked in the driveway, especially with the keys in it. Several cars have been stolen locally in recent days, he said.

China Lake Association vice president Eric Lind reported that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection has conditionally approved the association’s application for a 319 grant (named for the authorizing section of the federal Clean Water Act) to help improve China Lake’s water quality. He commended Hapgood for writing a supporting letter saying the local match would be in kind, not in money, and praised Bruce Fitzgerald for heading up projects.

The next regular China select board meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, Aug. 28. Hapgood hopes the agenda will include, in addition to questions postponed from the Aug. 14 meeting, the commitment of 2023-24 local taxes.

Local author publishes book of spiritual poems

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Jim Morris, of South China, displaying his book, Inside Out.

by Roberta Barnes

Inspiring words that flow in a rhythm urge you to look deep within you.

Jim Morris, of South China, has lived in Maine since 1980. This year he was prompted to put his collection of poems into a book by his grandson saying he should write a book.

Inside Out, by Jim Morris, is a collection of his 158 spiritual poems that gently urge readers to look within themselves. Morris hopes his words will lift the reader’s spirits. One of Carl Jung’s quotes reflects looking within; “when you look outside you dream, when you look within you awaken”.

On the first few pages of Inside Out, Morris introduces the depth of what will follow. Morris wrote, “If by chance as you are reading this and you start to wonder, Wait a minute, is this . . . Did he? I can tell you now, It’s true. I wrote this. . . for you.”

While studying engineering in college Morris learned how mechanical parts fit together to make a machine work. When he left college, he began thinking about how people work together to make our world work. As I interviewed Morris outside, he talked about our world as a whole. Surrounded by plants, a chipmunk and birds that stopped by, and the original internet of the roots of plants under our feet, it represented the oneness reflected in Morris’ poems.

Our world as a whole, is reflected in many of the poems in Inside Out. In the poem Beauty, Morris wrote, “Its magic is when we can come together and see it as Whole”. © Jim Morris 2023.

Some of Morris’ poems were created by the energy of his own life’s journey and some were created by the life’s journey of others. As you read through the pages you can see how he looks at even simple things from all sides.

Morris sees his book Inside Out as being an advocate for hope by helping people to focus on the moment and appreciate what they see/hear/feel in that moment. When appreciating the moment, you can go within and appreciate what you find within. Morris wrote at the end of one poem, “you’re the reason the sun shined”, and at the end of another “Go ahead and have fun”. © Jim Morris 2023.

On the back cover of Inside Out you will see, “A journey deep inside the self to look for God and a truth discovered on the way out. Inspired by everyone and everything around me. I wrote a book. The universe is filled with love. May you find some comfort here”. © Jim Morris 2023.

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Music in the Kennebec Valley – Part 3

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Typical 19th century brass band.

by Mary Grow

Band music

Another type of music in the central Kennebec Valley from early days of European settlement was band music. It was often, but especially in later years not inevitably, associated with military organizations; and like other forms of music, got limited attention in most local histories.

* * * * * *

James North, in his Augusta history, sometimes mentioned parade music, presumably provided by a band, as in his description of former president George Washington’s funeral procession in Augusta on Feb. 22, 1800.

North wrote that the procession was headed by a military escort. It included an infantry company, followed by musicians with “drums muffled, instruments in mourning,” followed by an artillery company.

By 1805, North wrote, Augusta had two military companies, and a group of young men persuaded the legislature (still in 1805 the Massachusetts General Court) to authorize a light infantry company.

The Augusta Light Infantry, which appears frequently in North’s history, was organized in the spring of 1806. North listed its officers and its musicians: fifer Stephen Jewett (the same Stephen Jewett who played the bass viol in church beginning in 1802? – see the July 27 issue of The Town Line) and drummer Lorain Judkins.

Some of the women connected with infantry members created and presented a company standard, with the motto “Victory or Death.” North described the Sept. 11, 1806, presentation as followed by a parade and a ball (presumably at least the ball and probably the parade included musicians).

By the time the Light Infantry was part of the local Federalist party’s July 4 parade in 1810, there was definitely a band. North wrote that its members politely stopped playing as the parade passed the house where Judge Nathan Weston was addressing the rival Democratic party celebration.

Another association between music and the military is the lists of men who fought in the War of 1812. Kennebec County historian Henry Kingsbury and many local historians listed soldiers (in 1812 and later wars) by name and rank, including musicians.

Most 1812 companies had either two or three musicians, though Kingsbury listed only one apiece for two of Vassalboro’s companies. The majority are described unspecifically as “musicians,” but Kingsbury mentioned a drum major and a fife major from Augusta.

By July 4, 1832, North again described two separate parades by two political parties, with multiple bands and military units. The National Republicans’ parade included “the Hallowell Artillery and Sidney Rifles, each with a band of music,” and the Hallowell and Augusta band, which he said was “one of the best in the State.” The Democrats’ parade included some of the Augusta Light Infantry and a band from Waterville.

There was an Augusta band in 1854, when Augusta city officials (the town became a city in 1849) decided the annual July 4 celebration should include recognition of the 100th anniversary of the building of Fort Western. Events included an extremely elaborate parade, with the Augusta Band providing the music.

And on April 18, 1861, as the Civil War began, North wrote that “the Augusta Band, playing patriotic airs” (including Yankee Doodle), led Augusta’s Pacific Fire Engine Company as members marched to the homes of leading citizens to ask their reactions to the rebellion.

(Their visits started with Governor Israel Washburn, Jr., and included his predecessor, former Governor Lot M. Morrill. North commented that Republicans and Democrats alike expressed support for the federal government.)

By August 1863, either there was another band or the Augusta Band had a second name. North described the return of two volunteer regiments whose members’ nine-months enlistments were up.

The 24th Regiment got to Augusta at 10:30 p.m. Aug. 6, by train; a large number of dignitaries and ordinary citizens and the Citizens’ Band escorted the soldiers to the State House for a welcome and a banquet (after which they slept on the State House floor, too exhausted to continue to Camp Keyes). The 28th arrived around noon Aug. 18; their welcoming parade included the Citizens’ Band and the Gardiner Brass Band, and their refreshments were served on the lawn south of the State House.

In 1864, according to North, it was the Augusta Band that on June 3 escorted the first trainload of wounded men to the new military hospital at Camp Keyes, in Augusta.

* * * * * *

In the village of Weeks Mills, in the southern part of the town of China, there was in the latter half of the 19th century an all-male brass band that the China history says “was more a marching band than a dance band,” because its concerts were mostly outdoors.

Sometimes there were concerts in “a town public hall” that was the second floor of a building on the east side of the Sheepscot, north of Main Street (which is called Tyler Road on the contemporary Google map). There was also a bandstand, “with a flagpole,” that band members built at the junction of North Road (now Dirigo Road, perhaps?).

Quoting a former resident named Eleon Shuman, some of whose family were in the band, the history adds, “Few of the band members could read music, and the band director transcribed their pieces into a simpler notation called the tonic sol fa method which they could follow.”

Oakland also had a town band by the late 1880s. In her history of Sidney, Alice Hammond wrote that the organizers of the 1890 Sidney fair spent most of their money to hire the Oakland Band.

She explained that in the absence of television and Walkmans (never mind smartphones), “To hear the band playing as you strolled around the fair grounds, or went into the hall and sat down to take a break was a treat.”

There were also dances some afternoons – “Anyone who wished to dance paid for one dance at a time.” In 1890, the fair was not lighted, so there was no evening music or dancing.

Hammond’s history included reproductions of two posters.

One advertised a Feb. 5, 1892, exhibition of “The marvels of the modern phonograph,” which would “Talk, Laugh, Sing, Whistle, Play on all sorts Instruments including Full Brass Band.” After Professor R. B. Capen, of Augusta, finished his demonstration, there would be a Grand Ball, with music by Dennis’ Orchestra, Augusta, for dancing until 2 a.m.

The second poster announced an Aug. 15, 1898, Grand Concert by the Sidney Minstrels. The program included vocal and instrumental (guitar, banjo and tamborine solos); it was followed by a “social dance” with music by Crowell’s Orchestra.

John Philip Sousa’s inaugural playing of The Stars and Stripes Forever, in Augusta

John Philip Sousa

An on-line site called Military Music says John Philip Sousa’s The Stars and Stripes Forever was played for the very first time by Sousa’s Band in the new (opened in 1896) city hall, in Augusta, Maine, on May 1, 1897. Because at that time the march had no title, some historians inaccurately date the first performance to a May 14 concert in Philadelphia.

Contributor Jack Kop­stein wrote that Sousa composed the march as he was returning from Europe late in 1896. His original version called for “Piccolo in D-flat, Two Oboes, Two Bassoons, Clarinet in E-flat, Two Clarinets in B-flat (1-2), Alto saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Three Cornets (1-3), 4 Horns in E-flat (1-4), Three Trombones (1-3), Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion.”

Augusta’s Museum in the Streets (on line) says by May 1, 1897, Sousa’s Band was “the most famous in the land,” and Sousa was “America’s ‘March King.'” The afternoon concert presented some of his earlier compositions; “Sousa’s band enthralled the Augusta audience with spirited music, and his first encore was a new untitled march” – the one that became The Stars and Stripes Forever.

On-line sites give different versions of the words for the march. The one attributed to Sousa begins, “Let martial note in triumph float / And liberty extend its mighty hand….”

Your writer’s personal favorite begins “Be kind to your web-footed friends / For a duck may be somebody’s mother.” (The web attributes these words to radio comedian Fred Allen [1894-1956].)

Augusta’s 1896 city hall was designed by John Calvin Spofford (Nov. 25, 1854 – Aug. 19, 1936), a Maine-born, Boston-based architect well-known for designing public buildings in New England. In addition to municipal offices, the building included a city auditorium.

Kopstein, writing in 2011, said the building served its municipal function until 1987; it then became an assisted living facility. An on-line description of the Inn at City Hall says it now has “31 apartments with its historic decor preserved throughout the complex.”

Main sources

Grow, Mary M., China Maine Bicentennial History including 1984 revisions (1984)
Hammond, Alice, History of Sidney Maine 1792-1992 (1992)
Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892)
North, James W., The History of Augusta (1870)

Websites, miscellaneous.