Bridge construction update

Please find below the anticipated traffic impacts and bridge closures for the week of June 24.

Note: the info published has been provided to the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce and is accurate to the best of our knowledge. It is subject to sudden change based on staffing, weather, supply chain, etc.

Cianbro, of Pittsfield, the contractor, anticipates continuing eastbound left lane closures on the Ticonic Bridge project on various Monday-Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. depending on conditions.

Drivers are encouraged to drive cautiously, observe signage in the work zone, and reduce speed inside the work zone. Westbound travelers should continue to utilize the posted westbound detour.

Cianbro also reminds the traveling public of the following:

– ALL sidewalks on the Ticonic Bridge are closed for the safety of the public.
– Pedestrians should continue to use the pedestrian detour across the Two Cent Bridge. Pedestrians should not be walking around barricades, down the active lanes, in lane closures, or inside the work zone.
– Portable message boards and construction signing will continue to be used to provide advance warning and directions for the westbound detour route.

URGENT SAFETY REMINDER:

It is unlawful and unsafe to traverse the river via the rail bridge. Pedestrians have been observed doing so and are reminded of the dangers of such activity. Pedestrians must utilize the Two Cent Bridge for foot traffic.

Information provided by Mike Rocque – Consolidated Communications.

Area boy scouts do training in the woods

Course Director Christopher Santiago, left, of Vassalboro, and Gearry Judkins, of Farmington, review the ITOLS syllabus during a break between sessions. Bryan Vick, of Waterville, not pictured, also helped with the program. (photo by Chuck Mahaleris)

by Chuck Mahaleris

Area adult leaders in Scouting, and some from as far away as Rangeley, Kittery and Melrose, Massachusetts, took part in a weekend training course held at Camp Bomazeen on May 17 and 18 designed to make them better leaders by giving them confidence with their outdoor skills.

Outdoor adventure is the promise made to a child when they join Scouting. The Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills (ITOLS) is a fun-filled program of hands-on skills training in the outdoors, designed to help leaders in Scout Troops master basic camp skills required for Tenderfoot to First Class.

Basic Adult Leader Outdoor Orientation (BALOO) is the equivalent training for those working with Cub Scout-aged youth. The courses teach such things as outdoor cooking, map and compass, rope use, conducting safe campfires, hiking and backpacking, First Aid and Outdoor Ethics. The goal is to provide first-hand experiences so Scouting leaders can teach these skills to their Scouts. Course Director Chris Santiago of Vassalboro said, “It is important to teach these types of courses because Scouting is about being outdoors. Both ITOLS and BALOO help Scouters understand and guide them to the best practices of the BSA, and help Scouters become the best outdoor skilled version of themselves so they can share and deliver a quality program to our Scouts.”

Camp Bomazeen, located on Great Pond, in Belgrade, is the ideal outdoor setting for adults or youth to develop such skills that will serve them well through life. Gearry Judkins, Scoutmaster of Troop #546, in Farmington, would agree as he has spent three weekends in a row at Bomazeen for various Scouting events and was one of the ITOLS instructors.

Nathaniel Bacon is an Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop #111, in Auburn, and was another instructor. “There is so much value in these programs,” Bacon said.

Dan Gacki, of Dallas Plantation, is not even registered in Scouting yet but felt it was important to take the course. “I am looking to start a Troop in Rangeley and I love the outdoors,” Gacki said. He traveled more than an hour to attend. Dale Leonard and Aaorn Whitman are Den Leaders in Kittery Pack #316 and also had long drives to attend. “I joined Scouts so I could find any excuse to get me and my family outside,” Leonard said. “The thing I love about Scouting,” Whitman added, “is being out in nature and being active.” Jeremy Seeley is a Den Leader of Cub Scout Pack #202, Topsham and agreed, “I really enjoy being outdoors and that is what Scouting is all about.”

Nick MacDonald spent nearly three hours on the road to get to Bomazeen. He is a Den Leader in Cub Scout Pack #615 out of Melrose, Massachusetts. He saw the event advertised on Facebook and came to complete the BALOO course.

Lou Garza is a parent volunteer with Scout Troop #805 in Windham. “I’m here to learn some stuff,” Garzia said. And experienced Scouting leaders like Kelly Deprez, Chartered Organization Representative for Cub Scout Pack #85, in Gorham, was happy to teach subjects such as knife skills and how to conduct an interfaith service for the BALOO course.

Chris Santiago is also Scoutmaster of Vassalboro Troop #410 and finds he learns from the students while teaching. “My favorite part of the course is meeting Scouters both new and experienced from across our district, across our council, and from outside of our council because you get to learn about them, their experiences, and most importantly become colleagues who may be a resource for you down the road.”

Some training courses are required in Scouting. Youth Protection training, for example, is required for all BSA registered volunteers and is a joining requirement that must be retaken every two years (annually for leaders in Maine’s Pine Tree Council which covers the Western and Southern half of state). Additionally, it is required in Pine Tree Council that all Cubmasters and Scoutmasters complete the Basic Leader Training and all assistant Scoutmasters and Assistant Cubmasters starting in 2025. Each pack or troop must have someone trained in BALOO or ITOLS and they must have at least two registered leaders who have completed Youth Protection Training in order to go camping.

Much of the emphasis in Scouting is as Baden Powell, founder of Scouting worldwide, intended. To challenge the youth in outdoor settings so as to help develop their character and train them to serve. As Powell said, “Teach Scouts not how to get a living, but how to live.”

Issue for June 20, 2024

Issue for June 20, 2024

Celebrating 36 years of local news

Windsor 10-year-old is cancer survivor

Owen Gosselin is a 10-year-old boy from Windsor. He is a little league player, a beloved son and brother and a student. Owen is also a survivor of cancer. Over the last year, Owen and his family have been fighting a battle… by Mark Huard

New industrial business-space complex planned for Winslow

Kennebec Roofing, a family-owned business in Waterville, has begun construction of The Kennebec Roofing Industrial Annex (KIA), a premier, $2.8 million, 16,500 square foot industrial office-space property for local contractors and others, to be located at the high-visibility location of 875 China Road (Route 137), in Winslow, minutes away from Route 201 and Interstate 95… submitted by Dave Carew

Town News

TIF committee completes recommendations on revising document

CHINA – At their June 10 meeting, China’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Committee members completed recommendations on revising the document that governs the use of TIF funds…

Select board tours Thurston Park, makes appointments

CHINA – China select board members and Town Manager Rebecca Hapgood began the June 17 select board meeting with a motor tour of Thurston Park, in northeastern China…

Board OKs TIF funds for VSD

VASSALBORO – Vassalboro select board members began their June 13 meeting by electing Frederick “Rick” Denico, Jr., board chairman, succeeding newly re-elected member Christopher French…

Select board deals with multiple agenda items

WINDSOR – At the May 21, 2024 meeting of the Windsor Select Board, Road supervisor Keith Hall reported on several repairs being done to town equipment. Also select board member Tom McNaughton asked Keith for an update on the Amish signs…

Support The Town Line: An open letter to our readers

For the past 33 years, The Town Line has pledged a mission statement to “create a vibrant rural community connecting our towns, organizations and individuals through communication, education and public dialogue.” It’s all part of The Town Line’s mission to be a positive force in our community and bring together the rural towns of central Maine by promoting better understanding of our surroundings…

Name that film!

Identify the film in which this famous line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to The Maine Film Center, in Waterville: “Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is July 5, 2024.

Webber’s Pond comic

Webber’s Pond is a comic drawn by a local central Maine resident (click on the thumbnail to enlarge)…

PHOTO: Winslow Majors Orange team

WINSLOW – Winslow Majors Orange baseball team photo by Missy Brown, Central Maine Photography…

PHOTOS: Erskine Renaissance awards presented

CHINA – On Friday, June 7, Erskine Academy students and staff, in South China, attended a Renaissance Assembly to honor their peers with Renaissance Awards…

Local happenings

EVENTS: A China school reunion planned for July 18

CHINA – As we all know, history cannot be changed and, sometimes unfortunately, it can be repeated in a negative sense. But most important of all, it must never be forgotten. This is one of the primary goals of our now, solidly in place, China Historical Society, and to follow that path we are going to coordinate an event with our annual meeting on Thursday, July 18… by Bob Bennett

EVENTS: Albion bicentennial photo contest underway

ALBION – Albion bicentennial photo contest is open to anyone, but photos must be taken in Albion. There are four categories: people, animals, still life and landscape in three age groups, 12 years old and under, 13-20, and over 20…

EVENTS: Madison blood drive planned at legion

MADISON – A blood drive hosted by American Legion Tardiff-Belanger Post #39, 20 S. Maple Street, Madison, will take place on Thursday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sign up at redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767 or contact Richard at drwho57_57@yahoo.com…

EVENTS: L.C. Bates Museum activities

HINCKLEY – The following programs will be presented at L.C. Bates Museum, on the campus of the Goodwill-Hinckley School, on Rte. 201, in Hinckley…

EVENTS: Spectrum Generations announces area plan on aging public hearings

CENTRAL ME – The Central Maine Agency on Aging d/b/a Spectrum Generations will hold public hearings on the proposed four-year Central Maine Area Plan on Aging for Older Americans Act (OAA) funded programs and services that help older Mainers, and their care partners, remain healthy and safe in their communities…

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Reading and signing with Gerry Boyle

CHINA – A reading and signing of the book Hard Line, with Gerry Boyle, will take place on Sunday, June 23, 1 p.m…. and many other local events!

Obituaries

HARPSWELL – Barry William Dolley, 84, died peacefully at home in South Harpswell on Friday, May 31, 2024, following a long battle with cancer. He lived most of his life in Winslow, before retiring to South Harpswell in 2005, with his wife Sandy… and remembering 12 others.

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Clinton (new)

CLINTON HISTORY — The town of Clinton, Benton’s ancestor and northern neighbor, is the northernmost Kennebec County town on the east bank of the Kennebec River. Historian Carleton Edward Fisher wrote that Clinton’s first white settler was probably Ezekiel Chase, Jr., who might have arrived by 1761, before the Kennebec Proprietors claimed the area… by Mary Grow

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Benton

BENTON HISTORY — Continuing north on the east side of the Kennebec River, the next town after Winslow is Benton. Next north of Benton is Clinton… by Mary Grow

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Vassalboro – Winslow

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — Going north from Augusta on Route 201 on the east bank of the Kennebec River, one follows the approximate route of Massachusetts Governor William Shirley’s 1754 military road between Fort Western, in present-day Augusta, and Fort Halifax, in present-day Winslow… by Mary Grow

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: City of Augusta

AUGUSTA HISTORY — The City of Augusta began its legal existence as part of Hallowell, and has been named Augusta since June 9, 1797. It became the state capital in 1827, and transitioned from a town to a city in 1849. It is the only municipality in this part of the Kennebec River Valley that is still on both sides of the river… by Mary Grow

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Wednesday, July 11, 2024

Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Hannaford Supermarket! Email your answer to townline@townline.org or through our Contact page. Include your name and address with your answer. Use “Common Ground” in the subject!

Previous winner: Jane Vigue, Winslow

Town Line Original Columnists

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | A two LP set, Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Hotel Orchestra Featuring Joey Nash (RCA Bluebird, AXM-5520, released 1975) contains 32 recordings from the 1934-35 years of 78s that were originally released on the ten-inch discs of that decade by RCA Victor’s subsidiary 35 cent Bluebird label…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) | Incidents involving dog attacks on Postal Service employees rose to more than 5,800 cases last year—but you can help get those numbers down and keep your own mail delivery up…

PUBLIC NOTICES for Thursday, June 20, 2024

Town of China
EARLY OFFICE CLOSING

Attention China Residents:

China Town Office will be closing at noon on Friday, June 28, and closed Saturday, June 29, for fiscal year end reporting.

Town of Winslow
Notice of Public Hearing

In accordance with Section 213 of the Winslow Town Charter, notice is hereby given that the Town Council will hold a public hearing in the Town Council Chambers, 136 Halifax Street, Winslow, Maine at 6:00 p.m. on July 8, 2024, on the following proposed Ordinances.

Ordinance No. 08-2024: Providing for: The Town of Winslow to approve an ordinance for signs on town-owned property.

All interested persons are invited to attend the public hearing and will be given the opportunity to be heard. Anyone having questions about the proposed ordinances or wishing to obtain a copy of it should contact the Winslow Town Clerk’s or Town Manager’s Office during regular office hours.

Audra Fleury
Town Clerk, Winslow, Maine.

Town of Palermo
Request for Sand Bids

The Town of Palermo is now accepting sand bids for the 2024-25 season. Bid applications can be found on our website: (townofpalermo.org) or at the Town of Palermo Office during regular business hours. The deadline for submitting a bid will be July 11, 2024.

TOWN OF FAIRFIELD
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS

The Fairfield Town Council will hold Public Hearing in the Council Chambers at the Community Center at 61 Water Street on Wednesday June 26 at 6:30 p.m. for the purpose of hearing public comments on the following matter:

• To hear public comments on a renewal application for a special amusement permit for the purposes of music and dancing submitted by River Jack Tavern Main Street, Fairfield, Maine 04937

The Fairfield Town Council will hold Public Hearing in the Council Chambers at the Community Center, at 61 Water Street, on Wednesday, July 10, at 6:30 p.m., for the purpose of hearing public comments on the following matter:

• Proposed statutory amendments to the Land Use Ordinance; Section 9.14 Accessory Dwelling Units.

Copies are available at the Town Office. All interested persons are invited to attend the public hearings and will be given an opportunity to be heard at that time.

Signed: Christine Keller,
Town Clerk

EVENTS: Spectrum Generations announces area plan on aging public hearings

The Central Maine Agency on Aging d/b/a Spectrum Generations will hold public hearings on the proposed four-year Central Maine Area Plan on Aging for Older Americans Act (OAA) funded programs and services that help older Mainers, and their care partners, remain healthy and safe in their communities.

Agenda items for these meetings include: Overview of OAA and Spectrum Generations services, summary of 2025-2028 Spectrum Generations Area Plan on Aging, and opportunity for public comments.

A draft of the 2025-2028 Spectrum Generations Area Plan on Aging can be found after June 21 on the Spectrum Generations website at www.spectrumgenerations.org. Hard copies will be made available upon request. Written comments will be accepted until July 8, 2024. Comments can be emailed to: feedback@spectrumgenerations.org, faxed to: 207-622-7857, delivered in person, or mailed to One Weston Court Augusta, ME 04330.

Both public hearing dates will be in person at the location listed and available virtually by Zoom. Registration is only required if attending virtually. Refreshments will be provided on location.

Spectrum Generations’ Central Maine Area Plan on Aging Public Hearing #1 is scheduled for Tuesday, June 25, from 2-3 p.m., at the Cohen Community Center, 22 Town Farm Rd. Hallowell, ME. Virtual attendance registration link.

Spectrum Generations’ Central Maine Area Plan on Aging Public Hearing #2 is scheduled for Thursday, June 27, from 10 -11 a.m., at the Muskie Community Center, 38 Gold St. Waterville, ME. Virtual attendance registration link.

If you need an interpreter, additional accommodation to participate in a public hearing or have questions, please call or email Nathan Miller no later than ten business days before the meeting you plan to attend at nmiller@spectrumgenerations.org or 207-620-1274. Accommodations will be provided at no cost to the participant.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Richard Himber

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Richard Himber

Richard Himber

A two LP set, Richard Himber and his Ritz-Carlton Hotel Orchestra Featuring Joey Nash (RCA Bluebird, AXM-5520, released 1975) contains 32 recordings from the 1934-35 years of 78s that were originally released on the ten-inch discs of that decade by RCA Victor’s subsidiary 35 cent Bluebird label.

Prior to the establishment of this Orchestra, Richard Himber (1899-1966) had been a violinist for Sophie Tucker’s hotel jazz band and then in charge of bookings for Rudy Vallee (whose own megahit of the 1920s, Stein Song, helped put his alma mater, the University of Maine/Orono, on the nationwide map).

Joey Nash (?-2000) was Himber’s lead singer from 1933 to 1935. Himber also hired such musicians as Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Bunny Berrigan for the Ritz engagements.

The records feature some very beautifully arranged performances in which sophisticated rhythms are blended with sweet melodic textures and solo instrumental details from the harp, strings, woodwinds, etc. Joey Nash had a consistently appealing tenor voice and knew how to put a song across. Himber’s Orchestra was basically hired by hotel management to play music for its patrons to dance to but many of them preferred to simply listen.

Some very fascinating liner notes were provided for the 1975 re-issue by Joey Nash on the trials and tribulations that he observed and personally experienced before the Orchestra hit paydirt.

A few details:

– Himber was a bit of a con man promoting pipe dreams of stardom, classy hotel bookings and nightly radio broadcasts nationwide , meanwhile paying nothing.
– Its first broadcasts from the Essex House had the players housed in a rancid basement storage room for old hotel furnishings and assorted trash.
– A saxophone player busted Himber’s nose in a moment of arrogance.
– Other musicians received summons for alimony.
– One violinist brought his German shepherd to work where it chewed up a songbook and howled on a nationwide duet with the clarinettist.
– A musician was attacked by the angry father of his pregnant girlfriend.
– When the Ritz broadcasts became a success, the orchestra was earning $4,000 weekly.

Among the Great American Songbook classics on the album are Stars Fell on Alabama, Tea for Two, What a Difference a Day Made, Avalon and Winter Wonderland.

In later years, Himber had a traveling band giving free outdoor concerts on a flatbed truck and got sponsorship from Pepsi Cola. During one of these concerts in 1966, he collapsed from a heart attack and died a few hours later at the age of 67.

Himber once stated, “Remember that vanity rules the world.”

The above recordings can be heard via YouTube.

EVENTS: Madison blood drive planned at legion

A blood drive hosted by American Legion Tardiff-Belanger Post #39, 20 S. Maple Street, Madison, will take place on Thursday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sign up at redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767 or contact Richard at drwho57_57@yahoo.com for your appointment.  The time to give blood is NOW!!  FMI:  contact Richard at drwho57_57@yahoo.com.

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Clinton

Present day Clinton

by Mary Grow

The town of Clinton, Benton’s ancestor and northern neighbor, is the northernmost Kennebec County town on the east bank of the Kennebec River. Historian Carleton Edward Fisher wrote that Clinton’s first white settler was probably Ezekiel Chase, Jr., who might have arrived by 1761, before the Kennebec Proprietors claimed the area.

Fisher called the first settlers “poor but industrious and daring.” They were homesteading in a wilderness “beyond the protection of Fort Halifax”; he said they did not feel totally “safe from Indian threats” until after the War of 1812.

Fisher wrote that by the end of 1781, 25 families plus about a dozen single men had lived in the area long enough to leave a record. Areas where they homesteaded extended up the Kennebec River to the town’s western boundary, up the Sebasticook River only to Benton Falls.

Henry Kingsbury, in his Kennebec County history, dated the first settlers at around 1775, after the area became part of the Plymouth Patent. By the time it (including both Benton and Clinton) was incorporated as Hancock Plantation “in or before 1790,” the population was 278, he said.

Fisher wrote that Hancock Plantation was never officially incorporated – at least, he could find no Massachusetts legislative record of the action. Nor could he find any plantation records.

No one your writer found explained the choice of the name “Hancock.” The present town of Hancock, Maine, in Hancock County, was reportedly named after John Hancock, a signer of the Declaration of Independence – as was Hancock County.

On Feb. 27, 1795, the Massachusetts legislature incorporated Hancock Plantation as the Town of Clinton. Fisher wrote that “a highly respected citizen,” Captain Samuel Grant, chose the name to honor Revolutionary War General Clinton, under whom he had served and “whom he deeply admired.”

Gen. George Clinton

Wikipedia identifies this general as George Clinton (July 26, 1739 – April 20, 1812), governor of New York from 1777 to 1795 and (partly at the same time) a brigadier general, first in the state militia and later in the Continental Army.

Clinton’s military service started in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Wikipedia says. He served on a privateer operating in the Caribbean before joining the New York militia, where his father was a colonel and he became a lieutenant.

Elected to the provincial assembly in 1768, Clinton opposed British taxation publicly enough to be chosen a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, serving from mid-May 1775 to July 8, 1776.

On Dec. 19, 1775, New York’s Provincial Congress (the interim government that convened May 22, 1775) made Clinton a brigadier general in the state militia. The Wikipedia writer says he was by then strongly pro-independence, “even suggesting in one speech to Congress that a reward should be offered for the assassination of King George III.”

On March 25, 1777, Clinton became a brigadier general in the Continental Army, where he served until Nov. 3, 1783. In June 1777 he was elected both governor and lieutenant governor of New York; he accepted the governorship and served from July 30, 1777, to June 1795.

Clinton remained active in politics into the next century. He served as vice-president in Thomas Jefferson’s second term (1805-1809) and in James Madison’s first (1809 – 1813), during which he died of a heart attack on April 20, 1812.

* * * * * *

Kingsbury’s early history of the Town of Clinton references the part that became Benton frequently, and Fisher wrote that the southern part of town played a “dominant role” in early days. The majority of the population lived there in 1795, and the first town meeting was held there, at Captain Jonathan Philbrook’s house on April 20, 1795.

At a March 1797 meeting, Kingsbury wrote, voters appropriated $300 for eight school districts (with 166 students), “nearly all of which lay in what is now Benton.”

Fisher provided clarification about the Flagg family, mentioned last week. According to his history, the Gershom Flagg who came to Clinton was Gershom Flagg, Jr., son of the early Augusta settler.

The younger Gershom Flagg was born Sept. 1, 1743, Fisher said. He married twice, on Feb. 10, 1773, to Sally Pond, of Dedham, Massachusetts, and after her death, to Abigail Bigelow of Waltham, Massachusetts (no date given). His two wives gave birth to four daughters and four sons between 1773 and July 1800; Sally’s first son was the third Gershom in the family.

In September 1798, Fisher wrote, Gershom Flagg, Jr., and Joseph North, from Augusta, signed an agreement under which they built a double sawmill (presumably on the Sebasticook). Here Flagg was killed “by logs rolling on him” on May 6, 1802.

Fisher wrote that Flagg held “a number of town offices, including town clerk from 1796 to his death.” His son, the third Gershom, succeeded him as town clerk from 1802 through 1806.

Town meetings were held in school houses until the spring of 1833, Fisher wrote. By around 1815, settlers on the Kennebec and those on the Sebasticook were disagreeing about which community should host each meeting. The first discussion of building a town hall was in 1816.

In November 1831, Fisher said, voters approved building their town hall on Town House Hill, on what he said was then the Morrison Corner Road, “near Abiathar Woodsum’s store.” The location in southern Clinton, west of Clinton Village, was close to population concentrations at Morrison’s and Decker’s corners but still a distance from Pishon’s Ferry on the Kennebec.

The building was used until 1898, Fisher said, “when the present [1970] town hall was built.” In 1905, he found, the old town house was moved to an adjacent farm and made a barn, which was torn down in the spring of 1968.

As described in last week’s article, on March 16, 1842, the Maine legislature made the southern part of Clinton, almost half its about 75 square miles, a separate town that was first Sebasticook and soon afterwards Benton.

Present-day Clinton is bounded on the west by the Kennebec River. The Sebasticook River loops north, south, east and north again in its southeastern corner.

Kingsbury, writing in 1892, identified six population centers: Clinton Village, in the southeastern part of town on the northern curve of the Sebasticook; two villages near ferries on the Kennebec, Noble’s Ferry and about two miles farther up river Pishon’s Ferry; and three corners, Morrison’s, Decker’s, and Woodsum’s.

Clinton Village on the Sebasticook, is now downtown Clinton. Kingsbury counted its first settlers as Jonathan Brown, Asa Brown and “a Mr. Grant.” The last two began farming on the Sebasticook within a mile of the village before 1798, he said. An on-line genealogy adds Jesse Baker and “Mr. Michels” before 1800, and James and Charles Brown by 1812.

Kingsbury dated the first mills in the village, on a dam, to the mid-1830s. They were built by members of the Brown and Hunter families. Kingsbury and an on-line source disagree on some of the Hunters’ first names, but agree that one was named David and was known locally as “King David,” the on-line site says “because of his masterful ways.”

The downriver Kennebec ferry, Fisher wrote, was started by Benjamin Noble, who lived on the west (Fairfield) side of the Kennebec in 1770, in Clinton in 1787 and in Fairfield in 1790. Dean Wyman probably took over the service in 1791; Fisher found a 1797 reference to Wyman’s Ferry. Kingsbury, writing in 1892, said the ferry was “abandoned about twenty years ago.”

Pishon’s Ferry was started by Charles Pishon (originally Pichon, a family who settled in Dresden, Maine), probably around 1790 when he moved to Clinton. Pishon died around 1830 (Fisher) or 1840 (Kingsbury), but the ferry continued until the river was bridged there in 1910.

The 1856 and 1879 Kennebec County atlases show a significant settlement – 10 or so houses in 1856, half again as many in 1879 – at the Clinton end of Pishon’s Ferry, but no such concentration at the Noble’s Ferry landing.

At Pishon’s Ferry, Kingsbury listed farmers; the first tavernkeeper, before 1815; a doctor who set up his practice about 1815; several men who established mills on Carrabassett Stream, which flows into the Kennebec there, from 1815; and storekeepers from 1832.

Morrison’s Corner, where Hinckley Road is intersected by Peavey and Battle Ridge roads, appears on many maps. Kingsbury wrote that the first settler there was Mordecai Moers, who reportedly lived to be 105. The first Morrison, James, came about 1820; the 1856 map shows a J. Morrison on the northwest side of the intersection.

Decker or Decker’s Corner is shown on the 1879 map northeast of Morrison’s Corner; a J. Decker lived there. Kingsbury wrote that Joshua Decker and family settled near the corner about 1797; Joshua’s son Stephen (1780-1873) ran a store in the 1820s; and in 1892 at least two Decker families lived near the corner.

Woodsum’s Corner Fisher identified with Town House Hill. Kingsbury said Abiather (Kingsbury’s minority spelling; other sources say Abiathar) Woodsum (1786-1847) came there before 1820; Daniel Holt and Grandnief Goodwin had stores nearby.

Here, Fisher wrote, was one of Clinton’s six post offices, the North Clinton one. It opened June 10, 1825, in Woodsum’s store, and Woodsum was postmaster until Oct. 13, 1842.

The other five post offices Fisher listed as:

Clinton, opened July 29, 1811, on the west side of the Sebasticook in what became Benton, with Gershom Flagg, Jr., the first postmaster;
West Clinton, which ran only from March 2, 1833, to Aug. 21, 1834, maybe at Brown’s Corner on the Kennebec, which was also included in Benton;
East Clinton, opened June 13, 1836, in Clinton Village on the Sebasticook and renamed Clinton on July 2, 1842, as part of the division;
Pishon’s Ferry, on the Kennebec, from Feb. 6, 1844, to Nov. 11, 1903; and
Morrison’s Corner, Nov. 24, 1891, to June 25, 1903. Kingsbury said in 1892 that post office was in Martin Jewell’s store, one of several stores at the corner since James Morrison opened the first one “in his house” about 1832.

(Kingsbury listed only three post offices: East Clinton in 1836, becoming Clinton in 1842; North Clinton in 1825, becoming Pishon’s Ferry in 1844; and Morrison’s Corner, established in 1891.)

Clinton’s ferries across the Kennebec

Rope Ferry

According to Major General Carleton Edward Fisher’s history of Clinton (cited repeatedly in last week’s article), at least at Pishon’s Ferry and perhaps at Noble’s Ferry, too, the ferryboats that crossed the Kennebec River were at first propelled by oars, and were later converted to cable ferries, also known as rope ferries or chain ferries.

A cable ferry is propelled by the river current. It is therefore practical only in stretches of river where the current is steady and strong. Here is how it works, according to Fisher.

A cable is stretched across the river and the ferryboat is attached to it at each end by a tether whose upper fastening can slide along the cable. The end of the boat pointing to the far shore is on a short tether, so it is under the cable. The boat’s other end is on a longer tether so it can drift downstream, putting the boat at an angle to the current.

The ferryman drops a board down the side of the boat to form a version of a keel, against which the current pushes. With the boat and board held at an angle to the current, the current pushes the boat across the river.

At the far bank, it is unloaded; the shorter tether is lengthened and the longer one shortened to reverse the angle; and the current carries the boat back across. Fisher did not say whether the board is on the upstream or downstream side, or whether the ferryman needs to switch sides for the return trip.

The picture of a ferry on the Kennebec in Alma Pierce Robbins’ history of Vassalboro shows a flat boat with two square ends. On it stand two horses pulling a wagon, with someone at the horses’ heads and at least one person in the wagon. This ferryboat has a stubby mast with a small triangular sail.

An explanation of Clifton’s, not Clinton’s name

The red dot indicates the location of Clifton, Maine. The green square is Baxter State Park.

While researching the Town of Clinton’s name for this article, your writer came across a reference that did not fit with other sources. The on-line Maine an Encyclopedia says the town of Clinton was separated from Jarvis Gore on Aug. 7, 1848, and incorporated as a town named Maine.

The article continues, “The following year, the confusing address ‘Maine, Maine’ was changed apparently in honor of DeWitt Clinton, builder of the Eire [Erie] Canal and New York U.S. Senator, Governor, and Mayor of New York City.”

Wikipedia says explicitly that “the town [of Clinton] is not named for DeWitt Clinton.”

(DeWitt Clinton was a nephew of George Clinton, for whom the Town of Clinton is indeed named, as reported above.)

Your writer found on line a reference to Clifton, Maine, in Penobscot County, set off from Jarvis Gore or “The Gore East of Brewer” and incorporated as the town of Maine on Aug. 7, 1848. The name was changed to Clifton on June 9, 1849.

Main sources

Fisher, Major General Carleton Edward History of Clinton, Maine (1970).
Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892).

Websites, miscellaneous.

FOR YOUR HEALTH: Don’t Let Your Dog Bite The Hand That Serves You

(NAPSI)—Incidents involving dog attacks on Postal Service employees rose to more than 5,800 cases last year—but you can help get those numbers down and keep your own mail delivery up.

What’s Being Done

As part of the USPS 2024 National Dog Bite Awareness Campaign, the organization offers crucial information for dog owners on how to be good stewards for safe mail delivery and protect both their pets and their postal delivery person.

“Letter carriers are exposed to potential hazards every day, none more prevalent than a canine encounter. All it takes is one interaction for a letter carrier to possibly suffer an injury,” said Leeann Theriault, USPS Manager, Employee Safety and Health Awareness. “The U.S. Postal Service consistently encourages responsible pet ownership. The national dog bite campaign is an effort to promote dog bite awareness to keep our customers, their dogs, and letter carriers safe while delivering the mail.”

What Dog Owners Can Do

Letter carriers know all dogs can bite, even those perceived as nonaggressive. Dogs are generally protective of their turf and dog owners have an important responsibility to control them to ensure safe mail delivery.

Most people know the approximate time their letter carrier arrives every day. Securing your dog before the carrier approaches your property will minimize any potentially dangerous interactions.

When a letter carrier comes to your home, keep dogs inside the house or behind a fence, aAway from the door or in another room; or on a leash.

Pet owners also should remind children not to take mail directly from a letter carrier as the dog may view the carrier as a threat to the child.

Stay Informed, See the Mail Before It Arrives

By using Informed Delivery, a free USPS service, customers can digitally preview incoming mail and packages from a computer, tablet or mobile device. More than 52 million customers have enrolled since the service was launched in 2017. Sign-up is at informeddelivery.usps.com. This service can help dog owners anticipate when their carrier will arrive.

Consequences of a Dog Attack

According to the most recent information available from the Insurance Information Institute, the average cost per insurance claim for a dog bite is $64,555. When a postal worker suffers an injury, the owner could be responsible for medical bills, lost wages, uniform replacement costs, and pain and suffering for the employee.

Staying Focused on Delivering

Letter carriers are trained to observe an area where they know dogs may be present. They are taught to be alert for potentially dangerous conditions and to respect a dog’s territory.

If a dog attacks, carriers are also trained to stand their ground and protect their body by placing something – such as a mail satchel – between them and the dog and to use dog repellent, if necessary.

Even though a customer’s dog is friendly to most people, it can always have a bad day.

Letter carriers have tools to alert them to dogs on their routes. A dog alert feature on carriers’ handheld scanners can remind them of a possible dog hazard, and dog warning cards must be used during mail sorting to alert carriers to addresses where a dog may interfere with delivery.

Holding the Mail

When a carrier feels unsafe, mail service can be stopped. Until the carrier feels safe enough to restart delivery, the mail will have to be picked up at the dog owner’s local Post Office. If a carrier feels a house or neighborhood is unsafe to deliver the mail and there is no way to inform residents their mail service has been suspended, the residents would have to contact the supervisor at their local Post Office for more information. The residents would also have to pick up their mail at the Post Office until it is safe to resume delivery. If a dangerous dog issue is not resolved, owners can be required to rent a Post Office box to receive mail.

Post Office Facts

The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 167 million addresses six, and often, seven days a week.

Learn More

For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com/dogbiteawareness.

Erskine Renaissance awards presented

Seniors of the trimester, from left to right, Aaralyn Gagnon, Simon Clark, Noah Crummett, and Brody Loiko. (contributed photo)

On Friday, June 7, Erskine Academy students and staff, in South China, attended a Renaissance Assembly to honor their peers with Renaissance Awards.

Recognition awards were presented to the following students Katie Shaw, Connor Alcott, Lucas Berto, Lacey Arp, Tristan Anderson, and Stephanie Kumnick.

In addition to recognition awards, Senior of the Trimester Awards were also presented to four members of the senior class: Brody Loiko, son of Ben and Libby Loiko, of Vassalboro, and Mindy and Mike Mathieu, of Augusta; Noah Crummett, son of Monique and Justin Crummet, of Windsor; Simon Clark, son of Stacy and Christopher Clark, of China; and Aaralyn Gagnon, daughter of Todd and Lauren Gagnon, of Vassalboro. Seniors of the Trimester are recognized as individuals who have gone above and beyond in all aspects of their high school careers.

In appreciation of their dedication and service to Erskine Academy, Faculty of the Trimester awards were also presented to Dean McCaslin, bus driver; and Heather Shute, mathematics instructor.

Faculty of the trimester, Heather Shute, left, and Dean McCaslin. (contributed photo)