Christopher Columbus: hero or villain?

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Christopher Columbus

by Gary Kennedy

The discovery of America is commonly questioned. I remember the question coming up in 1964 and pundits stating that the Americas were not discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. It was further stated that the Americas were actually discovered prior by an explorer by the name of Amerigo Vespucci. It’s actually uncanny that the ages of the two men are so close. Columbus was an Italian explorer born in 1451 and died in 1506. Vespucci was born the same year 1451 but died in 1512. In all actually Columbus discovered the Islands of the Bahamas with a grant from Queen Isabella using three ships, the Pinta, the Nina and the St. Maria. Although Columbus’s journal of the 1st voyage to the Americas was destroyed, an accurate abstract of the journal, which was written by Columbus’s biographer, Bartolome De Las Casas, is used.

Columbus’s flag ship the Santa Maria went aground on a reef so Columbus was forced to take the wreckage and build a fort on the Island of Hispaniola. Columbus left 40 of his men there promising to return for them. He continued through the islands and finally landed in the new world. (New Spain) Columbus brought African slaves and Europeans who carried diseases with them which completely wiped out the native population. Columbus was a hero for a while, then was ultimately arrested for his crimes against humanity and stripped of his titles and royalty. He died in 1506 a simple man. This is just the short story. Although Columbus was in fact a patriot he was also a very cruel sadistic person, he was still historically considered a great explorer. What a disappointment finding all this out was for me.

Amerigo Vespucci

So this now takes us to Amerigo Vespucci who was on Italian explorer, cartographer, and navigator who was born in the Republic of Florence, Italy. Vespucci’s voyages happened in the same time frame of that of Christopher Columbus’s 1492 voyage. Vespucci was the 1st person to realize that the North and South American continents were distinct continents that were unknown to the Europeans, Asian and Africans. Vespucci made this discovery while sailing near the tip of South America in 1501. This was the era of exploration. The world’s economy was becoming more and more diverse in a very pleasant way. Curiosity was very intense during this age and progress grew at a very rapid rate. Morality and cost had no part in the end results sought by the developing world. The world lost its flat and gained a global configuration so more places were sought and new and safer pathways were questioned. Vespucci also has credit for discovering the Amazon River.

Exploration led to trade and this led to diversity and profits; of course gold, silver and gems were the most sought after commodities. Both Vespucci and Columbus were influenced by the adventures of Marco Polo. Peoples, cultures and geography were the adventure of the day. As unbelievable as it may seem Vespucci determined the Earth’s circumference accurately, within 50 miles. He also was a celestial genius, thus improving navigation.

So Vespucci more than likely reached the mainland of the Americas a few months before John Cabot and more than a year before Columbus. Using his knowledge of Marco Polo’s books description of the constellations and the coast lines of Asia he came to the conclusion he was not in Asia, but an altogether different continent. He verified his suspicion by travelling 400 miles further south along the South American Coast. In 1538 a mapmaker named Gerardus Mercator used the name “America” to both North and South America, known then as the new world. It remains the same to this very day.

Leif Erikson

I must add the two men were very different. Vespucci died with great honor but Columbus died as a very cruel self serving individual, great in his abilities but very poor in his morality. So disappointing! Well the redemption in all of this is it wasn’t either of these two men who discovered what was known as the Americas. During the years of 900-1000 Leif Erikson, who was a Norse explorer from Iceland, came on the scene to be known as the 1st European to set foot on the continent of North America. Obviously this was a long time before the other two mentioned in this article. Leif was the 2nd son of Erik the Red. Motion pictures played this up years ago. Of course the movies made the story far more exciting than what is realistic.

Times in cold countries were very difficult at this time in history. Erik the Red was the one who settled Greenland. Obviously Leif Erikson was on the Americas centuries before Columbus. In 1964 the USA Congress authorized the president to proclaim October 9 as Leif Erikson Day.

It might be of interest to mention that this was in fact the time that Christianity was converted from Paganism because of Erik the Red and especially Leif’s mother, Thjodhild. Most of Greenland was converted to Christianity. So all is well that ends well.

You have received a thousand years of information; found out that there are three American claims by explorers to being the first in the Americas. Given the fact there are centuries between them you will have to use your own logic to decide who was first for you. Also, you now know there are two holidays, Columbus Day and Leif Erikson Day. So in the end there will be those who say, “Who cares, we get the day off.” I didn’t want to ruin your day by telling you that the Asians, in fact, crossed the Bering Strait to the Aleutian Islands, way before all of this. We call them, “Native Americans.”

When you look at so called Native Americans can you, without any doubt, tell what Asian area they are derived from? I have an opinion and that is exactly what it is. (Opinion) So, it is my opinion that before we start changing world shattering events, that really don’t change anything, we learn to accept some things and move on to more important things. We know what we know and that is all part of studying and learning. There is so much more to this story which you can research on your own. Some historians have different dates but these are the ones I have chosen. Enjoy your holiday my friends. (It’s just a name and not the story).

Kennebec Historical Society announces logo design contest for public

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The Kennebec Historical Society is seeking submissions for a logo design for use primarily across digital media.

Any member of the public is welcome to submit a design. The design should be created keeping in mind that its final use is for concise and easy-to-identify brand use, representative of the KHS mission and/or history of Kennebec County. The logo needs to be usable in social media, such as for a Facebook profile image or brand icon. This logo will not replace the society’s current logo; instead, it is intended to act as a supplemental logo that maintains a connection to the current logo.

A KHS committee, in conjunction with the KHS board of directors, will select the winner.

The designer of the selected logo will receive:

  • $100.
  • A one-year membership in KHS.
  • Recognition across platforms such as our newsletter, our Facebook page, and press releases sent to local media.

Logo designs should be emailed as .JPG, .EPS, and .PDF files to kennhis1891@gmail.com with subject line “Logo Contest Submission” by 5 p.m. December 1, 2019.

For more details about the contest, visit the Kennebec Historical Society’s Facebook page (enter “@KHS1891” in Facebook’s search window), email us at kennhis1891@gmail.com, or call us at 622-7718.

Kennebec Historical Society honors archivist Plummer

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The Kennebec Historical Society’s Personnel Committee has picked longtime archivist Ernest L. Plummer, of Pittston, as the first recipient of the society’s newly-established W. Scott Hill Service Award.

Plummer resigned this month after having volunteered in a variety of KHS positions over 16 years, including two terms as president. He and his wife, Joan, plan to move closer to his daughter’s family in Massachusetts.

Ernest L. Plummer

A native of Buffalo, New York, and a retired industrial chemist, Plummer has upgraded and maintained the KHS collections database, enabling catalogers to embed photographs and scanned images or original written documents into the record. The improvement in quality and quantity of society holdings has effectively opened KHS files to many more researchers seeking to learn more about some aspect of Kennebec County history.

Plummer became KHS vice president in 2007 and was elected to two-year terms as president in 2009 and in 2013. Under his leadership, the society pressed forward with efforts to retire the $190,000 mortgage on its present home, the Henry Weld Fuller Jr. house in Augusta, a goal that was achieved less than four years later. He also has been the society’s executive director and treasurer, and he recruited his wife to manage the society’s membership database, which she has done for several years.

He also spent much of his time assisting researchers and fostering cooperative relationships with other historical societies in the county. He clocked several hundred volunteer hours per year for the society’s benefit. As he winds up his years of service, he is training six volunteers to carry on his work of cataloging materials in the database.

For these achievements and others, the KHS Personnel Committee selected Plummer for the Hill award, which was established this year to honor society members who have initiated or organized landmark improvements in the society’s operation, reputation or contributions to the community. The award is named for W. Scott Hill, an Augusta physician who was one of the society’s co-founders and its first president.

The 560-member Kennebec Historical Society, a private, nonprofit organization, was founded in 1891. Its mission is to collect, preserve and make available to the public historical documents and illustrations that pertain to the history of Kennebec County and its 30 municipalities. The society hosts monthly historical lectures in a variety of locations in the county.

For more information, please contact KHS Administrative Director Scott Wood at 622-7718.

Jack’s: Where everybody knows your name

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Jack, right, and Ann Sylvester at their home in 2019. (Photo by Eric Austin)

by Eric W. Austin
Growing up near China Village in the latter half of the last century, there was one place everyone visited at least once a week. Officially named China General Store, Incorporated, most of us knew it simply as “Jack’s.” It was the center of life in China Village for more than 50 years.

This is the story of Jack’s General Store, and the man who ran it.

Jack Sylvester was born to a family from Eustis, Maine, on Friday, October 13, 1938. From this inauspicious beginning, young Jack would grow up to have a profound influence on another community far to the south of the place of his birth.

Jack’s father and grandfather operated a livestock business in Eustis, providing horses to businesses all over the state of Maine, especially those involved in the logging and farming industries, which at the time still relied on horsepower to get the job done.

By the early 1940s, however, the horse business in Eustis was flagging, and the Sylvester family moved south to Albion when Jack was only six. Jack’s maternal grandparents had a residence in Albion, and the Sylvesters hoped the busier metro-area of Waterville and Augusta would keep the horse business going for a few more years.

A fire at Besse High School, in Albion, in 1958.

In Albion, Jack Sylvester attended Besse High School, which was located in the brick building that now houses the Albion Town Office. Jack vividly remembers the day in 1957 when, during his senior year, the school burned down.

“I was on the fire department at that time, and I can tell you exactly where I was,” he says. “I was cleaning out the horses of manure.” The Sylvesters’ livestock farm was located not far from the school. He continues: “I heard the fire alarm go off, and I turned ‘round to look and that old black smoke was just roaring.”

Teenage Jack dropped his shovel and rushed to the scene of the fire. He wasn’t happy. “You’d think I’d feel good that the school burned down — you don’t have to go to school no more,” he says, flashing a characteristic Jack-grin. “But I felt terrible ‘cause the school was burning down. I set there with a hose, puttin’ water on it, and cryin’ like crazy!”

The cause of the fire was never discovered. The superintendent at the time, who will go unnamed, was the only one in the building, in his office on the upper floor. The superintendent wanted Albion to join the local School Administrative District (SAD), and there was talk around town that he had started the fire in an effort to force a decision on the matter. Nothing was ever proven, however, but after the fire, Jack tells me, “He moved out of town right off quick.”

After high school, Jack worked as a grease monkey for Yeaton’s Garage for a couple of years, and then got hired by Lee Brothers’ Construction, work that sent him all over the state of Maine. That’s where he met Roy Dow.

At this point, we need to pause for a bit of backstory. The tale of how Jack Sylvester came to own China General Store is the story of another fire, this time in China.

Main Street in China Village used to be quite a bit more commercial than it is now. The Masonic Lodge was on the north side of Main Street, opposite where it is now; and next to that, heading east, was the post office; a small house that is no longer there; then a bean factory (”Most every small town around had a bean factory,” says Alene Smiley, Jack’s older sister); a printing shop; a mechanics garage operated by Roy Coombs, who got his start fixing wagon wheels, and then transitioned to transmissions; and finally the old China General store, owned by the Bailey family, but later sold to the Fenlasons. The Village’s one-room schoolhouse was also located here, directly across the street from where the China library is currently.

Then on Sunday, August 20, 1961, the old China General Store caught fire and burned down. The blaze also claimed the garage and the bean factory next door, both owned by Roy Coombs. Flames from the fire leapt more than 100 feet into the air and could be seen up to 10 miles away. In a single night, nearly the entire commercial district in China Village was destroyed. Coombs, who was also serving as fire chief at the time, suspected arson as “three or four fires of suspicious nature have occurred in the town within recent months,” according to an article published the next day in the Morning Sentinel.

Photo of the aftermath of the fire at the old China General Store in 1961. (submitted by Susan Natalie Dow White)

Since the current owners, the Fenlasons, weren’t interested in rebuilding, Roy Dow and his father-in-law, Tommy James, who both worked in construction, decided to take on the job of building a new one themselves. They enlisted the help of Ben Avery, of Windsor, and chose as the location for the new establishment a spot on the eastern end of Main Street. It would turn out to be a propitious choice of location when the 202 throughway was built a decade later.

“I’d always loved the store business,” says Jack. “So, one day I was down there [at the new store], visiting Roy. He was sittin’ in front of the cash register in an old recliner. He said, ‘What’re you doin’? Why don’t you come work for me? I need a meat cutter.’ I said, ‘For God’s sake, Roy, I’m a truck driver; I ain’t a meat cutter!’ He said, ‘I’ll teach you.’”

And Roy did, and much else besides. Jack learned how to cut meat, how to manage a store, and how to select the best cuts of beef for the store freezer. He also got to know the store’s customers, and there was one customer in particular he was interested in. Her name was Ann Gaunce.

Ann’s family lived just down the road from the store, and she frequently passed by on her way to the post office. “Oh, she was beautiful!” Jack says, his eyes a little glassy at the memory. “Ann was walking by one day, and I was filling a car full of gas. I hollered at her and I said, ‘How ya doin’? Why don’t you come over here,’ I says, ‘I wanna talk to ya.’ So, she came over and I talked to her for a while. I got a date for that night.”

They went to see the movie “Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!”, a flick from 1948, at the old Haines Theater, which used to exist on Main Street, in Waterville, across from where Maine-ly Brews is now. Jack and Ann’s was a romance destined to last a lifetime.

“I don’t call her Ann anymore,” Jack tells me, a twinkle in his eye. “It’s Saint Ann now. She’s put up with me for 54 years!”

Jack worked at the general store for Roy Dow until 1974. “He came in one day,” Jack recalls, “and says, ‘Wanna buy this place?’ I said, ‘I’d like to.’”

And he did. Together with his wife, Ann, and his son Chris, who became his right-hand man in later years, they took over management of China General Store, Incorporated. Jack Sylvester was 36 years old.

I ask Jack if owning a business in a small town like China had been a struggle. “No, sir,” he says. “I had a business that was wicked good. The last year I owned that business, I did over a million dollars.”

And Jack didn’t just manage one of the most successful businesses in China, he also served as selectman from 1965-67, belonged to the Masons since the age of 21, and joined the Volunteer Fire Department, first in Albion and then in China, where he served as fire chief for a number of years in the 1970s and ‘80s.

“Jack was always really good about his employees volunteering for the fire department and the rescue,” says Ron Morrell, who pastors the China Baptist Church and has lived across the street from Jack’s store since the early 1980s. “You’d go in sometimes and Ann might be the only one in the store, because all the guys were gone on a fire call. It left him short-handed sometimes.”

Jack Sylvester, right, and son Chris, during Halloween one year. (Contributed photo)

Jack’s favorite time of the year was Halloween, when he dressed up in a variety of creative costumes and hosted upwards of 350 neighborhood kids at his store, who came for the free chocolate milk and the bag of chips that he gave out every year.

That wasn’t the only interaction Jack had with the kids of China Village. He would, on occasion, catch a child shoplifting from his store. Pastor Ron relates one such incident that he witnessed firsthand. “One day, I came across the street for an afternoon cup of coffee,” he tells me. “Jack had some kid in the back, talking to him. I could tell something serious was going on.”

Totally coincidentally, a few minutes later a Kennebec County sheriff’s deputy also came into the store. Without missing a beat, Jack exclaimed, “See, here he is!”

Apparently, Jack had faked a call to the sheriff in an attempt to scare the kid straight. The sudden appearance of the deputy was a complete surprise to everyone, excepting, perhaps, the poor kid being interrogated.

“The sheriff’s deputy caught on real quick as to what was going on,” Pastor Ron recalls. “They had not worked this out ahead of time. The cop was really good about it, and they scared the kid good. And more than one kid, when they were an adult, came back and thanked Jack for what he’d done to set them straight, and for not getting the authorities involved. He could put the fear of God into them though,” Pastor Ron finishes with a hearty chuckle.

In April 2002, at the age of 64, Jack Sylvester finally hung up his apron and sold the general store. The new owners kept the store open for a few more years, but eventually closed it.

“It was never the same after Jack left,” Pastor Ron remembers. “People came because of Jack.”

The tragic story of Father Rasle at Kennebec Historical Society

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“Go and set the world on fire,” was St. Ignatius of Loyola’s famous call to the Jesuits to preach the gospel to the far corners of the world. Fr. Sebastian Rasle followed the call of his order’s founder and left France in 1689 to give his life to caring for the souls of native Americans. This he did for 30 years in a small mission village amidst the Abenaki people far up the Kennebec River. The village was called Narantsouack (i.e. Norridgewock.)

Death of Father Sebastian Rale of the Society of Jesus, an 1856 lithograph

But this peaceful mission was not to last. In those few decades, Fr. Rasle’s little village got caught in a blaze of controversy that ended in the mission being burned by a Massachusetts militia and its pastor being shot. Joseph Moreshead, a seminarian for the Roman Catholic diocese of Portland, will discuss the origins of this conflict between Fr. Rasle, the New England colonists, and the Abenaki people and how competing interests among the three parties led to such a tragic end.

Joseph Moreshead is a native of South Portland, and a current student at the Catholic University of America, studying to be a Catholic priest in Maine. A graduate of Cheverus High School and Fordham University, Moreshead was educated for eight years by Jesuits like Fr. Rasle. After extensive research on the Jesuit Relations, he led a pilgrimage to Fr. Rasle’s grave last August. He holds a bachelor of arts in philosophy and classical language.

The Kennebec Historical Society’s May Presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted) and will take place on Wednesday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m., at St. Mary’s Church located at 41 Western Avenue in Augusta.

The Town Line: 30 years of serving area towns

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by Roland D. Hallee

The first issue of The Town Line was published on March 15, 1989.

The founders of The Town Line, Gary and Trish Newcomb. (File photo)

The brain child of China residents Gary and Trish Newcomb, the newspaper’s goal was to bring neighbors and their respective towns closer together through better communications.

Area towns and their residents had gone through some turbulent times during the mid-’80s when much animosity had grown to epidemic proportions. Gary and Trish figured that if people really knew what their neighbors were doing, they would better understand each other.

Although the original mission statement for The Town Line has been lost, its general meaning is how the newspaper got its name. Gary and Trish believed that if everyone was more open in their communications, they could all become better neighbors, and asked people to take their discussions, differences and ideas, and meet at “the town line.”

Preparing that first issue was a monumental task. First there was equipment to purchase, acquaint themselves with computers and their programs, find a printing company, and then arrange a distribution system.

Once the first issue hit the streets, Gary said, “How will we ever put out another issue?” He thought he had used up all possible material in that first issue. Well, miracles happen, and now, 30 years later, The Town Line newspaper celebrates the publication of 1,450 issues to date.

Gary and Trish nurtured the newspaper for the first nine years, until, thinking they had taken the paper as far as they could, put it up for sale in 1997. The final issue under the guidance of the Newcombs came on December 20, 1997.

The original staff consisted of three people. The first issue denotes the Newcombs as both publishers and editors. Trish was advertising director and Gary took care of the graphic designs. Julie Dermott was administrative assistant.

In the early days, the staff of The Town Line included, seated, from left to right, Trish Newcomb, Gary Newcomb, Lea Davis and Susan Walter. Back, Susan Boody, Fred Davis and Susan Cottle. (File photo)

As time passed, and the newspaper grew, additional staff members were needed to accomplish the work. On May 16, 1990, Susan Cottle became the first editor other than the Newcombs. She would continue in that capacity until the end of 1991. Joe Lupsha and Fred Davis each served as assistant editor during this period.

On January 6, 1992, Lea Davis was named the second editor in the paper’s brief history. Lea would continue as editor and eventually as managing editor until May 14, 2004, the longest tenured editor in the history of the paper at the time.

During her time, the paper went through a series of setbacks due to changes in ownership. After the Newcombs closed the paper at the end of 1997 for a lack of a buyer, Dennis Keller came on the scene and purchased the assets. The paper reopened its doors on January 31, 1998.

The paper would continue on its normal path until July 3, 1998, when it became a bi-weekly (once every two weeks) due to economic hardships. Keller would eventually close the doors on October 10, 1998.

That’s when the paper’s future took an unexpected turn for the better. A small group of former staff and some interested community members worked through the winter of 1999, formed a new plan and incorporated the publication as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit private foundation.

Spearheaded by Joann Austin, Faith Ames, the late John Robie, staff members Lea Davis, Sandy Keller and Roland Hallee, all of whom donated their time, the groundwork was ready to continue towards re-opening the paper. At this point, a great amount of gratitude is bestowed upon the late Faith Ames, who personally financed the initial few issues upon the return of the publication, until sufficient revenues enabled The Town Line to sustain itself.

On March 6, 1999, The Town Line re-emerged as the voice of these small central Maine towns. Through great community support, both from businesses and small grants from the towns, The Town Line firmly planted itself back on the path to recovery.

The Town Line is now a nonprofit organization with a board of directors as overseers. Forever striving to improve the quality of its offerings, The Town Line is constantly seeking new, tax deductible, memberships to the organization. Similar to public radio and television, The Town Line accepts memberships and monetary contributions and donations.

The current members of the board of directors are Joann Austin, Eric Austin, Neil Farrington, Gladys Hewett and Emily Cates. Others to have served on the board in the past have included Joe Pinette, Walter Wilson, Mike Mara, Faith Ames, Dick Kelley, Joe Suga, and Marge Roy, among others.

The staff under the regime of Dennis Keller included, seated, from left to right, Sandy Keller, Roland Hallee, Lea Davis and Martha Holzwarth. Back, Natalie Lyon, Nancy Heath, Ed Heath, Paulie Heath, Mike Heath, Dennis Keller, Miriam Keller and Dustin Heath. (File photo)

On June 1, 2004, Susan Varney became the third editor in the newspaper’s history. She would continue in that position until February 2005, when upon her departure, Roland Hallee became the fourth editor of The Town Line. He continues today as the managing editor and is now the longest tenured staff member (25 years of service), and the longest serving editor (13 years) in the history of the paper, having begun his career at The Town Line in May 1993. With nearly 55 years of newspaper work, and editor of two other weekly newspapers in Pittsfield and Skowhegan, he has used his experience to guide The Town Line through some dark days.

Over the past 30 years, The Town Line has occupied six different locations. The original site was at the old fire station, next to the old post office off Rte. 3, now occupied by Whitt’s Garments.

From that location, they moved in January 1994 to a building on Rte. 3, across from the South China Post Office (now occupied by Legacy Home Improvement). They would remain there only a short period of time before relocating in June 1995, to the 202 Plaza on Rte. 202, in South China.

Upon its reopening as a nonprofit in 1999, they were located in the lower level at 16 Jonesbrook Crossing, in South China. They would remain at that site until November 2008, when they moved upstairs in the same building in the space formerly occupied by Fernald Family Chiropractic. All of the locations were in South China. The newspaper is now located in the lower level of the old China Town Hall, next to the China Town Office, at 575 Lakevidw Drive.

Through the years, others were instrumental in the success of the paper. Susan Boody, Adam Hansen, Troy Henderson, Carl Mercier, Paul Basham, Diane Bickford, Michelle Shores and Kathy Duhnoski (the present ad director) have all served as advertising directors. Advertising salesmen over the years have included Ken Nawfel, Betsy Murphy, Martha Holzwarth, Aileen Wescott, Marlene Myers, Bill Zinck, George Chappell, among others. Office managers have included Heide Hotham, Sandy Keller, Sylvia Martin, Marilyn Boyle, Angela Brunette, and Joan Hallee. Claire Breton has been business manager since 2000. Prior to that, business managers have included Ed Heath, Natalie Lyon and Adam Hansen. Others to contribute as graphic artists have been Fran Vitolo, Susan Walter, Dirk Rose, Roland Hallee and Kareno Stansbury. Lyn Rowden was the senior staff writer and assistant editor from 2009 until 2013, when layoffs were needed in order to cut expenses as revenues began to diminish.

Included with all these people is an endless list of regular contributors and volunteers.

March 15, 2018 marked the beginning of the 30th year of publishing The Town Line, a feat that, in 1989, seemed way out of reach to its founders.

The staff and board of directors at The Town Line newspaper thank all the advertisers, businesses and supporters of the past 30 years that has made it a success, and will push forward into the future to continue its mission set forth by Gary and Trish Newcomb in 1989. The Newcombs now reside in Ohio.

Save the Mill fundraiser reaches preliminary goal

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The Olde Mill Place in North Vassalboro

More needs to be done to achieve $250,000 estimate for repairs to the roof damaged in October storm

Vassalboro’s “SAVE THE MILL” Campaign and Ray Breton thank all of who were involved in hard work and donations towards repair of the roof of the Olde Mill in downtown North Vassalboro! The $7,000 mark has been reached, and they still have a long way to go!

As many of you know, The Olde Mill, in downtown North Vassalboro, sustained significant roof damage as a result of the storm of October 28 – 29, 2017. The estimate for repairs is $250,000.

The mill is owned by Raymond J. Breton. Ray shares the mill with the town.

Vassalboro Days events are held there. Halloween at the Olde Mill is an annual event.

The Community Christmas Tree and lighting ceremony are held there.

The mill houses 2,000 rubber ducks and then hosts the Double Dam Ducky Derby.

The mill serves as storage for the 100 flags that fly along Maine Street each summer.

The Vassalboro Fishing Derby is held there, as are many of theVassalboro Business Association’s Scholarship Fundraisers.
Baseball and softball training occurs upstairs all winter long.

The Girl Scout’s Annual Cookies Storage and Distribution is all at the mill.

There is a clothing closet for the local food pantry to store clothing for those in need.

These and many other community events are hosted by Ray at the mill for no charge.

Ray has created a picnic park, a brookside gazebo, and a swimming hole with life vests, canoes, a float, and slide for the town to use for free. He has created a children’s playground on the property as well as several areas for playing basketball.

Ray’s properties are noted for their psychic richness. He leads many tours through his buildings and donates those proceeds to the Vassalboro Food Pantry.

Downtown North Vassalboro has undergone a huge and beautiful transformation in the last eight years because of Ray.

Now he needs our help. There is no insurance on the mill. Ray and his friends and crew work very diligently to maintain the building, but this storm was too much. In order to save the mill, the roof will need to be repaired or else ice and rain will ruin the mill structure. Right now, after many hours of patching, the roof is rigged with tarps and tar to hopefully keep as much of the weather out as possible. But by spring, real repairs need to happen.

Many have donated anonymously at the Vassalboro branch of Maine Savings Federal Credit Union to the “Save The Mill” account. They should know their gifts are truly appreciated.

Heartfelt thanks go out to Nate Gray, Bill and Deb Johnson, Harriet Stamler, William and Betty Branch, AgMatters LLC, Dawn Cates, Tim and Debbie Giroux, Luc Beaulieu, Evan Shorey, Rocky Gravel, Margaret Dowdy, James Ashton, Jacquelyn Murphy, Frank Reynolds, Peter and Jackie Reny, Kaitlin Hosea, Robert Nixon, Judith Davidson, Kelsey Houston, James Breslin, Laura, William Whitman, Vassalboro Retired Teachers and Friends, Leonard Poulin, Lucille Roy, Richard Desmond, Juliette Akins, Carol Axtell, Chris and Amy French, the Watson Family, Kimberly Kimball and friends, and In Memory of Thelma Rancourt, and The Town Line newspaper.

Extra-special thanks also go out to the movers and shakers behind the scenes, including Don, Lisa, and Jessica Breton, Linda Ellis, Mike Vashon, Darrell Gagnon, Tiffany Luczko, Meridith Cain, Therese Burns Barnett, Victor Esposito, Stacy Thorndike, the Titus family, April Stitham-Woodbury, Johnny and Becky Goodrich, and Mr. and Mrs. Dan Rodrigue.

Vassalboro is a small town of 4,320 and so many are involved with this campaign. If we have accidently omitted your name, we are sorry. Your help is so important and needed.

We cannot forget the thousands of dollars of items donated for the raffles going on to benefit the work!

The fundraising continues! Please mark your calendar for the following events, all of which will benefit the mill:

  • Saturday, Dec. 30, from 6 p.m. on, the Taylor Road Band Benefit. Tickets are $15/person. It is a concert and potluck at the mill! Call Darrell Gagnon at 649-3626 for more information.
  • Sunday, January 21, from 4 – 6:30 p.m.. spaghetti supper and huge raffle at Vassalboro Community School. Supper Tickets are $5. Contact Meridith Cain at 458-2075
  • Sunday, February 11, from 10 a.m., the American Woolen Mill Urban Mountain Bike Fundraiser at the Mill. https://www.bikereg.com/vassalboro-mill-fundracer for more information.
  • Sunday, February 11, from 1 – 5 p.m., Vassalboro’s Annual Fishing Derby and Huge Raffle at the mill! Tickets are on sale now! Contact Linda Titus at 631-3303.
  • Saturday, April 7, from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the mill participate in Vassalboro’s First Indoor Yard Sale! Contact Stacy Thorndike at 446-2690 to reserve your space!
  • Saturday, April 21, from 6 to 11 p.m., a Public Paranormal Investigation by G.R.I.M. Tickets are $35 each and available from https://ghost-research-and-investigations-of-maine.ticketleap. com/save-the-mill-public-paranormal-investigation/

To keep up with all the fun-raising, please check out our “SAVE THE MILL” page on Facebook! Thank you. https://www.facebook.com/groups/787714818075573/.

KHS to hear about Explosion in Halifax

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On December 7, 1917, two war ships collided in the harbor at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Following the collision and subsequent fire, a massive explosion occurred, killing about 2,000 people and wounding countless more. At the time, it was the largest man-made explosion in history. With the city devastated, help was needed. Boston is still remembered for responding quickly and sending up a train with supplies and people the following day. They are still celebrating this day with a Christmas tree that is sent from Halifax to Boston each year.

However, Maine also played a role in the relief effort. Mainers joined the Boston relief train and we sent up supplies and a National Guard troop of our own. This talk will discuss the overall history of the event and the relief effort, but will also aim to focus more on Maine’s role in the relief effort.

The speaker, Sam Howes, is an archivist at the Maine State Archives, where he has been for three years developing exhibits and preserving the state’s historical records. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History with a mix of American Labor, Canadian History, and Medieval Studies at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. While living in Nova Scotia, he became very interested in the relationship between the Maritime Provinces and the New England States. That interest is what led him to research the Halifax Explosion and the response from New England, and Maine in particular.

The Kennebec Historical Society December Presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted) and will take place on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at 6:30 p.m., at the Maine State Library, located at 230 State Street, in Augusta. ​

China Days Local History Quiz 2017

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China Days 2017

LOCAL HISTORY QUIZ (answers at the bottom)

  1. What word did Rufus say that made his father angry?
  2. What is the official name of the memorial park in South China village?
  3. Who bought the China poor farm?
  4. What did the first causeway bridge cost?
  5. Other than Erskine, what other high schools were built in China?
  6. Eli Jones was elected to State House. What did he refused to do?
  7. Who was the first Master of Masonic lodge in Weeks Mills?
  8. How deep is the water under the Clarks brook peat bog?
  9. In what year did the town property tax almost triple?
  10. What was the cost of school lunch in 1950?
  11. How much did an issue of “The China Egg” cost?
  12. Who wrote a poem for Eli and Sybil?
  13. Who was William Crane?
  14. What was the nickname given to the WW&F?
  15. What did the first Erskine Academy building cost?
  16. What year did the last GAR veteran die in South China?
  17. Where is the word “Loupcorvirs” found?
  18. Who was Eli Jones foster father?
  19. What killed James Parnell Jones?
  20. How long of a walk did Rufus take to attend high school?
  21. How long did it take the stage coach to go from Augusta to Bangor?
  22. When did Miss Doris Young start teaching?
  23. What was her weekly salary?
  24. In 1945 how may children went to the one room school house in Weeks Mills?
  25. Where was General Marshalls House?
  26. How old is the Weeks Mills water district?
  27. What did the Quakers pay to the Baptist for the South China church?
  28. Where was district 21 school house located?
  29. How old was James Parnell Jones when he joined the Union army?
  30. What year did China selectmen change from 3 to 5 members?
  31. How many chickens were commercial raised in 1960?
  32. How did Yorktown road get its name?
  33. What year was our population larger than Waterville?
  34. What year was Harlem incorporated and where did the name come from?
  35. Where was the boundary set between Harlem and China?
  36. Where did Mr. Shuman get his cider barrels?
  37. What year did Weeks Mills have it worse record flood?
  38. What year did the gore move to China?
  39. What mountain range was called The Kennebago mountain range?
  40. Which island had a dining hall and bowling alley?
  41. In 1960’s which two business men built stores on the Rt 3 bypass?
  42. Where was the town dump prior to its current location?
  43. What did Eli do when he was selected to become the state’s Major General?
  44. What was the only year that the town meeting was held at Erskine?
  45. What was the current building used for prior to becoming China Village fire department?
  46. Where can you find a picture of a 3 dollar note?
  47. What 2 building survived the great fire in South China in 1872?
  48. Who did the Weeks Mills fire department buy their first truck from?
  49. Who was the towns first manager?
  50. Where was the Pond road?

 

Answers

(referenced page numbers are from the History of China, available on the China Town Office website)

  1. pg 26 stb Devil
  2. pg 188 bic Stuart Park
  3. pg 85 bic Carroll Jones
  4. pg 30 bic $375
  5. pg 141 bic Branch Mills Dirigo China Academy
  6. pg 151 eli Would not take the oath of office
  7. pg 182 bic James Parnell Jones
  8. pg 9 stb 40 feet
  9. pg 57 bic 1877
  10. pg 139 bic 15 cents
  11. pg 140 bic 10 cents
  12. pg 190 eli John G Whitter
  13. pg 137 stb Oldest man in China (shingled his barn at 92)
  14. pg 39 bic little wiggler
  15. pg 146 bic 50 dollars
  16. pg 188 bic 1941
  17. pg 20 stb
  18. pg 20 eli Moses Brown
  19. pg 171 eli bullet from a sniper ricocheted of a tree
  20. pg 85 stb 3 miles each way
  21. pg 37 bic 12 hours
  22. pg 123 bic 1920
  23. pg 123 bic 11 dollars
  24. pg 127 bic 39
  25. pg 202 bic corner of village street and causeway
  26. pg 224 bic 101 years
  27. pg 150 bic 1 dollar
  28. pg 113 bic corner of Hanson and Cross road
  29. pg 257 bic 23
  30. pg 53 bic 1966
  31. pg 244 bic 214,567
  32. pg 244 bic From the non-farming families of York
  33. pg 174 bic 1920’s
  34. pg 14 bic 1796
  35. pg 26 bic split the lake in half east to west
  36. pg 215 bic Togus VA hospital
  37. pg 219 bic 1901
  38. pg map 4 bic 1830
  39. pg 4 stb White mountains
  40. pg 31 bic Bradley’s
  41. pg 208 & 211 Reed’s Store and Dowe’s diner
  42. pg 97 bic rt 3 next to fairpoint building
  43. pg 163 eli He refused because of Quaker religion
  44. pg 83 bic 1963
  45. bic pg 205 bic Adams gas station
  46. plate 15
  47. pg 206 bic The brick house and the Rufus Jones house
  48. pg 225 bic China Fire department
  49. pg 54 bic Earl A. White
  50. pg 32 bic Lakeview drive

 

Historic presence of alewives in China Lake’s Outlet Stream reconfirmed

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Original letters written by Stacy Blish and others, of Vassalborough, in 1799, submitted to the Massachusetts legislature. The decision of the governing body sealed the fate of the stream for more than 200 years, as numerous mills and factories were located along the banks of Mile Stream and little attention paid to its ecological health or fisheries. Photo of the letters from the State Archives, in Boston.

Submitted by Landis Hudson, executive director Maine Rivers.
Documents recently found in Massachusetts Archives have shed light on the early history of China Lake’s Outlet Stream, reconfirming the historic presence of native alewives. Petitions and letters, signed and dated from 1798 and 1799, state that alewives were known to make their way up the stream to China Lake, but the presence of sawmills and grist mills prevented the migratory fish from completing their journey to spawning areas. The letters and petitions were written requesting that the Outlet Stream be exempted from fish passage laws to allow water-powered industries to flourish.

As was typical for the colonial period, smaller waterways like Outlet Stream were harnessed for power first because their flows were easier to control. Later, as the technology advanced, dams were built on larger rivers, like the former Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River, first built in 1837.

Letters and petitions from residents along the Outlet Stream were submitted in response to fish passage laws enacted in Massachusetts requiring dam owners to provide fish passage, due to local concerns about the declining populations of migratory fish, notably salmon, shad and alewives. In 1797, just one year before the residents along Outlet Stream sent in their letters and petitions, a law was passed requiring fish passage in Cumberland and Lincoln Counties. Maine was then a part of Massachusetts; records from this period can be found in Massachusetts State Archives, in Boston.

One letter written by Stacy Blish in January 1799 states:

“Stacy Blish, of Vassalborough, in the County of Lincoln, of lawfull age testify and say that I have lived near a Stream called Mile brook which empties itself into Sebasticook river for eighteen years last past that before any mills were built on said Stream Alewives used to pass up said Stream into a pond out of which it flows but no Salmon or Shad ever frequented it and for fifteen years last past since mills have been erected on it no alewives have been known to pass up into the pond.”

Another petition signed by 40 individuals noted, “the carrying on and Improvements of those Mills Are the principle if not the only means upon which a large number of respectable and industrious citizens depend on for acquiring property… That formerly the fish called Alewives (only) used to pass up said stream but for more than ten years None have been seen to pass up said stream…”

The letters and petitions were successful and resulted in the passage of a law titled, “An Act Exempting Mile Stream in the Towns of Vassalborough, Winslow and Harlem from the Operations of All Laws Regulating the Salmon Shad and Alewife Fisheries in Said Towns.” This act sealed the fate of the stream for more than 200 years, as numerous mills and factories were located along its banks and little attention paid to its ecological health or fisheries.