Covers towns roughly within 50 miles of Augusta.

Up and Down the Kennebec Valley: Albion Revolutionary veterans

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by Mary Grow

Other towns included in this series that are in the Kennebec Valley, but lack direct access to the Kennebec River, are Albion, China, Palermo and Windsor. These towns’ earliest known settlers came later than the first settlers along the Kennebec.

As a result, few if any men already living in these towns enlisted during the Revolutionary War; they had too much else to do. However, all four towns’ histories (and other sources) mention veterans who moved into town after the war.

In Albion, for example, Ruby Crosby Wiggin, in her 1964 Albion history, said the town’s first settlers probably arrived after a fall 1773 survey. In a subchapter titled “War Records,” she wrote that the town was “not…even partly settled” until after the Revolution, “thus all Albion Revolutionary War soldiers enlisted from some other town.”

She named 13 Revolutionary veterans who became residents after the war and/or are buried in town. Your writer found another half-dozen on the town’s list of people buried in Albion cemeteries. Other sources added more names.

Beyond their names and their identification as Revolutionary veterans, your writer had difficulty finding information on these men. What she did find is full of gaps and inconsistencies.

Following are profiles of a few of these men, chosen on the basis of the amount of available and interesting information.

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An on-line site called Our Family History says Revolutionary veteran John Leonard was born about 1770 (no birthplace listed). This site says he married Abigail Phillips, also born about 1770, in the fall of 1789 (their marriage intentions were filed in Winslow on Sept. 27).

The Family History site and Wiggin agree that Leonard (and presumably his family) came to Albion about 1795. The Family History also says their five daughters and two sons were all born in Albion, two daughters before 1795, the third on Feb. 27, 1795 (and the second son and last child in January 1807).

Wiggin wrote that Albion’s first town meeting, on Oct. 30, 1802 (Albion was then Freetown, its name from 1802 to March 9, 1804), was held at 10 a.m. at the “dwellinghouse of John Leonard, in said Freetown, Inn-holder.”

In 1964, she said, no one knew exactly where the house and inn were, but an October 1797, deed description locates the Leonards’ land on the west side of current Route 202, “just south of the Unity-Albion town line.”

The buildings on the property “burned in the early 1900s,” leaving only a shed – and lilacs that, Wiggin wrote, every spring helped “to give us a mental picture of the old Inn as it may have looked.”

Wiggin wondered why the first town meeting was held so far from the center of town. She suggested it was because Leonard and Asa Phillips, who was authorized to call the meeting and was elected moderator, had been neighbors in Winslow and appreciated the value of an organized government; so Leonard volunteered a meeting place.

(Leonard’s wife, Abigail, was almost certainly Asa Phillips’ daughter.)

Until about 1811, Wiggin wrote, Leonard “seems to have taken an active part in town affairs.” Positions he held included fence viewer and school committee member in 1805; surveyor of highways and member of a three-man committee that marked “the town line” (which one?) in 1806; and later one of a seven-member committee that chose and bought a site for a town common.

The Family History site includes no death date; it and Wiggin say Leonard is buried in Unity’s Fowler Cemetery. Find a Grave does not list his name there.

Find a Grave does list Abigail Leonard in Fowler Cemetery, with a photo of her gravestone. She died Dec. 16, 1871, aged 101 years, three months and an illegible number of days.

Wiggin wrote that after Abigail was widowed, presumably around 1811, she lived with her older son and later with a grandson. She celebrated her 100th birthday by walking from the house where she was living to another grandson’s house “about half a mile away.”

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For Benjamin Libby, identified as Deacon Benjamin Libby, Wiggin found a bit of wartime history. She wrote that he was born in Berwick; during the war, was imprisoned in Charlestown, South Carolina; and after he was released, walked home to Berwick (something over 1,000 miles).

This story is also on line on the Geni website. A Daughters of the American Revolution website says Libby served as a marine, including on the sloop of war “Ranger.”

Geni says Libby was born Jan. 18, 1758, and married Polly Hearl, born June 8, 1759. They had six sons and five daughters between 1784 and 1800; most whose birthplaces are listed were born in Lebanon (northwest of Berwick on the New Hampshire border), where Libby had a farm and was a Baptist Church deacon.

The senior Libbys apparently moved to Albion before 1820. Wiggin wrote that Libby was a deacon for 40 years, “sixteen of them in the Baptist Church on Besse Ridge near his home.” Albion’s Libby Hill is named after him, she said.

Benjamin Libby died May 23, 1834, and Polly died July 19, 1845, both in Albion, where they are buried in Libby Hill cemetery.

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According to three different websites (Our Family History, FamilySearch, Find a Grave), two generations of Lincoln men who served in the Revolution are buried together in Albion’s Lincoln Cemetery.

George Lincoln was born about 1728 or about 1732 (sources differ), perhaps in Taunton, Massachusetts. On April 3, 1755, in the First Congregational Church in Rochester, Massachusetts, he married Keziah (or Kezia) Sherman, born in Rochester on Oct. 28, 1728. (Rochester is about 30 miles southeast of Taunton.)

They had at least two children, a daughter they named Keziah, born April 1, 1756, and a son they named Sherman, born in 1762 or 1763 (Find a Grave says both men’s birth dates are estimates; WikiTree takes 1762 from the younger Lincoln’s pension application).

Your writer found no information on George Lincoln’s service during the Revolution. His son, Sherman, was a private, WikiTree says; in the pension application he filed in July, 1832, he wrote that he was living in Rochester during his (unspecified) service.

The younger Lincoln married Chloe Blackwell (born July 28, 1765) on Nov. 2, 1797, in Sandwich, Massachusetts. WikiTree says their marriage was recorded in Rochester. (Sandwich is near the coast, about 25 miles east of Rochester.)

The pension application says Lincoln left Rochester in/around 1822, presumably with his wife and, WikiTree guesses, his father.

The China bicentennial history lists Sherman Lincoln “of Ligonia” (another of Albion’s former names) as buying pew number nine in China’s Baptist meeting house on June 20, 1823, for $25. Lincoln was still in China in 1840 (according to FamilySearch) and 1841 (according to Our Family History).

George Lincoln died in 1824, aged 96. Chloe died in August, 1841, and Sherman died Feb. 14, 1842, in Albion.

Find a Grave has a photo of a monument in Albion’s Lincoln Cemetery with George, Sherman and Chloe’s names, death dates and ages. WikiTree doesn’t guarantee George is actually buried there; the site says “(or at least his name is on the monument there with his son).”

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Samuel Moore (or Mooers) was born in March, 1748, in Candia, New Hampshire, (according to Our Family History). The source cites Albion town records saying he enlisted June 10, 1775, from Chester, Massachusetts, and his gravestone describes him as “A soldier in the Revolutionary war.”

On July 20, 1779, still in Candia, he married a woman named Sally (your writer found no further information).

Sources then skip to his last years. Our Family History says, “He is age 104 in home of Arba and Mary Shorey in 1850 census of Albion.” (Both Shoreys were Albion natives, Arba born in 1815 and Mary in 1818.)

Find a Grave quotes a newspaper article originally published in the Piscataquis Observer on Feb. 28, 1850, describing Moore, then a 105-year-old Revolutionary pensioner, at the Hatch House, where “He walks with as much agility as do most men of 60 years. He is desirous of getting married, provided he can find a young and virtuous lady of his years.”

(Your writer could not find information on the Hatch House.)

Moore died June 30, 1854, at the age of 106 years and three months. He is buried in Albion’s #4 Cemetery.

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William Morrison was born in Wells, Maine, on April 1, 1759. Find A Grave says he was at British General John Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga, New York, on Oct. 17, 1777 (when he was about 18 and a half years old).

On Feb. 17 or 18, 1783, still in Wells, Morrison married Kezia Gowen, born in 1761. Between 1785 and 1799, they had four sons and one daughter. Kezia died in 1835; her widower died Dec. 2 or Dec. 26, 1842. Find a Grave quotes from his Libby Hill Cemetery gravestone, which also describes him as “A soldier of the Revolution:”

My deathless spirit when I die
Shall on the wings of angels fly
To mansions in the sky

In 1950, Howard Schofield Morrison, in Albany, Oregon, published a 16-page paperback booklet titled “Some descendants of William Morrison, Revolutionary soldier of Wells, Lebanon and Albion, Maine.”

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FamilySearch’s summary of Barton Pollard, Jr.’s, life says he was born in Plaistow, New Hampshire, May 22, 1756; lived in Hancock (Maine) in 1790 and Clinton in 1800; registered for military service in 1838; died Sept. 10, 1828, in Albion.

Of Mary Phillips, who married Pollard in Vassalboro around 1788, the same source says she was born Aug. 22, 1772, in Vassalboro; lived in Brooks in 1838; registered for military service in 1836; died Aug. 18, 1845, in Bangor.

Wiggin wrote that Pollard enlisted from Raymond, New Hampshire. Given his birthdate, the year could have been any time after the Revolution began in April 1775 – but not 10 years after he died. Your writer doubts that Mary ever registered.

Major General Carleton Edward Fisher, in his Clinton history, wrote that the family “slipped back and forth between Clinton and Winslow” for some years: Winslow in 1789, Clinton in 1790, Winslow in 1793, Clinton in 1794 (Pollard bought an interest in a mill, and in 1796 was elected tax collector and constable), “gone again” by 1810.

RootsWeb on-line says they lived in Vassalboro from 1801 to about 1813, and then in Albion. However, FamilySearch says the last five of their 11 children (six sons and five daughters) were born in Albion, between 1801 and 1816.

The Pollards named their oldest son Henry Dearborn Pollard, presumably after Henry Dearborn, Revolutionary military leader who was an officer on Benedict Arnold’s 1775 expedition to Québec and later attained the rank of colonel.

(Wikipedia says Dearborn was discharged from the army in June 1783, and promptly settled in Gardiner. He became a major-general in the Maine militia; was appointed Marshal of the District of Maine by President Washington; and represented Maine in the United States House of Representatives from 1793 to 1797.)

Henry Dearborn Pollard’s next-younger brother, born in 1795, was named Marcus Quintus Cincinnatus Pollard.

(Wikipedia lists no such person. It does have information on Roman statesman Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus [c. 519 B.C. to c. 430 B.C].

(Revolutionary General Henry Knox, the country’s first Secretary of War, founded the Society of the Cincinnati in 1783, Wikipedia says. Its original goals were “to assist the officers of the Continental Army and Navy and their families, to preserve the ideals of the American Revolution, and to maintain the union of the former colonies.”

(Wikipedia says Henry Dearborn was “an original member of the New Hampshire Society of the Cincinnati.”)

Main sources

Wiggin, Ruby Crosby, Albion on the Narrow Gauge (1964)

Websites, miscellaneous.

The first Methodist foreign missionary was a son of Central Maine

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In 1833, Rev. Melville Cox (1799-1833) of Hallowell, was the first to serve as a Methodist foreign missionary. A historical marker, in Hallowell, tells of the short but successful career of Rev. Melville B. Cox.

by Dale Potter-Clark

In October, 1793 the Methodist itinerant minister, Jesse Lee from Virginia first preached in Hallowell and a Methodist Society was formed. Capt. Charles Cox and his wife Martha, of Hallowell, were the first two converts to Methodism in that town. In 1799 Martha gave birth to twins, Melville and Gershom and when a revival was held there in 1800 the couple had their sons baptized. Both of the boys grew up to become Methodist ministers.

At age 18, Melville Cox felt called to the ministry while on a walk alone in the woods near his home, and he began preaching by age twenty. He became licensed to preach by the Kennebec District Conference, in March, 1821 and in 1822, received his first appointment as an itinerant preacher. In 1823 he served the Exeter, New Hampshire, circuit and in 1824 he was assigned to Buxton. Preaching on Methodist circuits was a tough existence in those days when itinerants often slept on the cold ground at night on their travels between towns, and during the winter months they sometimes awoke covered in snow. That life took its toll on Rev. Cox who became stricken with tuberculosis and he was forced to return home in 1825.

In 1827-28 Rev. Cox served in a supervisory position for the Kennebec circuit and during that time the Methodists decided they should build a church in Hallowell. Rev. Cox was chosen to find and secure land where a new structure would be raised, and on February 8, 1826 the Methodist trustees paid $325.00 to Samuel & Martha Prescott of Hallowell for a parcel on 5th Street. The church was later dedicated as “Cox Memorial” in honor of Rev. Cox.

His next assignment was in Virginia in 1828, the same year he married Ellen Cromwell, of Baltimore, Maryland, and their daughter was born. Still in ill health, he gave up the ministry and worked as the editor of biweekly The Itinerant, also known as Wesleyan Methodist Visitor and published in Baltimore 1830-31. Then tragedy struck in 1830 when both his wife and daughter died during a cholera epidemic and he soon after followed his calling back to the ministry. His brother, Gershom became a Methodist minister about 1827 and for 40 years served churches throughout Maine and New Hampshire. Melville’s Methodist tentacles reached far beyond those of his brother, for in spite of his grief and ill health he became interested in foreign missions.

The Methodist Episcopal Church had formed a Missionary Society in 1819, but a suitable foreign missionary had not yet been found – until 1832 when Rev. Melville Cox agreed to a serve a colony for freed American slaves in Monrovia, Liberia, Africa, making him the first ever overseas Methodist missionary. He boarded the ship Jupiter, on November 6, 1832, bound for West Africa. Having already made plans for what he hoped to accomplish in Liberia, he wrote in his journal on the voyage, “In making up my mind and in searching for a passage to go out, I have followed the best light I could obtain. I now leave it all with God…”

Rev. Melville Cox arrived in Liberia on March 9, 1833, but given his already weakened condition from tuberculosis he soon succumbed to malaria fever and died that July. In those five months Rev. Cox had organized the Methodist Episcopal Church, in Liberia, and founded the College of West Africa which he modeled after the Maine Wesleyan Seminary (Kents Hill School), in Readfield, where his brother was a Trustee.

A historical marker sits on the banks of the Kennebec River, in Hallowell, that tells of the short but successful career of Rev. Melville B. Cox. In 1835 Rev. Gershom Cox wrote a 240-page biography about his brother titled, Remains of Melville B. Cox, Late Missionary to Liberia: With a Memoir.

Kennebec County 4-Her wins national challenge

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Morgan B. (photo courtesy University of Maine Cooperative Extension)

Submitted by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension

When people think of artificial intelligence and conservation, they don’t always imagine the two intersecting. But for one Kennebec County 4-H member, the overlap has opened doors to innovation and earned national recognition. This summer, Morgan B, a member of the Delta Prime Robotics 4-H Club, from the Richmond area, won a national 4-H AI Community Challenge competition. Her project, the Fish-Friendly Culvert AI Chatbot, ties together the seemingly disparate worlds of conservation and technology, offering a potential solution for one of Maine’s long-standing infrastructure and environmental challenges: poorly designed culverts.

Bridging Conservation and Technology

Culverts may seem like a minor detail in the landscape, but they play an outsized role in both community safety and ecological health. Across Maine, undersized or improperly installed culverts cause flooding, road washouts and costly repairs. They also block fish passage, fragmenting critical coldwater habitats needed by salmonids and Maine’s cherished wild brook trout.

Morgan’s project uses artificial intelligence to help landowners identify problem culverts and find solutions that benefit both people and fish. By uploading inlet and outlet photos of their culvert, landowners can receive an AI-generated assessment that highlights structural issues, identifies permitting needs and even connects them with potential grants to cover replacement costs.

“I wanted to choose a project that had a widespread impact,” Morgan explained. “Culvert replacement isn’t just for fish, it reduces flooding and road washouts and creates healthier communities. This solution is scalable, user-friendly and educational. An AI Chatbot could give immediate, personalized help and up-to-date information.”

From Concept to Prototype

To ensure the chatbot would deliver accurate, relevant information, Morgan consulted with experts in the field. She shared her early prototype with Matthew Streeter, president of the Sebago chapter of Trout Unlimited, who has worked in habitat connectivity and coldwater conservation for more than a decade. Streeter confirmed that the AI-generated assessments were factually correct, validating the project’s potential as a real-world resource.

The chatbot, affectionately named “Cully,” guides users through a friendly conversation. After requesting basic information like location and stream width, Cully analyzes culvert photos to flag issues such as perched outlets, undersized pipes and flow restrictions. It then provides recommendations for replacement options—like bottomless arch culverts or bridges that mimic natural stream conditions—and funding opportunities through state, federal and nonprofit programs.

A Youth Perspective on AI

As part of the 4-H AI Community Challenge, Morgan learned new skills in machine learning and data analysis while gaining a deeper understanding of how AI works. For example, she learned about retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) databases, which are systems that strengthen AI responses by connecting them to reliable data sources. She also discovered new ways AI can generate images and was inspired to learn that Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI, is a female leader now pioneering AI safety through her new venture, Thinking Machine Lab.

The competition also asked students to reflect on when it might be inappropriate to use AI. Morgan was clear-eyed in her answer: projects requiring human judgment or carrying risks of harm should not be delegated to machines. AI, she emphasized, should be a tool, not a substitute for creativity or responsibility.

The project is an example of how 4-H emphasizes hands-on learning, mentorship and leadership. By identifying a real problem in her community, working with an adult expert to validate her ideas and applying new technical skills to create a solution, Morgan experienced the full cycle of learning by doing. Along the way, she built confidence, practiced problem-solving and contributed meaningfully to conservation efforts. These outcomes are at the heart of 4-H’s mission to prepare young people for success in work and life. To learn more about the Maine 4-H program, visit the website at extension.umaine.edu/4h.

About University of Maine Cooperative Extension: As a trusted resource for over 100 years, Extension has supported UMaine’s land and sea grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county. UMaine Extension seeks to build thriving communities and help grow the food-based economy. Extension also leads Maine’s 4-H program, the most successful out-of-school youth educational program in the state. 4-H programs are grounded in the belief that kids learn best by doing and are developed to fit a variety of backgrounds, interests, budgets and schedules. Participants complete hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture and civic engagement in a positive environment where they are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles.

Transformational new laws to protect residents of mobile home communities take effect

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Last week, four new laws sponsored by Senate Democrats to preserve some of the strongest remaining affordable housing options in Maine took effect. These transformational laws, passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Mills earlier this year, aim to help residents of mobile home communities purchase the parks they live in via a right of first refusal, tax incentives and a new method of funding the Mobile Home Park Preservation and Assistance Fund.

These laws come as Maine has seen a growing trend of out-of-state private equity firms attempting to buy up mobile home communities. Often, these corporate firms raise lot rents on residents and neglect maintenance.

“Over the past year, the Housing and Economic Development Committee has taken a hard look at how to build more housing in Maine and, just as importantly, how to protect the affordable housing we still have,” said Sen. Chip Curry, Senate Chairman of the Legislature’s Housing and Economic Development Committee. “These new laws give residents a fighting chance to stay in their homes and safeguard their communities. They push back on business models that put profits over people, and they show what it looks like when we legislate with urgency, compassion, and impact.”

LD 1145, “An Act to Protect Residents Living in Mobile Home Parks,” introduced by Sen. Tim Nangle, D-Windham, creates a right of first refusal for resident cooperatives to match a third-party offer to purchase the park they live in, providing them with the ability to control their future housing costs while ensuring that sellers receive the full market value of their property.

“Mobile home communities are not commodities. They are neighborhoods where families, veterans and seniors have built their lives,” said Sen. Nangle. “Maine can’t solve our housing crisis if we don’t also protect the affordable homes we already have. This law ensures that when these communities go up for sale, residents have the chance to step up and protect their homes, their dignity and their way of life.”

LD 1016, “An Act to Establish the Manufactured Housing Community and Mobile Home Park Preservation and Assistance Fund,” introduced by Sen. Cameron Reny, D-Bristol, creates a per-lot transfer fee on the purchase of mobile home parks, which applies only to purchasing entities with a net worth of more than $50 million, preserving the ability of local for-profit, non-profit and resident co-ops to buy and sell parks as they have for decades. Revenues from the transfer fee paid by equity firms and other high-end investor entities go toward a permanent Mobile Home Park Preservation and Assistance Fund to support residents at risk of displacement.

LD 554, “An Act to Encourage Resident-owned Communities and Preserve Affordable Housing Through Tax Deductions,” also introduced by Sen. Reny, creates a tax deduction to incentivize the sale or transfer of housing developments, manufactured housing communities, or apartment complexes to resident-owned communities, cooperative affordable housing corporations, or municipal housing authorities. This law allows for an income tax exemption of up to $750,000 on capital gains from these transfers.

“All Maine people deserve the opportunity to be secure in their housing,” said Sen. Reny. “This year, we’ve been working hard to preserve one of Maine’s last forms of naturally affordable housing: mobile home and manufactured home communities. My bills, LD 554 and LD 1016, help give residents the leg up they need when trying to purchase the land under their homes and invest in the future security of their community. I’m glad to see these tools become available to Maine residents.”

LD 1768, “An Act to Protect Residents of Mobile Home Parks by Amending the Real Estate Transfer Tax,” introduced by Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, eliminates the real estate transfer tax on sales of mobile home parks when the buyers are the residents themselves.

“This year, my colleagues and I worked hard to maintain and preserve the affordability of mobile home parks,” said Sen. Bailey. “Whether it’s residents of Atlantic Village, Blue Haven or Old Orchard Village, I continue to hear from folks who worry about the sales of their parks or steep increases in their rents. Over the summer, I have been attending meetings in these communities. I also can’t forget a mother who recently wrote to me. She works full-time while raising her two sons, and her family budget is already stretched thin. She is doing all she can. Having experienced something similar, I know these laws matter. I also know that we have more work to do.”

As non-emergency legislation, these new laws took effect on September 24, 2025, 90 days after the First Special Session of the 132nd Legislature adjourned.

LD 1145, the right of first refusal law, was initially proposed as emergency legislation that would take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature, but House Republicans blocked the bill from receiving the necessary two-thirds vote.

EVENTS: UMaine Extension announces horticulture and gardening training programs

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University of Maine Cooperative Extension will open registration this month for two comprehensive horticulture education programs designed for aspiring professionals and passionate home gardeners alike.

The Maine Horticulture Apprentice Training is ideal for individuals looking to explore a new career path, enhance existing skills, or launch a business in horticulture. This program blends flexible, self-paced online learning with a hands-on apprenticeship guided by experienced industry mentors.

“We developed this training with direct input from employers across Maine’s green industry to ensure participants gain the practical, real-world skills they need to succeed,” said Rebecca Long, coordinator of horticulture training programs at UMaine Extension. “Whether you’re just starting out or changing careers, this program opens doors.”

Enrollment for the Horticulture Apprentice Training opens Monday, September 22, 2025, at noon, and space is limited. For course fees, schedules and more information, visit the Maine Horticulture Apprentice Training website.

For those looking to build their gardening knowledge without any volunteer or apprenticeship requirements, the Maine Gardener Training offers a fully virtual option focused on foundational horticulture education. Designed for gardeners of all levels, this course provides in-depth instruction on plant care, soil health, pest management and more.

According to Long, “This course is a great fit for anyone who wants to grow with confidence, troubleshoot garden issues, and understand the science behind successful gardening.”

Enrollment for the Maine Gardener Training opens Monday, September 29, 2025, at noon, and space is limited. For course fees, schedules and more information, visit the Maine Gardener Training website.

For more information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact the Extension horticulture team at 207.581.3188 or extension.gardening@maine.edu.

RSU #18 welcomes new superintendent

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Andrew Carlton

Wilton native Andrew Carlton takes over reign

by Mary Grow

Wilton native Andrew Carlton has “the job I’ve wanted since I became a superintendent of schools:” the superintendency of Oakland-based Regional School Unit (RSU) #18.

On July 1, his first day at work in his new position, Carlton was up and dressed at 4 a.m. His wife suggested he did not need to show up quite that early.

With the help of RSU staff, Carlton expanded his knowledge of his new territory – five towns, eight schools, more than 2,500 students – through July and August. In mid-September, with classes under way, his enthusiasm continues unabated.

He appreciates the communities. He praised the school facilities and grounds, the academics, the cohesion within the union, the administrators – “high-quality, we can work together instead of [me] teaching them.”

RSU #18 is unusual in that four towns – Belgrade, Oakland, Rome and Sidney – form a geographical unit and the fifth, China, is separate, on the far side of the Kennebec River and the City of Waterville.

Carlton knows at least one other Maine school unit with a geographically detached town. Separation creates minor problems, for example with bus routes, but does not make China less important, in his view.

China residents are committed to their schools, Carlton observed. At China’s pre-school open house, it was impossible to find a parking space (the other RSU towns also had good turn-outs). And China residents called his office over the summer concerned about the broken school zone warning signs on Lakeview Drive, which were fixed just before school opened.

China is the only RSU #18 town to offer students a choice of high schools, and Carlton appreciates residents’ support for the option. Oakland’s Messalonskee High School is excellent, and he is pleased that some China students enroll there, but choice gives students more opportunities to pursue individual interests.

He praised China’s two “beautiful” school buildings and the “fabulous” town manager, Rebecca Hapgood.

One of Carlton’s goals, not always achieved, is to visit every RSU #18 school at least once a week, and China won’t be overlooked. He also comes to each school biweekly to meet with the principal.

Carlton thinks RSU #18 is doing well, with high-performing students and varied programs. His main goals are maintenance: continue to offer programs that provide “high-quality opportunities to all students”; keep infrastructure in its current excellent shape; make sure staff salaries are appropriate and competitive; and focus on school safety – while keeping taxpayers always in mind.

“We exist because of our taxpayers, so we have to use their dollars to give their students the best possible education,” he said.

Carlton came to RSU #18 by a winding route. His mother was a school secretary, his father a golf pro, and his first plan was to follow his father.

A major in golf management at Campbell University, in North Carolina, was followed by a degree in history from the University of Maine at Farmington and a spell as a golf pro. Needing a winter job, he became an educational technician at Oak Hill High School in Wales (RSU #4), and realized he had found his calling.

After two years at Oak Hill, Carlton taught special education at Fairfield-based Maine School Administrative District (MSAD) #49; became special education director in MSAD #13 (Bingham and Moscow); and went back to RSU #4 to serve as a principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent.

The pandemic led to a temporary career change: Carlton spent two years as Gardiner’s city manager. He enjoyed the job, but “missed the kids”; so he next became Waterville’s special education director.

When Carl Gartley’s retirement created the RSU #18 opening, Carlton applied and was chosen as his successor.

Carlton enjoyed his varied career, working under leaders who gave him chances to learn, including from his mistakes. It was “all a very good experience,” he said. The two years in Gardiner showed him the importance of school and municipal officials working together.

Carlton intends to distribute a community letter soon, and to begin advertising office hours in RSU towns, where interested residents can stop in to talk with him.

Meanwhile, he’s still learning, and still enjoying his job. “There’s always a new challenge,” he said happily.

Fall foliage report: All zones very low

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FALL SCENE: Susan Thiem, of Texas, a summer resident of China, captured this fall foliage scene.

Foliage season enthusiasts can visit the state’s official foliage website where weekly reports are available online and by email. Capture and share fall adventures by tagging photos with #MaineFoliage on social media. Stay inspired through the Maine Fall Foliage Facebook and Instagram accounts featuring fresh images and seasonal activities from across the state. For even more fall trip ideas and travel planning resources, visit www.visitmaine.com.

Visit MaineFoliage.com. Color change and leaf drop in all seven zones, are very low.

Foliage Zones

Zone 1: Mid-Coast and South Coastal Maine, including Camden, Portland, Kennebunkport, and Kittery;
Zone 2: Downeast Maine, including Machias, Bar Harbor, and Penobscot Bay;
Zone 3: Central and Southwestern Maine, including Bangor, Augusta, and Fryeburg;
Zone 4: Eastern Mid-Maine, including Houlton, Millinocket, and Calais;
Zone 5: Western Mid-Maine, including Greenville, Rangeley, Bethel;
Zone 6: Northwestern Maine;
Zone 7: Northeastern Maine, including Fort Kent, Caribou, and Presque Isle;

PHOTO: And the winners are…

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Horses Ruby and Buck, owned by Steve Haskell, of Palermo, placed first at the 2025 Horse Pulling Sweepstakes at the Windsor Fair. (photo by Gary Mazoki)

Northern Light Health seeks mediation with Anthem

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Northern Light Health has asked Anthem to agree to mediation, employing a mutually acceptable mediator

Northern Light Health has notified Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s (Anthem) leadership that it would agree to engage in mediation as a last ditch effort to resolve the impasse between the two parties.

“We cannot predict whether mediation will be successful should Anthem agree to this process, but it is the right thing to do as we continue to prioritize the best possible outcome for our patients,” said James Rohrbaugh, CPA, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Northern Light Health. “We hope that Anthem will agree to mediation.”

Northern Light Health recently made the difficult decision to go out of network with Anthem when it became clear it was unlikely the two sides would reach agreement on a sustainable contract for the services Northern Light provides. If Northern Light Health and Anthem are unable to agree to terms, Northern Light Health will be out of network with Anthem for physicians and ancillary services effective October 1, 2025, and effective December 31, 2025, will be out of network with Anthem hospital-based
services.

Patients can visit northernlighthealth.org/anthem for additional information and details on alternative insurance plans that Northern Light Health accepts. For any other questions, patients can email AnthemQuestions@NorthernLight.org or call Northern Light Health’s dedicated community information line at 1-888-616-0039.

Local students graduate from Plymouth State University

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Plymouth State University, in Plymouth, New Hampshire, congratulates more than 650 students who received their academic degrees on Friday-Saturday, May 9-10, 2025, at the Bank of New Hampshire.

They include Dylan Flewelling, of Oakland, graduated Summa Cum Laudewith a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sport Physiology. Riley Johnson, of Windsor, graduated Summa Cum Laudewith a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Courtney Peabody, of Solon, graduated Magna Cum Laudewith a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education, and Abigail Sewall, of Jefferson, graduated Magna Cum Laudewith a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.