Amanda Cooley
Waterville Creates announces the addition of two new members to the board of directors and a new board chairman stepping into the role. The organization’s robust programming, increased staffing, and growing presence in the Waterville community presents the need and opportunity for new and increased support from members of the community and Board of Directors to support the mission of Waterville Creates.
Amanda Cooley steps into the role of board chairman. In her role as vice president and marketing and communications officer at Kennebec Savings Bank, Cooley is responsible for overseeing the bank’s marketing, communications, and community giving initiatives. Cooley joined KSB in 2018 as the corporate giving and community relations coordinator. Most recently, she served as assistant vice president and community engagement officer, overseeing the bank’s Community Dividends program and volunteer efforts. Prior to joining Kennebec Savings Bank, Cooley held positions in marketing, event planning, and communications for Colby College and Husson University.
Cooley replaces Jim LaLiberty, of Jabar, LaLiberty, and Dubord LLC, as board chairman. LaLiberty served as chairman for six years for the organization. “On behalf of the board and staff of Waterville Creates, I want to express sincere gratitude to our outgoing board chairman, Jim LaLiberty, who provided steady guidance and leadership for six years as we navigated numerous challenges, including a multi-organization merger, a global pandemic, and the design and move to our new home at the Paul J. Schupf Art Center,” said Shannon Haines, president and CEO of Waterville Creates. “We are thrilled that Amanda Cooley, who joined the board in 2021, will take the reins as board chairman in 2025 as we look forward to the next chapter of Waterville Creates’ development.”
Hannah Bard and Katie Brann are both joining the board of directors this year. Bard is the director at Mid-Maine Regional Adult Community Education, where she has worked for 13 years in several roles. Bard attended Thomas College, in Waterville, for a BS in elementary education and teaching, and USM for an MS in adult and continuing education administration. She was recently named the 2024 Outstanding Adult Education Administrator by the Maine Adult Education Association.
Brann joined Golden Pond Wealth Management, in Waterville, in April 2019. She graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in political science and minor in business administration. Among her specialties are ESG investing and comprehensive financial planning; she achieved the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation in March 2021. Most recently, she has been named to the Mainebiz Nextup: 40 Under 40 list, which recognizes young business professionals in the state of Maine. She was chairman of KV Connect in 2022 and was named Emerging Leader of the Year by Central Maine Growth Council in 2021.
“We are delighted to welcome Hannah and Katie to the board in 2025,” Haines said. “They are both active and engaged community members who bring with them valuable experience in public education and financial management that will help Waterville Creates to achieve its strategic goals.”
Starting this past Monday, January 6, 2025, through June 20, 2025, the project will be closing the Ticonic bridge to all traffic for construction activities requiring access to the entire bridge. During this time, pedestrians will NOT be allowed to transit the bridge. Both pedestrians and vehicles will be required to follow the posted detour routes. The detour routes can be found in the traffic control drawings on the MaineDOT website (Plans F-H). Message boards will be used to warn drivers of the closure.
On June 20, westbound vehicle traffic will remain prohibited from the bridge for a period of approximately one year. Westbound traffic should continue to follow the detour routes that are posted. Eastbound traffic will be reopened at approximately 5 p.m., on June 20, 2025, and will be allowed access to the bridge during the westbound detour. At that time the bridge will reopen to pedestrian traffic utilizing the new sidewalk on the upstream side of the bridge.
The Maine Department of Transportation will be replacing the Ticonic Bridge (#2854), located on Route 201 over the Kennebec River, at the Waterville-Winslow town line. The Ticonic Bridge will be replaced on alignment, with a new two span, steel girder with concrete bridge deck structure. A single concrete pier will be built in the river to support the new bridge.
This new structure will replace the aging Ticonic Bridge, portions of which are over 100 years old and at the end of their useful life. The new bridge will carry five lanes of traffic similar to the existing bridge, feature widened shoulders for bicyclists, and include sidewalks on both sides of the bridge.
The new Ticonic Bridge will be built one half at a time. During construction limiting the number of lanes on the bridge will be necessary to provide the space needed by the contractor to demolish the existing bridge and to build the new one.
While construction is underway, two lanes of eastbound traffic will be maintained across the bridge with westbound traffic detoured south to the Carter Memorial Bridge. During the first half of construction, pedestrians will be detoured to the nearby Two Cent Bridge pedestrian crossing.
The bridge will be closed to all traffic and pedestrians for up to 25 weeks during construction to support the safe and efficient completion of critical construction activities.
Rotarians Raising Awareness on Purple Pinky Day at the Alfond Youth Center.
The Waterville Rotary Noon club has had a busy year of putting “Service above Self”. With the new Rotary year starting in July, the club has already completed several Community Outreach and assistance projects.
Tina Chapman and Tom Longstaff, two of the 20 Waterville Rotary Club members, who rang the bell for the Salvation Army.
In June, to wrap up the previous year, Rotary District #7790 hosted its District Conference, in Waterville. Visiting many local businesses, tours, and events, Waterville saw an economic impact of over $100,000 in spending over the two-day conference. Many visitors also extended their stay in Waterville beyond the conference.
In the spring, many club members took part in a clean-up in the South End neighborhood along Carter Memorial Drive. Rotarians spent morning hours cleaning up trash along the busy road and collecting returnable bottles and cans.
The annual Online Fall Auction the Club hosts brought in over $11,000 this past November. Proceeds from this auction will be used to help the club provide resources and help with Mental Health. Many local businesses donated items to the auction, and Rotarians were responsible for soliciting items.
The club does many community service and outreach projects throughout the year. Michele Prince, who serves on the Community Service committee states “the Waterville Rotary Club provides members with a wide variety of ways to engage with and positively impact the community. It is rewarding to be involved in these projects, and it’s also a lot of fun!” Other projects worth mentioning are the volunteer and financial support of the Maine Children’s Home Christmas program, financial support of the Maine Children’s Home Winter Essentials program, Salvation Army Bell ringing, and raising awareness and funds to help Rotary International in the eradication of Polio through the Purple Pinky Polio Project.
The club takes an active role in many community projects, and always invites others with the same service mindset to join them on a project or nominate a project. The best way to be involved is to become a member of the club. For more information, please email wtvlrotaryclub@gmail.com.
Waterville Rotary South End Clean Up team.
The Waterville Area Soup Kitchen will be holding its first fundraiser on Thursday, March 20, at the Elks Club, on Industrial Street, in Waterville. The event is a tropical themed winter getaway. The doors will open at 5 p.m.
The soup kitchen is open five days a week. Alight breakfast is provided in the morning and a hot lunch at noon time.
In 2024, the soup kitchen served over 80,000 meals.
The evening will include door prizes, appetizers and a cash back, entertainment, 50/50 drawing and live and silent auction.
For more information, and ticket information, email Info@WatervilleAreaSoupKitchen.org.
Waterville youth cheerleaders and the Unified Champions Club with the Waterville Police Department and Waterville Fire Department. (photo by Galen Neal, Central Maine Photography)
On December 8, Watervilles bravest and finest laced up their sneakers for the Battle of the Badges basketball game. This thrilling showdown between the Waterville Police and Fire departments brought lots of excitement to the court but also helped raise vital funds for two transformative community programs: the Unified Champion Club and the Pay-What-You-Can Program at the AYCC.
The Unified Champion Club promotes social inclusion through sports, fostering a supportive environment where individuals of all abilities can thrive, while the Pay-What-You-Can Program ensures youth athletics remain accessible to all families, regardless of financial constraints.
** 50/50 winner took home $132
** Raised over $3,000 on Sunday
** Special Olympics of ME granted $10K
A huge thank you to everyone who came out to support this year’s Battle of the Badges! From the intense competition to the incredible community spirit, it was a day to remember.
Our local heroes – Waterville Police Department vs. Firefighters – brought their A-game, and the crowd energy was unmatched. Congratulations to Waterville Fire – Rescue for taking home the bragging rights this year!
But the real winners? Our community – our Unified Champion Club, and youth athletes! We’re still compiling data, from the event, but congrats to all the mini-game winners, too.
For more information or to donate, visit https://www.clubaycc.org/battle-of-the-badges/ or contact the AYCC at 207-873-0684.
Sponsors were Central Maine Motors Auto Group, and the Maine Masonic Charitable Foundation.
William Mathews
As noted last week, this biographical sketch of Professor William Mathews, LL.D. (Doctor of Laws), is another follow-up to an earlier account, the Nov. 21 article on Waterville residents Jeremiah Chaplin and James Hobbs Hanson. Mathews was mentioned as a critic of Rev. Chaplin’s preaching. He also wrote the chapter in Edwin Carey Whittemore’s 1902 Waterville history on Waterville in the 1820s through 1840s, when he was young there.
Turns out Mathews lived a life your writer thought might interest readers, especially those who marvel at how widely 19th-century central Mainers traveled.
As usual, your writer found discrepancies in others’ accounts of his life. She has made her preferred source the biography in Arthur J. Roberts’ chapter on teachers in Whittemore’s history, believing Mathews probably proofread the section about himself.
* * * * * *
An on-line biography of Mathews calls him “an author, editor and sometime college professor.” Henry Kingsbury, in his Kennebec County history, called him a newspaper man. Roberts chose “teacher and author.”
Mathews was born in Waterville, July 28, 1818 (a little over a month after Professor Chaplin came to town). His parents were Simeon and Clymena (Esty) Mathews.
Simeon was born in Gray, Maine, on June 8, 1785, and came to Winslow in 1794 with his father. He became a successful businessman; his son mentioned his boat Eagle that brought supplies up the Kennebec for his stores in “Waterville, Fairfield, Skowhegan, China, and East Vassalborough.” Simeon died in Waterville on Dec. 24, 1841.
Clymena was born in New Hampshire in 1798, FamilySearch says. She and Simeon were married Sept. 30, 1817, in Winslow; she died in Waterville in 1867. William was the oldest and longest-lived of their five sons and one daughter, according to FamilySearch.
Roberts said from the age of nine to the age of 13, William Mathews prepared for college “at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary [founded in 1824 in Kents Hill; now Kents Hill School], and China, Monmouth, Bloomfield [in what is now Skowhegan], and Waterville academies.”
When he was 13, he entered Waterville College, graduating in 1835 at the age of 17.
Henry Prince, in his chapter on the press in Whittemore’s history, wrote that Mathews’ newspaper career began in 1832, when he and Daniel Wing published eight issues of a four-page newspaper called The Watervillonian.
In 1834, Mathews and F. R. Wells edited and Wing printed the North American Galaxy, or Watervillonian Revived. Whittemore, in his summary history of Waterville’s first century, quoted the description: “A semi-monthly journal devoted to Tales, Essays, Music, Biography, Poetry, Anecdotes, etc., besides a great many things that it ain’t devoted to at all.” It ran for four issues.
For the next four years, in Roberts’ version, Mathews studied law “alternately” in Timothy Boutelle’s Waterville office and at Harvard Law School. During this period, Whittemore wrote, he was the “secretary and moving spirit” when the Waterville Lyceum (the town’s second debating society) was organized in 1837. In 1839, he got an LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) from Harvard College, Roberts said.
During the year 1839-1840, Roberts wrote, Mathews was “in Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington,” and taught at Amelia Court-house, Virginia. (The present Amelia Court House is about 150 miles from Washington, almost 200 miles from Baltimore and almost 300 miles from Philadelphia.)
Mathews was admitted to the Kennebec Bar in 1840 (or 1838; sources differ) and practiced in Waterville and Benton from the spring of 1841 to 1843. On May 29, 1841, he and Wing began publishing a family newspaper again named The Watervillonian. An on-line source says the paper covered “literature, morals, agriculture, news, etc.”
In 1842 the paper was renamed the Yankee Blade, with Mathews sole proprietor. Lack of support in Waterville led to a move to Gardiner in 1843 and to Boston in 1847.
Prince quoted from a letter Matthews sent him in which Mathews claimed that in 1841, the paper started with 400 subscribers, but “by filling its columns to a large extent with elegant extracts from old and modern English writers, from Chaucer to Carlyle,” he reduced the list to 250 within a year. The first year’s profit was $600.
Mathews sold the paper in 1856 and moved to Chicago (no one explained why). There, an on-line source says, he first edited “a financial weekly” while also “running a department at the Chicago Daily Tribune, contributing to other newspapers and lecturing (topics unspecified).
In 1859 he became the Chicago YMCA librarian. More than one source says he was invited to chair the Department of English and Rhetoric at the University of Chicago, though none explains why. He taught there from 1862 to 1875.
Colby University awarded him his honorary LL.D. in 1868.
In 1873 he published a collection of his Chicago Tribune essays he titled Getting on in the World. This book and its 1874 successor, The Great Conversers and Other Essays, sold so well that he retired from teaching to became a full-time writer, translator and editor. Roberts listed nine of his books.
An on-line introduction to an edition of his Hours with Men and Books claims his fame was undeserved. It begins:
“A wildly popular author, an ivy-league attorney, a university professor and a plagiarist: Mathews made his mark in American literary fame in the late 1800’s because his literary larceny was never discovered. From his training it is no surprise. He was smart and had friends in high places.”
Whittemore contributors said Mathews was back in Waterville in July 1879 for the semi-centennial graduation exercises at Waterville Academy, during which he shared a paper he wrote on the early history of the school.
Both on-line biographies say he moved to Boston in 1880 and continued writing. One adds that between 1880 and 1888 he spent almost three years traveling in Europe.
In addition to contributing a chapter to the 1902 Waterville history, Mathews – described as “of Boston” – is listed as a participant in the 1902 celebration. Whittemore praised his books and wrote, “We hail him as our literary Nestor and are glad that his presence graces this occasion.”
(Nestor was a character in Homer’s Iliad, an elderly warrior who advised the younger men. The Encyclopedia Britannica calls him “sage and pious.” Wikipedia says his advice was respected, though it was not always sound and was accompanied by boasting.)
Roberts said Mathews married three times, listing his wives as in 1845, Mary Elizabeth Dingley, of Winslow; in 1850, Isabella (Isabelle, Isabel) Marshall, of China; and in 1865, Harriet Griggs, of Chicago. No source mentions any children.
On-line sources say Mary Elizabeth was born Oct. 16, 1827, in Winslow. She died in Winslow or Waterville Jan. 28, 1848, “after a lingering illness,” and is buried in Waterville’s Pine Grove cemetery.
Isabella was Isabelle Isaphene Marshall, daughter of prominent China businessman and politician Alfred Marshall and his wife, Lydia Brackett. Isabelle was born March 9, 1826; she and Mathews were married June 15, 1850, and she went to Chicago with him, where she died Oct. 9, 1863, aged 37.
Harriet was born Nov. 9, 1833, in Chicago, died Oct. 6, 1920, in Brookline, Massachusetts, and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery, according to the website watervillegenealogy.com.
Another on-line source says Mathews was injured in a fall in 1907 and for the last two years of his life “continued his literary work by dictation.” He died Feb. 14, 1909, in Boston. One source says he, too, is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery; Find a Grave lists his parents, Simeon and Clymena, and other family members, but not William.
More on Winslow’s Brick School
Cushman Rd. school, south side. (photo by Roland D. Hallee)
One more bit of information about the Brick School, on Cushman Road, in Winslow, from a reader. She said a family named Britton owned the land on which the schoolhouse stands before the Giddings acquired it. They built the still-standing house next door in 1794.
Her great-grandmother on her father’s side was a Britton, and her father called the building the Britton schoolhouse.
Two Isaac Brittons are buried in the North Vassalboro Village Cemetery, she said. Find a Grave lists four Brittons there: Isaac (May 9, 1790 – Nov. 1, 1859); his wife, Emily Britton (Aug. 9, 1793 – Sept. 10, 1864) (her maiden name is not given); their son, Isaac Wilson Britton (March 12, 1816 – March 31, 1898), born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and died in Winslow: and their daughter-in-law, Abigail or Abby (Garland) Britton (March 14, 1822 – Dec. 20, 1906).
Contributors to Find a Grave wrote that Isaac W. and Abby had one daughter, Abbie (1854 -1928), who was born in Winslow and married in 1881 Charles Fletcher Johnson (Feb. 14, 1859 – Feb. 15, 1930), also a Winslow native.
Johnson attended Waterville Classical Institute and graduated from Bowdoin in 1879. Before and/or after serving as Machias High School principal from 1881 to 1886, he studied law, learning enough to be admitted to the bar and to set up a law practice in Waterville in 1886, which lasted until 1911.
He was mayor of Waterville in 1893; unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1892 and 1894 (Republicans held the Maine governorship from 1882 to 1912); member of the Maine House of Representatives, 1905 to 1907; and United States Senator, 1911 to 1917 (losing a bid for re-election in 1916 to Republican Frederick Hale, who served until he retired at the end of his fourth term, in 1940).
On Oct. 1, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson nominated former senator Johnson as Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st District. Wikipedia says the Senate confirmed him the same day; he served from 1917 until he assumed senior status (semi-retirement) on April 30, 1929.
Abbie and Charles had a son who died at 11 years old, and a daughter, Emma L. (Johnson) Abbott (1886 – 1963). Emma and her husband, Dr. Henry Wilson Abbott (1884-1957) were the paternal grandparents of the reader who initiated this quest.
Kingsbury, Henry D., ed., Illustrated History of Kennebec County Maine 1625-1892 (1892)
Whittemore, Rev. Edwin Carey, Centennial History of Waterville 1802-1902 (1902)
Websites, miscellaneous.
Front Row, left to right, Bear Scout Declan McLaughlin, Girl Scout Lila Reynolds, Tiger Scout Boone Mclaughlin, Girl Scout Cadence Metcalf, and Bear Scout Beckett Metcalf. Back, Cubmaster Christopher Reynolds, Bear Scout Lux Reynolds, Webelos Cole Stufflebeam, Tenderfoot Scout William Vincent, Tenderfoot Scout Christopher Santiago, Tenderfoot Scout Hunter Brown, and Scoutmaster Christopher Santiago. (photo by Chuck Mahaleris)
On November 11, 2024, Scouts in Cub Scout Pack #410 and Troop #410 joined Scouts from Augusta Troop #603, Windsor Pack #609, and Winslow Troop #433, in marching in the Waterville Veterans Day Parade to honor and thank all veterans but specifically those from our Central Maine/Kennebec Valley Region. Troop #410, in Vassalboro, Scoutmaster Chris Santiago said, “This is our third year in a row marching in the Waterville Veterans Parade (post-pandemic). It is an honor for us to march to honor and show gratitude for the veterans of the Armed Forces within our community who have served our great country.
“We do so with admiration and gratitude, especially for our Charter Organization, American Legion Post #126 Vassalboro. The parade helps reinforce lessons about character and leadership, citizenship, personal fitness, and a love of the outdoors. These are four of scouting’s major tenants, the other two being personal safety and family/reverence.”
Pine Tree Council Commissioner Mike Labbe said that Scouting has a long history of strong partnerships with and support to our nation’s veterans. Labbe, who is the MyHealthy Vet Coordinator at VA Maine Medical Center, is also a Navy veteran himself having served on most ship types, with aviation squadrons, and with NATO commands.
“Some of Scouting America’s earliest partnerships as an organization were with groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. We, as a nation, owe so much to those who stepped forward and answered the call to serve. We teach our Cubs and Scouts to practice good citizenship and that includes by honoring our veterans.” Santiago added, “Our unit currently has approximately 20 scouts representing the communities of Vassalboro, China, and Waterville, but we always welcome new scouts. Our Cub Scout Pack accepts boys and girls in Grades K-5. For more information contact vassalborocubscoutpack410@gmail.com. Our Troop currently accepts boys in Grades 6-12. For more information contact vassalborobsatroop410 @gmail.com.”
Danica Serdjenian, of Waterville, was recently elected to membership into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at University of Rhode Island. Serdjenian is among approximately 20,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter.
The Parade of Lights, in downtown Waterville, kicked off the holiday season on November 30. (photo by Galen Neal, Central Maine Photography)
Santa Claus arrived in downtown Waterville during the Parade of Lights. (photo by Galen Neal, Central Maine Photography)
Winslow Fire/Rescue deputy chief’s wife, Heidi Murphy, and Engine 7 driver’s dog Bobby during the parade. (photo by Galen Neal, Central Maine Photography)
(photo by Galen Neal, Central Maine Photography)
