IF WALLS COULD TALK, Week of May 4, 2017

by Katie Ouilette

WALLS, surely we must feel honored. I found a business card, which I probably received at a Skowhegan Chamber of Commerce FAB Fair years ago and it read that The Town Line is the oldest [existing] weekly newspaper in Central Maine. The date was 1989. Y’know, faithful readers, the Skowhegan Independent Reporter surely outdated The Town Line, as its history follows, but certainly, WALLS, it is a great honor to be presenting your thoughts in print each week.

Yes, you are well-aware that the pocket-park at the corner of Madison Avenue and, what was, Russell Street in Skowhegan was the site of a large building. Yes, it was empty and folks learned that it was beyond repair by an architect and several others who were well-acquainted with old buildings. In fact, the same was determined for the, one time, Reporter Office. O.K., WALLS, go for it as this is reminiscing time for our faithful readers.

WALLS, tell about that big old building first. Yes, faithful readers, the top floor was the location of the first photographic studio in Skowhegan. Surely, WALLS, there were a lot of stairs to climb, so parents who wanted their children’s photos or people who wanted photos of people who were incapacitated for any reason had to have the photographer carry his equipment to one’s home. Then, on the third floor was Lydia Deane’s ‘candy kitchen’ and anyone who remembers those divine candies know that she shipped Lydia Deane’s candies to our military during World War II, while we lucky folks at home could visit her store that was located over our Maine Liquor Store on Madison Avenue. Our once Maine Governor and now U.S.Senator Angus King ran a law office for the Kennebec Legal Association on the second level. The first level housed two small grocery stores, one owned by Howard Gray and one by Emil Stred. After Wallace’s TV and Radio Sales and Repair became the building’s owner, we are told by Donna Wallace Finley that her dad placed a loud-speaker on the building and hundreds of people gathered there to get news of the ending of World War II. Ah, what a wonderful world we all thought we lived in!

O.K., WALLS, you told us that Skowhegan’s Reporter Office Building was torn down to create the ‘park’ in our downtown, so tell us about what happened to those bricks. Yes, Katie’s car was to be filled with some of the bricks. Oh, in her back seat, of course. Some of the bricks were to be used as a memorial to Herb Paradis, who was a founder and the first host of our Channel 11’s Keeping Pace, but we must remember that Herb wrote a column entitled Keeping Pace for our Somerset Reporter. WALLS, make sure to tell our faithful readers that “Buster” Foster was editor of The Reporter, too.

Now, here comes a twist to this bit of history. In East Madison is what has always been known as the Whittier House. Yes, Emma and Ed Whittier lived there and, when they ceased their living, the house was sold. to Jackie Jacques and Dick Anzelc amd all their family was born there. Dick worked at Alfond’s Shoe Manufacturing until Alfond’s ceased to exist. Well, Walls, now Rick and his wife have purchased the house, which was abused to say the least, and now it is the Anzelc house again. In the process of refurbishing “the Whittier house,” Katie learned that the fantastic antique brick fireplace that has a washtub and ovens in the kitchen had some broken bricks and what better place for antique bricks than what is now ‘the Anzelc House.’