Radio Script #648

Little Talks on Common Things

April 4, 1965

About a year ago, when the old North Grammar School was being demolished, there arose a brief controversy over what the carving on the face of the building represented. There cannot be the slightest question that it was meant to portray William Shakespeare. As proof may be cited verses printed in the “Waterville Mail” on March 2, 1888. They were written by the accomplished essayist and poet, Martha Baker Dunn, wife of Reuben Wesley Dunn, who lived for many years in the old house, now gone, that stood just north of Foss Hall on College Avenue.

Mrs. Dunn titled her poem “The Building of the Schoolhouse”, and 1888 was indeed the year when the North Grammar School was erected. This is the part of the poem that refers to the carving:

“So looking northward ever
We set the carven face
Of him, the mightiest master
Of all the human race.
0, keen, calm eyes of Shakespeare,
Not ancient Stratford town,
But our fair New World city
Beholds you looking down.
Those dumb lips say ‘Remember’!
That teeming restless brain
Is still the potent factor
In human joy and pain.”

I am frequently asked about stations on different branches of the Maine Central 60 and more years ago. What were the stations between Oakland and the end of the Somerset R.R.? Here they are: Oakland, Hoxies, Norridgewock, Madison, Anson, North Anson, Embden, Carratunk, Solon, Bingham, Bingham Heights. Deadwater, Bald Mountain, Bakers, Mosquito, Lake Moxie, Forsythe, Moores, Indian Pond, Marrs, Somerset Junction. Kineo Station, Mount Kineo House.

Now for the stations on the branch from Newport to Dover-Foxcroft. They were Newport, Camp Benson, Corinna, Lincoln Mills, Moodys, Dexter, Silver Mills, West Dover, Starbirds and Dover-Foxcroft.

On the Belfast and Moosehead Railroad there were these stations: Burnham Junction, Winnecook, Unity, Thorndike, Knox, Brooks, Waldo, City Point and Belfast.

On the branch from Pittsfield to Harmony there were these stations: Pittsfield, West Palmyra, Thompson, Hartland, Wild Goose Club, Mainstream and Harmony. One of the most interesting of those stops was at the Wild Goose Club, about which I told you on this program several years ago. It was a fashionable club on Moose Pond in Hartland, to which wealthy sportsmen came from the metropolitan centers. They came in the spring and summer for fishing and in the autumn for hunting. For their accommodation a special Pullman car was run regularly from New York and left on a siding at Wild Goose station, where the sportsmen could conveniently board it for the return trip. The place is now a boys’ camp, but preserved by the present proprietor are the old club records, especially those that contain the toll of fish and game. A bird now completely extinct is the passenger pigeon. One autumn in the 1880’s more than 2,000 of those birds were caught in nets at the Wild Goose Club.

One Maine Central branch that I knew well was the so-called Rumford line. Originally built from Rumford Junction near Auburn to Rumford Falls, it was later extended to Kennebago up in the Rangeley woods. Here are the stations: Rumford Junction, Elmwood, Rickers, Poland, Mechanic Falls, West Minot, East Hebron, Buckfield, East Sumner, Hartford, Canton, Gilbertville, East Peru, Peru, Dixfield, Rumford, Hale, Frye, Roxbury, Byron, Summit, Bemis, South Rangeley, Oquossoc, Kennebago. The station I knew best was West Minot, where for eight years I regularly took the stage to Hebron Academy.

Did you know that it is still possible to ride regularly a passenger train in Maine? It isn’t easy or especially convenient, but it can still be done. If you are willing to board the train at half past two in the morning, you can get on a well equipped modern Canadian Pacific train at Greenville and ride to Montreal. At about three in the morning you can take a train going in the opposite direction, from Greenville across Maine through Mattawamkeag and Vanceboro to Fredericton and St. John.

By the way, there are five distinct railroads still operating in Maine. All except the Canadian Pacific carry freight only, save for occasional passenger service in the summer. Besides the Canadian Pacific, four roads still carrying freight over rails in Maine are the Boston and Maine, the Maine Central. the Canadian National (formerly the Grand Trunk), and the Bangor and Aroostook.

Next to locomotives, the boys of sixty to seventy years ago were most fascinated by fire engines. No motorized fire truck of modern times can ever have the attraction of those old steam fire engines drawn by galloping horses. Does anyone know why white horses were usually preferred for fire engines? That was certainly the case in Waterville, and it seems to have been true in Portland and Bangor.

In 1894 the Waterville Fire Department already had a permanent, full time crew, but that crew consisted of only two men. The rest of the fire fighters, divided into companies for various sections of the city, consisted of 71 volunteer call men, who were then paid $1.00 for answering a call and 25 cents an hour beyond the first hour of fighting a blaze. The department had four horses, a Button steam fire engine, one hook and ladder truck, two hose reels, two hose wagons, and a general alarm system with 15 boxes. That was really pretty good for 70 years ago.

In these lavish days, when our city government raises nearly a million dollars a year for the support of schools alone, it is worth noting what a long road we have traveled since Waterville was first incorporated as a separate town 163 years ago in 1802. At that time every bit of taxable real estate in the town was assessed at $26,977, less than the value of many a private home today. At that time every Maine town did its best to ascertain taxable personal property, such as stock in banks and toll bridges, silver plate and musical instruments. There were some well-to-do persons in Waterville in 1802, for the assessed personal property was more than half as much as all the real estate, $16,540. That made total valuation, real and personal, of $43,517, on which was based the town’s entire tax in 1802.

It is interesting to note some of the property listed by Waterville’s largest taxpayers shortly before the Civil War. Here is the list on which Samuel Appleton was taxed:

Irish Hill farm, about 100 acres
Lot, corner of Main & Appleton Streets, south side
Lot, corner of Main & Appleton Streets, north side
Lot on Front Street, north of the Appleton House and south of lot sold to Wheeler
Lot on Water Street and t of a storehouse
Old Dalton House, occupied by John Bow of Paper Mill and 60 acres of land with unfinished dwelling. House said to be 11 years old
1 Pleasure Carriage
4 Cows
2 Small Oxen
4 shares Penobscot & Kennebec RR
$ 1,200
1,000
500
600
200
100
2,500
100
150
100
70
200
10 shares Suffolk Bank
8 shares Ticonic Bank
$ 1,000
800

The lumber operators, Walter and William Getchell, had a good bit of taxable property in 1854. Here is the list:
Saw Mill
Store
Walter’s House
William’s House and Buildings
House occupied by C.A. Richardson
House next west of Richardson’s
House on Elm Street
Steamer “Old Zack”
Lumber and logs
Stock in store
t of Steamer “Clipper”
12 Oxen
3 Cows
3 Horses
1 Pig

That was a total taxable estate of $18,690, easily equivalent today.

$ 3,800
1,900
1,700
2,000
800
700
1,300
1,500
3,500
500
800
600
80
300
10

to more than $150,000

A prominent Waterville family for many years was the Stackpoles. James Stackpole’s tax list at the same time as Getchells’ and Appleton’s was as follows:

Homestead, 5 acres
House lot near Ticonic Falls
Lot on Mill Street near the Brown Schoolhouse
Another lot on Mill Street, west of Hayden Brook and
the Soap Factory lot
2,000
100
80
100
Brick house and lot, east side of Front Street
Farm on road to Fairfield Meeting House, lOa acres
22 shares Waterville National Bank
3 shares Ticonic Bridge
Piano
1 Cow
1 Mare, 11 years old
$ 900
1,000
2,200
250
50
50
75

It was also noted that Stackpole had U.S. Bonds, exempt from taxation.

Another large owner was Samuel Plaisted. Here is his list:
Homestead
Gadsin’s House and stables
The Ticonic House
Store occupied by Sinclair
Lot on College Street
25 acres Wood Lot
House & Lot in West Waterville
Stock in trade
1 Horse
3 shares Ticonic Bridge
17 shares Ticonic Bank
$ 1,900
800
1,900
1noo
300
300
500
1,000
150
240
1,700

In 1854 several Waterville residents held stock in the toll bridges at Fairfield. The Moor family had 5 shares, C.J. Wingate had 12, the Nourse family, 6 and 5 shares were owned by the President of Colby College, James T. Champlin.

Year: 1965