<\/p>\n
In the path of progress another of Waterville’s once imposing residences is gone. For many years the old building on the corner of Spring and Charles Streets, opposite the Sentinel Building, had been the location of Silver Street Service Station, recently relocated on Elm Street. But for nearly a hundred years before it became commercial property, the place was the impressive home of members of one of the most prominent families, and certainly its most wealthy — the Gilmans.<\/p>\n
It was not the original Nathaniel Gilman house. That stood on the lot near the northeast corner of the present Sentinel Building. The original house may have faced Silver Street, but in later years, before it was torn down well into this century, it was so remodeled that it faced north, and so stood within memory of persons still living.<\/p>\n
The newer house, that later became the Silver Street Service Station, seems to have been built about 1840, perhaps not by the founder of the family, Nathaniel Gilman himself, who by that time was spending most of each year in New York, managing his huge importing and exporting interests, but built more probably by his son, Charles Gilman, who surely lived in the house at one time.<\/p>\n
When, only a month or two ago, the house was torn down, in the final removal of old buildings from the Concourse area, I wondered when the house ceased to be a residence, and who last lived in it. Thanks to the help of a number of persons I now have the answers to those questions.<\/p>\n
A member of Waterville’s large Jolicoeur family tells me that between 1921 and 1925, when he was a teenage boy, he worked as general house man and rent collector for a lady who then lived alone in the house. She was Lillian Gilman, but Mr. Jolicoeur does not know whether she was a widow or a maiden lady, but he thinks the latter. He says that a few years before he knew her, a sister lived in the old house with her.<\/p>\n
Apparently Lillian Gilman did not own the house, but had life tenancy under some previous Gilman will, which also gave her life income from certain Gilman rentals. Those rents may have been only a few of those owned by the Nathaniel Gilman heirs, for on this death in 1855, the original Gilman owned much of the property in the vicinity of Charles, Temple and Spring Streets, as well as several Silver Street buildings. His holdings also included land and buildings allover Waterville. It was said in 1850 that Nathaniel Gilman and Timothy Boutelle together owned about 3\/4 of all rented property in this community.<\/p>\n
I also know that in 1932 Percy Williams purchased the old house and set up there a filling station, the property being later taken over and enlarged by Silver Street Service. Mr. Jolicoeur says that he knows that Lillian Gilman died only a few years after he ceased to work for her in 1925. Presumably, therefore, she had died only a few years before Percy Williams bought the property. There may have been some tenant between her death and Percy Williams’ gas station, but it is possible that, from the time the house was built, until it became a filling station nearly a hundred years later, no one except Gilmans ever lived in it.<\/p>\n
Now, as this last of the several Gilman homes has fallen under the wreckers’ demolition, it is fitting for us to remember that Waterville became the prosperous community it is today largely through the zeal and enterprise of a few prominent, public-spirited men like Nathaniel Gilman.<\/p>\n
Now for another, different kind of Waterville landmark that has been gone for 70 years. Few people now living remember that Waterville was once the publishing home of a widely circulated farm weekly called “Turf Farm and Home”. Like most such papers, it was intended for circulation to farm homes and had sections devoted to crops, cattle, sheep, swine and poultry. But this particular paper lived up to the first word of its title “Turf”, for it especially featured the breeding and racing of trotters and pacers.<\/p>\n
The paper was published by a man who was prominent in newspaper and agricultural circles at the turn of the century. He was E.P. Mayo. at one time president of the Waterville Fair, publisher of the Fairfield Journal and the man who induced George Hinckley to select the site at Pishons Ferry for the location of his Good Will Homes and Schools.<\/p>\n
Associated with Mr. Mayo in publication of Turf, Farm and Home were J.W. Thompson, Otis Meader and William H. Allen. and listed as Veterinary Editor was George H. Bailey. Subscription to the paper was $1.50 a year if paid in advance and $2.00 if in arrears. To assure some national advertising there was a Boston representative, George W. Ball.<\/p>\n
When Mayo brought out his issue of September 2, 1896 the Eastern Maine State Fair had just closed at Bangor. In the list of those fair’s prizes it is interesting to note that four of the cattle awards went to T.G. Burleigh of Vassalboro and one — the prize for best 3-year old cow — to Mrs. Burleigh.<\/p>\n
Mr. Mayo had also attended the fair at Livermore Falls, and in that 1896 issue he commented on that exhibition: “I attended the Androscoggin Fair at Livermore Falls on the opening day last week and viewed the proceedings carefully. No courtesies were extended to the press; so paying my way like other citizens, I was prepared to view the races from an independent standpoint. And such old fashioned races I have not seen since way back in my youth. Everything was done on the most primitive plan. Yet they were fighting races from start to finish, and partisan feelings ran high. If the gray mare from outside the county won a heat, all was as still as death. But if the bay horse from Auburn scored a win, yells of delight reverberated. Even the drummer of the band sprang frantically up on a chair and waved his drumsticks in wild demonstration. For real entertainment there is nothing like a county fair horse trot and the races at Livermore Falls are among the best of the remaining oldtimers.”<\/p>\n
Like Editor Mayo of 70 years ago, I am myself now an old-timer who has never liked the new style of harness racing which I consider spoiled by the pari-mutuels where each race is now a separate unit. I prefer the old hotly contested races, where the winner had to take three heats to get the prize. I well remember when, in my teens. an uncle took me to what was then one of the Grand Circuit tracks, the one at Readville, Mass. I was especially interested, therefore, when I read in that 1896 issue of Turf, Farm and Home a reference to the opening of the Readville track. Mr. Mayo wrote: “Last week the new track at Readville. Mass. threw open its gates for its first meeting. Everything has been done to make this the finest track in the East, fully equal to Saratoga. At the opening meet the track record was set by Hubert J. at 2:04, and this became also the track record for all New England.”<\/p>\n
While praising Readville. Mr. Mayo was not going to neglect his own State of Maine. He said: “While the star performers were at Readville, there was a good meet taking place at Old Orchard, where the record was made by Oddity at 2:10.”<\/p>\n
When Turf, Farm and Home was published, Waterville’s own world champion. Nelson, was very much in the racing news. Mr. Mayo commented in 1896: “During the lull between heats at Bangor, the judges were discussing different trainers and horsemen, when C.H. Nelson remarked as one of his men drove past the stand, ‘There sits the best man I ever had in my barn, and I have had mighty good ones. He was the only man except myself who could ever drive Nelson to my complete satisfaction.<\/p>\n
The man to whom Nelson’s owner pointed was Horace Findel, a young man who came a year ago to Nelson’s Sunnyside Farm in Waterville. He has full charge of the stallions, Nelson and Wilkes. and can be seen any day jogging Nelson for exercise along Silver Street. He is indeed a rare young horseman.”<\/p>\n
In June, 1897 the paper had another reference to Hod Nelson: “C.H. Nelson sold the gray mare Mayflower yesterday to a gentleman who never saw her. The daughter of the famous stallion Nelson was sold entirely from printed description, and she brought $250.”<\/p>\n
In the same issue Mr. Mayo lamented the passing of another famous Waterville horseman. He wrote: “Hon. E. F. Webb of Watervi lle, who died suddenly at the Revere House in East Vassalboro last Wednesday, was a prominent horseman whose Waterville breeding farm was known far and wide. He was born in Albion and was 60 years old at the time of his death. His ancestors settled in Woolwich 150 years ago. He graduated from Waterville College (now Colby) in 1860. and after studying law practiced in Waterville. He was Representative to the Legislature. Mayor of Waterville. and leading attorney for the Maine Central Railroad. He purchased a farm on the height between Waterville and Fairfield Center, and named it Mountain Farm, stocking the place with blooded horses. especially racing stock. His Hambletonian stallion Pickering was second only to Nelson as a famous sire.”<\/p>\n
In mid-twentieth century we are familiar with the outstanding contribution to Maine agriculture made by the University of Maine. That service had already begun before the beginning of this century. In 1897 Turf. Farm and Home had the following article: “Field Day at the University of Maine was a success with large attendance. Visitors found splendid specimens of Jerseys from the best herds in the state. The hogs were magnificent Cheshires. and there were a thousand young chicks in new brooders. The college has been fortunate in its students of late and there is prospect of another fine class this fall.”<\/p>\n
On June 16, 1896 Turf. Farm and Home listed the Maine fairs for summer and fall. Believe it or not. there were 64 of those fairs. Here are a few of them now little remembered, and I will guess that many people never suspected a fair was once held in some of these towns: Liberty, Hartland. Newfield. Gray, Hollis, Readfield, Kingman, Monroe. Durham, Harrison, Andover, Canton, East Sebago and Acton.<\/p>\n
Not all was serene with Maine farmers in 1897. The growers of sweet corn were up in arms. Turf, Farm and Home commented: “Failing to receive any satisfaction from wealthy packers, the sweet corn growers of Oxford County have asked the State Grange to help them right their wrongs, if necessary through state legislation.”<\/p>\n
And with that we must close our reference to one of Waterville’s old time newspapers.<\/p>\n
Year: 1968<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Read the script for “Little Talks” program #776, Broadcast on October 6, 1968<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1199,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8848"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8848\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}