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History of TRANS ALPINE
The Southernmost Part of the Town of
Lincoln, Maine
Beyond the Alps
By MAY EDWARDS BAILEY
0740
F TO DOUGLAS CORNER
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OLD SCHOOL HOUSE
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ROCKY BROOK
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BROCK
CORNE
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MAP OF THE EARLY SETTLEMENTS OF TRANS ALPINE
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chra from Led & Dat
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 07493 2739
51 50
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LITTLE ROUND POND
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0 At
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13 BROOK
PONDS
NARROWS
STREAM
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SCHOOL HOUSE
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UPPER
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PERY
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SMELT BROOK
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COLD STREAM
POND
EDWARDS LANDING
COLD
CLUB HOUSE
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GC 974.102 L625BA
THE EDWARDS HOMESTEAD IN TRANS ALPINE Still in possession of the family.
History of TRANS ALPINE The Southernmost Part of the Town of Lincoln, Maine Beyond the Alps
By MAY EDWARDS BAILEY
Copyright 1950 By MAY EDWARDS BAILEY Lincoln, Maine
THIS BOOK IS LOVINGLY DEDICATED TO MY FAMILY AND TO OUR OLD FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS IN TRANS ALPINE
PREFACE
This History of Trans Alpine was written for the Lincoln His- torical Society in 1935, the first year of its organization. It was read in the society by the author as a paper on April 8, 1935, and it was re-written and passed in to the society on December 14, 1936.
There have been many calls for copies of this history, but I have refrained from getting it published because of Dr. Dana Fellows' History of Lincoln, which contains the genealogy of several families who came from Trans Alpine. But I have avoided using his material as much as possible in giving the origin of these families and I have endeavored to bring the genealogy of all families up to date.
There were no roads when Trans Alpine was first settled and many of the emigrants came up across Cold Stream Lake from En- field, and it is probable that some came over across from the river, as there is an old road across from Cole Hill to the Enfield road. Therefore all the first settlements were made in the southern part of the neighborhood, many of them down by the mill at the extreme north end of the lakc.
I have drawn a map of the roads as they were laid out, and 1 have put all the houses on the map by number as far as I could deter- mine, and I have given a sketch of each of the different families that lived in each house as far as I know, and their genealogy is given alphabetically in the back of the book.
There are now only nine families living in, or connected with Trans Alpine, who are descendants of the old settlers: The Cum- mings family, Lowe, Phinney, Clay, Delano, Lowell, Ripley, Cole and Edwards. Fifteen of the original houses are still in use, and one of the old schoolhouses is still standing.
I wish to express my appreciation to all who have helped with this work by furnishing material for the family records, etc.
MAY EDWARDS BAILEY
SITUATION
TRANS ALPINE is situated in the southern part of Lincoln, on the Burlington road, beyond Fish Hill. It comprises four other hills: one at Bruce Corner, one farther along on the Burlington road, and one at each end of the neighborhood. There is a very fine view from the Cole Hill, and also from the Burlington road. That is the best view of Mt. Katahdin that I have ever seen, set off by other hills on either side.
To reach Trans Alpine from the village the road goes over the side of Fish Hill, which was a very hard haul for horses before the time of automobiles and trucks, hence the effort of the people to get a road through the valley; and they did, by their own efforts, build a winter road from Rounds Brook through to Mattanawcook Lake and down back of the lake to Taylor Street, a distance of about three miles. This road was well laid out, with only three turns in it, and it was used for driving as well as hauling, through the winter, as the road over the hill was not broken out.
But now that the automobile has come the hill is no longer a menace, and the road has to be kept open for the bus to convey the pupils to the village to school.
CUSTOMS OF THE EARLY SETTLERS OF TRANS ALPINE
W HEN the people first came to this neighborhood to settle, which was, according to the History of Penobscot County, in March, 1819, they had to endure many hardships before they could construct suitable shelter, as they had very few tools with which to work.
Many came here in the spring before the ice went out of the river and lakes, as the ice gave them a means of travel which they needed as there were no roads.
The first houses were made of logs, and they hewed out boards with their axes for floors, etc., and they used rocks for chimneys before there were any brick.
The trees of the forest then were large, as they had never been cut over; now the woods as we see it is nearly all second growth. In our dining room, on the farm, there are some very wide boards which form the wainscoting. This dining room is the oldest part of the house, and it was built in about 1830.
They had a fireplace in the dining room; we have the frame yet, as also the shovel and thongs, kettles and baker. The baker is made of tin and set up on legs with one side open where they set the tin of biscuit in to bake, and then set it up to the fire. They baked their potatoes in the hot ashes.
When they built the kitchen on they built a brick oven; these ovens were in nearly all of the old houses. They used them to bake in before they had stoves. They would build a hot fire in the oven and heat the bricks; they let the fire down into the place below, and then put the food into the oven to bake. They also used these ovens for smoking hams.
They had all homemade furniture at first. They made the bed-
steads, tied them together with rope, then made a straw or husk tick and a featherbed, which was nice and warm for winter, but not so nice for summer.
We had a Bird's Eye Maple bureau in our dining room which was made by hand for my mother, for a wedding present, in 1865. (See cut).
My grandfather had a corn house, which I can remember, where they put the corn to dry before shelling.
They also had several hives of bees. My father never got stung by the bees, they seemed to know him.
For amusements in our neighborhood, in the early days, they had a lot of meetings and sings that I have heard them tell about. Josiah Perkins, with others, used to go around in the winter evenings in a little house on runners to different homes and have a sing. There were no less than four Lay Preachers there, so I doubt if the young people were allowed to dance and play cards. But later on, at least, they had paring bees, quiltings, huskings, wood-cutting bees and barn- raisings. In House No. 47 there was a very good hall in the shed chamber, where they had parties and some dances later on.
Very few of the farmers had horses, as they did their work mostly with oxen, so they could not get about very much and were dependent upon the neighborhood, principally, for their social life. One or two of the neighbors had stores, where people could buy some things without going to the village, which must have been a great con- venience.
The Bird's Eye Maple, hand-made bureau, referred to, as restored by its present owner, Frederick W. Pinkham of Bangor, Maine.
THE FIRST SETTLERS OF TRANS ALPINE
N BEGINNING this History we will start at the southwest end of the neighborhood by Cold Stream Lake, as the first settlements were made there by families and men who came up across the lake from Enfield, before there were any roads.
The first pioneers who landed there, as far as we know, were Alpheus Hayden and Levi Doane, immigrants from Canaan, Somer- set County, Maine. We think that these families did not stay here by the lake very long but went on to the top of Long Ridge Hill, where Mr. Hayden built the Johnson Neal house and Mr. Doane built a house farther on.
According to the History of Penobscot County, they came here in March 1819, and they were the first settlers in the Town of Huntressville, which name was afterwards changed to Lowell, in honor of Lowell Hayden, the first male child ever born there.
HOUSE NO. 1, on the map.
In 1852 Mr. Hayden, with his son Lewis, returned to Cold Stream Lake. (His wife and son Lowell died and were buried on Long Ridge.) They built a house down near the lake, which was called the Hayden House; this was below the Davis House, which is still standing. They afterwards moved to Lincoln Village on Lee Street.
HOUSE NO. 2, The Davis House.
Barzilla Delano first settled here. (See Delano family in Gene- alogy.) He was succeeded by his son, Daniel, who later exchanged places with Joseph Davis, who first settled the Luther Clay place. Joseph and his wife, Aunt Becky, lived at the Davis House for many years. He and their daughter (Sarah Jane) died and were buried in the Trans Alpine cemetery. Their stones are still standing. Joseph was succeeded by his son, William, and he, by his descendants. The place is now owned by Lawrence Cole.
HOUSE NO. 3.
Next to the Davis house on the Lake shore road, was the Joe Roet place. John Hayden, son of Alpheus, lived there first and after- wards moved to Burlington and sold out to Joe Roet.
HOUSE NO. 4.
Farther along on this road was the Phelps place. This was first settled by Alfred Lombard, son of Hezekiah Lombard, and he sold it to Ambrose Phelps, whose stepson, Benjamin Haskell, was brought up here. He died last year at his home on Perry Street, Lincoln. His family still own this place.
Returning now to the Davis House, we will consider the homes as they extended along the way which afterwards became a road through the neighborhood of Trans Alpine.
HOUSE NO. 5.
This place was settled by William Doble. He was one of the earliest settlers and a Local Preacher. He married, in 1842, Mary Jane Lombard, dau. of Hezekiah Lombard, above mentioned. This
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family afterwards moved over on the Enfield road. Mr. Doble's first wife, Hannah, died in 1834 and was buried in the Trans Alpine ceme- tery.
HOUSE NO. 6.
The next place above, (and this house was just about on the brow of the hill), was first settled by John M. Perkins, the Singing School Master. This house stood there for many years. Mr. Perkins' wife was Phoebe Buck, born in Buckfield, Me. She died in 1842 and Mr. Perkins married again and moved to South Orrington. He was suc- ceeded on the farm by his son, Josiah, who m. Sally Clay, dau. of Jonathan Clay. They were a very musical family; their dau., Phoebe, had a fine soprano voice, and her mother sang alto.
Their musical neighbors frequently came in and sang with them; especially Fred Edwards who had a very deep bass voice. He and Josiah would sometimes practice a piece a long time until they got it to suit them; then Phoebe and her mother would take their parts with them.
Phoebe is now living in Montesano, Wash. She is 86 years old but her whole heart seems to be in Trans Alpine, on the old place, although she knows that the buildings have been gone for many years. Her father and mother were both buried in Montesano. They lived there with her. Her husband, John Buck, was also buried there.
When the Perkins family were living in Trans Alpine, Jonathan (Jock) Darling and his wife, who was Nancy Hayden, lived in the house with them for about two years. Their oldest child, Alice, was born there. They moved down to the Hayden house after the other Haydens moved away.
Josiah Perkins sold his farm in 1863 and moved to Goulds Ridge. In 1873 they went to Minneapolis, Minn., and in 1893 they went to Washington, where he died on April 26, 1895, at the age of 66 years; and his wife died in 1902 at the age of 74 years.
Henry Dolly next lived on this place. He moved down by the mill from here, and Nathan Cole bought the place. He lived here with his wife and dau. Florence for a few years and then moved down to the Rounds Place. Asa Clay afterwards bought this place, but the buildings have been gone for a long time.
HOUSE NO. 7.
The next house below was first owned by Hezekiah Lombard, as far as we can determine. He came here before 1825. He probably built the house, and it has a peculiarity, in that it faces directly South while the road goes by in a southwesterly and northeasterly direc- tion, showing that the house was built before the road.
Mr. Lombard came here from Harrison, Me., and lived here about 30 years. He was the son of Benjamin Lombard. His wife's name was Patience A. They are both buried in the Trans Alpine cemetery.
Their dau. Mandy m. Fenderleson, and they lived here for many years then moved to the brick house on the hill. They raised a large family of children. They sold the Lombard place to William Coburn, son of Silas Coburn. They had a dau. Olive.
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Mr. Coburn sold the place to Frank and Edwin Doane; they were descendants of Levi Doane, above mentioned.
They sold out to Benjamin Cole in 1880. He came here from Winterport; his wife's name was Mary Doane. Vesta and Howard Cole came here with them, a niece and a nephew. Benj. Cole died in 1909 and his wife in 1902. Their son, Edwin, carried on the place for a few years, then bought the Crane farm on the Enfield road and sold this place to H. A. Phinney. Mr. Phinney sold to W. W. Holmes. We think his heirs still own the place. This house is still standing, but the barn was struck by lightning and burned a few years ago.
HOUSE NO. 8.
Across the road from the above, is the Phinney farm; and on this farm, before you get to the house, is the Trans Alpine Cemetery, above mentioned.
Samuel Dow first settled this place. He came before 1825, and was a taxpayer in town for more than 30 years. His son, John, m. Anna R. Lowell in 1863. They moved to E. Lincoln and their son, Harold C., was b. there in 1864. Harold was supervisor of schools in Lincoln for many years, and was liked very much. He m. 1st, Bertha T. Wheeler, of E. Lincoln, and 2nd, Alberta Fenwick of Lin- coln. He d. 4 Dec. 1923.
William Phinney was the next owner of this farm. He was b. in Waquoit, Mass., in 1814, and came here in about 1865, and bought the Crane's mill. He ran that for a while and then bought this farm and sold the mill to D. S. Plumly of Lincoln. This mill was called Plumly's Mill for a good many years.
Mr. Phinney spent the last years of his life with his son, Earl, who lived on the Andrew Edwards place. His son, Albert, afterwards lived on this farm for a few years. Hartwell, son of Earl, now owns the farm. The buildings were torn down quite recently.
HOUSE NO. 9.
Albert Phinney, above mentioned, built a house down below here, near the mill, and lived there several years. They then moved to Lincoln and from there to Bangor, where Albert died in 1919. His wife, who was Elmyra Yelland, died there in 1938. She left two daughters, Evelyn and Catherine, who are still living at the home- place in Bangor.
HOUSE NO. 10.
Joseph Gillispie lived in a house about opposite the mill house. He lived there a long time and raised a large family of children.
HOUSE NO. 11.
This was the Mill House and was just a little above the Mill. Ebenezer Hubbard built this mill in 1834. Allen Crane soon became associated with him; and later Mr. Crane's sons, Frances and Samuel C., became connected with the mill. This was called Crane's Mill for many years. After D. S. Plumly bought this mill, Andrew Stanhope ran the mill for him and lived in the mill house. He raised a large family of children.
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This sawmill was situated at the foot of Upper Cold Stream Lake, where it forms a stream and runs into Lower Cold Stream Lake, which extends to Enfield. Many of the settlers, it seems, came up to this point when they landed; as there are several houses, or were, around the end of this lake where these people first lived. I will number these houses as follows:
HOUSE NO. 12.
Sawmill. It has been torn down.
HOUSE NO. 13.
Jonathan Clay; this house was the farthest around on the other side of the Lake.
HOUSE NO. 14.
James Cummings had a house next below the Clay house.
HOUSE NO. 15.
Chandler Bruce had his first house just at the foot of Long Ridge Hill.
HOUSE NO. 16.
Winthrop Frost had a house in this vicinity, but we cannot tell exactly where it was situated. He was a Local Preacher.
HOUSE NO. 17.
The Old Schoolhouse, situated back on the road about opposite the above mentioned Cemetery. This schoolhouse was built in the year 1835-the third schoolhouse in the town of Lincoln. There were only 15 taxpayers here at that time, and they built this house at the cost of nearly Three Hundred Dollars.
HOUSE NO. 18.
Andrew Edwards first settled this place. The buildings are at the corner of the main road below the schoolhouse. He and his brother, Azariah Edwards, came here from Waldo County in 1825. He was a Local Preacher, making four in this vicinity; so they doubt- less had a lot of preaching and a lot of singing in that old school- house.
Mr. Edwards m. Lucy Frost, dau. of Winthrop Frost. He and his wife and their son, Charlie, are buried in the Trans Alpine Ceme- tery.
Robert Whitney lived in this house, also Sumner Swett, whose dau., Marcia Swett, was a great lover of wild flowers. She seemed to know every flower that grew, and she would tell the other scholars what was poison. She m. .. Main, and their dau., Lillian Main, m. Mr. Christopher, who kept a candy store in Lincoln. They moved from here to Florida.
A. C. Lancaster was the next owner here. He m. Mary Alice Hammond, dau. of Benj. Hammond. (See Hammond Genealogy).
Earl Phinney, son of the above William Phinney, was the next owner here, and he was succeeded by his son, Hartwell, who still car- ries on the farm but lives in Lincoln Village. He died 31 July 1949.
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HOUSE NO. 19.
The place across the road from here, and below the above- mentioned Cole Place, was first settled by William Gowen, son of Elder Joseph Gowen. He came here from Montville, Me. Later he moved to the Bacon Place at Bruce Corner where he and his wife died.
Daniel Clifford was the next owner here. He came here from Lee, Me. His wife's name was Priscilla Thornton. They lived here for many years and raised a large family of children. They moved to Lincoln Village and spent their last days with their son, Dannie, on West Broadway.
Eldie Tucker rebuilt on this site and is now living there. Later he sold out to Eugene King.
HOUSE NO. 20.
Sylvanus Davis had a blacksmith shop just below the last-named place. He moved from here over to the Narrows with his son, Charles.
HOUSE NO. 21.
Osward Warren, probably a brother of John Warren, lived next below. Children: John and Melvin.
HOUSE NO. 22.
Across the road from the last-named house is the Jonas Coburn place. We think this place was first settled by his father, Silas Co- burn. Jonas was a brother of William, above-mentioned. He was b. in Sumner, Me., in 1821.
Otis Hewy next lived here. He m. Anna Glidden and their dau., Effie, m. Everett Lancaster.
The next owner was Edwin Hammond, son of Benj. Hammond, b. in Lincoln in 1837. He m. Julia Maria Lindsay. They moved here in 1880, and they moved into the Haskell House in Lincoln in 1897. A. C. Lancaster and his family moved out there with them. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond both died there.
Benjamin Swasey was the next owner here. They lived here for several years and raised a large family of children. While they were living there, the buildings caught fire and burned. They moved to the brick house on the Enfield road.
S. H. Kneeland bought the farm and built a small house on it. Alfred Jipson lived there for a while. Amasa York now lives there.
HOUSE NO. 23.
On the other side of the road, beyond the hollow, is the Allen Crane Place. He and his wife, Mary Coggshall, were both b. in Mass. They came to Lincoln before 1835 and lived here twenty years. His connection with the mill has already been alluded to. His son, Francis, succeeded him; whose daughter, Lizzie, taught school in the new schoolhouse just beyond here opposite the Luther Clay place. She taught here for several terms and was liked very much. This family moved from here to the Crane house on the Enfield road, and from there to Stillwater, where Lizzie d. Nov. 11, 1942.
Augustus Clifford was the next owner here. He was a brother of the above Daniel Clifford, and came here from Lee. He m. Jane
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Lancaster. She d. here after raising a large family of children, and Villa, the oldest girl, kept house for her father and cared for the other children. Later she taught school in the adjacent schoolhouse. She m. Orlando Libby of California.
Mr. Clifford m. 2nd, Mrs. Emeline Thompson of Burlington. He d. here and Mrs. Clifford sold out to Mr. Augustus Neal. He was the son of Johnson Neal, above-mentioned. He m. Julia Tripp of Burl- ington. They raised a large family of children. They moved to Lincoln Village on Lake Street, where he d. 17 Dec. 1940. Mrs. Neal d. at the home of her dau., Mrs. Hartwell Phinney, on 9 Nov. 1943.
Raymond Lowe, son of Mellen Lowe, was the next owner here, and he has recently sold out to Mrs. Eva Porter. Her husband, Clint Porter, returned from the war, and they are now living here.
HOUSE NO. 24.
The next house, on this same side of the road, is the new school- house. This house is no longer new, but was called new in comparison with the two old ones which had been in use up to that time; the one referred to above and another near Rounds Brook, near the other end of the neighborhood. After they built this schoolhouse, before 1864, all the scholars attended this one school. Miss Savilla Moore was the
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TRANS ALPINE SUNDAY SCHOOL
Back row: Velma Littlefield, Beatrice Bonney, Kate Edwards, Grace Littlefield, Alila Libby, Lida Thompson, Florence Phinney. Next row: Viola Phinney, Hartwell Neal, Donald Littlefield, Verdi McDonald, Doris Neal, Lillian Phinney, Marion Phinney, Mearl Phinney, Eva Littlefield.
Picture taken by May Edwards Bailey, Supt., Sept. 28, 1924 at the Schoolhouse.
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first teacher in this new schoolhouse, and she had a large school. This was in 1864. Dana Fellows taught here in 1869. Fred Edwards also taught here.
Religious services were frequently held here by ministers from Lincoln Village and Lincoln Center, and we always had a Sunday School here nearly up to the time when the house was closed.
Elder Morse had a revival here in 1880, (he was from Lincoln Center, and seven young people were baptized: Matilda Ripley Libby, Hittie Ripley Kimball, Lizzie Miles Banks, Villa Clifford Libby, Dorcas Twombly Scott, Nellie Rounds Bradbury, and Edwin A. Yelland. The baptism was held down by the Narrows, at the left, after cross- ing the bridge.
HOUSE NO. 25.
Opposite the schoolhouse stands the Luther Clay house. This place was first settled by Joseph and Aunt Becky Davis, above men- tioned, and they exchanged places with the Delano boys, Daniel and Stephen, and moved down to the Davis house. Later the Delano boys sold this farm to Luther Clay, son of Jonathan Clay, above mentioned. Daniel Delano bought the Nadeau place on the Burlington road. The hill that goes down from there to the Narrows is still called the Dan Delano Hill. Stephen moved to the farther end of the neighborhood above the Dan Clay place. Stephen m. Joan Warren, dau. of John and Nancy Coburn Warren. Their son, Eli, was b. while they were liv- ing at the Clay place in 1857.
. Luther Clay was b. in 1837. He m. Olive Lancaster, sister of the above Jane Lancaster, in 1860. Mrs. Clay's niece, Jennie Lancaster, made her home with them. Mr. Clay was a good singer and always led the singing in the new schoolhouse when they had meetings there. Rev. J. H. Irving had regular services in this schoolhouse for a part of the time when he was Pastor of the M. E. Church in Lincoln Vil- lage from 1883 to 1885.
Elder Besse of Lincoln Center preached here, and several other ministers.
In 1887 Mr. Clay exchanged places with Harrison Littlefield and moved to the building now occupied by the Osgood Auto Supply Co. They both d. there and left the house to Jennie Lancaster Barker. She sold this house and took rooms in the Worcester House on School Street. She d. there suddenly on Mar. 19, 1939.
The Clay family were good neighbors and a great help to the community. They also brought up their nephew, Everett Lancaster, above-mentioned .
The Littlefield family, who came here in place of the Clay family, also were good neighbors. His wife was Lorinda Smith. They came to Lincoln from Newburg, Me. He was Supt. of the S. S. for a long time and always attended the meetings in the schoolhouse.
They had a nice family of six boys, who were a great addition to the social life of the neighborhood. Three of them belonged to the Trans Alpine baseball team, and they had some nice games.
Miss Ruth M. Smith, a sister of Mrs. Littlefield, taught school here for several terms. She was a large lady and wore soft shoes,
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so that she could get around without making any noise, and she was always surprising the scholars who were getting into mischief. Addie Woodbury Kneeland also taught school here about this time. Mr. Littlefield and his wife both d. here. She d. in the spring of 1923. They also lost one son, Herbert, while they lived here. Their youngest son, Lisle, now carries on the place.
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