USA > Maine > Somerset County > Solon > A history of Solon, Maine > Part 5
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Library History
The first move to form a public library in Solon was by the Woman's Club in 1906. The members bor- rowed books from the State Library in Augusta and solicited books from townspeople. These books were placed in the store now owned by Roger Heald. The next building to house the library was what is now the barber shop. Interested citizens furnished bookcases, lamps, chairs, and stoves for the library.162
The Woman's Club supported the library from their treasury until 1908, when the town appropriated one hundred dollars to establish a library, to which the State contributed fifty dollars worth of books. It was then known as the Solon Public Library. The Woman's Club turned over to the library its collec- tion of four hundred and seventy-five volumes. By 1914 the number of volumes was increased to one thousand three hundred and forty-one. 163
161 Ibid.
162 Information from Mrs. Cross, past librarian of the Coolidge Library. 163 Ibid.
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In 1926 the building in which the library was lo- cated was rented to the Farmers' Telephone Company and the library was transferred to a vacant room in the school building.
Six years later, on November 18, 1932, the four thousand volumes found a permanent home on South Main Street in a newly-constructed building. This was made possible by the late Fred Coolidge, a native of Solon, whose will contained a bequest of $25,000 "for the erection and equiping of a library to be deeded to the town of Solon, with the provision that the money, after all expenses of construction were paid, be invested and the income there from derived used for mainten- ance.''1 ''164
The Coolidge Library now contains seven thousand volumes and many periodicals. There have been twelve librarians since 1932, with the present librarian being Mrs. Perry Burbank. The library is open only two days a week; on Tuesday and Saturday.
164 Ibid.
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Secondary Sources
1. Butler, Caleb, The History of the Town of Groton, Boston, 1848.
2. Chadbourne, Ava H., A History of Education in Maine, Orono, 1936.
3. Chadbourne, Ava H., Maine Place Names and the Peopling of Its Towns, Freeport, Maine, 1957.
4. Coburn, Louise, Skowhegan on the Kennebec, Skowhegan, 1941.
5. Codman, John, Arnold's Expedition to Quebec, New York, 1902.
6. Cummings, Emma, The Story of a Meeting House, 1959.
7. Danforth, Florence W., Somerset County in the World War, (no date or place of publication. )
8. Day, Clarence A., A History of Maine Agriculture, 1604-1860, Orono, 1954.
9. Hansen, J. W., History of Gardiner, Pittston, and West Gardiner, Gardiner, 1852.
10. Leger, Sister Mary C., The Catholic Indian Missions in Maine, Wash- ington, D. C., 1929.
11. Lombard, Lionel, Methodist Episcopal Church, Skowhegan, 1929.
12. Meigs, Maj. Return J., Journal of the Expedition Against Quebec, New York, 1902.
13. Maine Writers Research Club, Maine Indians in History and Legend, Portland, 1952, (articles written by Mabel Gould Demers ).
14. Moorehead, Warren E., The Red Paint People of Maine ( Reprinted from the American Anthropologist, Vol. 15, No. 1, Jan., March, 1913.)
15. Pilsbury, Reverend Stephen and Allen, Rev. W. H., Methodism in Maine, Augusta, 1887.
16. Starbird Charles M., The Indians of the Androscoggin Valley, Lewis- ton, 1928.
17. Voyages of Samuel de Champlain (edited by W. L. Grant), New York, 1937.
18. Whitney, S. H., The Kennebec Valley, Augusta, 1887.
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Primary Sources
1. Congregational Church Records. (Evelyn Butts)
2. Grange Records kept by secretaries of Grange. (My sister )
3. Information on bus service and post office from Aubrey Kelley.
4. Information on Coolidge Library from Ruby Cross.
5. I.O.O.F. Records.
6. Masonic Records.
7. Methodist Church Records. (Sarah B. Young)
8. Notes in possession of Walter McDougall on Somerset Stage and Railroad.
9. The Public and General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts, From February 28, 1807 to February 16, 1816, Vol. IV, Bos- ton, 1816.
10. Solon-Bingham Register 1903.
11. Town Records from 1809-1962. (1809-1900 were in basement of town library; 1900-1962 in town clerk's office.)
12. Town Reports of Solon from 1898-1962. (No written reports before 1898. )
13. U. S. Census Reports of 1870 and 1900 (found in University of Maine Library ).
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Unpublished Manuscripts
1. "Cemeteries" (an article written by Amy Jewett Dean of Solon. )
2. Compilation of World War II veterans from Solon by Kenneth Hunnewell.
3. Davis, Harrison L., "A Manuscript History of Solon," 1936.
4. Dolan, John, "Indians of Solon" (an article written for the Solon Sesquicentennial held in 1959).
5. Cowing, Peter G., "The Jesuits in Maine", Orono, 1955, (a Master's Thesis ).
6. Lincoln, Mary Paul, "A Historical Background of Solon" (an article written for Solon Sesquicentennial celebration held in 1959.)
7. List of old schools in Solon compiled by Laura Meader.
8. "The Methodist Church" (a manuscript written by the Memorial Fund Committee in 1955).
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Civil War Veterans
Pvt. Lewis Andrews
3rd Lt. R. O. Bacheller Corp. Francis E. Baker
Pvt. Sylvester P. Baker Musi. George S. Beal Musi. Timothy C. Beal Pvt. David F. Bean
Pvt. Alonzo Bosworth
Pvt. Michael Bosworth
Pvt. Elisha Brown
Pvt. Elihu A. Brown
Sgt. Henry Butler
2nd Lt. Joseph S. Chase
Pvt. Henry R. Clark
Pvt. Horace D. Clark
Pvt. Mathew N. S. Clark
Pvt. Othello Clark
Pvt. Seth W. Clark
Pvt. Warren E. Clark
Pvt. Franklin B. Cobb
Qm. Sgt. Nathan V. Cook
Pvt. Coloston Cross
Pvt. Carlton Cross
Pvt. Hannibal Cross
Cpt. Lewis Cross, Jr.
Pvt. Hiram Daggett
Pvt. Samuel Daggett Lorestine Danforth
Pvt. Selden A. Davis
Pvt. Nathaniel Dawin
Pvt. John A. Dunn
Pvt. John Merrill
Pvt. Charles S. Morse
Pvt. Melvin N. Murphy
Pvt. Patrick Newman
Cpl. Hiram Norton
Sgt. Charles E. Parkman
Cpl. Ruel Parkman
Pvt. William H. Parkman
Capt. Moses French
Capt. John L. Pierce
Pvt. Ephraim Pomeroy
Pvt. Fernando Pomeroy
Pvt. Daniel H. Raymond
Pvt. John Riley
Pvt. Charles E. Roberts
Sgt. David Rowell, Jr. 1st Lt. Levi D. Rowell Cpl. George Royal
Pvt. Moses P. Royal
Pvt. Sullivan Russell
Pvt. Frank Safford
Pvt. Henry Sands
Capt. Elbridge G. Savage Pvt. Reuben Savage, Jr.
Pvt. Warren Heald
Pvt. Eugene Hinkley
Pvt. Charles A. Holmes
Asst. Surg. Jonathan Houghton Pvt. David Hunnewell
Pvt. Herman Hunnewell Pvt. Isaiah S. Hunnewell Sgt. Randall Hunnewell Pvt. Sumner Hunnewell Saddler Oliver W. Irish Pvt. John A. Jackman
Pvt. William C. Jackson
Pvt. Walter S. Jewett
Pvt. Ruel Jewett
Wagoner Elijah D. Johnson Pvt. John Johnson
Pvt. Llewellyn Jones
Pvt. Ruel B. Jones
Pvt. Thomas Kelley
Pvt. Joseph C. Langley
Pvt. Abraham Manchester
Pvt. George H. Mayberry
Pvt. Sylvanus Maxim
Pvt. James McCollor
Pvt. John McCollor
Pvt. Michael McCollor
Pvt. Peter McCollor
Pvt. Phineas McCollor
Pvt. Thomas McCollor
Pvt. Manney McFadden
Pvt. Henry McIntire James McLaughlin
Pvt. Joseph McNeely
Pvt. Calvin F. Merrill
Pvt. Henry O. Merrill
Pvt. Jeremiah Durgin
Pvt. Joseph P. Durgin
Corp. Daniel O. Fee
Pvt. John G. Forsyth Pvt. Peter Frazier Pvt. Robert Free
Rev. Joseph P. French
Chap. Luther T. French
Pvt. William Phillips
Cpl. Oliver French
Pvt. Thurston Gilbert
Pvt. Elbridge G. Gordon
Cpl. Charles W. Hall
Pvt. Elijah G. Hall
Sgt. George W. Hall
Cpl. Royal Hall
Pvt. Peter Hannon
Pvt. Eastman Hathorn
Pvt. Franklin Hathorn
Pvt. George W. Harville
Pvt. Columbus Hayford
2nd Lt. Alden Heald Pvt. Samuel Heald
1st Lt. William H. Savage
Pvt. Charles L. Scribner
Pvt. Alphonzo Shattuck
Pvt. William Shattuck
Pvt. Francis P. Sheridan
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Pvt. Thomas Slyney Qm. Sgt. George P. Smith Pvt. Henry A. Smith Pvt. Thomas Smith Pvt. Joseph Stevens
Pvt. Warren A. Southards Pvt. James C. Sullivan Pvt. William Sumerly Pvt. Adelbert M. Thompson
Sgt. Danville Thompson
Pvt. Eastman Thompson, Jr.
Pvt. Erastus Thompson
Pvt. Daniel C. Thurston
Pvt. Gilbert Thurston
Sgt. Leander F. Thurston
Pvt. John W. Walker
4th Lt. George S. Webb
Cpl. Amos Wentworth, Jr.
Pvt. Albert J. Williams
Pvt. Benj. J. Williams
Pvt. A. B. Williams Pvt. Augustus B. Wilson
Pvt. John L. Wilson
Pvt. Joseph H. Wilson
Capt. William W. Witham
Pvt. Abner Wyman
Pvt. Irvin S. Young
World War I Veterans
Blaisdell, Joseph E.
Jewett, Hazen L.
Piper, John O. Priest, Conan
Boynton, Frank M.
Jewett, Myron C.
Collins, Henry
"Keene, Sidney Kelley, Donald A.
Robinson, Thomas J.
Dyer, Jene
Mahoney, Merle J.
Rowell, LeRoy A.
Dyer, Ivan M.
Marcue, Peter J.
Severy, Charles Spaulding, Earl
Forbus, Sherwin R.
McClintick, Owen
Gerrish, Clarence M.
McGraw, Alfred C.
Stred, Emil P.
Heald, Eldred C.
Merrill, Edward C.
Stred, Harry
Hewett, Chester A.
*Moody, Albert F.
Waugh, Everett H.
Jackson, Elbert I.
Moody, Earl C.
Wiley, David
*Died in Service
76
Robinson, Alston H.
Drew, Walter J.
Solon Boys and Girls in World War II
Abbey, Clifford
Greenlaw, Harry Jr.
Padham, Norris
Adams, Archie Jr.
Greenlaw, Llewellyn
* Parsons, Mahlon Parsons, Marcus
Adams, Clayton
Hall, Kenneth
Adams, Erlon
Hayes, Everard
Piper, Stanwood
Berube, Lewis
Heald, Arthur
Rancourt, William
Berube, Norman
Heald, Roger
Rickards, Carroll
Boardman, Harold
Heath, Everett
Rollins, Arlington
Boardman, Robert
Hunnewell, Omar
Rowell, Jasper
Boynton, Lewis
Hutchinson, Alger
Shepardson, Arno
Boynton, Frederick
Kelley, Robert
Shepardson, Pearl
Brown, Leland
Kiger, Merle
Spaulding, Ralph Starbird, Albert
"Buck, Leolen
Later, George
Sylvester, David
Buzzell, Clarence
Lawrence, Augustus
Sylvester, Julian Jr.
Clark, Cecil
Lawrence, Cecil
Sylvester, Maurice
Corson, Ralph Jr.
Lawrence, John Jr.
Tewksbury, Harland
Corson, Virginia
Lebans, Millett
Tewksbury, Harold
Crotto, Joseph
Lohnes, Raymond
Tozier, Keith
Davis, Carroll
Longevin, William
Tozier, Orman Waugh, Carolyn
Davis, Harrison
Matson, Donald
Dolan, John
McAllister, Elywin
*Waugh, Colby ‘ Waugh, Malcolm
Forbus, Raymond
McAllister, Loren
Waugh, Merrill
Forbus, Roland,
McAllister, Robert
Waugh, Norman
Forbus, Walter
McAllister, Telford
Waugh, Pauline
Foss, Glenn D.
McAllister, Vivian
Waugh, Robert
French, Carlton
McCarty, Bernard
Wilson, Henry
French, Clayton
McCarty, Roland
Wilson, Sidney
French, Leeman
McCarty, Thomas B.
Withers, Abbott
Gehrke, Kenneth
McQuilkin, Ernest
Withers, Chester
Gehrke, Robert
Nottage, Sereen
Withers, Clifford
George, Mavourette
O'Hara Floyd
Withers, Stuart
Gleason, Douglas
Padham, Earl
Worster, Donald
Gleason, Frank Jr.
Padham, Elwood
Worster, Ernest
Goodrich, Gerald
Padham, Erroll
*Died while in service
77
Dolan, William
McAllister, Glendon
Brown, Olon
Jackson, Wilfred
2365 1
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