USA > Maine > Waldo County > Unity > A history of the Town of Unity, Maine > Part 20
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8. This tragedy described to author by Mrs. Annie Tilton, Jack Van Deets, James Bither and others who remembered it. While there may be slight errors, the story is on the whole quite accurate. This ac- cident did no apparent injury to the summer trade.
9. This company was incorporated October 25, 1895. The follow- ing men met together for the purpose of organizing this association on that day: R. B. Cookson, S. A. Myrick, Lewis Thompson, Reuel Berry, A. F. Pendleton, Joseph P. Libby, Knowles Bangs, E. R. Grant, J. H. Brown, Marshall Lawrence, Henry G. Barlow, Nathan P. Libby, Dr. A. J. Billings, and Eugene Boulter.
10. Records of Clough Charitable Veteran's Association October 25, 1895, p. 2. The records now in possession of the American Le- gion.
11. Ibid., pp. 5-6. Dr. Billings was voted as an agent to sell stock for the organization.
12. Ibid., p. 2.
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Also the by-laws provided that the officers of the association have honorable discharges from the Civil War.
The plan proved an instant success and was confidently backed by the veterans. At the third meeting held in the G.A.R. Hall at Unity, "President Comrade" Billings, to whom was given authority to solicit subscriptions for the association building, made a brilliant speech, which was enthusiastically received, and reported eight hundred dol- lars subscribed. At once a committee was appointed to purchase a lot for the "association building."13
At the March meeting of 1896 a windfall came from Gorham Clough who proposed, "If the association will vote to prefix the name of 'Clough', so that the title and name of the association shall read 'The Clough Veterans' Charitable Association,' he will then sub- scribe two hundred dollars."14 The members unanimously voted to change the name as specified.
By middle June the building was almost completed, so that the association voted to have the hall dedicated on August thirteenth 1896 with a gala field day with oratory, music and games.15 The members voted with great enthusiasm to make the field day a remem- bered event. The new structure was a rectangular two-story building, with a hall and bedrooms on the second floor, and kitchen, dining room, reception rooms, down stairs. It was the members' intention that the rooms be used by the stockholders for day visits or longer if desired. The bedrooms were planned as memorial rooms for "any- one who wishes to can furnish a room and always have the room to his or her disposal and the room shall be named after the person who furnished them."16
The thirteenth of August of 1896 was a clear, warm day. People traveled by train, carriage or buggy, and there was an estimated crowd of four thousand people on hand by ten o'clock.17 Three car loads from Belfast, Brooks, Knox and Thorndike arrived by train, and two
13. Ibid., p. 9.
14. Ibid., p. 11.
15. A man by the name of Penney built the hall which was reported finished by the meeting of June 27th. Its dimensions were 80 by 40 feet. The building committee, A. J. Billings, John H. Gordon, and Jo- seph Libby reported "The committee has received from the treasurer of the association $1,154.91 and have hired of Mr. Clough $600. mak- ing in all $1,754.91 which your committee has paid all the bills on the building and has paid all the Clough note except seventy dollars and which amount two members of the building committee assume in- dividually ... We find in painting the buildings, the members of the association (a few of them) bought the paint, painted the building free of charge to the association." Report of Building Committee, As- sociation Records. The committee for planning the dedication exercises were Robert Gookson, Reuel Berry, Charles Webster, and James L. Merrick (Association Records, p. 12.)
16. Republican Journal, August 13, 1896. The rooms were fur- nished by the several women's "relief corps" of Brooks, Freedom, Thorndike, and Troy.
17. Republican Journal, Belfast, Maine, August 20, 1896. This was probably an exaggeration; half that number seems more believable.
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A HISTORY OF UNITY, MAINE
from Waterville, as well as delegations from Bangor and Pittsfield. The reporter for the Journal wrote, "The number of teams hitched along the roadway and adjoining fields and highway reminded one of Monroe Fair, or the old-time Northport camp meeting."18 A band played tunes of the gay nineties before the program started. The dedication exercises were held in the hall.19 The speaker of the day was the Honorable Seth Milliken, who presented a rousing address, the theme of which was, "Love of Country." After the speech, Charles Baker proposed a resolution of thanks to Dr. A. J. Billings. He ex- plained humorously how the doctor visiting his patients prescribed, "Take five shares of Clough Veteran's Charitable Association Stock".20 The band played "Hail to the Chief," and the audience responded with three cheers in tribute to Doctor Billings' efforts. Thereupon, the doctor thanked the association and stated that he hoped they would continue to improve the grounds and building of the park.21 At noon more than six hundred people were served dinner in the dining room of the new structure by the wives of the members.22
The afternoon program consisted of games, riding in Pendleton's lake steamer "Olympia," and strolling about the park. In the evening a "Grand Ball" was held in the hall, concluding one of the most festive days in the town's history. Every thirteenth of August for many years afterward was celebrated as an anniversary at the park by a field day and exercises.23 There was also an address given by some notable figure, and a dance closed the day's activities. Even after all the Civil War veterans were dead, the field day was continued for several years under the auspices of the American Legion. However, about 1928 the field days were discontinued. During the nineteen thirties the hall was leased to Clayton Hamlin who sponsored Satur- day night dances there during the summer. In 1949 the hall was
18. Ibid., August 20, 1896.
19. Reverend A. P. Hatch of Troy led a prayer and Helen Thomas presented a large flag on behalf of the Women's Relief Corps. There were also solo selections, a cornet solo "Will You Then Be True."
20. Republican Journal, August 20, 1896.
21. A deed was turned over to Dr. Billings, the president, by John H. Gordon, chairman of the building committee. The deed conveyed the land from the Unity Land, Lake, and Improvement Association to the Clough Veterans' Charitable Association with the following reser- vations: (1) the granter reserved the right to its directors to control the buildings against any intemperate, or immoral purpose and also governed dancing. No ball, or assembly, was to be allowed without a permit from the Unity Land, Lake, and Improvement Association. (2) The building was not to be used for a boarding house, hotel, or any mercantile business whatever: On the back of the deed was written, "These conditions have been violated several times".
22. Mrs. Lindly Mosher, Mrs. Joseph Libby, and Mrs. Virgil Hig- gins supervised this part of the program. Association Records, p. 18. 23. "Voted this association hold an anniversary of the dedi- cation of their hall August 13, 1897 and each year thereafter until changed." These field days were continued for a time by the American Legion. The last G.A.R. sponsored field day came about 1922.
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converted into a gymnasium where Unity High School plays its bas- ketball games. Perhaps a far cry from the original plans of the vet- erans' association, but in the same spirit of community improvement which they desired.
CHAPTER XIII
FIRES
From the earliest days fires were a hazard and took a heavy toll of barns, dwelling houses and other buildings.1 It took one hundred years for the town of Unity to purchase adequate fire equip- ment, after the subject was first presented in a town warrant in 1844, "To see if the town will take measures to purchase a fire engine to be kept for public use and act thereon." In 1946 the town voted to buy a fire engine after more than fifty thousand dollars worth of property was destroyed in fire in this century alone.
The first large fire occurred on a Saturday night in the middle of December, 1871. This conflagration destroyed the principal business section of the town, before it was brought under control.2 The fire in the grocery and dry goods store occupied by Thomas B. Cook3 was discovered about midnight by a member of Josiah Harmon's family. The fire spread with great rapidity. Albert Watson's law office was located over Cook's store. His entire law library and furniture were lost. By this time the adjoining general store of Josiah Harmon and Son was afire. Some goods were removed, but in a somewhat dam- aged condition. Josiah Harmon, the postmaster saved his mails only after "much exertion." The fire, still unchecked, spread to Harmon's house, a large two-story house with an ell, shed and stables. They burned to the ground, but most of the furniture was saved. Crie's stores burned next, which adjoined Cook's, and finally J. R. Taber's store. Taber with the aid of the village people salvaged some of his dry goods, as well as the furniture in the upstairs apartment occupied by Lucretia Moulton. Finally, the fire-fighters prevented further spread of the fire by soaking carpets with water and hanging them from the roof of the adjacent dwelling house. As this was the first major fire in the village, it was a great shock; consequently, many of the losers talked of rebuilding at the "depot" one half mile from the village.
This apparently was the second fire on this site; Elijah Winslow had built a store here at the corner which had been burned probably thirty years before this one. The fire of 1871 burned all the stores on the
1. Taber, History of Unity, pp. 40-42 list of structures destroyed is of little value since it is incomplete and no date or figures given.
2. Progressive Age, Belfast, Maine, December 22, 1871. The date of the fire was December 17, 1871.
3. Ibid., On the site of present brick block where Adams' Store is. The fire was started by hot ashes which Cook had put in a wooden box and placed in the back of his store Friday. Cook explained that he poured water upon them until he supposed they were extinguished.
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west side of the street occupying the site where the brick block now stands. The total losses were estimated at seven thousand dollars.4
In 1878 two destructive fires in the village destroyed the stores on both sides of the street. The first of these conflagrations started on Friday night, March twenty-second. The fire originated from a de- fective stove pipe in the shoe shop of Daniel Starkey, and Alfred Berry reported that it could easily have been put out, if any fire apparatus had been at hand. The fire-fighters poured on buckets of water, but when the fire broke through the roof, nothing could be done. "Upon one side of Starkey's Shop stood the harness shop of H. B. Rice, while on the other side, the hotel buildings of Thomas Mor- ton. The buildings comprised a large country tavern with two sta- bles, carriage house and hall."" When the spreading fire attacked these places, the fire-fighters became thoroughly dismayed. The whole village seemed threatened as a high wind was blowing. Some per- sons returned to protect their own homes. With Starkey's Shop nearly consumed and the hotel burning fiercely, the fire hurdled to Daniel Harmon's dwelling house, "more than one hundred feet to the wind- ward" of Starkey's Shop." Rice's house, with its brick ends the only barrier between the fire and Harmon's house, was doomed. Luckily this was the extent of the fire. Roofs of other houses were kindled by blowing shingles driven by a fierce wind, but the fires were ex- tinguished.7 H. B. Rice suffered the heaviest loss with both house and shop destroyed. Thirteen buildings this night were reduced to ashes.8 The awful fire destroyed the hotel building owned by Gustavus Hunt and Thomas Whitehouse; (the hotel was run by Thomas Mor- ton, who owned the furniture, which was mostly saved though quite damaged) ; Amos Knight's stores located in the hotel building re- ceived only slight losses; Daniel Starkey's Shop, (his stock mostly saved) ; H. B. Rice's house and shop; Daniel Harmon's dwelling house, shed and stables. The total losses of this fire amounted to about eight thousand dollars.
Three months later, on June ninth, 1878, the stores, which had been rebuilt after the 1871 fire, were burned. The fire started in A. C. Howe's grocery store owned by Mrs. Josiah Harmon.9 When the blaze was discovered, the whole inside of the store was in flames.
4. Ibid., Josiah Harmon's store was insured for $3500; Thomas B. Cook's store $1600; the store owned by Curtis Mitchell, no insurance; Watson's law office, no insurance; John and Henry T. Crie's stock; J. R. Taber's store of goods insured $1100.
5. Republican Journal, March 28, 1878. Taber gives the date of the fire as March 2, 1878. This seems to conflict with the newspaper account." ... destructive fire ... took place Friday night last week ... " Morton was operating the hotel owned by Thomas Whitehouse.
6. Ibid.
7. The roof of the church caught afire, but a hole cut from the in- side allowed fighters access to the fire before it got a start.
8. Whig and Courier, Bangor, March 25, 1878.
9. Republican Journal, Belfast, June 13, 1878. The Harmon Store was the third store burned on this same lot within a short time.
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A HISTORY OF UNITY, MAINE
Two feet away from Harmon's store stood a two-story wooden block containing three stores, all of which were consumed. Most of the contents were saved, but received damage by rain. The first store was owned by Curtis Mitchell and occupied by Lindly H. Mosher, who conducted a dry goods, millinery and grocery store. Over Mosher's store John Van Deets had a barber shop. The second store was owned by "the bankrupt estate of Ira Carter, a tailor." The post office was located here, and once more the mail was saved. Over Carter's shop, H. B. Rice, who was burned out in March, had a har- ness shop. He had no insurance. Eli Moulton and James R. Taber owned the third store. Taber carried on a dry goods business, and Lucretia Moulton had a millinery shop. The origin of the fire was unknown. At four o'clock Sunday morning when the fire was dis- covered, it was raining, which fortunately kept the fire from spread- ing.
Again the village people rebuilt on the old site. Already Thomas Whitehouse was planning to erect a new three-story hotel with a Man- sard roof. Likewise the new stores which were built on the site of Starkey's shop had a Mansard roof. Fred Whitehouse owned a store and then a pants factory in this block. He had fifteen sewing ma- chines operated by women, and the ready-made clothing was shipped to Boston. Robert Cookson had a store and also kept the post office in this block. Later James A. Adams bought this building and car- ried on a grain and general store. Upstairs there were the lodge rooms of the Invictus I. O. O. F., and on the third floor the Masonic Order was located. Behind the store, Adams built a storehouse for grain and groceries.
On a bitter cold January morning10 a fire started around a stove funnel and broke through into the walls, before it was discovered. Harold Harding and Lyle Adams, who were sleeping in the attic of the store, had to jump out of the second story window because the fire spread so rapidly. Other members of the family escaped by lad- ders. The loss was estimated at ten thousand dollars. Karam's cloth- ing was lost, as well as the small barbershop of Archie Tozier. The Central House was threatened but was saved by draping wet blankets over the roof and sides.
There was a small fire in the village which started early in the morning of January 25, 1923.11 Rodney Whitaker went down into his cellar and discovered that Lizzie Trafton's place was afire.12 This fire burned Dr. E. M. Soule's store and office where Edgar Frost was living and partially destroyed Rodney Whitaker's home. A chimney fire had occurred the previous day in the house, and Whitaker had sat up all night to watch it. (One trunk, a chair and a bag were the only things saved).
10. January 4, 1904.
11. Conversation Lula Whitaker to author.
12. Then owned by Jettie Stevens and occupied by "Ben" Ham, the postmaster.
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Fire did not visit the village block again until the big fire of Octo- ber 18, 1928. At midnight there was no sign of a fire in the block of stores. Mrs. Harold Glines, who lived adjoining the store block, had just retired and a light rain was falling. Mrs. Glines had just gotten to sleep, when she awoke and recognized a fiery glow shining through the window. The church bell clanged the alarm. Everyone fought valiantly to save the block, but it was impossible. At one-fifteen all the stores in the block, Agnes Adams' store, H. L. Glines grocery store, and two barber shops, were beyond saving. A pumper from Waterville prevented the blaze from spreading. Only the heroic ef- forts of the men saved the Ira Parkhurst and H. L. Glines residences from going up in smoke. The loss was placed at fifty thousand dol- lars.13
The last big fire in the village occurred about ten o'clock on the evening of May 12, 1945. It started in the projection booth of the Adams' movie theater while a movie was in progress. In some way the film caught fire. The door of the booth was open and the flaming reel rolled down stairs into the theater. The audience re- mained calm and walked down the stairs, probably preventing a catastrophe. No lives were lost. Since Unity did not have adequate fire equipment, and the telephone lines were down between Unity and Waterville due to a recent sleet storm, Kenneth Tozier drove to Fairfield to obtain aid. The Brooks fire truck was also called. Both engines arrived too late to save Lyle Adams' store, theater and Max Fortier's restaurant.
After this last incendiary loss, the inhabitants began to consider the value of fire-fighting equipment. In July 1946 they purchased a second-hand fire truck in good condition from the town of Winthrop. The Civic Association then raised money for a fire house which was finished in 1947. At present Unity has a volunteer fire company of twenty-five men under the capable direction of Maxwell O. Fortier, fire chief and warden.14 In 1949 Unity appropriated more funds, and another fire truck was purchased.15 The new fire truck pumps two hundred and fifty gallons a minute, while the old one could throw one hundred and fifty gallons. The Town Report of 1949 shows that this small but efficient fire company had thirty calls taking care of nine chimney fires, eleven grass fires and other disturbances. Had the town acted earlier, presumably many of the disastrous fires could have been checked with small damage.
13. Bangor Daily News, October 19, 1928.
14. The Unity Fire Department consists of the following persons: Maxwell O. Fortier, chief; W. T. Vickery, secretary-treasurer; Walter Bradeen, assistant chief; Alton McCormick, assistant chief; F. B. Wing, engineer; B. F. Chase, Neil Van Deets, Kenneth Tozier, B. L. Lutz, Al- ton Reynolds, drivers; Roy Shaw, Marshall Walton, Alton Lowell, A. R. Curtis, James Neil, Frank Hanscom, George Constable, and James Kennedy, nozzle and hosemen.
15. The town raised three thousand dollars and the fire company five hundred and fifty. The town also owns three thousand eight hun- dred and fifty feet of fire hose.
CHAPTER XIV
THE BELFAST AND MOOSEHEAD LAKE RAILROAD
The Belfast and Moosehead Lake railroad connects the city of Belfast with the Maine Central railroad at Burnham Junction. On its thirty-three miles of weaving through the small agricultural towns of Waldo county it stops at Unity. This railroad has been the object of verbal abuse and amusement for years and articles have been written about it in Collier's and Railroad Magazine.1 It has been called every conceivable name by local inhabitants, yet it is a valuable asset to the community. Hauled by a green diesel engine, the train makes two round trips daily, carrying the mail, passengers and freight to Unity, Thorndike, Brooks, Knox, Waldo and Belfast. On occasion it stops at Winnecook. The prize story told about this "green hornet" hap- pened several years ago when it was steam driven. The "Belfast special" was making its usual twenty-five miles per hour, when a bump in the track caused the coupling to drop out, and the passen- ger car became detached from the rest of the train. The engineer in- tent on getting to Belfast on schedule pushed on unaware that his few passengers were sitting in the woods back in Winnecook. On arrival at Unity, the unfortunate incident was discovered, and the train had to back several miles to pick up the disconcerted passengers. Probably the Belfast Moosehead's most outstanding distinction is that it is the only municipally owned railway in the United States. However, this fact is rather recent in its seventy years of history.
There was talk of building a railroad in Waldo county as early as 1836. In 1853 a survey was made to establish a railroad from Belfast to Moosehead Lake, but nothing was done until 1867. In that year N. P. Monroe introduced a bill in the legislature and obtained a charter for such a project excepting the distance from Newport to Dexter.2 By the charter, towns through which the proposed railroad was to pass were authorized to buy non-preferred stock, the amount not to exceed twenty percent of the valuation. Also, bonds could be issued to cover the purchase price.
The first mention of any interest in Unity appears in the town war- rant of February 1867.3 At the annual March meeting a committee
1. These articles appeared in Collier's "Cracker Barrel Railroad", January 13, 1945.
2. A railroad was already in construction between those places.
3. Unity Town Records, Book III, February 27, 1867. p. 89. "To see if the town will select a committee to look after the railroad inter- est of the town respecting the proposed railroad from Belfast to some point on the Maine Central."
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THE BELFAST AND MOOSEHEAD LAKE RAILROAD
of twenty-nine men were chosen to "look into the railroad interest." A special meeting was called in April to vote on the following arti- cle :
To see if the town of Unity will vote as allowed and empowered to do by law, that the town shall subscribe at par value for an amount of non-preferred stock of the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railway Com- pany to the amount of twenty percent of the valuation of the said town, in case said railway company build said road through the town of Unity, and construct a depot for the accommodation of the citizens of said Unity, and the traveling public at some place within one-half mile of the center of Unity village, and also with the express understand- ing and agreement that any amount so subscribed for by said Unity shall not be paid in bonds or funds into the treasury of said railway company, until enough from responsible parties has been subscribed to the stock of said company to defray the expenses of construction of such railroad from Belfast to Newport, via Unity, and with a further understanding that no part of said road is ever to be mortgaged to par- ties or corporation whatever.4
The town of Unity agreed to this article and postponed its meet- ing until the twenty-third of April. The inhabitants then gathered to determine how much company stock it would pay provided the railroad passed through Unity.5
Not all the people were by any means willing to appropriate such a large sum and consequently there were heated arguments pro and con. Finally Charles Taylor made a motion that, "the citizens of Unity authorize our selectmen to subscribe for three hundred shares non-preferred stock of the Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railway Company to aid in the construction of said railroad from Belfast to Newport or some other point on the Maine Central road to the amount of thirty thousand dollars provided said road runs through the town and the full amount of money be raised to build said road according to the specifications in the town warrant calling this meet- ing."6
Taylor's motion caused considerable commotion and the inhabitants voted, "We form a line in the road. Those in favor of the motion on the right hand side and those opposed form on the left hand side." This rural form of democratic procedure resulted in one hundred and thirty-three in favor; sixty against the motion. Unity was with the company. However, there continued to be strong opposition within the town and another special meeting was called in May to rescind the decision made in April. It was handled easily and quickly by someone making the motion that the particular article be passed and
4. Ibid., p. 95.
5. Ibid., At this meeting they considered Article four of the war- rant presented at the former meeting. This article read: "To see what amount of the stock of said railway company in case said railroad shall be located through the said town and a depot aforesaid built and lo- cated near the village in said Unity within one-half mile of the forks of the road near and by the house of Benjamin Fogg ... "
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