USA > Maine > Aroostook County > Caribou > Early history of Caribou, Maine : 1843-1895 > Part 8
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1886
HIGH SCHOOL
The first High School in town was started with eighty pupils the fall of 1886 in what was called "the old Grange building", a small two-story building quite well out on Sweden Street - it seemed then. The street floor had been occupied by the Grange store, and in one part of the room where molasses had been sold, the floor was still sticky. In another corner of the room there still remained the distinct odor of kero- sene. But neither pupils nor teacher seemed to mind, so engrossed were they in the pursuit of knowledge.
The school was fortunate in having for its first principal, W. S. Knowlton, an educator of long experi- ence, one who loved his work and his scholars. The first graduating class had only two members, W. E. Sincock and Newman Doyle, class of 1887. The next year, 1888, three boys graduated, Allen C. Hardison, Roy F. Bartlett and Winfield S. Webb. The third year had a graduation class of thirteen with a fair share of girls, and a good-sized class graduated each year there- after.
In 1891 the town erected on High Street their first High School building, now in use as a grade build- ing. Prof. Knowlton remained until 1895 when he went to Monson Academy.
H. L. Wilbur, W. C. Hall and Bernard Owen were the three principals following Prof. Knowlton, then
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Willard P. Hamilton, a Bates College graduate, was secured as principal in 1899. He served for seven years, during which time he brought the school to a high standard of excellence. It was easier to do this with a new, modern building, built for High school re- quirements but Mr. Hamilton resigned in 1906 to take up the study of law.
Before his coming to Caribou he had married Cordelia, daughter of Clarence V. King of Fort Fair- field. They had five children, Marjorie, Philip, Edgar, Martha and Lora, all of whom are living; Mrs. Hamil- ton died just a few years ago.
The next five principals who followed Mr. Hamil- ton were Harry Wheeler, C. C. Tuttle, Llewellyn Felch, A. W. Boston, and Ralph Hunt, later a principal of Hebron Academy for many years. A longer list would be tedious.
To Rev. C. E. Young and Mrs. Florence Collins Porter, each of whom served as supervisor of schools for some time, should be given high praise for their faithful and efficient work in the 80s and early 90s. During this period the schools really began to be graded and a modern system to be installed.
1887
In 1887 the first Electric Light Company was or- ganized, Frank York, lawyer in town, son of A. M.
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York, being the leading spirit. A stock company was formed, composed of a few of the business men who wanted electric lights in their stores; and enough cap- ital was raised to start a little steam plant on the bank of the Caribou stream near the basement of the "Billy Theriault" livery stable on the Mill hill. This plant was very small and lacking in power, with a steam en- gine of only 60 h. p. and a dynamo capable only of run- ning three hundred lights. It was dependent wholly upon wood or mill-waste from the saw mill near by to furnish steam-totally inadequate-but those who had electric lights, mostly storekeepers, welcomed them heartily as being the dawn of a new day.
In this decade of 1880-1890 the town was growing very rapidly. Many young men were coming from other parts of the state and even from other states to seek their fortunes. Among these the following may be mentioned.
E. P. Grimes came from Lowell, Mass. early in the 80's, a very young man interested in the manufacture of lumber, particularly shingles. He built the mill that gave his name to the B. & A. R. R. station between Caribou and Limestone, and which, once, did a big business in shingles. Mr. Grimes built a three-story wooden block, (burned in 1903) on the corner of Swe- den Street and Vaughan Avenue, where is now a brick block in which the Aroostook Trust Co. is located. The street floor of the Grimes block was occupied by three
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stores, the second and third floors by his family. Not long after 1900 they moved to Washington County, where Mr. Grimes had bought large tracts of blue- berry land where he engaged in the business of can- ning the berries for a time. Then they moved to Flori- da to make their home and there Mr. Grimes and his daughter, Natalie, (married), are still living. Mrs. Grimes died several years ago.
James H. Glenn, too, came early in this decade from Hampden and made a start in business with a blacksmith shop. In a few years he left this work and went into the hardware business on Sweden Street where he remained for many years. He married Mary Maley of Van Buren and they had two sons (both still living) ). When Louis C. Stearns who had built a handsome residence on High Street decided to move to Bangor in later years, he sold his attractive home to Mr. Glenn. Mrs. Glenn died in 1909 and Mr. Glenn, eventually, sold the house and went to live with one of his sons at Glen Falls, N. Y. (He has recently passed away.)
Another man who entered into business on Swe- den Street in the early 80's was Henry Nickerson who had a men's clothing store where is now the Havey Pharmacy. A robbery took place here in 1884 which seemed to cripple Mr. Nickerson financially, and the J. T. Lewis Co. of Portland, the chief creditor, took over the stock and sold it to Charles G. Littlefield of Port- land, who, however, could not come himself at the time-in fact, not until four years later, 1888. A. A.
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Garden, who had come, a lad of fifteen, with his par- ents, one brother, John and a sister, Crissie ; had clerk- ed for Nickerson and continued clerking there through all its changes. When Mr. Littlefield bought the stock in 1884, he sent Perley McNelly of Waterville (who had been with the J. T. Lewis Company for five years) to take charge of the store, A. A. Garden still remain- ing as clerk. In 1899 Mr. Garden bought the stock and took over the management of his own business, in the same Littlefield store, until 1910 when he retired from that business and entered the insurance business.
Mr. Garden was appointed Town Clerk in 1930 and held the office until March 1945, a most obliging and agreeable official. He married Adelaide Libby of Easton and has one son, Arthur, who is in the insur- ance business in New York City.)
Perley McNelly, previously mentioned, brought a bride, Emily Hamilton of Portland, to Caribou in 1886 and there their three children were born. Their daugh- ters, Minnie and Gladys are living now in New York City ; their son, Philip in Bridgeport, Conn. Perley re- mained in Caribou until his death in 1939. His wife died many years ago.
Among other young men coming to Caribou in this decade with the intention of going into business for themselves, was Simeon L. White of St. John, N. B. (more recently of Houlton) who came in 1887 and bought the drug business and store building of Lysand- er Sawin, removing, however, the billiard table, dental chair, and wall-paper rack as soon as he took over.
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To show the growth of the town in the late eight- ies the following clipping, taken from the Aroostook Republican about this time, is given. "Caribou has now besides the stores, three insurance companies, a brok- ers office and a real estate office, also has six lawyers, the same number of physicians, one dentist, and a Village Library Association, besides two hotels, two billiard rooms and a skating rink." A succinct report of progress.
1888
O
In 1888 William B. Mclellan, the son of a former mayor of Portland, who had worked with Mr. McNelly at the J. T. Lewis Company store in Portland came to Caribou and entered into partnership with McNelly. They started a gentlemen's clothing store in the build- ing later occupied by the jewelry store of H. O. Spenc- er, another one of the young business men spoken of who came in this decade. Mr. Mclellan went away in 1890 and returned with a bride, Kate Burrill of Skow- hegand. In 1895 when the Bangor and Aroostook R. R. arrived, Mr. McLellan went into their office in Caribou and remained there until his retirement age was reach- ed when he and his wife returned to Portand where they lived until their decease, Mr. Mclellan going first.
VAUGHAN HOUSE
VAUGHAN HOUSE -- 1888
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1889
The most important event in the March of Time since the coming of the first railroad was the building of the dam across the Aroostook River in 1889, bring- ing water, light and power, and all that those things mean to a town.
It was understood that the dam and water works would cost the town about $100,000, the dam was to cost $30,000 and the water works $70,000 and it would be necessary for the town to vote $2,000 a year for twenty years, before the contract for the work could be made. The money was to be furnished by outside capitalists. Herbert Heath, an Augusta lawyer was their representative and business man. When a town meeting was called to consider the vote of $2,000 annually for twenty years the whole business was care" fully explained by Mr. Heath and an affirmative vote was practically unanimous, so long had the citizens de- sired the privileges thus to be obtained.
The dam, when built was five hundred feet long, from bank to bank of the river, fourteen feet high, forty-eight feet wide at base and had six gates, three at each end of the dam on each side of the river. The same company that built the dam constructed the water-works and a stand-pipe was erected on a hill just north of the village, about three-fourths of a mile from the pumping station at the dam. This stand-pipe, thirty feet in diameter and twenty nine feet high, had a capacity of one hundred and fifty thousand gallons.
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The top of the stand-pipe was two hundred and sixty feet above the pumping station giving force enough to throw this volume of water one hundred and fifty feet high, affording the town ample fire protection, something it had never had before. One great advan- tage perceptible very soon was the decided drop in the insurance rates, to say nothing of the added feeling of security in the minds of all property owners.
With the building of the dam, thereby securing a water system, Caribou had for the first time hot and cold running water in the homes. The rain barrel, the old oaken 'bucket, and the pump in the well now gradually disappeared from view. Bathtubs became quite numerous though they were made of tin or zinc, not of the gleaming porcelain of the present. A new day had dawned. "Time makes ancient good uncouth"
1890
To pick up every event of importance in telling the story of the progress being made at this time, the chartering of the first bank, the Aroostook Trust Com- pany, in 1889, with George I. Trickey as its first presi- dent, must be mentioned, as a great help to the Cari- bou business men who had felt the crying need of a bank for some time, there being none nearer than Houlton.
The Aroostook Trust Company opened its doors
GEORGE I. TRICKEY
٠ ٥ ١٥ مل فتة بسبسبب
-----
سكيب
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for business January 1, 1890 in a small, wooden build- ing on Sweden Street next to the Glenn Hardware store, both buildings on the site of the present New- berry store. (In 1912 the wooden building was moved back and a brick building erected in its place. In 1939 the Aroostook Trust Co. moved into the Caribou Na- tional Bank building and at that time the brick bank building and the Glenn store were built over into one big room for the Newberry Company store.)
Mr. Trickey held the presidency for fifteen years until 1905 when, desiring to make New York City his home, he sold his entire interest in the bank to Carl C. King (son of L.R. King ) who was elected to take Mr. Trickey's place as president, this office he held until the time of his death, 1919.
Charles Margesson of Bangor, an experienced accountant was secured by Mr. Trickey as the first cashier. He remained some fifteen years when he re- signed and Richard Gardner, who had been assistant cashier took his place, remaining in this position until Mr. King's death. Mr. Gardner then succeeded to the office of president which he held until a few years ago when he resigned the office which is now held by Samuel Wilson Collins, son of Herschel Collins, grand- son and namesake of the old pioneer.
In 1890 Samuel E. Briggs came from Bloomfield, N. B. with his wife and eight children, all of school age. Fred, Helen, Blanche, Lydia, Stella, Murray, Jud- son and Ezra.
Mr. Briggs bought a fine farm on the Van Buren road, also went into the hardware business in town,
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specializing in the modern, agricultural machinery, later buying a home in town opposite the Sincock school. As time went on most of the children went West, only Judson and Ezra remaining in Caribou to carry on the extensive business that their father and they, themselves, had established. Judson married a Bates College classmate, Maude Parkin of Lisbon Falls and Ezra married Sarah, daughter of Ernest and Emily (Goud) Washburn.
By the census of 1890 the population of Caribou was found to be 4087 with a valuation of $780,489., more than double the valuation of 1880, and the popu- lation increased by almost fifty per cent in the same time.
With a population of over four thousand people, it is no longer possible to mention newcomers by name. Only important events can be chronicled now.
1891
In the fall of 1891 fire destroyed the wooden bridge across the Aroostook River, the fourth wooden bridge to be burned, and the County Commissioners decided to put up a more permanent structure. This they did the following year, building a substantial, three-span structure with steel cylinder piers, which are there to- day.
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1892
In 1892 Albe Holmes, who before this had had no interest in the dam or water works, bought out the or- iginal Caribou Water, Light and Power Company which at that time had nothing but the water. He pur- chased the wires and fixtures of the little electric light plant in the village and took over its list of subscribers. . He ran a line to Fort Fairfield and for a time supplied that village with electric lights but before long that end of the business was sold to the town of Fort Fair- field.
Mr. Holmes installed in 1894 a much stronger water wheel of 200 h. p., also a 900 light power dyna- mo as well as other improvements after which time the town had very satisfactory lights. A. B. Fisher, the very efficient superintendent of the waterworks was installed as superintendent of the electric light plant also.
The tallow candles and even the kerosene lamps were now superseded by the electric lights in every home, and good street lights turned the darkness of night into day.
1893
One of the outstanding events in the annals of the town was the coming of the telephone system in
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1893. The White Mountain Telephone Company com- menced operations in Aroostook County early in Jan- uary 1893 by building an exchange in Presque Isle. The exchange in Caribou was next established, Fort Fairfield coming third; each town having a central of- fice with switch board and the same number of sub- scribers, twenty each. The company then went to Houlton and established an exchange with thirty five subscribers, afterwards building a metallic circuit from Houlton to Monticello, Bridgewater, Mars Hill and Presque Isle, thus connecting all the principal towns of the county with each other and with the rest of the world.
Many of the first exchanges in the county were placed in the drug stores, as they kept the longest hours, from 7 A. M. to 11 P. M. so the first exchange in Caribou was put inthe drug store of S. L. White, op- posite the Vaughan House. Mr. White, with one clerk, attended the switch board with little trouble as only a few business places had availed thmselves of this con- venience. It was some time before the telephone was installed in the homes to any extent, the people feeling at first, that it was a foolish extravagance. Next, a real exchange was opened, with H. L. Cates as super- intendent, where the Jerrard Seed Company is now lo- cated, and where the operators had nothing to do but answer calls, a real advance. In a few years every one had the telephone in their homes which added another convenience to their lives. "All this and Heaven too."
Before this time allusion was often made in the newspapers to the fact, substantiated by statistics,
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that farmers' wives were the largest group in the in- sane hospitals of this country and the reason for this was set down as loneliness. The farmers of Caribou had telephones in their houses almost as soon as the townspeople, so they could get the day's price for po- tatoes every morning before starting for town with a load. (No auto trucks then.) The rest of the day the farmers' wives could use the telephone to talk to their friends, so there was no more loneliness and nothing more was ever heard about farmers' wives going in- sane.
In the winter of 1893 a few young men met and formed the Caribou Cornet Band so the old chronicles say. It might be interesting to review the personnel of that Band to see how many familiar names can be found, either as residents or sons of old residents.
On June 10th 1894 the band became an incorporat- ed body, the following being the elected officers of the association: Wallace R. Lumbert, lawyer, president ; Willis B. Hall (grandson of Winslow Hall) secretary ; A. A. Garden, treasurer; Charles M. Runnels, leader ; Charles A. O. Smith (son of Benj. Smith landlord of the Vaughan House at that time) sergeant.
The next year the citizens generously subscribed enough money to buy uniforms for the band and a handsome outfit was received July 2nd, 1895, just in time for the 4th of July celebration.
The playing members were as follows :: C. A. O. Smith, B. F. Higgins, cornets; Charles S. Taylor, clarinet; Willis B. Hall, Dana L. Teague, Walter L.
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Sealander, altos; Percy Runnels, George Washburn, P. L. McNelly, C. M. Runnels, drums; A. A. Garden, tenors; George Briggs, baritone; C. A. Fuller, tuba; drum major.
A sewerage company was organized in 1893 with E. E. Haynes as president, John P. Donworth, treas- urer, and George W. Irving as clerk. During that sum- mer a thorough survey was made, working plans were drafted for a complete sewerage system for the whole village-with due consideration of its future growth- and considerable work was accomplished that season. All these public utilities, as they are now called, were introduced in the village of Caribou within five years, from the early spring of 1889 to the late fall of 1893.
This year, 1893, was the fiftieth year since the arrival of the first American family which sets the date of first settlement in American towns according to professional historians. Though the end of the first half century of Caribou's existence has now arrived there are two more things, which though worked on for some time before, were not fully brought to com- pletion until 1895. These should be included in this · story of progress before it is closed; the Court House and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.
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CARIBOU COURT HOUSE
The Aroostook County Superior Court had been established by law in 1885 and its sessions had been held at Caribou in Clark's Hall with Judge Robinson, formerly of Houlton, then Presque Isle, presiding.
In 1893 the Legislature abolished the Superior Court which had been holding sessions at Caribou, transferring jurisdiction theretofore held by that Court to the Supreme Judicial Court.
There was a further provision that the "County of Aroostook should furnish proper and convenient rooms and accommodations in the Town of Caribou for the use of the Supreme Judicial Court."
The law further provided for holding sessions of the S. J. Court on the fourth Tuesday of April and the third Tuesday of September at Houlton for civil and criminal business, and at Caribou the first Tuesday in December for civil business alone.
The May, 1893 term of the Superior Court held at Caribou was the last term of that court held there; and the December 1893 term of Supreme Judicial Court was the first term of that court held in Caribou. The December, 1894, term was held in Caribou before the building of the Court House. These sessions were all held in Clarks Hall as nothing else was available.
The law authorizing the Court House was passed in Legislature of 1895 directing the County Com- missioners of Aroostook "to construct of brick and furnish a suitable Court House in Caribou, in which to hold such terms of the Supreme Judicial, probate and insolvent courts as might, by law, be held in Cari- bout at a total expense of twenty thousand dollars. Provided, however, that there should be first tendered
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to the Commissioners a good and sufficient deed of land in Caribou village, running to the county, free of charge, upon which to build the Court House."
It is remembered by some of the older residents of the town that there was considerable difficulty in finding a lot that suited everyone, but the deadlock was broken when Lyman Stevens offered to give to the town the lot on which the Court House now stands. The gift was accepted though many felt then, that it was much too far from the business section and some still feel so.
The Court House was built that summer of 1895 -a fine, brick building on Sweden Street and it was ready for the December term of Court. The legal busi- ness of a very large county was now more equally divided between the northern and southern frontiers of Aroostook. The travelling expenses of litigants in northern Aroostook had been so great that there had even been talk of making two counties out of one, Northern Aroostook and Southern Aroostook. But that idea never became popular and the establishment of another court in northern Aroostook in 1885 helped the situation much in equalizing the expenses between the two sections that there was nothing more said con- cerning the division of the county.
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THE BANGOR AND AROOSTOOK RAILROAD
Doubtless it will always be said that the event of most far-reaching importance in Caribou's history, which contributed most to its growth and prosperity, was the building of the Bangor and Aroostook Rail- road which ran its first regular train into Caribou, January 1, 1895. Although this occurred nearly two years after the closing of the half century, the rail- road was well begun, the spade work had been accom- plished, by 1893, so it rightfully belongs to the credit of the first half century of Caribou's existence.
Although the Aroostook branch of the New Bruns- wick Railroad was a life-saver for the towns of North- ern Aroostook at the time it had its disadvantages. For many years, if not for the whole of the nineteen years of dependency upon that railroad, Caribou people had to take the train at four o'clock in the morning in or- der to connect with other trains going south or west that day. Or leaving Bangor at four o'clock in the afternoon on the return journey, they had to sit up all night to change cars at the various junctions, reach- ing Caribou about noon the next day, All the heat in the passenger car in cold weather was provided by a small iron, wood, or coal burning stove at each end. Lamps filled with oil swung overhead.
There were sleeping cars on the European and North American trains between Bangor and St. John, but not on the New Brunswick branch. There were too many junctions, so sitting up or lying down on the hard wooden benches in the junction stations, waiting for trains, was the accepted mode of travel in that
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day. Caribou people were certainly inured to hardships for the first forty or fifty years of pioneer life which probably made them what they are-a hardy race, sturdy and progressive
Southern Aroostook was not much more enviably situated than northern Aroostook in regard to railroad facilities and had gained nothing since 1870 when the New Brunswick Railroad came into Houlton having built a branch road from Debec Junction, just a small portion of it being in Maine. Only two and one-half miles of railroad in all Aroostook at that date! South- ern Aroostook chafed as much as did northern Aroos- took at the roundabout way they had to travel.
After years of endeavor and disappointments dur- ing the 80's in trying to get a Direct Line into Aroos- took another project was suggested in 1890, another way out, by Albert A. Burleigh of Houlton, son of Parker P. Burleigh, an old time State Land Agent and a born surveyor. The Burleigh plan was to ask the Legislature for a charter for a road to start from Van Buren and extend straight south through Houlton to some point on the Maine Central R. R. with branches to Fort Fairfield and Ashland ; also to ask the Legisla- ture to enable the County to issue bonds to the extent of 5% of its valuation, amounting to $500,000. to be taken in stock. After this, it was proposed to issue $400,000. more stock, giving the people of Aroostook the preference as subscribers thereto, and then to is- sue first mortgage bonds to complete the construction of the road.
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