USA > Maine > Aroostook County > Bridgewater > History of Bridgewater, Maine > Part 13
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Down came the dead dog and soot right into the pots and pans and supper. The young boys, followed by the old man, made a rush for the door, crowding to get through, which delayed them purposely. When they finally got outside not a person was in sight. The sun was slipping behind the horizon and all was quiet and peaceful.
Mr. Watkins threatened dire things to the boys who did it, but of course he never did, and never found out who it was.
Moody Tompkins went into Fred Snow's store one day and asked if he had a good shotgun.
"Sure, I have, a very powerful gun, too. Shoots anything from a partridge to a bear," said Fred.
"How much is it?"
"Ten dollars with a box of cartridges to boot."
Moody bought the gun and asked where he could find good hunting. He was told to go out to Number Nine. The next morning Moody started out with his powerful gun, and powerful it was as he soon found out. He was walking along the tote road when he saw a partridge. He pulled up the old gun, took aim, and let it go.
This is what Moody said about it. "I don't remember a thing after the gun exploded for half an hour. When I came to I was laying on the ground with the gun ten feet away. I got up still in a daze, shook myself and looked at my feet and one of my shoes was gone. I then begun to look for my pocketbook which I always carry in my shirt breast pocket. I felt for it. It wasn't there, so I felt in my pants pocket and felt it, but it was still in my shirt pocket, for the shirt had got twisted around my body. I always wear a four-in-hand tie, so I felt for that. It was there but it was tied in a perfect knot bow. That sure was a powerful gun. Fred didn't lie about it after all."
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During the days of prohibition many unscrupulous men in the county made quite a thing of smuggling liquor from Canada and selling it here and in the southern part of the state.
One spring one of the local boys had a new car which happened to be the same as the car of one of the "Rum Runners." The man found it out, so he made the acquaintance of the boy, whom we'll call Mike, and on several occasions stopped and talked over the merits of their cars.
One Saturday night when the town was full of people, Mr. Rum Runner drove into town and stopped near the Farley store. He saw Mike on the street and after talking cars a few minutes said, "Say, Mike, how would you like to make $20 easy, tonight?"
"I sure would, but how?" answered Mike.
"Have you been down through town tonight?"
"Yes, several times."
"Anyone stop you?"
"Yes, there's several officers down by the corner this side of the little schoolhouse."
"I thought so. Now listen, if you want that $20 you take my car and go down through, I'll take your car and go up the station road and out by way of the Bootfoot Road and meet you in the swamp (below the Smith place)."
"What'll I do if they search the car?" asked Mike.
"They won't, you've been down several times already."
"I'll do it," said Mike.
So off they started. Mike was stopped, but he kept the car in gear. The officers flashed their lights in the car, then said, "All right, go on." Mike started off slowly, seeing the other car come off the crossroad and go on ahead. When he reached the top of McKeen hill he saw the other car had stopped in the swamp. He pulled up behind, got out, got his $20, got in his own car and half an hour later drove slowly back in town, while Mr. Rum Runner had outwitted the officers and was on his way.
One time G. W. Collins sent Ami to the gristmill with a load of buckwheat to be ground. Ami had to wait an hour or two before he could get it, so he put the oxen in a barn and went up to the Line House for refreshment. When he came back to the mill he was feeling a bit groggy, but he got the grist loaded and started for home. Before he got half way he got so sleepy that he stopped the team, got out, got under the cart, and went to sleep. He slept so long that the oxen got tired, and some way got loose from the cart and wandered off, leaving
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Ami under the cart still asleep. A man came by and roused Ami out of his stupor. Ami got up, looked around and said, "Where am I and who am I? If I am Ami I've lost a darn good yoke of oxen; if I am not Ami I've found a good cart with a load of grist." The man told him where he was and who he was and found the oxen for him and Ami got home after a fashion, still quite woozie. When G.W. saw him he said, "Ex- actly, my boy, I'll have to send another man with you the next time you leave the farm."
Selectmen Since 1903
1903
First A. M. Stackpole, Sr. "
Second I. V. Durgin "
Third M. S. Rideout
1904 1905
1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912
H. G. Stackpole
H. E. Pryor "
John Sargent
1913
«
H. A. Tompkins John Sargent "
H. M. Kimball
1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921
"
M. S. Rideout B. C. Slipp
W. L. Milliken
A. M. Stackpole, Jr.
Fred Whited S. J. Hartley
S. J. Hartley E. W. Fulton N. L. Jamison «
1922 1923 1924 1925
H. G. Stackpole "
Fred Whited
1926 1927
1928
G. S. Twitchell
1929
H. G. Stackpole
George Kimball
"
"
"
O. D. Noble
S. J. Hartley E. W. Fulton
=
E. G. Barker «
149
1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936
Forest Bradstreet
Ralph Everett «
66
H.A. Tompkins
Victor Ketchum
E. G. Barker Ralph Stackpole
D. W. Stackpole
66
1937
C. L. Simonson
1938 1939
Thomas Nickerson 66
Ralph Stackpole
1940
John Webber
1941
In 1942 the town changed to the Town Manager form of govern- ment.
There was no record in the Town Reports of a Tax Collector until 1910. George Barrett served from 1910 to 1921, C. L. Sharp from 1922 to 1935, and Arthur Libby from 1936 to 1941.
R. J. Kimball was Town Clerk from 1903 to 1924. H. A. McIlroy from 1925 to the present time.
Town Treasurers have been C. E. Folsom from 1903 to 1908, A. M. Stackpole from 1909 to 1917, Fred Snow from 1918 to 1934, G. S. Twitchell from 1935 to 1940, and Ralph Milliken from 1941 to the present time.
Railroads
Probably there is no one, or very few people, in the town today who know that at one time a railroad was proposed to run from the Boundary, then known as Baird's Mills, to the St. John River. Indeed a subsidy of $100,000. was obtained from the Provincial government of New Brunswick. If such a railroad had been built it would have made of Baird's Mills, in effect, a Provincial village. This proposition occurred about 1870-80.
About 1880 or shortly after there was talk of building a railroad from Bangor northward into Aroostook County, to be known as the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad. Through such influential men as Hon. A. A. Burleigh and Mr. Cram and others in the county the railroad became a reality. The American Express Company also contributed $200,000 toward the project. In 1892 it was built to Houlton and in 1894 it was completed through Bridgewater as far as Caribou.
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The first Station Agent was Edwin Bliss Morton who came on the first passenger train to pass through the town the latter part of Decem- ber. Mr. Morton started his duties January 1, 1895, remaining here until 1914 when he left to take a similar position in Mars Hill.
Following is a list of the Agents and the length of time they served. It will be noticed that some were here only a few months as relief agents, until a permanent agent could be secured.
Edwin Bliss Morton
1- 1-1895 to
3-20-1914
David R. Embleton
3-21-1914 to
4-27-1914
Fred Crozier
4-28-1914 to 10-29-1916
Claude Thistle
10-30-1916 to 12-30-1920
Vincent J. O'Brien
12-31-1920 to
2- 1-1921
Guy R. Lilley
2- 1-1921 to
4-27-1948
Newell C. Labbe
4-28-1948 to 5-23-1948
Richard J. Cote
5-24-1948 to 5-30-1948
William R. Green
6- 1-1948 to 6-27-1948
Robert P. Groves
6-28-1948 to 11-28-1948
P. A. Carroll
11-29-1948 to
7-10-1949
Cecil A. Hall
7-11-1949 to date
The above list was secured through the kindness of Cecil A. Hall in cooperation with Gordon White, Traveling Auditor for the railroad, who obtained the information through the Bangor office.
Cecil A. Hall, the present Station Agent is a native of the town, and strangely enough he received his training in the town under the able instruction of Guy R. Lilley, starting in 1928. In September 1929, he went to work for the Bangor and Aroostook as car clerk, at Caribou. He was then transferred to Madawaska for two months, then to Fort Kent where he was chief clerk, remaining there until June 1930. He was then transferred to Caribou where he remained for two years as billing clerk.
During the depression years the Company reduced its working force, so he was laid off until January 1934 when he went to Presque Isle and worked as freight porter for six months. He was again laid off until October 1934 when he went to Limestone as billing clerk and operator. In June of 1935 he was again laid off until fall when he went to Good- rich Siding on the Limestone Branch, which was opened winters in the potato-shipping season. This was his first Station Agent position.
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In 1936 he was sent to Jemptland in the town of New Sweden as relief agent for a year.
From 1937-40 he was agent at Goodrich during the winter months, and during the summers he did spare work. This work took him all over the road from Oakfield to St. Francis. In 1940 he went to Masardis as Station Agent. This was his first Station that was opened the year round and was his to hold as long as he wished to stay provided he did his work satisfactorily. He was here until 1946. At that time some of his children were old enough to attend high school and as there was no high school there he was fortunate enough to get a Station at Mapleton where he remained until 1948. At Mr. Lilley's death the Station at Bridgewater was open for anyone who had the most seniority and who wanted the position. Cecil applied, and being the oldest man in rail- road years of service who wanted the position he got it. He moved here in July 1949, at that time taking over his new duties.
Cecil has three sons and three daughters, so we see he had to work hard to provide for them in these years of rising prices. He has done his work well, not waiting for the big jobs, but willing to do the small jobs faithfully and well, and so being rewarded by receiving the larger positions. He is another home town boy who has made good.
The railroad, in 1895, opened new possibilities to the town. More goods could be brought in by train than by teams and transportation was cheaper. Lumber and grains could be shipped to the outside mar- kets and potatoes were raised on a much larger acreage.
Today the county is one of the largest, if not the largest, potato empire in the United States, and Bridgewater contributes its share to making this empire possible, having excellent potato land and farmers who know how to produce the best crops.
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The town of Bridgewater has made great progress in its first 125 years. From a wilderness it has grown to a town of over 1200 people. From a handful of people with no means of travel except on the stream, to a town with a network of hard surfaced roads where cars travel at great speed, travel by train or airplane. From a village with no outside communication to a town with communication to the entire world by telephone, telegraph, radio and television. From transportation by ox cart to transportation by rail, truck and airplane. From a place where farming was only a garden patch with a few potatoes, and grain planted around the stumps, to a place with wide fields, a town that takes its place in raising its share of potatoes in the "potato empire of the coun- try." From homes and farms with meager necessities, where all the labor was done by hand to a town with all the modern conveniences in the homes and the most modern machinery on the farms and at least one automobile in every home.
It is true there are some things the town could improve upon, as an adequate water system for household consumption and fire protection. This is no new idea, it was considered by the Town Fathers many years ago when they proposed bringing water from Whited or Nine Lakes. Many towns have solved this problem by digging deep wells for their water systems. A doctor would be an asset to the town and a doc- tor would bring back the drugstore.
Another improvement would be a Library. Many towns of much smaller populations have libraries. It would be a great help to the school children, would increase the desire for reading among adults and would bring a wider variety and better reading material to the adults and everyone in general.
In spite of some of these shortcomings the people can point with pride to their town and know it is one of the finest towns in the coun- try. They have done this through their individual and united efforts. All have contributed their share, some to a greater degree than others, but all can point with pride and say, "This is my town. I have helped to make it what it is. I am proud to be a citizen of Bridgewater."
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