USA > Maine > Oxford County > Porter > History of Porter > Part 21
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21
ยท My story about local baseball from the early eighties to date thus comes to an end. It would be mighty interesting in another ten years to review the records of these coming men of baseball, the Little Leaguers. I envy Mr. Griffith because of his great opportu- nity, as well as the local school leaders who have the molding of these young athletes in their hands.
In bringing this review to a close it would seem fitting that I also speak of four local boys who made good in other phases of sport, namely, Lucien Stacy, Eugene Hussey, Robert Churchill, and Char- ley Churchill. Lucien, a husky youngster from the back hills of Por- ter, on the road to Devil's Den Mountain, was sent to West Point. It would seem that he inherited something of the ruggedness of the huge trees and boulders that still abound in the vicinity of his home, the George Ed Stacy farm, later known as the Moses Chapman farm, for, although probably never having played football prior to enter- ing the military academy, he not only became one of its football greats in the back field, but also arose to the captaincy in his senior year. From there he went forth to serve as an officer in the Spanish American War where he became a victim of the yellow fever scourge.
Eugene, son of Leon and Amy Hussey, attended the University of Maine to specialize in the veterinary profession, but he did more than that by developing into an outstanding basketball center.
Robert Churchill made good as a football player at Fryeburg Acad- emy, as well as making a fine record in track, as a sprinter, high jumper and shot-putter, and at the University of Maine where he graduated in 1953 starred on the varsity basketball team at center and forward during three of his four years.
Charley Churchill also did yeoman service at Fryeburg Academy in both football and basketball.
Speaking in the third person maybe the author will be pardoned for bringing his own record into this story, on the basis of its being
304
HISTORY OF PORTER
a fairly authentic record of local boys who did at least a little better than ordinary in the field of sports. The author became athletically ambitious while attending Parsonsfield Seminary, thanks to the ad- vice of a young Bowdoin man who coached at the Seminary for two weeks in preparation for the first Interscholastic Field Meet of Saco Valley. This meet was held on the Cornish Fair Grounds in 1902 between the high schools, including academies, of Limerick, Cornish, Limington, Waterboro, and Par-Sem.
Par-Sem won the meet, the author winning the individual high score with first places in the Hammer Throw, Shot Put, and Pole Vault; third in the Broad Jump, and second in the Baseball Throw. On participating in his first Interclass Track Meet as a freshman at Bates College in 1904, he again won the individual high score with first in the Hammer and Shot events; and second in the Discus Throw and Pole Vault. After playing one season on the varsity baseball team he dropped this sport and devoted the same time to Track, with emphasis on the Hammer Throw. This did not interfere too much with football requirements, so he played during his Freshman, Sophomore and Senior years, mainly at guard on offense, and as a roving center on defense. Rheumatic fever and pleurisy prevented his participation in sports during the fall of his Junior year. In the Maine Intercollegiate Track Meets of the author's Junior and Senior years, he won third and second place, respectively, for Bates in the Hammer Throw. In his Senior year, having devoted much time to acquiring an all-around proficiency in athletics for his later work as a coach and physical director, he was appointed assistant Gym in- structor, and ended his college career by setting a new Bates record in the Hammer Throw that remained unbroken for seven years. The author's first two years after graduating were spent as teacher, gym instructor and coach in all sports at Deerfield Academy, Mass., and the following seven years in a similar capacity at Monson Academy, Mass. In 1924 he emerged from storage at the age of 42, to pitch for the Kiwanis Club of Newark, N. J., in competition with neigh- boring Kiwanis Clubs. His team won the championship, and he won the high batting average. Pardon this personal angle, please, but this is a record of Kezar Falls athletes and the author just hap-
305
BASEBALL FROM PAST TO PRESENT
pens to be one of them, and proud of it. So with one more entry I will stop the clock: In 1927, the author won the New Jersey Horse-shoe Pitching Championship, to be shortly thereafter ousted by his 17-year-old son, Donald, who went him one better by corral- ling both the New Jersey and the New York State championships, and went on to score the highest Bowling average in his league over eight successive years.
And this just about brings to a close my review of baseball and other forms of athletics, as carried on by local participants from as far back as records and other media of information have been avail- able. No doubt there are many omissions, and so my apologies to all whom I may have overlooked.
George French
XXXI
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
So far no mention has been made as to who was the founder or the first settler of Kezar Falls. This "omission" is due to the fact that the early records of the village have hitherto remained in a state of "suspended animation" and only at the eleventh hour been aroused to place themselves at the writer's disposition!
Having subjected all the available historic material to a minute examination, two persons stand out from all the rest in respect to priority. I've had the honor of mentioning these worthies before, but only now as outstanding figures in a community of progressive pioneers.
Bartholomew Gould (1774-1815) comes first. He, his wife Mary Goodwin and several children, came from Wells, Maine, and estab- lished themselves in the town of Porter prior to 1810. Although he had to walk on crutches from the time he was 21, this handicap did not deter him from settling in what was then a wilderness - now the heart of Kezar Falls. Bartholomew built his log house on the west bank of a brawling brook; the very same stream that today flows from Spectacle Pond into Ridlon Brook at South Hiram. A caved-in cellar sheltered by a lonesome pine now mark the site of his home - close to where Mrs. Mildred Gould Spring now lives.
Nine children were born to the Goulds - four boys and five girls; all but two, a son and a daughter, survived childhood, several living to go beyond the age of 90!
Bartholomew Gould and his family occupied the log structure for several years; clearing the forest down as far as to the Great Ossipee River; plowing the virgin soil; cultivating his grains and vegetables
307
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
in anticipation of a bountiful harvest; raising cattle, sheep and hogs - the Almghty looked with favor upon Bartholomew's exertions for he was a pious man.
William Stanley (1776-1822), Bartholomew's compatriot, settled in the adjoining town of Hiram about the same time. He built his log cabin near what is now known as Stanley Pond, as mentioned in a previous chapter. The site of his home is now designated by a magnificent elm that holds its sheltering arms over the caved-in cellar.
William Stanley, like Bartholomew Gould, was a man of action and of a keen foresight. He was a millwright, and his sawmills could be found on many of the principal streams of Porter, Hiram and Cornish. The sawmill on Ridlon Brook at South Hiram is prob- ably the only one that remains today. It is a noteworthy fact that four generations - all lineal descendants of William Stanley, have followed this noble occupation.
With the coming of the sawmill, log houses were on their way out and frame structures came into general use. Both Gould and Stanley tore down their log cabins as soon as sufficient building ma- terial became available at the mills.
Ridlon Brook was probably named after Samuel Ridlon whose home was located near that stream. He was married to Esther, the eldest daughter of William and Susannah Stanley, and their homes were but a short distance apart.
As previously pointed out, the town of Porter built a road between Freedom, N. H. and Hiram in 1830. As a matter of fact, the greater part of this road, the Ossipee Trail, had been widened years before to permit the use of vehicles; that improvement was made on the trail between Porter Village and the town of Freedom. By 1833, when a bridge spanned the Great Ossipee at the Falls, settlers began trickling into the new village formed by the towns of Porter and Parsonsfield. Fourteen years later - in 1844, an interesting document was formulated at Kezar Falls. It concerned water power:
"To David Colcord, Esq. One of the Justices of the
Peace within and for the County of Oxford. The under- signed being desirous of incorporating themselves for the
308
HISTORY OF PORTER
purpose of improving the water power at Kezar Falls, so called, for factories or other purposes hereby apply to you and request you to issue a warrant in due form of law di- rected to any one of the undersigned applicants directing him to notify each and every one of us to meet at the Free Meeting House at Kezar Falls, so called, in the town of Porter on Saturday the 20th day of April A.D. 1844 at four o'clock P.M. for the above purpose, and to act on the fol- lowing articles, viz; first to choose a Moderator to govern said meeting; second, to choose a Society Clerk; third, to choose a Prudential Committee; fourth, to act on any other business that may legally come before the meeting.
Porter, April 10th, 1884.
G. M. Randall Moses Sweat
Edward Gibbs.
Flanders Newbegin Ezra Gibbs "
Although the Kezar Falls Woolen Mill first began to operate in 1881, we are led to surmise that some kind of a mill or manufactory motivated by water power must have been in use during that inter- val of thirty-seven years.
While on the subject of water power, let us return to South Hi- ram; to the saw mill mentioned earlier - one of the oldest saw mills in operation in the State of Maine. As mentioned earlier, William Stanley built this mill and following his death in 1822, the property passed to his son, Isaac (1802-1883); his two sons, George and Sam- uel, got the mill next. The Stanleys sold it to Tobias Libby, and he, in turn, gave the mill to his son, Randall; the later disposing of it to James R. Milliken in 1864, and his son, George, inherited the saw mill in 1875. Orman L. Stanley and Frank M. Stearns acquired the property several decades later and operated the mill for a number of years, then sold it to the Clark Lumber Company. This firm sold the saw mill to its present owner, the Lewis Lumber Company, a few years ago.
The Glen Bobbin Mill on Glen Street, the chief industry at South Hiram, had its beginning in the latter part of the past century as a
309
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
saw mill, built by Milton Smith for Eugene F. Stanley. The present structure is modern and was rebuilt under the proprietorship of Carl- ton T. Fox and Charles G. Fox.
Since the charming little hamlet of S. Hiram lies within the precincts of Kezar Falls, it is pertinent to include this village in this sketch. It was originally known as "Slab City" - an appropriate name at that time, but no longer so as any traveler passing through it will cheerfully verify. The village is exemplary clean and its at- mosphere breathes peace and prosperity.
Among the residents of South Hiram are:
Mr. Frd. Hannaford, Florist - his "Riverside Greenhouse" on S.
Hiram Road will enrich anyone who loves flowers; and who does not?
Milton Libby, Carpenter.
Arnold Pendexter, State Highway Supervisor.
Carlton G. Pendexter, Proprietor of "The Corner Store", a place that has become a landmark, chiefly due to its cheerful owner.
George Tracy, retired painter and carpenter.
Bruce Nason, former student at M. I. T.
Bavil Kenerson, retired business man; veteran of World War I.
Miss Edith L. Gillmore, retired Postmaster. Miss Gillmore was Postmaster at South Hiram for 30 years - 7 years at her home town, Port Clyde. She is at present the Proprietor of "An- tiques - Trash 'n' Treasures."
Ruth E. Pendexter, Postmaster, appointed on March 10, 1955. The first Postmaster at S. Hiram was John Durgin - he was ap- pointed to that office on Sept. 1, 1879. Rev. Curtis L. Stanley, our highly esteemed speaker at the Porter Old Meeting House's annual reunion, was once the Postmaster at S. Hiram.
Harold Burgess, Supt. at Churchill Motors.
Harvey L. Pendexter, Selectman and carpenter.
Irving Merrifield, retired carpenter.
Mrs. Grace Smith, retired nurse.
Clark Weeks.
Frank Ames, retired Post Office City Delivery Clerk.
George Holland.
AS
P
GK
LAS
M
Sve
Porter Grange, 1956. Front row, left to right: Mrs. Lula Went- worth, Treasurer; Mrs. Dorothy Locke, Steward; Mrs. Mar- garet Blazo, Chaplain; Mrs. Annie McGraw, Master; Mrs. Olive Gilman, Overseer; Mrs. Verna Wentworth, Lecturer; Mrs. Evelyn Wentworth, Secretary. Standing, left to right:
Mrs. Elsie Stetson, Lady Asst. Steward; Miss Maxine Mills, Asst. Steward; Mrs. Sarah Chase, Pomona; Mrs. Dorothy Durgin, Flora; Mrs. Beulah Goodwin, Ceres; Mrs. Barbara Stacy, Gatekeeper; Mrs. Helen Stacy, Pianist.
311
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Winfield Ayer.
Wayne Pendexter.
Elmont Moore.
Fred Allard, veteran of World War I.
Mrs. Elsie Allard, agent for the Avon Products.
Lloyd Locklin.
Gordon Huntress, local Fire Chief and Engineer at the Glen Bobbin Mill.
Keith Leavitt.
Geo. Arsenault.
Clifford Gilpatrick.
Cecil Gilpatrick, Town Tax Collector.
Jesse L. Gilpatrick, one of the oldest residents of S. Hiram (85 years "young" in 1956).
Fred Smith.
Harry Huntress. Geneva Foley. Mrs. Mabel Wiggin.
And now to return to Porter. Of general interest is the newspaper: and such a "herald of good and bad tidings" was The Oxford County Record, published where Mr. Ernest L. Edwards now resides, on Main Street, Kezar Falls. The first issue appeared on Sat., June 30, 1883. Robert Fulton Wormwood was its publisher. 306 issues were printed during its six years of existence - the last issue came out on June 22, 1889, at Fryeburg.
The following desultory observations may be regarded as an "af- termath" preparatory to our leave-taking; when writer and reader bid each other an affectionate farewell!
The "Picnic Area" on Route No. 25, a mile from the Maine-N. H. border, is to the traveler entering the town of Porter - or leaving it - far more than a gesture of "welcome" and "adieu," for here the weary wanderer may tarry for a while to rest his body and refresh his memory.
The Sixth Annual Grange Fair of Porter was held at the Grange Hall in Porter Village on Saturday, Sept. 8, 1956. The general com- mittee was headed by Clayton R. Locke and Herbert MacDonald.
312
HISTORY OF PORTER
Mrs. Annie McGraw was the ticket chairman. Other committees were: Fancy work, Hazel MacDonald, Evelyn Wentworth, Dorothy Pillsbury and Etta Collins; cooked food, Lillian MacDonald, Olive Gilman, Martha Smith; grabs, Claire MacDonald and Barbara Went- worth; white elephant sale, home and community welfare commit- tee, Frances Mills, Olive Gilman and Dorothy Pillsbury; vegetable exhibit, Lula Wentworth, Owen Stacey, Jr. and Marie Norton; sup- per, Frances Mills, Dorothy Locke and Verna Wentworth.
Amongst the many exhibits were flowers, vegetables, fruits, fancy work, antiques, hobbies - the "coin man" from North Parsonsfield was there - old photographs of Porter's "old timers" attracted great attention. Quint's hand-carved objects of art and Hallberg's ceramic creations from his pottery at Cornish received high, and richly de- served, praise. Summary: The Grange Fair had been carefully plan- ned and was systematically managed.
Few places, if any, are more dear to youngsters than "swimming holes." And Porter has many of them, most of which have been in existence since time immemorial. One, however, is "man made," namely, the swimming beach at Spectacle Pond. Years of work were required to bring the beach to its present state of enjoyment. Even the view, looking northward, from this beach is inspiring!
Amongst Porter's numerous, natural landmarks, the least known is what the present writer takes the liberty of calling the "Human Skull Boulder," situated at the site of the one-room schoolhouse in School District No. 5. Seen from the nearby woodland road, this glacial boulder (erratic of granite) presents an exact copy of the back part of a human skull (occiput). It is approximately 12 feet high and 9 feet wide, and the schoolhouse stood less than six feet away.
There is one incident connected with this boulder that commands interest. Mrs. Georgia Durgin, now 92 years of age, attended school here some 80 years ago, and one dark day - probably due to an eclipse of the sun, the schoolroom became too dark for study and so the teacher took her pupils to the top of this rock where sufficient light permitted further study. Levi L. Cook (1866-1939), Lieut. Lucian Stacy (1870-1898) were among those who went to school here - Mr. John Chapman, still with us, also attended this very
Hypothetical Sketch of Stacy Schoolhouse in Porter on the Devil's Den Road. Beside it looms the ponderous boulder, "Skull Rock," so named by the author because of its striking resemblance to a human skull.
Fulton Davis, for many years prior to 1923, was the only barber on the Porter side of the Great Ossipee River in Kezar Falls. He not only was the village barber, but also repaired bicycles except on Saturdays when the weekly shave was in vogue. This picture, shot in 1904, shows the display of individual shav- ing mugs that were owned in those days by the few more whimsical patrons. Barbering was continued for many years in this same building by Fulton's son, Arthur, and still later by Arthur's son, Harry.
Historic Devil's Den Mountain. The "Den" is shown as a black vertical rectangle in right third of picture. Dr. Wm. Teg, author of this book, is looking into the cellar of the childhood days home of the late Walter Libby and his sister,
Mrs. Georgia Durgin, now 92 years of age. The cellar of their parents is only a few rods away to the left - not shown here. The "Devil's Cart and Wheel Road" is just right of the Den, but not visible here. Photo made in 1956.
315
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
school of which only the foundation stones remain. The spring that used to supply the school with water is nearby, but as yet unseen by the present writer. In this environment of serenity the sentimental soul finds food for thought!
At the end of the country road, about half a mile to the north of. the big boulder just described, a most impressive view meets the eye. Having passed through an avenue of maples, we come to the remains of the homestead once occupied by Walter T. Libby.
Before us rise the mighty ramparts of Devil's Den! A scene too impressive for mere words alone! There is uranium in those per- pendicular cliffs - the Geiger counter tells us so!
The first meeting of the General Committee for the Sesquicenten- nial of the town of Porter in 1957 was held at Porter High School on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 1956. Considerable work was accomplished in this first meeting and many committee chairmen were appointed.
Yes, there will be a "hot time" in the old town in 1957!
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.