USA > Maine > Hancock County > Traditions and records of Southwest Harbor and Somesville, Mount Desert island, Maine > Part 14
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The Holmes stable which had been moved to the rear of his other buildings was burned October 18, 1918 and several horses were also destroyed in the flames.
The Odd Fellows building, built in 1896-7, was the largest in town with stores on the first floor, a dining room at the rear, offices on the second floor and lodge rooms on the third. This building with all the equipment of the Odd Fellow and Rebekah lodges and part of the contents of the stores and offices went up in flames with the other buildings on that March morning 1922.
The present building was built during the winter of 1923, and is almost the same design as the first one except that the heavy hooded roof of the old building was replaced in the new design by a flat tar and gravel roof.
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Masonic Hall was built in 1875 by a stock company formed for the purpose. John D. Lurvey was the builder. The land was purchased from the Freeman family and John T. R. Freeman held the majority of the shares. In 1881 the building was sold to the Masonic lodge and the name of Tremont Hall changed to Masonic Hall. The lodge had the building raised and the stores made in the basement with other additions and improvements.
This building has been closely connected with the life and development of the town. Town meetings, patriotic meetings, political rallies, dances and other amusements have been held within its walls and it is an important part of the business and social life of the community. It was saved during the fire of 1922 by the almost superhuman efforts of the young men who fought the flames from the roof until the danger was passed.
A Lovett family lived for some time in a small building near where the Methodist church now stands. Mrs. Lovett was from Ellsworth, a widow with three sons and a daughter. She mar- ried for a second husband, Michael O'Connor, a brother of John O'Connor. Later the family moved back to Ellsworth. The clearing where the house stood can still be traced.
The two small cottages west of the church were built by Mrs. James Scott as an investment and have been occupied by many families.
The Methodist church was built in 1888 during the pastorate of Wesley C. Haskell, then known as "the boy preacher." Reu- ben F. Lurvey was the builder. The Sunday School was or- ganized, August 4, 1889, with a membership of fifty-four. The school had a library of 245 volumes. The road to the church was named Wesley Avenue in honor of the young minister.
The parsonage was built in 1897 by D. L. Mayo and the annex to the church in 1925-6. George Norwood built the build- ing on the south side of Wesley Avenue and left it in his will to Lawrence D. Phillips, whose property it now is. Eugene Robbins built his house in 1930 and Wesley Reed's was built in 1928. Ted Hancock built his house in 1934. Fred S. Mayo built his house in 1922-23 and his shop in 1926. The Cedars was built by Sylvester Brown, who lived there for some time before moving to Northeast Harbor and selling to Thomas Savage,
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who sold to James Scott. Dudley L. Mayo built his house on the corner of the Main Road and Wesley Avenue in 1918-19.
Sam Black's house opposite the church was built in the summer of 1937.
Francis Young built a camp on his lot above the church in 1935.
The Freeman Cottage, now called The Ashmont, was built by J. A. Freeman in 1884-5. The Congregational Parish House was originally the stable belonging to the cottage. When Isaac F. Stanley bought the property he had this building moved to its present location and some remodeling done and sold it to the Congregational church.
On the site now occupied by the Ashmont, the blacksmith shop of James Freeman stood until it was taken down to make room for the new building. The old Freeman House which stood on the site now occupied by the home of Dr. J. D. Phillips, was built by John Clark, brother of Deacon H. H. Clark, about 1825. Mr. Clark died and his widow, Mrs. Margaret Richardson Clark, became the wife of James Freeman. Mr. Freeman built a large addition to the house to be used as a hotel. This was during the Civil War. While it was being finished and before the partitions were put in, many patriotic meetings were held there and it was also the scene of many a social gathering. It was for years a popular summer hotel and also attended to the needs of transient travellers in winter, under the capable management of Mr. Freeman's son, J. A. Freeman and wife. It was burned in February, 1894. In 1900 Dr. Phillips bought the land and built his house there. The small building to the east of the Phillips house was built by J. A. Freeman on the site where the parish house now stands and it was used as a post-office while Mr. Freeman was postmaster. It has had many tenants and many uses ; it stood for a time between Dr. Phillips' house and the Freeman cottage and was occupied by Mrs. J. A. Freeman and daughter after the sale of the Cottage. Finally it was purchased by Dr. Phillips and moved to its present location to be used as living apartments for rental.
Lawrence D. Phillips had his house built to the west of his father's house in 1931.
The Freeman House which stood near the site of Dr. J. D. Philips residence. One of the first summer hotels in Southwest Harbor.
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John Richardson, a tailor, built a building on the corner, on the site of the cottage now owned by the heirs of A. I. Holmes. This place had an important place in the life of the village in the early days. The first Masonic lodge meetings were held there and the upper part, reached by a flight of stairs across the front, was long used for the Custom House. The lower part was a store, conducted by the Freeman family for some time and then sold to A. I. Holmes. After Mr. Holmes built his new store this one was used as a storehouse until the cottage was built and the old building torn down.
As has been stated, J. T. R. Freeman purchased the discarded schoolhouse about 1865, moved it to his lot, remodeled and added to it as his residence. He built a small building to the north which was used for a long time as a post-office while Mr. Free- man was postmaster. This building is now a part of the Free- man Store. About 1887 he built the present store building and enlarged his business which is now carried on by his daughter, Mrs. Fred A. Walls.
A croquet ground was in front of the post-office building on the site where the store now stands and the townspeople enjoyed many a game with Mr. and Mrs. Freeman and their guests in the days when croquet was a popular diversion-a mild fore- runner of the athletics of the present day.
Capt. Judson Robinson built the large two-story house that has always been owned and occupied by his family. This was about 1866.
In 1892 Arthur L. Somes built the house where he now lives. His son, Raymond P. Somes, built his house in 1929. The small house on the A. I. Holmes property was built by Danforth Marcyes about 1876 and has been owned by several persons.
Arthur T. Richardson built the house, which was his home for some years, in 1884 and it is now occupied by his daughter, Mrs. Leslie White and family. Arthur H. Freeman built his residence in 1903. Henry Tracy was the contractor and Arthur T. Richardson the foreman. The two summer cottages on the western side of this road were built by W. P. Dickey and Col. A. B. Farnham of Bangor about 1882 and were the first summer cottages to be built in Southwest Harbor or west of Bar Harbor.
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The Henry L. Gray house was begun by Henry Tracy as a residence for Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Hodgkins, who had pur- chased the land from J. A. Freeman. The cellar was just com- pleted and some of the lumber on the spot when Mr. Hodgkins died.
Later, the property was purchased by Mr. Gray and the house built as his home. Work begun on it November 27, 1907, and the Grays moved in on February 10, 1908. Mr. Gray built the store to the south of his house in 1931.
Dudley L. Mayo and his brother, Sim H. Mayo, built the next building about 1883-4 and carried on a carriage shop for some time under the name of Mayo Brothers. S. H. Mayo, who was a blacksmith, did the iron work and D. L. Mayo the wood work. They sold to John F. Young, whose son, Fred E. Young, still owns it and has a blacksmith shop there.
The house south of the Young blacksmith shop was built in 1887 by Dudley L. Mayo as a residence for himself and family. The following year his son Fred, then a boy about nine years of age, dug up two blue spruce trees in the woods back of the ice house and planted them on the lawn where they are still growing. Mr. Mayo sold the house to Benjamin Robinson, who moved there from his old home at the shore and he and his wife spent the remainder of their days there. After their death it became the property of Oscar Morrison and his wife, who cared for Mrs. Robinson in her last years. The Morrisons sold the place to Maurice Marshall, who was in business here and when the Marshalls moved to Ellsworth they sold to Raymond Reed, who now (1938) owns and occupies it.
James Crockett built his house in the summer of 1904. Part of the material used in this house came from the Seawall House built at Seawall as a summer hotel, but used only a few seasons.
The house where Mrs. S. H. Mayo lives was built in 1883 by Mrs. Emily Herrick Higgins and her son, William Higgins. There was formerly an old house on this lot that was built by Joshua Mayo on the land north of Allen J. Lawler's house. Mr. Mayo sold it to James Robinson, who lived in it until his new home across the road was completed. In 1853 Seth Higgins purchased the house and moved it to his own lot a little to the
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north of the house now there. The Higgins family lived there many years until the new home was completed. After the tragic death of William Higgins by drowning and the subsequent death of his mother, the heirs sold the house to Mr. and Mrs. Sim H. Mayo.
The Lawler ice house was built by Benjamin Robinson, who also dug out the swamp near it making a pond, and established an ice business which he conducted for some years. After his death the business was purchased by Henry Tracy who carried it on for some time and then sold to Christopher Lawler who still owns and conducts it.
The Eben F. Richardson house was built in 1883 by Hiram Houston who was killed by a fall from a building. His widow married Mr. Richardson and they continued to live there.
The building south of this house was built about 1870 by James Robinson from lumber which had been a part of his smokehouse at the shore. His daughter Emily, afterward Mrs. Alton E. Farnsworth, had a millinery and dry goods store in the front part and Mr. Robinson sold groceries in the rear. For several years Mrs. Farnsworth was postmistress and had the post-office in her store. She was an excellent business woman, an interesting and witty conversationalist and her place of busi- ness was ever a resort for her friends who came for good advice or to pass a social hour. She was always ready to listen to an appeal for help and her many generous deeds were known only to herself and to those who received the benefit of them. Her early and sudden passing brought sorrow to a wide circle of friends and acquaintances.
Elisha Crane built the small house near the shore in this locality, which was owned by Capt. Joseph Whitmore who died before he was thirty years old. His widow sold the place to Capt. Sans Whitmore, brother of her husband, and with her two children, went to Rockland to live.
Capt. Sans lived there until the death of his wife and he then sold to Capt. Benjamin Robinson whose home it was for many years. His widow sold it to Alton Billings, who added another story to the house and made many changes and improvements. After the death of Mr. Billings it was sold to George Leighton
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who now occupies it (1938) and who built a small building on the Main Road which he uses as a blacksmith shop.
The small factory building nearby was built by Benjamin Robinson as a storehouse for the lumber in which he dealt for many years. After his death it was purchased by Allen J. Lawler who canned beans and clams there for several seasons. He finished the upper part into living rooms which have been occupied by many different families.
The small cottage occupied now by Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Lawler was once a smoke house built by Benjamin Robinson. Later he finished the upper story as an apartment and here Mrs. Hannah Woodworth (afterwards Mrs. William L. Gilley) lived and had a milliner's shop. The building then stood down below the bank near its present site. Mr. Robinson moved it to the location it now occupies and his widow sold it to Allen J. Lawler.
Mr. Lawler built his own residence about 1897. The James Robinson house was built about 1860.
Returning now to the village corner and going toward the wharf at Clark Point-the building owned and occupied by the Jackson Market was originally A. L. Gilley's barber shop ; a small building which forms but a fraction of the present structure. It has been owned by several who have made changes and additions and greatly increased its size.
The building that is now used as a restaurant was built in 1883 by Dr. R. J. Lemont as a drug store and residence. The original building has been moved back and a new front added. Formerly the drug store was reached by a long flight of steps. It was about 1883 that Dr. Robert J. Lemont, who had been practising medicine in Southwest Harbor since 1880, established a drug store in the little Lurvey shop at the village corner. Later he built this building with a store and some of the family living rooms on the first floor and other living rooms above. Here he was in business until advancing years made it necessary for him to retire and the business was carried on by his daughter and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Ralph. They finally sold to John H. Montgomery after the store had been moved to the Holmes building at the head of Clark Point Road and where Mr. Ralph also conducted a restaurant. This building was destroyed
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by the great fire of March, 1922, and after John Carroll had built the present Carroll building, Mr. Montgomery moved his stock there, later selling to a Bar Harbor firm and in a few years they sold to William J. Tower. In 1929 Philip T. Carroll purchased the business of Mr. Tower and has since conducted it.
The Lemont building has had several owners and is now the property of Sheldon Spurling who conducts a restaurant in the former store and occupies the living rooms.
The adjoining building was built by Fred Ralph and the drug store was in it for a while. It is now owned by L. D. Newman and occupied by a barber shop.
The store next door was built by Stephen Harmon in 1896 and conducted as a general store by him for a few years. Then W. T. Holmes purchased the property and carried on the busi- ness for twenty years or more before selling to Fred Ralph and going west. Mr. Ralph also bought the residence on the next lot which Mr. Holmes built and lived in. He sold the store to Peter T. Benson and the house to Richard B. Jackson when he went to Texas to live.
William J. Tower built the building east of the Jackson lot and he kept the post-office there for a number of years. He sold to E. S. Thurston when Mr. Thurston took over the duties of postmaster and after his services of twelve years were past, the property was sold in 1936 to Mrs. Fred A. Birlem whose son, Wallace Birlem, built the double garage behind it with living rooms above which he occupies.
Mr. Tower built his own house and the large building close by which he at first used as a stable and shop for painting carriages and later for his undertaking business and garage.
Sylvester W. Dorr built the large, low shop on the next lot as a carpenter shop and later sold it to E. A. Lawler. It is now divided into two stores-one for the Lawler Paint Co. and the other for the Whitney Electrical store. An addition was built to the paint store in 1937.
For many years after the old house on the corner of the Main and Clark Point roads was destroyed the stable remained, owned by P. L. Sargent who had a livery stable, and when horses and carriages became things of the past he kept automobiles for
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hire. In 1936 he sold the lot to Richard B. Jackson who had the stable demolished, the Sargent house moved to the rear and a gasoline station and parking place constructed.
John C. Ralph built a building on the first site of P. L. Sar- gent's house. This was partially destroyed by fire and the part that was saved was purchased by George Harmon and now forms a part of the Harmon building on the Main Road. Seth W. Nor- wood bought the land and built the present building as a law office, selling it later to Mr. Sargent who has made additions and improvements.
R. M. Norwood built his carpenter shop in 1916. The Gilley and Salisbury plumbing shop was at first built by George H. Gilley on his lot near his home on the Main Road and was used there as a plumber's shop for some years. Then it was moved to its present situation and in 1929 it was moved to the rear of the lot and the show rooms and upstairs living apartment were built. Mr. Gilley's grandson, Wendell H. Gilley, now carries on the business.
Moore's Garage was built in 1918-19. R. M. Norwood was the builder. On Saturday, January 21, 1933, at about 4.30 P.M. an explosion occurred in the rear of the garage and in an instant the flames were filling the wooden building, which was entirely destroyed with about fifty cars stored there. Excellent work by the fire department saved the buildings on either side. As soon as the debris could be cleared away a new company was formed, the Southwest Harbor Motor Company, with J. E. Wass and his two sons as the active partners and the present brick structure was erected and ready for business when the next season opened.
The E. A. Lawler house was built about 1902 by William Wallace, who sold it to Mr. Lawler. E. L. Higgins built the house east of the Lawler place in 1884 and planted the trees around the lot. In 1925 he sold the place to Mrs. Fred Wescott and remodeled a small building on Maple Lane which he owned into the cottage where he and his wife now (1938) spend their summers.
Mr. and Mrs. G. D. Atherton built their house on Maple Lane about 1905. After Mr. Atherton died his widow sold the place to Peter T. Benson (1937), who moved the buildings to a lot on the
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Clark Point Road and sold to Russell White. The Atherton lot was then purchased by the town as a part of the school lot and the site of the new high school building.
The Congregational parsonage was built by Adelbert O. Gilley and was the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gilley and their family for many years. It was purchased by the Ladies Aid of the Congregational church in 1914.
Charles Carroll built his house in 1932 and added to it in 1936. The cottage to the north of the Carroll house was built by D. L. Mayo about 1890 as a stable to the west of the house now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Leslie White. It was moved to its present site about 1895 after being purchased by Mr. and Mrs. William Holmes and built over into a dwelling house and they lived there for some years. After Mr. and Mrs. Holmes moved to her father's house to care for her parents, this house was rented to different families and was sold about 1928 to Frank Foss who now occupies it.
South of the parsonage is the small cottage owned by Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Higgins and south of that is the house built by Mrs. Marion Newman Wescott in 1934 and now occupied by tenants.
The William Herrick house was built partly from lumber from the first Herrick house adjoining the Jacob Lurvey place to the west of the Main Road as one enters the village. This was the home of the Herrick family for many years and after the death of their parents, William and Asa Herrick tore down the old house and rebuilt it on its present site. The great syringa bush in the yard was brought from the old home. At the death of William Herrick the place became the property of his nephew and namesake who now lives there.
E. S. Thurston's residence was built by William Mayo who lived there for a time. It has been owned by several different persons.
E. L. Higgins built a blacksmith shop on the site now occu- pied by the Worcester store building and he carried on his work there for many years. He sold it to be used as a livery stable and it was destroyed by fire. Then Mr. Higgins bought back the land and built a store there for his son, Fred J. Higgins.
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After he went out of business and moved away, the building was sold to B. C. Worcester who remodeled it somewhat and the upper part is now living apartments while the lower floor is used by the public schools at present as a place for the classes in Domestic Science (1938).
Leon Higgins bought the house east of the Herrick place from William Lloyd Carroll who had bought it from S. H. Mayo and carried on a grocery store and meat market for some years. It then stood on the lot opposite the Capt. Jacob Mayo place. S. H. Mayo built it as a blacksmith and bicycle shop and later it had a variety of uses-tea room, residence, drygoods store, office, etc., until Mr. Higgins purchased it and moved it to its present site.
Edward McLean in 1885 built the house now owned by B. C. Worcester and occupied by him as his home. Mr. McLean died and his widow sold the place to Henry Tracy whose home it was for more than thirty years; he selling to Mr. Worcester on retiring from business after the death of Mrs. Tracy.
John C. Ralph built the house now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Rufus Trundy. Mr. Ralph moved to Connecticut and sold the house to John H. Montgomery, who came here from Bucksport and conducted a drug store for several years. Mr. Montgomery sold his business and moved back to his former home at Bucks- port, selling the house to Mrs. Margaret Bennett, then of Rhode Island, who is the present owner. The adjoining buildings are those moved from Maple Lane and owned by Russell White.
Mrs. Maud Gilley's house was built in 1906 by her husband, Frank Gilley, who died in 1919. The adjoining house was built in 1929 by S. S. Dolliver for Howard E. Robinson and the next one to the east was built by Mr. Dolliver for Mrs. Josephine Richardson.
The house at the top of the hill was built about 1857 by Capt. Jacob S. Mayo. His daughter, Mrs. Lizzie Mayo Holmes, owned it for about forty years and after her death it was sold to Har- vard Beal, who in 1935 moved it back from the road and made some changes in the interior. The lot on which the house stands was part of the tract containing 270 acres, which was purchased by Rev. Ebenezer Eaton in 1803 when he came to settle at South-
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west Harbor and serve as pastor of the Congregational church. Elder Eaton lived in a house at the foot of the hill. There was no road leading to the wharf and when Capt. Mayo built his house it was expected that the new road would go around the hill instead of over it, so Capt. Mayo built his house facing the south and expecting to face the road. When the route of the highway was at last designated, it led over the hill, so for many years the house stood directly back to the road until Mr. Beal bought it and made the alterations.
Watson Herrick built his house about 1862. The ell was a part of the first Herrick house. It is now owned by his daugh- ter, Miss Myra Herrick. A store was carried on in the ell for some time by Mr. Herrick.
The house adjoining was built by Capt. Levi Robinson in 1838. His wife died a few years after, leaving him with a family of young children. He sold the place to Capt. James Long whose life was spent there and in 1900 it was bought from his heirs by Mrs. Jacob W. Carroll. It remained in the Carroll family for twenty-five years and was then sold to Schuyler R. Clark whose property it is at present. The road leading past this place and known as the High Road was laid out in 1881. It was stipulated that the highway should be "sixteen feet from any building on the road" and this determines the course of the way as the Long house was the only one on the road at that time. There was originally a barn standing to the east of the house which long since disappeared. The original layout of the High Road states that it is forty feet in width.
Phillip T. Carroll's house was built in 1932-3 and they moved in April 26, 1933. R. M. Norwood's was built in 1924-5.
Earll Gott's house has had a varied history. It was begun on the Fernald Point Road, west of the Country Club house by Benjamin Gilley. His wife died before it was completed and he sold the house to Frank Higgins. Mr. Higgins never finished it and in 1883 he sold it to S. W. Herrick, who moved it to the junc- tion of the Clark Point and High Roads and used it as a store for thirty-five years or more. After Mr. Herrick's death, his daugh- ter sold the building to Earll Gott who moved it to his lot on the High Road where he occupies it as a home, having entirely remodeled and improved it.
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