Readfield History Walk # 9 ~ Jesse Lee Church and East Readfield Cemetery

Eileen Gilman Lord from Vienna
placing an American flag on the
grave of her 4thg-grandfather,
Nathanial Whittier. Whittier deeded land
for this cemetery in 1788; held the 1st
Winthrop town meeting at his house in
1771; and hosted Jesse Lee in 1793 when
he preached the first ever Methodist sermon in
Readfield. Eileen's paternal grandmother
was Olive Whittier of Vienna.

 

We toured Jesse Lee Methodist Meetinghouse in East Readfield. Built in 1795, it is the oldest Methodist Church in Maine and the oldest in New England to be still offering services. Following this tour we crossed Plains Road to East Readfield Cemetery where we placed American flags on the graves of our veterans. Four of our walker's have ancestors who are buried there and they were able to place the flags themselves. It was a beautiful day and a very enjoyable walk! 

 

"Young Charlie Elvin” joined us this time. His parents, Charlie and Marjorie, were among the founding members of the ORIGINAL History Walkers in the 1970s, which is the inspiration for what we are doing now! To learn more about those original walks visit the link below to read my tribute to them. I wrote this for the introduction to a book a few years ago. To Those Who Led The Way.






 

Readfield History Walk # 8 ~ Macdonald Woods and Readfield Town Farm & Forest Revisited

Howard Lake shared a wealth of information on many levels -
history, ecology, land transactions and development, and
even birds and wildlife that roam these woods.

Tim Sniffen shared information from his perspective as a
member of the Readfield Conservation Committee.

After our first History Walk here last October we learned of new information and resources, from Howard Lake, the steward of the Macdonald Woods. Howard is very knowledgeable about the land and it's history both in transactions and ecology. He also knows about the wildlife in this area - and is a "birder" to boot! Dale Potter-Clark, a local historian did additional research and we were all set to introduce the veteran walkers and several new ones to a comprehensive tour of these properties. Tim Sniffen from the Readfield Conservation Committee joined us and also two members from the Readfield Cemetery Committee - Grace Keene and Pam Olsen - as well as the ever present Milt Wright and Dale Clark. The result was a amazing thought provoking day that was rich in information, and the bonus of a beautiful sunny day - with NO black flies!



Readfield History Walk #7 ~ Living, Working and Socializing in late 19th Century Readfield

L to R: Milt Wright, Kirk Damborg, Evelyn Adell Potter,
Peggy Lucas Parks. Ellen Bowman, Joan Newman Fortier,
Harvey Boatman, Barbara Clark Gilman, Eileen Gilman Lord,
Richard Mason, Bonnie Gilman Parlin. Photo by Dale Potter Clark.

On this very cold January day our History Walkers were real troopers! Even though they were given the choice to walk the Torsey Preserve or stay at Milt's house to visit with a cup of hot coffee, the majority chose to go for the walk. Following this they returned to Milt's house where all gathered to watch and contribute their thoughts on a power point presentation (prepared by Dale) called "Living, Working and Socializing in late 19th Century Readfield."

Readfield History Walk # 6 ~ Snowshoe trek followed by suggestions for compiling your "House History"

Dave Libby, Harv Boatman,
Bonnie Gilman-Parlin and Milt Wright

The warm fire felt good after a cold and brisk snowshoe trek.

Harv and Dale welcomed Walkers to their c1798 home in Vassalboro.  The outdoor activity was walking or snowshoeing. Harv led the snowshoers on a trek through woods trails to Webber Pond. Following this all gathered to share their sandwiches, a sweet treat and hot drinks. Dale gave hints and showed examples of how to compile a house history. Interesting that in her search for information on their old house in Vassalboro she found a close connection to her own grandparents (Potter) homestead in Kents Hill.

Readfield History Walk # 5 ~ Readfield Corner before and after the fires of 1921 and 1934

Readfield History Walkers enjoyed a slide show of historic pictures, set to Ernest “Tink” Rolfe’s oral history. Rolfe’s oral history was recorded on audio tape in 1987 by Dale Potter Clark. He lived in Readfield from 1921 until his death in 1997 and was Readfield’s fire chief for 34years. He was also the sawyer at Mace’s Sawmill for 28years and plowed town roads for 18years. In the oral history Rolfe reminisced about the Readfield Fire Department and many businesses and people he knew over the years.  He also shared at length about the big fires of 1921 and 1934 that essentially destroyed Readfield Corner. Rolfe and his wife Iva were among those burned out in 1934. After the slide show History Walkers journeyed up Readfield’s new sidewalk to and around Readfield Corner, and back through the Union Meeting House trail. History Walkers shared many of their own memories in the process making for a very enjoyable and enlightening day!

 

Above: These buildings are the only ones that escaped destruction during the big fires of 1921 and 1934. The most historic building that survived the fire is the Dr. Samuel Currier house (now the Community Library). This beautiful old home is pictured in the middle above. To the left of that is (what remains of) the Elmwood Hotel. Rolfe talked about both of those buildings in his oral history.

Below: This location has held many mercantiles over the centuries as well as

the old Readfield Post Office (prior 1965). Some older residents still refer to this as "the Brisbin Block". Brisbin ran a store in here in the 1940s and 50's. Before that storekeepers on this site included D. D. Merriman who dealt in dry & fancy goods, underwear and general merchandise. Very early on, in Colonial times, Capt. John Smith (son of Matthias Sr.) ran his store here. Old accounts tell us of men who gathered at the store, before their military musters, to drink cider and be merry. At times they got rowdy enough to cause townspeople concern. Today this is the Readfield Pub and Emporium.

 

 

 

 

Above: Readfield Union Meeting House sits on Meetinghouse Green, the site of the (first) old Muster Grounds (mentioned above). Milt Wright is on the Board of Directors of Readfield Union Meeting House and shared about the ongoing efforts to restore the beautiful stained and stenciled windows and the bell tower (see behind him on the ground). This building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The UMH web site tells us more: It was built in 1827 for use by all denominations. In 1868 there were improvements made but since then there have not been changes. Even the old hymnals rest in the pew racks. A visitor truly gets the feeling that he or she is stepping back into the nineteenth century. Charles J. Schumacher's trompe l'oeil murals give the appearance of columns, arches, and wall plaques while in reality the effect is achieved totally with paint on the flat plaster walls. It is a masterful optical illusion. The black walnut and butternut pews, stained glass windows, kerosene chandelier, the wall sconces, painted ceiling, and the lectern are all original. The original Bible also survives.

History Walkers requested a future tour of the Union Meeting House which Milt and Dale (who serves on the UMH advisory board) assured them would happen!

 

The old vestry of the Union Meeting House. This building was once part of the mansion house of Capt. John Smith (storekeeper mentioned above). His daughter, Ursula Smith Gile, donated the building to UMH in the 1860's, for use as a vestry, and it was moved from her and husband Asa's home to this location. Asa and Ursula (Smith) Gile lived in what we all know as "the house with the iron fence" on Main Street.

 

Readfield Community Library and home of Dr. Samuel Currier,

Readfield's first physician. This building was donated to Readfield by Currier's g-granddaughter Alice Currier Eaton in the 1940's and maintained by Readfield Little Town Club for many years as Readfield Community House. The building is one of the few Readfield historic homes to survive in its original state.

There is a proposal before the Readfield Select Board to tear this building down and replace it with a modern building. The Select Board has asked for "community support and input for the planning of a new community center."

They are encouraging all to get involved and to provide input. FMI see the May 2013 town newsletter, Readfield Messenger.

The Asa and Ursula (Smith) Gile house as it appeared in 1892. Ursula Gile donated part of her father's (Capt. John Smith) mansion to Union Meeting House for use as a vestry in the 1860's. It now sits adjacent to Readfield Union Meeting House (see above).

 

Readfield History Walk #4 ~ Fogg Farm Conservation Area

Fogg descendants (at front of the line) Bonnie Lash and
Joanne Fogg-Fournier joined us for this History Walk.

 

History Walkers hiked the Fogg Farm Conservation Area on Fogg Road. This 15-acre gem was part of the Fogg Farm for nearly two centuries. In the early 1990s, after the farm was subdivided, the land was donated to Readfield with a conservation easement to the Kennebec Land Trust. An easy loop trail winds through mixed forest uplands for 0.4 mile.  Following this we watched the "FOGG Farm video"  made in 1989. In the video Barbara Fogg (wife of Sam Fogg, Jr.) led us through a tour, room by room, while sharing history and showing historical items that were collected by members of the Fogg family for nearly 200 years. A year later the property was sold, the land subdivided, and most of its contents auctioned. The barn was torn down but the original house still stands and is occupied. Walkers also learned about the nearby Gove homestead, Marston Cemetery and the Theodore

Fogg homestead in 2012.

Marston Homestead.

Readfield History Walk # 3 ~ Torsey Pond Nature Preserve

Annette Donaghy at our destination in
Torsey Pond Nature Preserve.

Milt Wright, Dale Potter Clark, Bonnie Gilman-Parlin
Eileen Gilman-Lord, Annette Donaghy and Brenda Boutlier-
Deojay. Barbara Clark-Gilman took the photo.

History Walk #3 was Torsey Pond Nature Preserve. This series of trails wanders through 92 acres of woods, over and alongside a curvy, babbling brook and ultimately comes to a wildlife observatory at a marsh on Torsey Pond. The serene trails are very well marked and skillfully maintained.  The historical background on this walk was the Goucher farm, of which this preserve was once a part, and the transitions of Torsey Pond in name, use and appearance over the past 250 years.