The Haskell Silk Company, manufacturers of silk dress goods, was one of the foremost silk manufacturers in New England. Their product was supplied through retail houses in almost every state of the union and carried the name Westbrook throughout the country. The company was established in 1874 and was the only company of this type in Maine and was one of the oldest in New England. James Haskell resigned his position as Agent for the Westbrook Manufacturing Company to establish this business. James Haskell was the President of the company, his son Frank Haskell was the treasurer and his other son, Edwin Haskell, was the General Manager. Frank Haskell, was appointed to succeed his father as agent of the Westbrook Manufacturing Company. He served both companies until 1889 when he was forced to resign as Treasurer of Haskell Silk Company to devote full time to the Westbrook Manufacturing Company. He did however continue as a director and part owner of tie Haskell Silk Company until his death in 1896.

The first Haskell Silk Mill stood on the west side of Bridge Street, next to the bridge that crosses over the Presumpscot River [at the rear of the present day Portland Pie Company and on the land where the Bridge Street traffic spur is located.]

The Haskell Silk Company started off manufacturing spool silk and twist and six operatives were employed. The business grew at a rapid pace and in 1881 the company began the manufacture of dress goods. Black was the predominant color at first. The silks were woven from pure silk, dyed in the yam. In the next few years many beautiful colored silk and satin patterns were woven.

All of the silk used in the manufacturing was imported from Japan in the form of skeins and the following process of making silk material was used. The skeins were rewound, followed by a procedure known as "doubling", and were then ready for the spinners. Next, the silk was reeled, dyed and wound again making it ready to be warped and quilted and woven into yard goods. The inspection or "picking" followed and the material was finally ready for finishing. The "picking" of the silk was for many years done by women in their own homes, creating a flourishing home industry in the town. The Haskell taffetas, with black warps and colored filling, were manufactured in large quantities and were widely sold throughout the United States.

Due to the large demand for these Glace' Taffetas, it was necessary to expand still further and a new mill was built further up the river on Bridge Street. This new mill contained thirty-thousand square feet of floor space and employed from two hundred fifty to two hundred seventy-five employees. The dye department boiler house and repair shop were housed in a separate building. The Mattison Power Company, located at Mattison Falls in South Windham, supplied electric power for this mill. This power station was built at the same time as the mill by the owners of the Haskell Silk Company and Dana Warp Mills. The president of the company, James Haskell, retired during this period due to ill health. William Poole became the new president of the company and Lemuel Lane became the Treasurer of the company both of these men were family connected.

I am sure there is no one around who remembers The New Marguerite Lunch on Main Street near Vallee Square, but these two old photographs deserve more than just a passing glance, especially since they show both the inside and the outside of the business. The faint writing on the back of the photographs indicates that they were taken in 1912.  They were donated to the Society by the daughter of John Hay, a well-known Westbrook citizen and local ‘undertaker’ whose extensive collection of cabinet card photographs of Westbrook buildings and businesses can be seen at the Society.

In looking at the outside view we see, on the right, Rocheleau’s Clothing Store, a local landmark until the 1970s. Although there was no listing for Marguerite’s Lunch in the Westbrook City Directories available at the Society, Rocheleau’s was listed at 861 Main Street in the 1912 Directory. A barber (pole) can be seen on the other of Marguerite’s and a Moxie sign hangs in the window behind the man in the doorway. Obviously a celebration was in progress when this picture was taken ...maybe the 4th of July was the occassion for all the patriotic decorations?

Inside the lunch we can see a sign over the fountain which says: “Our Trusting Dept. is on roof…Take Elevator”…an early 'business' sense of humor? There is also a small sign on the top shelf which expresses: ‘Merry Christmas’ so this photographs was not taken at the same time as the exterior one but together they give us a real flavor of a small town business at the turn of the century.

The old railroad bridge which spans the Presumpscot River from Brown Street (across from Cottage Place) to just below Fraser Field, bridges more than the river that once brought life to the Indians’ corn and fish to the high fishing place called Ammoncongin. The “Black Bridge”, as it has been called by many generations of Westbrook residents, also bridges time. Just its name evokes many a memory in the hearts of Westbrook citizens. A 1988 news article found at the historical society states:

          “Many a boy, contrary to the instructions of his parents, has hurled himself from the bridge to
plummet into the cooling waters on a hot summer day. Thousands of cigarettes have been sneaked,
and thousands of kisses have been stolen, in the shadows of the black bridge… Upon the granite blocks that hold its steel girders are layers upon layers of paint, and upon its girders are splotches of paint as if some artist had gone mad. Yellows, blues, greens, whites, pledging love, immortalizing rock stars, cussing teachers and policemen, and publishing the politics of the day. They are all there. The hippies of the sixties, the Beatles, Nixon, Kennedy, AC-DC and Van Halen, Power to the People, and Hell No We Won't Go.  Yes, the black bridge has seen it all, and  recorded most of it.”  
[ED note: A walk across the bridge in 2012 found that the graffiti has been mostly painted over…but the bridge still remains a busy thoroughfare.]  

This black hulk of steel, (now red with age and rust), grows out of the skeleton of its wooden predecessor and remains today much as it did when our fathers and grandfathers yelled out in glee and leaped skyward, to fall into the waters below. It seems much the same as when a boy carved the name of the girl who would become his life's partner into the railing of the footbridge. Yet, the bridge does change.

The first bridge at this site was built in 1870 as part of the first 17-mile stage of the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad (completed to Vermont in 1875). For the first years the only people who saw the bridge were crews and passengers on the railroad, boaters on the Presumpscot, and those few who troubled to walk through the woods or fields that stretched unbroken along both sides of the river in that area.  That first bridge, built of wood, went out in 1896, victim of a raging ice-clogged river. It was replaced with a steel bridge standing on the stone piers of its predecessor.

By that time, settlement on the northwest side of the river had reached the point where there was a demand for more direct access to the commercial and cultural advantages on the Main Street side. The result was a wooden foot­bridge hung beneath the steel. Over the years this became many a youngster’s favorite route to Main Street, the ball field and swimming pool and to school. In 1989 a galvanized steel grating replaced the traditional wooden walkway of the bridge. Pipe rails were installed along inner sides of the walkway at 18 and 42 inches.  The cribbing that supports the Brown Street end was replaced with three hangers that clamp and are welded to the I beam girder.  In 1992 the City Council voted for two street lights to be installed at the ends of the bridge which had become an unsupervised center were teenagers and young adults hung out; underbrush was also cut back due to fires in the area. One year later, the Council decided to consider other ways to light the area since CMP costs for the proposed lighting would have been $5,000.

Today there are no trains traveling over the bridge. The through trains on the Mountain Division of the Maine Central Railroad, which carried people across the bridge by the hundreds and thousands to Sebago Lake picnics and parties, to vacations in the White Mountains, and on to destinations in Vermont and Canada, are only memories. 
           
But the footbridge remains a vital piece of our history.  Maintained by the city of Westbrook, the walkway remains a thoroughfare for those who aren't old enough to drive a car or don’t own a car and to some who use it to reach the pathways that stretch along the riverbank. A well maintained walkway is on the Main Street side and goes from the Sappi Fine Paper Co. all the way to Saccarappa Falls and Vallee Square.

When my husband and I visited the bridge in November 2012, on a beautiful sunny fall day, people were walking on the bridge, both on the walkway and overhead on the rails, and families were walking the Main Street side foot path. It was a busy day for foot traffic. Yes, the people still come, probably now for exercise or as a shortcut, since there are cleaner places to swim. But the view along the river remains a beautiful thing to see. We did not see any lighting on the ends of the bridge nor did we see much graffiti. It appears that the huge blocks of granite supporting the bridge have been painted gray but there are still a few places where you can spot a person’s name spray painted on the blocks or on the bridge itself.  Two things of interest that we discovered on our walk, (1) there are two sets of tracks, one for narrow-gauge and one for wide-gauge trains and (2) there is a U.S. Geological Survey Marker on the bridge stating that the elevation is 69 feet above sea level.
           
In this era of growth, when we are losing more and more of our landmarks, historic buildings and farmlands, this great Westbrook landmark continues to serve Westbrook’s citizens.

In 1814 a new town of Stroudwater was incorporated. This name did not meet the approval of the majority of its inhabitant so three months later its name was changed to Westbrook, in honor of Col. Thomas Westbrook. At that time the town boundaries included Woodfords, Stroudwater, and Deering which extended as far as the Forest Ave entrance to Deering Oaks.

Archelaus Lewis, Justice of Peace, called the first town meeting, before the name was changed to Westbrook, at the meeting house in Stroudwater in 1814.  In 1820 town meetings were held in the First Parish Meeting House on Capisic Street, later known as the Parson Bradley Church.  In 1830 when the town was no longer allowed to use that facility they arranged with the Universalist Society to use their chapel on Stevens Avenue for town meetings. Soon it was voted to build a town house on Riverside Street near Warren Avenue. The town soon realized that this site was not ideal, since the meetings were held in March when heavy snow often covered the roads. so the building was sold. It is probable that later meeting were held in the Saccarappa section of town.

By 1868 Westbrook’s population had increased to the extent that management of municipal affairs of such a wide spread area were unwieldy. The town petitioned  the state to divide. In 1871 the town of Deering, which included Woodsfords, Morrills Corner and Stroudwater, was incorporated.  This left Westbrook with a population of less than 3000 but with industries developing and two railroads passing through the town, by 1880 the population had doubled.
 
By 1887 there was a  general consensus that the old government no longer suited Westbrook’s increasing needs and a town meeting was held at the Odd Fellows Hall in Cumberland Mills to discuss a City Charter. The state was petitioned and the legislature charter was granted that same year (1887) but was not accepted and put into operation until 1891.

The first official Westbrook City Offices were on the 2nd floor of the Scates Building, built in 1903 and located facing Bridge Street. The Municipal Court Room was located in the rear of the offices. During the years the court was held here (until about 1965) the Westbrook lawyers serving as judges were Judge Tolman, Fabius M. Ray, William Lyons, Frank Pride, Wade Brigham, Armand LeBlanc and Francis Rocheleau.   The Police Station and jail were behind the Scates Building on Carpenter Street.
This photograph was taken in the city offices in 1910. It shows Charles Moses on the left (listed as ‘real estate’ in the City Directory of 1910) and H.F.G. Hay, Mayor on the right.  It is interesting to note the cords going from the chandeliers to the table lamps..were the city fathers trying to save on expenses? And what a ‘great view’ out the window!

Due to urban renewal, City Hall moved to 795 Main Street in 1967..  The Offices moved to 1 York Street in 1995, where they remain today.

Here comes the milkman!  Do you ever wonder what those words mean to today’s young people?  To a lot of us it means the delivery of milk right to our front door stoops…fresh and oh, so cold in the winter months.   Remember how the milk would freeze in winter and the cap would pop off the bottle?  And how the cream separated from the milk and Mom would use it to make fudge…or chowdah?  And how you knew the milkman’s name since he walked to your door, milk bottles clinking, to pick up the empty bottles and leave the new order? This snapshot of “Mr. Landry, the milk man” was taken in 1943 when milk was still delivered in a horse-drawn wagon and came from local Westbrook farmers.  Who is it that complains about the ‘good-old-days’? 

The 1891 Westbrook City Directory lists sixteen people under the heading ‘MILK’: Isaac G. Babb (off Spring St.), Smith Babb (Stroudwater), George M. Cobb (listed as Methodist Rd, Rocky Hill District),James H. Gowen (Duck Pond Rd), Deering Colley (Brook Rd, Prides Corner), George E. Herman (Cottage Place, Cumberland Mills),George R. Johnson, (Buxton Rd), Alonzo Libby (Main St.), James Morris (Methodist Rd), S.F. Pride (Bridgton Rd), Albion Quinby (Saco St), John Roberts (Saco St.), Cornelius Small (Methodist Rd), John Tilton (Stroudwater), Woodbury Bros. (Bridge St. Duck Pond district), and Frank Woodman (E. Bridge St.).

Over the years there have been many small dairies in Westbrook which delivered milk in their own labeled bottles:  Westbrook Dairy (run by Mace Willis Messenger)*, Elm Maple Farm (Roscoe and Richard F. Libby), Blue Spruce Farm (William L. Clarke), Grondin Dairy (R.J. Grondin), Westbrook Croft Dairy (G.A. Smith), Maplehurst (F.D. Bachelder, R.B.Taggart), Riverton Dairy, Valley View Farm (I. M. Boothby), Walnut Crest Farm (Clinton Rines), Twin Falls (R.J. Grondin), Ledgemere Farm (J.A. Kimball and Sons), Green Acres (Clifford and Gorman Thompson), Old Acres (M. H. Waterhouse) and Pine Grove Farm (J. S. Gordon).  Today, I believe there is only one dairy farm in Westbrook, Smiling Hill Farm; and their milk, still in glass bottles, is delivered to the supermarket.

As years went on and the cause and spread of diseases became better known, larger dairies like Hood and Oakhurst were better equipped to sterilize and process the milk. Since the milk was consolidated, the delivery areas expanded and for many years the milk was delivered door-to-door from small trucks.  When the automobile became more prevalent and everyone could get to the market, that practice was stopped.  No one will deny that the milk is much safer now but some of us do not want to forget the Milkman and this piece of our history.

*ADDENDUM: Linda Messenger Stewart of Delaware sent a correction for this article in regards to the name of the owner of Westbrook Dairy, Mace Willis Messanger, her father, She also supplied further information on that dairy: "I am the first born daughter of Mace Messenger named in your reference to Westbrook Dairy. Please be advised that Daddy's name is Mace Willis Messenger ... there was no such person as William Messenger. Westbrook Dairy was established by my grandfather, Carl Harvey Messenger. My Daddy took over when his father passed away in the early 1950's (I believe 1951 or 1952)" . We welcome any comments or corrections to our Photo pages.

When I first moved to Westbrook in 1951 it seemed as though there was a church on every corner.  When I came upon this (collage) postcard at the historical society it seemed to support my earlier thoughts. Recently I checked the City Directory for 1953 and discovered that there were 15 churches in Westbrook at that time, 10 on Main Street!!!  They were: Advent Christian at 677 Main St., Bethany Hall at 540 Main, First Baptist at 733 Main, Full Gospel Assembly at corner of Seavey & Oak, Highland Lake Union on Bridgeton Rd, Plymouth Brethren at 540 Main, Pride’s Corner Union on Elmwood Ave., St. Hyacinthe at 295 Brown St., St Mary’s at 631 Main, Salvation Army at 10 Fitch St., Trinity Lutheran at Main & School St., Universalist at 719 Main, Warren Congregational at Warren Ave. & Cumberland St., Westbrook Congregational at 852 Main and Westbrook Methodist at 755 Main.   The churches pictured on this card in 1909 were a few of our older churches.
ADVENT –The Advent Christian Parish, under the leadership of the Reverend William Mitchell of Kennebunk raised funds to purchase a lot of land and build a church in Westbrook.  Services were held in the Red Men’s Hall until 1886 when the church building was dedicated. The Church tower, stained glass windows and a new organ was installed in 1910-12.   The building still stands next to Riverbank Park and is being used for religious purposes but not connected to the Adventist faith.
DANISH LUTHERAN/ FIRST LUTHERAN - The first Danish family arrived in Westbrook around 1873. They brought with them the old family Bible, Luther's Postil, and their hymn books. Feeling the need of spiritual guidance, they called together other local Lutheran families for religious services. By 1876 Lutheran services were held in Westbrook homes nearly every Sunday afternoon.  With increasing attendance there was a need for a church building so on November 2, 1882 the First Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Westbrook, Maine, was organized.   By 1891 the land for the site of the present church building, on the corner of Main and School Streets, was purchased from John E. Warren. On New Year's day 1893, the church was dedicated. All services were conducted in the Danish language until 1905 when one English service a month was held. The church has been enlarged and remodeled but it still stands and maintains an active congregation.
CATHOLIC - In 1854 many catholic families arrived in Westbrook to work in the mills, on the railroad and clearing the river way. Originally Catholic settlers had to walk to Portland to attend Mass. Later it is claimed that they met in a brick house on Cumberland Mills before renting a chapel in Brigham Hall in downtown Saccarappa. As the number of families increased and after outgrowing their chapel, land was purchased on Brown St. in 1877 for a church building.  St. Hyacinthe Parish, seen on this card, was dedicated in 1879.  In 1941, due to an increasing congregation, a long-planned large stone church was erected to replace this old wooden structure. The last service was held in the old church in 1942 and services started in the new church across the street. Work continued on the new church until January 15, 1950 when a solemn High Mass and dedication took place in the completed church.  The 3 Catholic parishes of Westbrook, St. Hyacinth on Brown St., St. Mary’s (1916) on Main St. and St. Edmunds on Bridgeton Rd (in Pride’s Corner) merged in 2010.  Due to the overwhelming choice of the parishioners, the Catholic services still continue at the older stone church building on Brown St., now call St. Anthony’s Parish at St. Hyacinth.
WESTBROOK CONGREGATIONAL - There was a First Congregational meeting house at Capisic Street, now in Portland, as early as 1767. This church was where Rev. Bradley served for 30 yrs. It was quite a walk from Saccarappa to Capisic so in 1832 twenty-three members of Parson Bradley’s Church asked dismission to form the Second Congregational Church of Westbrook, later called the Westbrook Congregational Church. The Rev Joseph Searle was called as pastor and for two years meetings were held in Small’s Hall on the second floor of the Edward’s Block on the corner of Main and Bridge Streets.  In 1834 land was purchased on the corner of Main & Brackett Streets and a church building, modeled after the meeting house on Capisic, was built for $2300. The building underwent many renovations, additions and improvements over the years but it always kept its clean, simple beauty. When the Westbrook Urban Renewal was in full swing in 1974, the church building was demolished and the congregation merged with the Warren Congregational Church to form the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, United Church of Christ.  A new church building was then built on land further up on Main Street, next to the Walker Memorial Library.
WARREN CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH - In 1865, under the Rev. Joseph Danielson, the First Congregational Church started prayer services in the Village of  Cumberland Mills. The meetings were held at different homes until the size of the group outgrew this arrangement. In 1866 the women of the village joined together into the Cumberland Mills Ladies’ Sewing Society with the object of raising funds toward furnishing the first Protestant church to be erected in the Village. Samuel D. Warren, owner of the local mills, offered to purchase a lot for the building and to contribute $5000 toward its erection. Any cost over that amount he would match dollar for dollar from pledges. The Cumberland Mills Ladies Sewing Society became affiliated with the church and helped raise funds. The Warren Parish was legally organized and incorporated in July 1868 and the church building on the corner of Warren Ave. and Cumberland St. was completed in 1869.  The first minister was Rev. Elijah Kellogg of Harpswell.  The congregation remained active until 1974 when structural problems, so severe as to be impossible to repair, were discovered in the church. With the news that the Westbrook Congregational Church would be razed and moved by urban renewal, the two congregations merged to form the Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church, United Church of Christ.  This congregation is still an active participant in our city.
UNIVERSALIST - Early in the nineteenth century about forty members of Parson Bradley’s Stroudwater Congregational Church “withdrew” because of their Universalist tendencies and formed a free meetinghouse on Saco St.  A church building was constructed on Upper Main Street in 1832 but it did not seem satisfactory to its members. Many years of inactivity followed its construction, with only occasional services, until 1887 when a new church ‘more centrally located to accommodate those living in Cumberland Mills’, was envisioned.  Construction on this church, seen on the postcard, was started in 1887 and in 1888 a 3-day celebration of dedication was held. In 1904 the Rev. Harry E. Townsend was called to the pastorate and stayed for over 40 years, a much beloved minister of the church and an active member of the community.    The Westbrook Methodist Church continued to be active until 2010 when a dwindling and aging congregation prompted it to close its doors and offer the building for sale;  the building remains empty two years later.
FIRST BAPTIST – “The Lord surely works in mysterious ways”, reports the Brief History of the Westbrook Baptist Church, ”and when, in 1885, there was still no Baptist Church in Saccarappa, He sent to Scotland for the one who would start the work to place one here. To accomplish this he made use of the needs of the Westbrook Manufacturing Company Gingham Mills for trained personnel from Scotland to instruct their people here in the textile process. Among those who came over at this time from Scotland was Mrs. Roger Hilton, a woman who loved the Lord and immediately set out to work for Him here. Seeing the need in Westbrook, she started a Sunday School Class of small children in her kitchen on Scotch Hill.”  Soon more than just the Scottish people were attending the classes. The class size grew rapidly and it became necessary to transfer to larger quarters; during the next few the years the Scotchmen’s Football club house, the Grand Army  and the  Odd Fellows Halls were all used for the Sunday School. Many at the school members also attended the Free Baptist Church in Portland. As the group enlarged the locals wished to establish a church in Westbrook. The present church, designed by architect John Calvin Stevens, was dedicated on Oct 28, 1888 and was fee of debt at its completion.  The church history relates that the local Press reported on November 2, 1888: “The Church starts out in its good work with twenty-eight members and a bright outlook for future growth.”  And how true that statement was; the church building has undergone renovations and improvements over the years but its congregation remains an active force in the City.
 METHODIST – According to tradition, Methodism  made its first appearance in Saccarappa (later called Westbrook) when Robert Fellowbee, a circuit rider came and preached in Mr. Conant’s house on Park Hill in 1799. The First Methodist Class was formed in 1814.  After the first town meeting house (later called “the Old Iron Works” ) was built on Saco Street in 1817, Methodist meetings were held there every other Sunday.  (Congregationalists met on the alternating Sundays.)  When conflicts arose among the users of the meeting house, the Methodist members withdrew to a variety of locations. First they built a vestry on Main Street but by 1841 they had outgrown it and built a larger church on the present Church Street (which thus acquired its name). This church was destroyed by fire in 1864. For the following two years the Methodists met in the Universalists church and then in Warren Hall. In 1866 the congregation took steps to erect a new building on the corner of Main and Foster Streets, the structure pictured on this post card. The church was dedicated October 17,1867.  Methodists flourished in Westbrook, holding the first Methodist conference here in 1871 and boasting the largest Bible Class in the state up to that time in 1916.  However, by the 21st Century the church’s enrollment was aging and diminishing so the structure was sold and in 2003 it became a Teen Center

            Sources: Highlights of Westbrook History and local church histories; all may be found in the Society’s research collection.

This photo shows two mid-19th Century houses on Main St next to the old junior high school. You can also see the Methodist Church on the far right. These houses sat on the site of the ‘new’ central post office planned by Westbrook Urban Renewal Authority.  

The house in the foreground, the former Douglass Wallace residence, was moved to 128 Spring St to become the home of Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Lefebvre. The house next to the school, also owned by Mr. Wallace, was offered for sale  ….but ended up demolished, along with the west wing of the school, in order to make room for the post office.

In the photo below, taken in 2012, you can see the post office and hidden behind the large tree, is the school. At the far right you can just make out the front of the Methodist church (sans part of its steeple) which now serves as a teen center.  The house that was moved to Spring St. is still serving as a residence.

According to AN EARLY HISTORY of PRIDE’S CORNER by John R. Lewis, the early religious affiliation for the settlers of The Corner centered around the Friend’s Meeting House in Riverton and the Parish Church in Westbrook.  Even though there  was a  Sunday School  meeting in the area by 1885, it wasn't until 1909 that it was felt that there was a need for a  church and church school in Pride’s Corner. An organizational meeting was held in John Clark’s store and officers were elected, teachers selected and the Sunday School was named the Pride’s Corner Union Bible Society.

Up until 1911 the school and preaching services were held in the Pride’s Corner school with the city’s permission, but the city began showing “a change of heart” in this setup.  In 1912 land on Elmwood Street was purchased and fund-raising was started for the construction of a  church building. With great pride, and lots of hard work, The Pride’s Corner Union Church Society dedicated the Prides Corner Church on June 20, 1915, free from debt.

The church has always been a strong influence in the lives of the people of The Corner. This picture of a Sunday School class was taken on the steps of the Pride’s Corner school so was taken before 1912. Many of the people in the photo were children of the original founders. The names are included on the back as well as a brief insight into the lives of some of the school members.

In 1905 Cornelia Warren funded a ‘swimming pool’ to be built in the river since this was the only swimming area available to the children at the turn of the century.  The pool was placed on the banks of the Presumpscot River, nestled between the Elms and S.D. Warren Paper Company. From early morning until dusk, boys and girls would swim, wade and splash at the ‘river bath’.

The pool was constructed by placing cement block bases in the river and building a ‘pool house’ upon the blocks. The area was surrounded with a boom, and slats placed around the blocks were meant to keep out most of the flotsam. The river flowed through the slates connecting the pieces of foundation, making the center a “fresh” water tank which formed a swimming area.

In one old newspaper article the pool house is described as follows:  “lockers ringed two sides of the pool. There were steps into the pool, and a wooden floor slanted downwards from one end; each year the river was drawn down and workmen from S.D. Warren Co. repaired or replaced the dryer felt (heavy canvas) that covered the floor. A rope in the middle warned swimmers of deep water beyond. On the opposite end were two diving boards, one on a platform.”  The center of the house was left open to the sky. 

This early photograph shows what looks like a full roof but everyone remembers the center roof-area being left open to the sky, and most other photos support this. The cement foundations are all that is left of the river bath and they can be seen along the east banks of the river.  This was a very popular summer spot for Westbrook children but there was no way to purify the water flowing through the pool. Remember, at that time there were many active mills along the river and above the swimming pool.  Despite being subject to pollution, it was long agreed by the Cornelia Warren Community Association* that the facility was still safer for children since they were under the eye of a life guard, than to risk a fatal accident in the river due to unsupervised swimming. However concerns for the children’s health and safety became a major concern when the polio outbreaks in the 1940s were thought to be spread via swimming. 

In 1947, the Association seriously considered the idea of building a new swimming pool. Once they were able to secure financial backing with funds provided by the Association, the S.D. Warren Paper Mill, the Warren Memorial Foundation, Dana Warp Mills, and funds collected through a city wide fund drive, the excavation for a the new facility was started in October of 1947.

The new pool, which would utilize Sebago Lake water, would replace the old tank operated by the Association. A wading pool was also made available on the playground before the season opened the following June. The swimming pool was eighty feet wide and 150 feet long and allowed 300 people to swim at one session. It was completed in 1949 and the ‘river bath' became history.

Did you ever swim there? If so, drop us a note to tell us of your experiences.

* Cornelia Warren Community Foundation was incorporated in 1925 from a trust left by Miss Warren who died in 1921. (She was the daughter of Samuel D. & Susan Warren.) Its purpose is to maintain the many gifts that Miss Warren gave to the City of Westbrook.

(Information taken from A Presence in the Community: The Warren Family Legacy.  2000)
Visit the Society to see interior photographs of the pool house and photos of kids jumping from the 2nd story into the river.

A recent query to the web page prompted a look at this old photo (c. 1900s) of the Warren Block in Cumberland Mills. Notice the horse and wagon…and the two-way streets. Today the block is a one-way triangle route.

In 1882 Mrs. S.D. Warren (wife of the owner of the nearby S.D. Warren Paper Co.) commissioned the construction of the Cumberland Hall. In later years the building has come to be called the Warren Block.  Francis H. Fassett and John Calvin Stevens of Portland were hired as architects and Stevens designed the building, considered to be one of his finest early designs. Mrs. Warren intended the building to be used for community services and activities and to benefit the citizens of the area, many of whom were employed by her husband. [See archived photo article about the Cumberland Gymnasium founded in 1904 by Miss Cornelia Warren, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Samuel D. Warren.]

Cumberland Hall was built in the Queen Anne style, one of the most sophisticated and complex style structures in Maine at the time. It portrayed the progressive trend in the late 19th century to let the inside use of the building dictate the outside design. Another factor in its design was the triangular piece of land on which it was designed and built, thereby making the three storied building an elongated shape. The roof is an irregular hipped style with a small domed tower.  The foundation is granite while the building is a mixture of brick and frame construction. The first two stories are of brick and the third is wood covered with shingles. Exterior decorations are made of brownstone and terra cotta.  Also reflecting the period style, the windows were designed with many small panes.

This photo shows the building as originally constructed, before the ‘nose’ building was added in the late 1940s, early 1950s.  Since its erection the block has been ‘rehabbed’ a few times but the outside original  style and flavor have been maintained.

The Warren Block has always been an active and focal part of the Cumberland Mills community. Over the years it has housed a branch of the post office, a pharmacy, a dress alterations shop, a cobbler shop, a book binders, a bakery, a laundry, KFC, as well as restaurants, bars and, today, a tattoo parlor. 

It may have been 1974 before the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places but it has always been a Cumberland Mills landmark.

In 1951 Westbrook High School’s basketball team became the 1st Westbrook team in twenty-four years to win the Maine Class L Championship title and bring the trophy home to the Paper City. The team marked up its 26th straight victory when it beat Bangor High 71 to 54 to win the final game of the tournament.

The Blazers headed off to the New England Tournament with high hopes. They were pitted against Worcester's St. John's High in the first play-off game and St. John's won, 69 to 61. Westbrook put up a good fight and ended its season with a 26 – 1 record.   Bill Cary was named to the second team of the Boston Garden’s New England Inter-Scholastic Basketball Tournament all-star team. The high school students and the entire Westbrook community gave the team a heroes 'welcomed home'.

This team photograph and two scrapbooks with clippings of the team members histories, going back to their grammar school basketball years, were recently donated to the Society by Manager Bill Palmer (seen in the photograph.) Bill still beams with pride when he speaks about those glory days. His sacrifice in donating the memorabilia for all to share is much appreciated by the Westbrook Historical Society.

The Westbrook Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, No. 87 was organized January 11, 1875.  In 1934 the name was changed to Highland Lake Grange No. 87.

Meetings were held in the upper room of the Duck Pond school until 1889 when this building (photo circa 1910) was erected on the corner of Hardy Road and Bridgton Road (Rte. 302).

The hall was used for church meetings during the winter months. A stable and storage building was added next to the hall in 1905.  Money for the addition was raised from a two day “Fair and Exhibition” which raised $75.10. Electricity was installed in 1926 and the first floor was leased from 1926 to 1937 to P.B. Burns for a store.

The Grange was an active member of the community. In 1934 their protests aided in preventing the proposed closure of the Prides Corner fire barn. Fire protection for the hall, however,  continued to be twelve pails of water.  The Welfare committee furnished a clock for the school and members set up playground swings.

According to records in Washington, D.C., a post office was established in Saccarappa on November 1, 1797. Enoch Freeman was the Postmaster and the “town” was a part of Falmouth. The post office was named Saccarappa until the town of Westbrook was incorporated in 1814. (Westbrook was actually incorporated in February 1814 under the name Stroudwater but three months later the name was changed to Westbrook).

In the early years the post office was located in a store on Bridge Street and mail was distributed to patrons from a “merry go round”: all the mail was placed on the merry go round and patrons would twirled it about and retrieve their mail.

There were also post office branches in Cumberland Mills in the Warren Block (opened in 1870) and in Prides’ Corner.  [See Photo Achieves: A.D. Woodbury Store]

In 1903 the main post office was moved to the Scates Block on Main St across from Bridge.  At this time free delivery of mail was instituted  and Charles W. Munson, a local historian, was appointed as one of the four first City mail carriers. He later became a carrier in the Cumberland Mills branch. [Most of the information in this article was taken from Charles W. Munson's article History of Westbrook, published in the local newspaper. The full article may be found at in the Society's archives.]

In 1935 a federal post office building, seen here,  was erected on Brackett St. where the maine post office remained until 1978 when the current building was constructed next to the old high school on Main Street.. The building on Brackett St. has been converted for commercial use.

            Paper City Lunch, owned by Chester Watson, used to set on the west side of  the Warren Library, on land owned by the S.D. Warren Co. When Cornelia Warren decided to close the old swimming tank on the river in 1945 and build a new one on higher ground, Mr. Watson was told that he would have to close his diner. When the diner closed George Barton (my father) bought all the dishes for $100, then in 1946 decided to buy the building for another $100.   Dad got Mr. Richardson from Gorham to help move the building to the other side of the library onto land owned by Charles Thompson.  This move was done at night so as to avoid all the public works and City hassles….the building was put on rollers, a rake was used to hold the power lines up, and the building was moved to its new home at 16 Warren Ave. [At that time Warren Ave ran from Portland, past the mill and met up with Main St. by the library.]  
            My mother worked at the paper mill then so it was up to Dad to run the diner. Since he did not have the know-how or the funding to run it alone, he entered into partnership with Bertha Laffin and renamed the place Friend’s Lunch. However, these two co-owners were not too friendly and Mrs. Laffin told Mrs. Barton that she was with going to either “kill her husband (Mr. Barton) or buy him out!”  But it came about that Mr. Barton, Dad to me, bought her out and changed the name to Barton’s Lunch in 1954. (By this time we were also running the greenhouse on Brown St. where we lived.) During the 8 years the luncheon as owned by our family, we paid rent for the land to Charles Thompson and, after his death, to his daughter Margie Doulin.
            It soon became too much to run both the luncheon and the greenhouse so Dad sold Barton’s Lunch to a Mr. Kenney. When the business closed in the 1960s it was known as Lynn’s Lunch and was run by Harlan & Evelyn Rounds.                                                                  

In 1657 Squitterrygusset traded a tract of land running from Capisic (now part of Portland) to the Ammoncongin falls to fisherman Francis Small for “one trading coat a year and one gallon of whiskey”. In 1666 George Murphy bought a tract of land on the opposite side of the river which ran from the area of the great falls (Saccarappa Falls) down river from the lower most planting grounds. These two transactions with the local chief Squitterrygusset are believed to have been the first to give a deed of land within our city to the white man speculator.

In the years to come the local tribes experienced some embittered resentment of the white man’s usurping of their lands and staged rampages and skirmishes resulting in the the exodus and then return of the settlers. The settlers prevailed and the city of Westbrook was created in 1814. As this photograph shows, all was peaceful by 1914 and the local native peoples joined in the festivities of Westbrook’s Bicentennial Celebration. The Aucociscos culture and influence on our city is still reflected in the area by its many Indian place-names:

Saccarappa, changed from Saccarabigg (original native name) means - “falling toward the rising sun”. This name was used as the “upper” village name for many years and is still the name of one of our grammar schools.
Ammoncongin, the name used for the “lower” village and falls means– “high fishing place”.
This was the area later called Cumberland Mills and was often shortened to “Congin”, the name of another of our grammar schools. 
Presumpscot River means “many rough places river” referring to the many falls.

 According to An Early History of Pride’s Corner by John R. Lewis, there were at least two major quarries in the Pride’s Corner area of Westbrook.

The oldest quarry was located behind the old Pride’s Corner Union Church.  It is thought that stone from this quarry was hauled into Portland by oxen to build Fort Gorges and other fortifications following the War of 1812. Also, stone from this quarry may have been used to build the 'Palmer House' at 295 Pride Street. 

The second quarry was located near 607 Bridgton Road (US-302) and started operation in 1868. Owned by Jim Pride, the quarry consisted of a stone shed, tool shed, a polishing machine and two cranes. The cranes were operated by hand winches and were used to lift heavy blocks of stone onto horse drawn wagons. Stone taken from this quarry was used for boundary stones, paving stones and curb stones for the city of Portland. The quarry ceased operation during World War II and is now filled with water, making it a serene looking pond beside the road.

Although both quarries have ceased to exist, the Westbrook Historical Society has a few beautiful old photos, such as the one above, which show the process of stone excavating in the late 19th century. Especially poignant is the proud stance of the workers.

 "A picture is worth a thousand words...."
That may be, but this beautiful old photograph is labeled only "Longfellow Street Westbrook, Maine circa 1890s." Who are these people standing in front of their lovely home and barn? Where is the house located? Is it still there? These are all questions asked each time an unidentified photo appears at a historical society. Certainly when this photo was taken these questions would have been easily answered but time goes by, people move and pass on, and buildings are modified or destroyed. These people are probably ancestors to some budding genealogists out there...if only the photograph had more information!

[Ed.: The Historical Society has many early memories of the Duck Pond/Highland Lake area which were written by local historian and life-long Westbrook resident, Edna Nye Gowen (1892 - 1981). Without these written accounts much of the area history and genealogy would have been lost. Articles similar to this would make wonderful, informative entries into the 1st Annual Westbrook History Contest, sponsored by the Westbrook Historical Society.  See Activities page.]

  As one stands by Gordon Grotton's home near Hill Pond [937 Duck Pond Road] it becomes morn and more difficult to imagine how it must have looked there when a factory occupied the east bank of Mill Brook for most of the distance from Duck Pond Road to the Dam.

From 1880 to 1900 the Portland Woodenware Co. was located there, employing a large crew of men making wooden pails; 12 qt. Water pails, 25 Ib. candy pails and small and large tubs. The official name of the factory was that given above but the local name was always the “Pail Factory”.

In Clayton’s History of Cumberland County I found the following: "At the outlet of Duck Pond there is an improved water power, of 50 horsepower upon a fall of 17ft."  This was written about 1870 and at that time or earlier the water power was being used by the Cumberland Bone Mfg. Co, producing bone manure with an annual product rated at $23,000.

About 1884 the factory burned and from then on it was under the management of the Portland Woodenware Co.

I have been told that loads of logs were dumped into the Mill pond and as needed were pushed into the saw mill atop the dam, and there, sawed into lumber.  There also was a stave mill.  Those operations used power from the Water wheel or from an engine house below the dam when the water was low.
Back on the hill beyond the dam was the lumber yard and drying shed.  Here many of the teen aged boys around the corner earned their first pay checks - One dollar for a ten hour day stacking lumber and staves.
Horses were used to haul the pails to market and somewhere in back was a building where the drivers stabled the horses.

On the west side of mill brook about where the Macomber house is now, was a storage building, 35’ X 50'.  The road to the lumber yard passed this building.

A.D. Woodbury Store was located at the corner of the Bridgton (Rte. 302) and Duck Pond Roads. It was operated by Dyer and Sadie Woodbury (Alvin Dyer Woodbury). The Woodburys lived at 1102 Bridgton Road opposite Ridge Road.

The store was heated by a wood stove with a base of sand around it to prevent a fire.  It was not only a store, but a post office and local gathering place. Dyer was the post master there for thirty years and at the time of his death was the fourth oldest in the state. After the R.F.D. service was established his post office was the only 4th Class post office in the state.

A dancing school was located on the second floor and community dances and event were held there.

The stage coach ran from Lower India Street, Portland (Grand Trunk Station) to Harrison. The stage
carried mail, freight and passengers. Despite bear skin robes, it was a cold trip from Portland in the winter! The stage stopped at Woodbury’s, one of several stops, to change horses. Woodbury had scales for weighing freight pick up along the way.

Sadie Woodbury was described as a strong willed person. She wore dentures that she would clack and in an argument they would not stay in place. She was reported to have changed the name of the post office from Duck Pond to Highland Lake, influencing the change of name of the area.

[Much of this information was received from Fred Gowen and recorded for the Historical Society records.]

Summer time is a time to be enjoyed...be it 2011 or 1900! This photo was sent to the Society by Michel Giguére, of Quebec City, the grandson of Anna Rose del Lima Labrecque Giguére (third from the right). It was taken on the rocks "near Portland around 1900 - 1905" . Anna was an elementary school teacher in Westbrook before marrying Conroy Giguére and returning to Quebec City to live. Three of the women are holding lobsters. Their dresses are all so sparkling white...it makes you wonder what was the nature of the happy occasion...graduation, perhaps?

**(See People, Places and Events page for more information on Anna Labreque)

In an 1982 article in the American Journal (the local weekly newspaper) Ione Barton (1902 – 1988) reminisced about Brown Street School. The school was erected in 1887, the year before her father built his house next door, and Ione attended Grades 1-5 there. She recalled that the parents of a lot of the children worked at S.D. Warren and that “Lots of French children were sent to the Brown Street School so they could learn to speak English.”   This only seems logical since it was a neighborhood school situated on the edge of the French speaking section of town and next to all the “mill-built” housing. (Located on Brown Street at the head of Garfield Street.) 

Ione remembered Julia Doyle as principal and teacher of Grades 1 and 2. (Miss Doyle would later celebrate 55 years as a teacher and principal at Brown Street.)  The photograph below is from Miss Doyle's collection; you can see her in the back row.  If you were able to enlarge this photograph, taken in the late 1890s, you would see that at least 10 of those pupils in the front row are without shoes!

The school was destroyed by a massive fire on March 23, 1958.  The school was never replaced and Barton’s Florist was built on the old school foundation, using the same sewer and water mains as the school.

Westbrook neighborhood grammar schools are now replaced with 4 area schools – Canal, Congin, Saccarappa and Pride’s Corner.

I

In 1873 the police force for the town of Westbrook worked under a constable style of policing. When Westbrook was incorporated as a city in 1891 an official police department was organized.

This great photograph of the Westbrook Police Department was given to the Society by the grand daughter of Willis Mitchell. The names and the date 1906 are listed on the back. However, a reprint of the photograph appeared in a local newspaper with the date of 1912. No matter the date, these men stand proud in their tall helmets and brass-buttoned uniforms ....ready to protect the citizens of Westbrook.

Before the advent of power companies it was necessary to build an industry close to a river in order to use the water power…via water wheels, pulleys and pipes… to work the machinery.  Power companies allowed factories to be located wherever it was most convenient since the power could be brought to the business over wires.

The Westbrook Electric Light & Power Co. was the first such company to supply electricity to Westbrook.  The name was later changed to the “Presumpscot Electric Company”. Their main office, seen here decorated for the 1914 Westbrook Centennial celebration, was located on Main Street.

The company had three power stations in Westbrook’s west end. Water was taken in at station No. 1 and transformed into electricity which was used for supplying the lights here and in Deering. Its power was also used for driving motors for various establishments. Station No. 2 transmitted power to the paper mills and Station No. 3 supplied power for operating the Westbrook, Windham and Naples road. There was also a station at the Lower Falls of the Presumpscot, which transmitted power to the paper mills. This electric power plant is owned by S.D. Warren Co.

The Company was described in a 1907 Trade Journal as follows:
“The company, originally established with 50 H.P., has today a 10,000 H.P. capacity and furnishes light and power for the city. That the company has been a great benefit to the city and vicinity goes without saying, always giving steady and reliable service. The plant is quipped with all the latest and most up-to-date machinery and is under the management of W.B. Bragdon, an efficient and practical electrician.”

The Presumpscot Electric Company continued in business until 1922 when the city lighting interests were sold to the Cumberland County Power and Light Company which is now known as the Central Maine Power Company.

The original power company may be gone but the Saccarappa Station still stands beside the Presumpscot River in Westbrook's 'west end' and there is still a sign over the doorway proclaiming its history.

Unless you live in Westbrook, MAINE, you’ve probably never wondered how Westbrook, CONNECTICUT got its name.  Well, some of the (Maine) society  workers wondered and they sent a query off to the “other” (CT) historical society.  The answer, kindly given by Margaret Buckridge Bock, was that “Saybrook Colony” was originally composed of the present towns of Old Saybrook, Essex, Westbrook, Deep River and part of Lyme. Westbrook (also known by the Indian name of Pochaug) was the West Parish of the colony. When it separated to form its own church, it was West Saybrook, the “Say” was soon dropped.”  So, Col. Thomas Westbrook had nothing to do with it!

            But more importantly, along with this information Margaret sent a copy of a photo of the Westbrook Cornet Band. She said that her group knew was not a band from their city and wondered if they ‘belonged’ to us. After searching our records and the internet, it was discovered (in an 1885-86 Maine Register) that this was indeed one of our bands. It was lead by Howard S. Babb and was located in Cumberland Mills. Thus we attained a lost piece of our local heritage along with new friends in Connecticut.

            This proves that there is still a lot of information to be learned and shared by our Societies...if we continue to ask the questions!

Front row (left to right)—Rudolph “Rudy” Anderson (Captain), Harlan ”Red” Shane '34 (pitcher), Robert “Pete” Tetrault '34 (3rd base),  Harold “Jack” Harmon, Henry “Buck” Cote '34 (centerfield), Lloyd “Shrimp” Spiller '35 (2nd base),
Forrest “Stud”  King.
Middle row—Paul “Ginger” Fraser (Coach), Roland “Rollie” Tetrault '36 (short stop), Edmund “Tud” Waterman,
Albert "Fat" Bernier (pitcher), Wyman “Jack” Foster, Lawrence ”Joe”  Farr, Armand  “Danny” Daniel '36 (sub, catcher).
Back row—Millard Chaplin (Ass’t Manager), Edward “Eddie” Mayo (Manager), Leo Cormier, Ronald “Ronnie” Jordan '33,
Philip “Harvey” Nelson '33, Joseph “Joe” Robichaud, Raymond “Buck” Cote, Neil “Neally” Leighton.
========================================================================================

The Westbrook Garage & Machine Co. was advertised in Motor Age Magazine, (Vol. 18, Sep 1, 1910) as a recently incorporated Westbrook business with “a capital stock of $10,000 to buy, sell, manufacture and repair motor cars and deal in all kinds of vehicles.” The incorporators were listed as John T Skill, Alexander Spiers and William Lyons. The business was located at 609 Main Street on the corner of Stevens Avenue, in the same building that now houses Mr. Bagel.

By 1921 Westbrook City Directory listed the company President as David L. Rowe, with Raymond B. Rowe as Treasurer and William J. Rowe as Manager. This is the same year that they became dealers of Ford automobiles. By the 1929 the name had been changed to Rowe Motor Co.

In 1966 the business moved to their current location at 91 Main St. A merger with the former Portland Motor Sales Co. created a name change to Rowe Ford Sales.

100 years in business...in the same town...is a record of which to be proud!

Walker Memorial Library, circa 1900

"Previous to 1814, Westbrook was a part of Falmouth... At the time of the incorporation of Portland, in 1786, up to 1814, Falmouth contained the present Falmouth, Deering District of Portland and Westbrook, as one town; even with the loss of Portland and Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth had become an unwieldy town especially in extent of territory. Its two parishes, the New Casco within the present Falmouth and the Stroudwater in this section, were the main cause of the division of the town in 1814. "
(Taken from the Official Program of the Commemorative Exercises of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of the Town of Stroudwater Name Changed to Westbrook, June 9th, 1814.}

Just as the call for the first town meeting in 1814 must have been a time of celebration, so too was the 100th anniversary of that occasion! A forty page Official Program, complete with extensive history, and a Centennial Celebration flyer were printed by Westbrook's own H.S. Cobb Printer of Cumberland Mills; committees were formed on Church Observances, Music & Band Concerts, Children's Day & Exercises, Historical Matter & Exhibits, Parades (there were two), Bonfire & Fireworks, Decorations & Illuminations, Sports, Reception & Entertainment ...these are just a few of those listed in the Official Program.

The photograph shown here of one of Westbrook's shoe stores is representative of the wonderful job that the Decorations Committee did. Looking through the Society's collection, it would seem that every business along Main Street was decorated with banners and flags. It also seems that a photograph was taken of each establishment and most included employees proudly standing out front.

The Firemen's and the Civic and Trades Parades were also well covered by the photographers. There are many pictures of flag-draped horse-drawn wagons and automobiles filled with local merchandize and citizens. And, of course, the sidewalks were crowded with onlookers.

Let's hope that we're all as public spirited in 2014!! See you there!

Front row (left to right): Charles W. Bailey, Eugene M. Walker, John Wesley Bacon, Charles W. Mace, Joseph P. Ricker, Oliver Berry, Frank L. Parker, Calvin  S. Walker, William W. Hammond and Lorenzo Barbour.
Second row: George F. Hunt, Charles H. Hunt, Charles Hanscomb, Warren S. Flye, Howard Rice, Charles H. Leighton, George Dunnells, Bert Bailey, Neil Murray, Wendell Bailey and George (Grip) Hunt.
Third row: Leander Moody, Winfield Crowley, Walter Whitehouse, Fred Lord, Marsh Morris, Fred L. Leighton, Edward Rounds, Isaiah Staples, Charles M. Cobb and Henry Howe.
Back row: Samuel F. Wilkins, Edwin A. Barbour, Ernest F. Bragdon, Edgar A. Durrell, Ira T. Brackett, Louis Christian, Edward Fernald, Alphonzo E. Greenlaw, Frank W. Ricker, William E. Vanner, Frank J. Little and Almon N. Waterhouse. 

This picture was taken way back in 1885— one hundred fifteen years ago. It shows the crew of the old cutter and finishing rooms of the local paper mill, S.D. Warren Company.  At one time this company was the major employer in the area, employing close to 4000 men and women. The mill is still in existence, although much smaller, and is now known as SAPPI FINE PAPER.

Last year a relative of the Hunt men (seen in the 3rd row) requested a print of this photograph. She had a copy but it was old and faded.   Her old copy had come from the Portland Sunday Telegram of March 26, 1922.  The same photo again appeared in the Warren Standard, the Warren Co.’s monthly paper, in 1954, proving that you and your history do have immortality via the archiving of our local photos and information.

The captions included with each article give a wealth of information about these men.

***************
PORTLAND SUNDAY TELEGRAM    MARCH 26, 1922:
11 STILL EMPLOYED, 15 DEAD (heading of photograph)
[The name’s of the men listed as still working at SD Warren  are written in bold type under the photo]

*************

WARREN STANDARD March 1954

The man fourth from the left is the late Charles W. Mace who was superintendent of the finishing department when the picture was taken and who was succeeded considerably later by the late A. N. Waterhouse. Mr. Waterhouse was superintendent for many years until he retired in 1931 after fifty years of service to the Warren Company. He was the uncle of Leon E. Waterhouse, who recently re­tired after forty-five years with the Company, all of it in the finishing department.

We don't believe that many of these men have survived until now—but we are sure of one. He is Fred Leighton, the good-looking man sixth from the left, in the next to the back row. At ninety-two, Fred lives alone and does all his own shopping, gets his own meals and he still looks hale and hearty.

C.G. Gooding  Photographer  Saccarappa, Me.

This beautiful cabinet card, circa late 1800s, shows a view "looking down Mechanic Street" toward Main Street. It takes a while to get oriented to the location since the bare hill seen in the foreground of the photograph now contains parking lots and buildings. The railroad cars and tracks seen here have been replaced by Wayside Drive. The Armory, the tall brick building just at the end of Mechanic St., still remains and is an apartment building. The brick building to the left of the Armory is painted white today and Dana Mills buildings still stand in the background.

The white three-story house to the left of the street still looks about the same except dormers have been added and the white building behind it now houses a Chinese restaurant. All of the white buildings on the right side of the street were torn down during urban renewal. The old Universalist Church, with its pillared roof, can be seen just beyond the houses; that building, built in 1840, was torn down this winter to make way for an apartment building.

In comparing the scene of yesteryear with the scene of 2010, we find much has changed...but much has stayed the same.

In keeping with last month’s theme, and to enlighten those who believe that Westbrook was called a ‘mill town’ only because of S.D. Warren Paper Co. & Dana Warp Mills, here is a transcript of an article from the Society’s archives.  There is no notation if it appeared in a local paper but the photo that accompanied the article seems to have come from newsprint and was not of reproduction quality. (It is a photo of an “old Saccarappa Sawmill that was about 100 years old when it was torn down at the turn of the century” from its site near “Pork Hill”.) The mill scene photograph seen above is from the Ernest Rowe Collection which was originally photographed on glass lantern slides. The slides were digitized by the Warren Memorial Library and donated to the Society.   

THE MILLS OF SACCARAPPA IN 1858

This sketch of early Westbrook was written about the turn of the century by Mr. E. J. Haskell

Starting on the right bank of the river, the first mill on the upper dam was that of the G. & L. P. Warren Company. It was a saw mill and ran the year around. On the island was the thread mill, so called, filled with machinery for making cotton cloth. This mill was not operated in 1858. At the opening of the Civil War it was started as a paper mill, but ran only a short time because on a Saturday morning it caught fire and burned to the ground. There were also the ruins of another mill on the island.
On the mainland there was a grist-mill run by Mr. Bickford; next a mill for grinding plaster run by Mr. Allen, the father of Mrs. W. L. Knowlton; then the saw mill of Mr. Dana Brigham, and the saw mill of Mr. Samuel Clements. With that of the Warren's, these mills did a large business sawing logs into dimension timber and boards.
Next there was a shingle and clapboard mill run by Mr. Thomas Akers; then the old silk mill built by Mr. Vogel and run by him until it was broken into one night and all the stock and the silk stock taken. After that, the business was given up and the mill was used for making harnesses for cotton and woolen mills. This was operated, I think, by Mr. James Pennell.
On the other side of the river on the upper dam was a small mill making bats or batting from the waste of cotton mills, run by Mr. Stephen Cole and others. It was not operated much after 1858. Then came the mills of the Westbrook Mfg. Company, composed of one brick mill of five stories, a two-story building beside it, and a wooden building nearer the road, that was the duck mill, so called. This building was replaced in 1865 by a three-story brick building, the foundations of which are still standing.
The power for all these mills was generated by over-shot, breast, and under-shot wheels. I think the only under-shot wheel was used in the harness mill and that was run by the water discharged by the mills above.
The river was full of logs almost all the time. There was a main boom opposite the place where the house of Ovide Fredette now stands, a boom at Small's and one at Steep Ledge. There were side booms between these as well as below the main boom and between the dams.
The river was very uneven in its flow. In the late summer it was so low that men could go out into the bed of the river with rakes and hoes and clear out the channel so that the water would flow to their side of the river and keep the wheels turning. Then in late fall and in the spring it was so high that the mills were troubled with back-water.
As soon as it was sawed, the lumber was taken to the yards and stacked. One yard for the Warren mill was between Park Hill and the river. Another yard was the flat between Depot and Saco Streets on the south side of the railroad tracks.
The yards were well filled with lumber although teams of six and eight yoke of oxen with a span of horses as leaders, were hauling it day and night to Portland to be shipped.
The roads in the spring and fall were very bad. The wheels of the lumber teams would sink to the hubs even in the villages, and sometimes they were obliged to go into the fields to get out of a bad place…[area missing in article]…turbines. This meant taking out enough ledge at the end of the mill to make a flume eighteen feet deep and a raceway to the river below the falls.
The work of drilling and blasting, all hand work, was started in the spring of 1858. The agent being a stranger, did not know what wages to give the men. He called them together and asked what they thought they should have.  After talking it over, they said their work was worth 75 cents a day and they were paid that. These wages were not as low as might appear, as milk was 4 cents a quart, eggs 12 cents a dozen and butter about 15 cents a pound.  Everything was in the same proportion except sugar and flour, but as molasses and meal were quite generally used, it was not hard to support a family.
The hours of labor were about twelve in the saw mills and eleven in the textile mills.
This is a sketch of how mills of Saccarappa looked to a boy if eight in those times.

The Historical Society recently received this sepia-colored, cardboard-backed 8 X 10 photograph of the old Davis & Baxter corn shop of Cumberland Mills. The original owner of the picture was Samuel B. Ingersoll of 126 Forest Street.  Mr. Ingersoll had been employed as a sealer at the shop for many years and  he had made notes on the back of the picture... ”all cut by hand; women employees; now swim pool...”

An old newspaper article in the Society's collection shows the same photograph with the following inscription:

“...the corn shop, owned by Davis & Baxter, was located in Cumberland Mills on the    present site of the swimming pool...In those days the corn was cut by hand, women being employed for this task. On the opposite bank of the Presumpscot River on the present site of the “Elms”, ...stood the corn shop of J. Winslow Jones, believed to be the first man to pack corn in this vicinity.”

Westbrook's corn shop history is also  referenced in Fabius Ray's Story of Westbrook :

“...to Nathan Winslow...belongs the credit of having inaugurated what is now a colossal industry in most parts of the United States and Canada, the preservation of food products in cans by what is known as the process of hermetically sealing. In this connection it is worthy to mention that the first sweet corn ever canned for the market, was so canned by Mr. Winslow in what was then a woodshed at Cumberland Mills...”

Front row: Roland Pitres, Jean Rene Brochu, Raymond Hebert, Raymond Belanger, Jean Claude Audet, Robert Grondin, Phillippe Gagnon, Paul Levesque, Ronald Delcourt, Arthur Bonin, Paul Dufour & Laurent Landry.
2nd row : Gerald Delcourt, Robert Breton, Gerard Duchesne, Robert Landry, Amedee Chaisson, Robert Arsenault, Maurice Moreau, Aime Thibeault, Edgar Savoie, Aime Labrecque, Edmond Savoie, Leo Paul Pinette, Paul Bernard
Back row: Leo Pednault, Lt.; Leo Champagne, Cpt; Roland Gagne Lt; Willis P. Mitchell Patrolman