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Q. The present Historical Society building has served thetown in many capacities. What are they?
A. A one room school (District 3)1853-1951; Town Office 1951-1975;Police Department 1975-1987; Cumberland Historical Society 1987-present.
Q. What does the boulder at the center of town, across fromthe monument represent?
A. A bronze plaque reads Cumberland 1821-1921 in celebrationof the Town's Bicentennial. Although settled in 1685, Cumberlandwas incorporated as a separate town in 1821 by William King, thefirst Governor of Maine. Nellie Sweetser, town poet, who livedon Main Street (the second house up from the Library) wrote thefollowing poem for the town's 100th birthday:
Q.Where are Cumberland's stone markers or milestones? What does
B-135 mean?
A. Of the four markers, left along the King's highway, twoare in Cumberland. One, B-135, shows that Top-Knot, 100 MiddleRoad, is 135 miles from Boston, and B-136, on Route 88, a littleNE of the Cumberland Town Landing Road is 136 miles from Boston.
Q. Where did Greely High School get its name?
A. Greely Institute was established by the will of EliphaletGreely, who was born in 1784 on Greely Road, which was named afterhis ancestors. He married Elizabeth Loring in 1812, settled inPortland, became President of the Casco National Bank, and Mayorof Portland for ten years. Although he had no children of hisown, he felt that the children of his hometown should have freeeducation. In his will he left $27,500 to the town of Cumberland,and his wife gave four acres of pasture land, purchased from EnosBlanchard. Greely opened on September 28, 1868. The name was changedto Greely High School in 1966 when M.S.A.D. #51 was formed.
Q. Where is our town forest?
A. Cumberland came into possession of the Drowne Farm on TuttleRoad through the will of Elizabeth Drowne in 1907. This is theonly 100 acre plot which remains as originally laid out by thefirst surveyors of the town. Under her will the benefits derivedfrom the farm were to be used for educational purposes. Cumberlandestablished one of the first town forests in the state.
Ernest Rand (selectman, trustee, forester) wanted to increasethe interest in this forest; with the cooperation of the agricultureclass of Greely, he directed the planting of an acre of youngpine and spruce trees. The first installment of many more to come(fifty acres of approximately 12,500 trees). Many years of neglectfollowed, but Betty Surgi, daughter of the late Ernest Rand, waspleased to learn that the Conservation Commission has hired astate forester to form a plan for the future of our town forest.This includes not only thinning, pruning, cutting with naturetrails and recreation areas, but a forest laboratory for teachinggood forest practices.
Q. What are the stone sloops?
A. In the 19th century Chebeague Island became famous for itsstone sloops, of which there were over seventy. These sloops carriedmany tons of great granite blocks and other building stone fromthe quarries Down East to railroads in Boston, New York, and manyother Eastern cities, where it was then transported to constructionsites. The state and Navy building in Washington D.C., the additionto the State House in Boston, post offices in Boston and New York,Chicago Board of Trade, and the Washington Monument, which isbacked by this granite are among the sites.
The Chebeague stone sloopers built three wharves on the island.The stone Wharf, or Hamilton Landing as it was known, is stillis use today.
Q. What has happened to the old mills of Cumberland?
A On the Mill Brook, which runs out of Forest Lake, there havebeen at least six mills from 1780 on. A grist mill, a shingleand clapboard mill, a carding and shook mill (boxes, barrels.etc.) to name a few. Two historic mills, both in West Cumberlandremain, having been restored with imagination, foresight, courage,and money. The Mountford Mill, built and burned twice in 1860- rebuilt in 1865 by Hollis Mountford and kept in their familymany years was purchased in 1958 by the late Pierre and EvelynDumaire and made into an attractive summer home.
Q. What part of Cumberland was called "New Boston"?
A. Cumberland Center depot was located on Route 9 by the tracks,beyond Cross Road. The freight house was the busy place in theJunction Village, locally known as "New Boston". The"way freight" every weekday brought assorted things;barrels of flour and sugar, hogsheads of molasses for E.B. Osgood,now Food Stop, who ran a butcher shop and store on SHE Street(Main Street from the Congregational Church to Greely Road, socalled because the residents were female). Similar goods wereshipped for James Dunn who ran the general store fifty yards belowthe four corners, now an apartment building; not to mention thetin lard pails for F.R. Sweetser & son who ran a processingand packing plant up on Blanchard Road. At this time during theearly 1900's, there would be at least 40 trains a day, half ofthem passenger trains, passing through Cumberland Junction. In1934 changes were made and the station became an agency station.The station no longer exists.
Q. What is a gundalow?
A. Spear's Yard in Cumberland was one of the famous shipyardson Casco Bay. It was located at the end of Tuttle Road at theTown Landing. This was a family business, and between David SpearSr. and Jr. 50 ships were built, the most famous being the "Grapeshot",a fast clipper ship of 345 tons built in 1853. Gundalows weresmall, rough vessels built for local use to carry produce andon which livestock was taken to the islands for the summer.
One such vessel was built inland at Cumberland Center oppositethe former Town Hall on Blanchard Road near the gully. It wasbuilt during the summer and hauled to the water the followingwinter with special rigging and 80 yoke of oxen. The trip to thesea began down Tuttle Road. All went well until a steep hill,a narrow bridge at the bottom, a broken chain, then another, resultedin a tangled up team and one man with a broken leg. However, onthe third day of this overland trip, the craft was finally launchedat Cumberland Town Landing.
Q. Who was the first child to be born in this town?
A.William Horatio Prince was born April 1, 1821 to Williamand Rebecca (Gurney) Prince. He married Olive Ann, daughter ofThaxter and Apphia(Noyces) Prince in 1847. His residence includedSt. Johnsbury, Vermont, Richmond, Virginia and Portland, Maine.He died on July 5, 1872.
Q. In 1926 what person received a $5 prize for developingthe greatest interest in agriculture?
A. Richard Blanchard
Q. Who named Cumberland?
A. When Cumberland was set off from the Town of North Yarmouthin 1820, its first treasurer, serving until 1832 was Captain EphraimSturdivant. He gave the town its name having been granted thatprivilege by vote of Town Meeting. Ephraim went to sea when hewas 12 and before he reached the age of 21, he was in commandof a vessel. He followed the sea for 28 years while trading withthe West Indies and Europe. In politics he served as Selectman,Representative, and Senator. Capt. Sturdivant built and livedin the house at 114 Foreside Road, which is still standing. Behindhis home, on a hill known as "Ephraim's Mount" weretwelve tall pine trees called "The Twelve Apostles".These trees were a second sighting or landmark, the first beingTwo Lights or Blackstrap Monument, for ships coming into the PortlandHarbor. The last tree fell in 1935. In 1810 Ephraim imported acargo of merino sheep from Portugal. He pastured them off theCumberland shore on Sturdivant's (Clapboard) Island which he owned.
Q. When was racing allowed on Main Street?
A. In 1871 Cumberland Center Fair was held in the Center.What is now pari-mutual harness racing was once a race held onMain Street, then a dirt road extending from the junction of BlanchardRoad, Tuttle Road, and Main Street down Greely Road. The sameroad served for the ox-pulling contests. Later a circular trackwas laid out in the pasture next to Greely Institute. Lackinga building tents were used. The need of an exhibition hall wascertain but the location was a touchy subject. West Cumberlandresidents wanted it in their section of town. Despite many meetingswith tempers flaring, and fair time getting nearer, it was resolved.Finally the men of Cumberland Center plotted for a night witha full moon to stake out a location of a new hall. The lumberarrived, and by daylight the walls were up. The opposition lostout, but with true town spirit they helped build what became knownas Union Hall, signifying the labors of the two groups. This iswhere it all started, but now the Cumberland Fair is situatedon Blanchard Road in West Cumberland.
Q. Who designed the seal of Cumberland?
A. As you sit facing the Town Council in the Council Chambers,there is, in front of you, a colorful round scene of a millhouseand a ship; depicting land and sea, surrounded by a laurel wreath,a symbol of honor. This is the Cumberland town seal designed in1935 by Ernest Rand who served the town in many capacities. Hisinterests were varied and included cooking and painting. He alsoserved as selectman and was in charge of the town forests.
Q. Whatdo you know about our war memorials?
A. The monument at the center is known as the William MerrillMemorial. It was erected in 1928 by his son, Edwin. William wasborn in 1844 and died in 1927. His early childhood was spent onWinn Road, where the Berkovich home is now; in later life on MainStreet, at what is now 259 Main Street. He served in the Navyduring the Civil War. The inscription on the front panel reads:"In commemoration of the men of Cumberland, Maine who servedtheir country on land and sea in all wars of the nation."
The Blue Star Memorial Highway system approved by the NationalCouncil of State Garden Clubs in 1945 as a tribute to the nation'sArmed Forces, is evident now on more than 40,000 miles of highway.These highways take their name from the blue star in the serviceflag. An extension if this program was approved in 1981: it iscalled the Blue Star memorial By-Way. These areas are also livingmemorials to our nation's service people. The first Blue StarMemorial By-Way in the nation was dedicated in Cumberland, Maineon December 19, 1982. It is the mini-park between the former townhall and the Historical Society Schoolhouse, donated by the CumberlandGarden Club and planted by the Boy Scouts under the supervisionof Andrew Stewart.
Q. Where were the early schools of Cumberland?
A. In 1803 Penelope Martin, educated in England, established,with her two sisters, a private school for girls in the PowellMansion in Broad Cove; it being one of the first institutionsaround to undertake the higher education of women. Other privateschools were held in old homes which are still standing; one,the present McCarty House on the old Drowne Farm at 306 TuttleRoad, another on the Top-Knot Farm at 100 Middle Road run by theSquire Buxton Family, and according to Harlan Sweetser, the SilasRideout (Wayne Merrill on Main Street across from the CongregationalChurch) house which Jane Wilson used for a schoolhouse six toeight years where David Wilson went to school from six to nineyears of age.
When the first town meeting was held in 1821 it appropriated $550to support the schools for the year. These one-room schools werebuilt in different sections or districts of the town. Pupils fromages five to twenty-five were accepted, providing their own books.A few of the old school houses still exist. No. 3 is now our HistoricalSociety building; No. 2 a home nearly opposite the Tuttle RoadMethodist Church; No. 13, a home on Bruce Hill Road; No. 5, ahome on Skillins Road; No. 4 an old store in Shawtown; No. 7 atthe junction of Winn and Range Roads; and No. 8, the present communitybuilding on Chebeague Island. Singing schools were the chief socialactivity. One of the earliest was taught by Benjamin Sweetser,called Master Ben, who, with his wife and twelve children, furnisheda good part of the music. Another singing school was held aboveHumphrey's Store, near the Congregational Church, taught by SamuelChase and Reuben Blanchard, and one in West Cumberland over thestore at the top of Morrison's Hill, as well as a dancing school.Around 1898 there was a dancing school in the Cumberland TownHall.
Q.What is Andrew Jackson's sword doing at Prince MemorialLibrary?
A. When in Congress, Governor Fairfield of Maine and PresidentJackson became fast friends. One time while visiting the Fairfieldhome in Biddeford, the President remarked, "Well, Governor,I guess I'll leave you my sword as a token of my esteem".The Governor gave it to his grandson, Frank Emery of Gorham whoin turn gave it to Robert S. Thomas, who wrote, "It is mydesire that Prince Memorial Library accept this rare trophy andkeep it on display for this and coming generations." Thomaswas a native and one of the original incorporators of the library.This cavalry saber is described as having a blade which is halfblack and embellished with gold leaves and the insignia of thecavalry. The hilt is of carved ivory and ornate brass at the base.On either side is shield shaped insignia bearing an eagle withstars and stripes. The brass scabbard, or sheath, is ornamentedwith oak leaves and flowers.
Q. How many lives has the former town hall had?
A. Sawga Tribe No.20 Improved Order of Red Men held its firstmeeting in 1889 in Union Hall. They built their new hall in 1914on Blanchard Road between the Congregational Church and SchoolhouseNo.3. The builder was Bert Hodgdon of Yarmouth and his crew. Toraise money for his project the Red Men had a trading post fora few years. Ground breaking was done by members of Pocahontas,a sister organization. The new Red Men's Hall became a real communitycenter with one of the finest dance floors around. It was carefullycovered with canvas between dancing parties. It had a large stagefor plays and minstrel shows, plus a large space for parties andall kinds of meetings. Later, due to overcrowding of the schools,it was used to house three grades. In 1974 it was sold for $1.00to be renovated and used for school and town offices with a fiveyear privilege to the Red Men to continue holding their meetingsin the top floor hall. In 1967 the town hall was vacated by townand school offices in their move to the former Cumberland ElementarySchool on Drowne Road. A nursery school occupied the Council Chambersfor a short time. In 1988 it was renovated by its new to ownersto become an office building for professional services, primarilyengineers, Cumberland Hall Associates. All local men purchasedthe hall from the town for a bid of $150,000 following negotiationsthat involved the town, the Red Men, Cumberland CongregationalChurch, and the Historical Society. New quarters for the SawgaTribe have been provided by the town at West Cumberland CommunityCenter. Whatever its function, it is satisfying to know as partof the negotiations, the exterior of this impressive buildingwill remain the same for for the next 25 years.
Q. Where was the famous "Umbrella Tree" located?
A. This lone oak tree was one of Chebeague Island's well knownlandmarks. Some called it the Umbrella Tree because of its umbrella-likeappearance. Wentworth Ricker, a Revolutionary War Veteran, settledon Chebeague around 1780, bringing his wife, Elizabeth, and severalchildren with him. His home stood overlooking Indian Island, aspit of land on which stood this tree. It is said that Rickerdiscovered and nurtured the young sapling (oaks were rare on theisland then), and it survived, outliving all other vegetationon the point as well as many generations of Chebeaguers. A summerresident, Ellis Ames Ballard, had tree surgeons come to the islandto examine and treat the Umbrella Tree. Unfortunately, after livingalmost 200 years, along came Hurricane Gloria in 1985. The end.
Q. Where was the Prissy Road?
A. It ran from Middle Road to Harris Road. There are stilltraces of the old road and ten cellar holes from which houseswere moved.
Q. What happened to the old taverns of Cumberland?
A. Prince Tavern now 371 Tuttle Road is located at the intersectionof Rte. 9 and Tuttle Road. The land, one of the original 100 acrelots, was first acquired in 1733 by John Powell. It remained inthe family until 1781 when half the land was sold to James Prince,yeoman, for 60 (pounds). One acre of this land was sold and isnow the Congregational Cemetery. James Prince's son, Joel, becamethe first proprietor of Prince Tavern. Stagecoaches stopped hereand horses were changed from a stable of 15 stalls. Overnighttravelers stayed in spacious house. In 1829 Joel Prince sold thehomestead to Nathaniel Blanchard, who, in 1833, sold it and 74acres of farmland for $3,000 to Capt. Enos Blanchard. His son,George, became owner in 1874 and his son, Arthur, became ownerin 1935 until his death in 1972. In 1974 it was sold to Dr. WilliamWyatt, and is now owned by Dr. Lois Hanson.
Chase's Tavern was located on Rte.9 opposite the intersectionwith Winn Road. This tavern was in use from after the RevolutionaryWar to sometime after the Civil War. Some of the owners were Josephand Albert Drinkwater; Charles Lane, and Gilman Thurston. It burnedto the ground about 1898.The Leighton Tavern was located on GrayRoad about 1/2 mile north of Skillins Road. It is the oldest andbest known of the old Cumberland taverns, and was built about1800 by Andrew Leighton, who was the first proprietor. He hadseven sons and one daughter. This was not only a stagecoach stop,but a popular stopping place for travelers and teamsters haulingfreight by ox teams which might average only seven miles a day.This fine old building is now a residence and was bought by Leslieand David Stanley in 1970 and moved to a new location at SchoonerRocks at Cumberland Foreside on land once belonging to the PowellEstate.
Q. For whom is Tuttle Road name?
A. The Tuttle House was originally owned by Libbeus Tuttle.There is an old story that he was tarred and feathered and riddenout on a rail for keeping another woman in his house. His wifedetected her presence by hearing a noise made by the droppingof scissors. It was later the home of Ezra Knight Sweetser andhis wife , Clara Sturdivant Sweetser, who gave the land to thetown for the E.K. Sweetser School. The house stood on the locationof the former pond at the Mabel I. Wilson school, which is nowour busy Tuttle Town playground.
Q. What year was the town dump started?
A. 1931 and closed October 14,1988.
Q. How many post offices did Cumberland have in the earlydays?
A. Early post office records indicate that there have beenthree post offices established in Cumberland. The first was establishedas Cumberland East in 1821 at Poland Corner (now the intersectionof Tuttle and Middle Road), with James Prince the first Postmaster.It was renamed Cumberland the same year. After several moves inthat area, the last being to a store at the crossroads, the officewas discontinued in 1918. The second to be established was CumberlandCenter with William Bird as Postmaster. In 1849 the office wasa corner room in a house where the Texaco station now stands.The next move was to a store owned by the Blanchard brothers,Everett and Fenwick, located at 277 Main Street, where the apartmenthouse is now. When the store and office burned, the mail was handledin a small building nearby, then owned by Dr. Moulton. This wasa dry goods and notions store. The Blanchards' store was rebuiltand the post office moved back there. Norman Hulit was appointedPostmaster in 1936 and saw the Post Office moved to Farwell Avenuein 1947. A new addition was dedicated in 1965 with a surprisevisit form Margaret Chase Smith, who spoke briefly. Mr. Hulitserved until 1970 when his sister, Frances Hulit Nelson, becamethe officer in charge, followed by Rena Lamson, Mary Hodgetts,Jean Seeley, and Don Haskell. The third office to be establishedwas West Cumberland in 1846 with Greenleaf Mountford, Postmaster.It was located in a store at the top of Morrison's Hill. The Postmastershipwas held by two families during its 54 years, the Mountfords andthe Wilsons. It was discontinued in 1900. Cumberland had the distinctionof providing stamp collectors with the first undisputed precanceledstamps in the United States.
Q. What courses were stressed at Greely Institute?
A. Domestic and Agricultural. The school poultry netted a profitof over $1.00 per hen and supplied the domestic arts course witheggs for a year. The school garden profit was $8.00.
Q. What town clerk was honored with tickets to Hawaii whenhe retired?
A. Herbert S. Foster, Sr. In 1949 the number of selectmen wasincreased from three to five and voters agreed to have a townclerk to relieve selectmen from clerical work and keep the townoffice open five days a week. This clerk would also be electedas Town Clerk and Town treasurer. Herbert S. Foster was electedto this position in March 1949. A few years later he added thejob of tax collector to his other duties. He was without oppositionfor election to these offices until 1973 when the new CouncilManager form of government was instituted. The first Saturdayin March, which would have been town meeting day, was proclaimed"Herb Foster Day" and townspeople honored him at a receptionand presented him with tickets for a trip to Hawaii in appreciationfor his many years of service.
Q. How many islands are part of Cumberland?
A. Of the 20 or so islands within the boundaries of Cumberland,Chebeague, the largest with over 2800 acres, is well know to us;Little Chebeaugue, part of which is included as part of JewellIsland (where Captain Kidd is supposed to have buried treasure)has 221 acres. Today this is a Maine State Park. The huge lodgewe see on Hope Island belongs to a group of Philadelphians whohave kept it as a private club with a private power plant, privatewater supply, and a private boat service. Sturdivant Island iswhere Ephraim Sturdivant pastured his merino sheep from Portugal.Cushing or Bangs changed hands many times and has a fascinatinghistory; once called Fort Island where natives fled from the Indians.Stave is a smaller island, pretty and unspoiled. The inside coverof the Cumberland History has a map made by the late Ernest Randin 1935 showing all our islands. Others are Bates, Ministerial,Stockman, Green, Rogues, Sand, Crow, Goosenest, Brown Cow, BrokenCave, Mink Rocks, and Punchbowl.
Q. Which great change happened on Chebeague from 1860-1900?
A. After the prosperous era of stone slooping came the slowdecline of business and some families even moved away. However,in 1890, the island entered another era of prosperity when itbecame a favorite retreat for the summer tourist. Many convertedtheir homes into hotels and boarding houses (15 at one time),while others accommodated tourists in spare rooms. Hamilton Villawas a popular boarding house over 100 years ago.
Q. Blanchard Pond is the headwater of what river?
A. The Piscataqua River, as are all streams and brooks in thistown.
Q. Who designed the first housing development, and where?
A. Owen Farwell developed Farwell Avenue, offMain Street, in 1946.
Q. What two rivers flow through Cumberland?
A. Piscataqua - East & West branch.
Q. What house in Cumberland had two fanlights?
A. Phyllis Sweetser's at 15 Blanchard Road.
Q. Who was the first Postmaster?
A. Samuel True - 1854 or 1855.
Q. How long and wide is Cumberland?
A. 8 miles long and 3 miles wide.
Q. Who were considered the first white settlers of Cumberland?
A. George Felt in 1640, and two sons in a stone garrison onBroad Cove Bay.
Q. Where is the Cumberland fish hatchery?
A. Blanchard Pond and two others connecting. It was run byWill Rowe who lived where Herb and Hope Foster live.
Q. In what part of Cumberland did the Interurban RailwayLine run?
A. West Cumberland, because it was on the direct route betweenPortland and Lewiston.
Q. What famous horses used to be seen in the parade on MemorialDay?
A. The Belgian draft horses owned by Paul Merrill of SunriseAcres on Winn Road.
Q. What present was sent to President Hoover from Cumberland?
A. Lenville Hawkes delivered 45 bushels of potatoes by oxcart.
Q. What are some of the first clubs organized in Cumberland?
A. The Old Temperance Club which met on the second floorof the woodworking shop belonging to Gertrude Bragg's grandfather(opposite the Congregational Church). The Cumberland DinersClub in 1874. Some members were Capt. D.M. Prince, F.W. Blanchardand Fred Sweetser. They met upstairs in Union Hall. The CumberlandFarmer's Club which was established in 1871 and still enjoysa very strong membership.
Q. How many kinds of apples are available in Cumberland?
A. About 26, ranging from Vista Della in July, to Ben Davisin October. In between we was yellow Transparent, Jersey Mac,Red Astrachan, Duchess, Early Mac, Paula Red, Red Gravestein,Wealthy, Macintosh, Portland, Macoun, Wolf River, Spartan, Rolfe,Rhode Island, Greening, Priscilla, Red Delicious, Nodhead, GoldenDelicious, Northern Spy, and Baldwin.
Q. How do you fight fires without a fire department?
A. Cumberland did not always have the well organized volunteerfire department that it has today. In the early days citizenshad to rely on the "bucket brigade" or the "firebrigade" if a fire broke out. This was not a very efficientmeans to fight fires as the houses were far apart, and men andwater were frequently scarce. In 1906 fire hydrants were boughtfor Foreside Road. Cumberland's first Fire Warden, Merle F. Willis,was elected in 1913. Before this, men had gone to fires doingthe best they could with no one officially in charge. It was votedto purchase some hand fire extinguishers which were placed aroundCumberland Center. The first elected Fire Chief was Lester Braggwho served 1914-1921. The first fire engine was a model T Fordwith two thirty five gallon chemical tanks. The truck had a 100feet of hose and a short ladder, all for $1,400. This truck washoused in what is now Wayne Merrill's garage at 279 Main Street.In 1921 the first fire station was built beside the old blacksmithshop near the former Congregational parsonage. 1928 was an importantyear; 18 men voted to form a volunteer company, drew up bylaws,and elected officers. A new truck was bought and half the oldtown hall was converted to a fire station. The Cumberland FireDepartment, finally organized, began to grow every year. WestCumberland and Chebeague Island built their own station with volunteerlabor. Chebeague Island knows the value of good equipment when,in 1948, a fire was out of control for two days. Chebeague's newstation was built in 1983.
Until 1952 the Cumberland alarm system had been sounded bythe telephone operator in town. When there was a fire she wouldhave a continuous ring-ring-ring on each party line to alert thepeople to a fire. They would all answer, she would give the location,and continue with the same system on the rest of the lines. Thedial phone came to Cumberland in 1952 replacing the operator so,the Red Network System was started. From 1963-1982 we had a dispatcher,Janet Bragg, who went on the air transmitting the location ofthe fire to radios placed in the homes of many firemen. Now thefires are dispatched from a large central dispatching system locatedat the Cumberland town office. The fire chiefs after Lester Bragghave been: Gilbert Stout, Edward Bragg, Carrol Lewis, KennethChase, Harold Bragg, Philip Chase, Maurice Small, Ralph Brown,Kenneth Wagner, George Small, William Fischer, and Daniel Small.
Q. Where was the town poor farm?
A. At the Drowne Road Farm in 1893.
Q. In 1928 approximately how many automobiles were in town?
A. 278 autos - 195 horses. In 1910 there were four autos.
Q. How many towns border Cumberland?
A. Falmouth, Windham, North Yarmouth, Freeport, Yarmouth, Gray,Harpswell, and Portland (because of Chebeague Island). That equalseight towns that border Cumberland.
Q. Most farms had names. Who owned these (a) Broadmore (b)Sunrise Acres
(c) Springbrook (d) Sunnyside (e) Top Knot Farm?
A. (a) Arthur Blanchard) (b) Paul Merrill (c) Stan and DickBlanchard (d) William Garsoe (e) Dr. John Knowles
Q. Who were the " Duke of Cumberland" and the"Belle of Cumberland"?
A. Two famous Jerseys, belonging to George Blanchard, fatherof Arthur Blanchard of Broadmoor Farm (now Dr. Hanson's office)who started a dairy farm of purebred Jersey cattle in 1874.
Q. The home of what kindly Cumberland couple was at onetime home to over 60 orphaned or otherwise homeless children?
A. Ezra and Clara Sturdivant Sweetser (E.K. Sweetser).
Q. For whom is the Prince Memorial Library named?
A. Mr. and Mrs. Carroll D. Prince. It was dedicated in November,1921.
Q. What name was given, in the 1800's, to the intersectionof Tuttle Road and Middle Road?
A. Poland's Corner, centering around Charles Poland's store.
Q. What is a stump fence and how is it made?
A. A stump was pulled up and planted in a row with the rootsup like a picket fence. The only one known around here used tobe down by the station.
Q. Who built a dormitory around 1917 for Greely students?
A. To make it easier for girls commuting from Raymond, FalmouthYarmouth and Chebeaugue Island, Ed Osgood built a house oppositethe school on Main Street where Richard Grass lives now.
Q. Who solved the mystery of the violins?
A. Eliphalet Reed was a violin maker living where Richard andJean Doanes live now on Tuttle Road. About ten of his violinswere missing since his death. Finally in 1962 the mystery wassolved. During remodeling, Jean Doane discovered them behind acloset wall, possibly put there to age ...ninety years before!In good condition except one, they were either saved or sold.
Q. Who owned and operated an ice cream parlor and a storeon Maine Street in the 1960's?
A. Ben and Elva Stockholm
Q. Who was Cumberland's first Police Chief?
A. The Cumberland police Department was first organized in1954 with Earle A. Woodbury as part time officer and chief. Hewas followed by Richard J.C. Anderson, King Carter, Leon H. Planche,and Joseph Charron.
Q. Who was the "Witch of Cumberland"?
A. Her names was Banks. The identity of her parents was notknown, nor was her given name. She is said to have lived in atumbled down shack near the southwest corner of the lot wherePrince Memorial Library now stands. When displeased with the neighbors,she would shake her forefinger and repeat several times, "You'llbe sorry! You'll be sorry!" She was thought to be able tobewitch humans and animals alike, and there is even one storythat involves her turning herself into a skunk.
Q. Who sold the first ice cream in Cumberland?
A. In 1915 the sister organization of the Red Men, Daughtersof Pocahontas, sold Goons ice cream which came from Auburn bytrain. It was in five or ten gallon tubs and sold every Saturdayfrom a table set up near Red Men's Hall.
Q. How many greenhouses were there in town?
A. Cumberland used to be known as the carnation capitol of thecountry. There was Sunnyside Greenhouses (Blanchard and then Garsoe),Jenkins (Small then Haynes) both on Blanchard Road. Arno Chaseand' Frank Chase were brothers and partners owning a greenhousewhere the fire station parking lot is now. Later, Frank moveddown to Main Street. Once owned by Cap Bragg, that Chases is nowowned by Kathleen Robinson. Now, of course, there is Allen's Farmon the Gray Road.
Q. Where were town meetings held?
A. The first town meeting was held in 1821 at the CongregationalChurch. David Prince was the moderator and James Prince, TownClerk. Future town meetings alternated from the Center to ShawTown and the Foreside. By 1832 residents were ready to build atown house for meetings and elections, but they could not agreeon a location. After a year of meetings and indecision,some ofthe town fathers hauled in lumber in the middle of the night andset to work building on the Isaac Merrill property, where thepresent fire station stands. When the sun rose, the frameworkof the town house was up and its location settled. The first ofmany meetings held there was in 1833. The floor was covered witha six inch layer of sawdust for the convenience of tobacco chewingcitizens. Only the men attended town meetings in early days. Smallboys watched from perches on the woodpile out back. This buildingeventually became too crowded, so, in 1928, the annual town meetingwas held in Red Men's Hall until 1947 when the Gyger gym becamethe location until 1973 when the "old order changeth, yieldingplace to the new" and the new council manager form of governmentwas instituted. Richard Blanchard was moderator for many years,but when he ran for Selectmen, Robert C. Robinson was electedand was the last one to serve.
So You Think You Know North Yarmouth...
Q. What town was called "The Mother of Towns"?
A. Before Cumberland became a town it was a part of North Yarmouthfor 140 years.
Q. What other towns were separated from North Yarmouth?
A.Georgetown - 1741; Harpswell -1750; Freeport - 1789; Cumberland- 1821; and Yarmouth -1849.
Q. Where did North Yarmouth get its name?
A. From Yarmouth, England, a town on the River Yare. The 'north"is to distinguish this town from Yarmouth, Massachusetts on CapeCod.
Q. What was the Royal River originally called?
A. Wescustago, in honor of the old Indian chieftain who oncelived there.
Q. Through what towns does the Royal River run?
A. North Yarmouth, Yarmouth, Pownal, Gray, and New Gloucester.
Q. Where is the Memorial Highway?
A. It is the section of Route 9 in North Yarmouth where itseparates from Route 115, and ends where North Road crosses Route9 just beyond the railroad tracks. At each end, two stone monumentsstand with the following inscription on each: "To honor themen of North Yarmouth who have served in defense of their country:(WWI) The road is about three miles long.
Q. What was the "Christian Pilot"?
A. The only newspaper published in North Yarmouth, and wasprinted on paper made in North Yarmouth. It was a publicationof the mid 1800's