The Bethel Journals
The
1888 Journal
Compiled by Donald G. Bennett May
3, 2007
|
|
1888 Journal Names in the News Town Report School Report
Gould Academy Map Weather
1888 At a Glance
The year was bad for raising
sweet corn, potatoes and hay. Town reporters followed Wolff and Reesing
Company’s corn canning operation closely each year in the fall. It was a
barometer of the year’s crop success. In
1888, only one-fourth the usual amount of corn was canned. Early frost
damaged much of the crop. Added to the poor corn crop report potatoes rotted
from wet and cold weather. Hay crops
fell short of expectations.
Annual Bethel Town Meeting was
held at Rialto Hall on Main Street,
March 5, 1888. In September, Bethel voters went for Burleigh for Maine governor
316 to Putnam’s 232 votes; and voted for a Republican candidate, Dingley, 317,
versus, Allen, 232, to be the
Congressional representative.
The Bethel Chair Factory, leased by J.H. Barrows, continued to build its manufactory
business to the satisfaction of local supporters. The Bethel Chair Company
was incorporated with Bethel men elected to the new board of directors.
Public water system: William Skillings and Judge Enoch
Foster led efforts to find a pure water
and fire protection supply. They brought in expert help from the Boston
metropolitan water system.
Gilead: The
largest fire that ever occurred in this vicinity occurred (in early June) with
the burning of Locke & Hastings mill up Wild River. Loss was about $8,000
and owners are undecided about rebuilding.
At Bethel depot, George Brown of Danvers, Mass. loaded two cars with
spruce spars which he sent to Boston. They were cut in Albany and measured
about 60 feet in length
Annual Log
Drive: Gilead: The river is at a good driving
pitch and the logs are running very thick. Some large jams are happening on the
heads of the island. Newry: Man killed breaking a jam on Sunday River
last Sunday. Bethel: The Androscoggin River is overflowing its banks and logs
are running rapidly. The main drive on the Androscoggin River passed through
town on Saturday, May 19th. Bethel’s
“drive HQ” camped at the mouth of Alder
River.
The Journal
1-3-1888:
Locke Mills. Ella Sanborn stamped 550 gross of
spools in 10 hours- a record breaker (at Tebbetts’ Mfg. Co.). Tebbetts’ Mfg Co.
has started new saw mill- best in county – saws wood into strips.
East Bethel: First
snow came on December 28.
Bethel:
reported a foot of snow then rain.
South Bethel: E. E.
Chase hauling dry wood to Locke Mills to ship to Lewiston. Bethel: J. H. Barrows contracted for
100,000 board feet of oak for Joshua Saunders of Waterford. He also bought the birch and
maple of S. G. Bean land in Albany. He recently installed a dowel
lathe- birch into dowels.
1-10-1888:
Albany. J. W. Dresser has contracted to
haul four hundred cords of birch for J.J. McAllister. South Bethel: R.J. Virgin has purchased the
saw mill of Henry Goddard. The mill will be good business addition and offers
him better control of the water.
Bethel: Large quantities of wood being
hauled to this village-taking advantage of good roads-much poplar being shipped
from our depot to Berlin and Yarmouth.
1-17-1888:
Bethel. Schools in District 15 (Bethel) closed due to chickenpox; Mr.
Charles Valentine and Mary Chapman teachers. The Rialto Hall was largely
crowded due to I.O.O.F (Odd Fellows) installation. At the close of exercises,
one hundred were on hand to enjoy dancing.
Mrs. (N. T.) True and her daughter, Mrs. (Marion Susie) Farnsworth, have
gone to Florida for the winter.
Albany: Mr. Barrows of the chair factory
has purchased different lots of hardwood: birch, yellow birch, rock maple, red
oak – from lots in Albany – three men are hauling to the Bethel mills.
1-24-1888.
Bethel: Coldest week so far – 28 degrees
below zero. W. E. Skillings and his wife
have gone to Florida. Mr. Skillings will stay a few
weeks and return.
East Bethel. The
Holts are cutting and drawing poplar and loading it onto cars at Locke Mills.
South Bethel. The water wheel at J. R.
Virgins’ dowel mill froze up on Wednesday night and it took some time to
thaw it out.
1-31-1888.
Bethel: A foot of snow fell Wednesday
night. The mail due at Bethel Station on Thursday morning did not arrive until 8 PM Friday. Carrier had to use a hand
sled to get it to the office from depot. High wind on Friday blew down the
smoke stack of the chair factory – badly broken.
Newry: Steam mills at the Corner and at
the Branch are ready to start sawing next Monday. It was reported that a large
amount of birch has been yarded. All
areas around Bethel reported temperatures in the
minus 20’s, foot of more of snow, high winds as part of a western blizzard that
came through the area.
February
Bethel: First week of February has been
mild and pleasant – pulp being hauled to the depot and long lumber to the
mills. February 1, 11 AM: violent shock of earth quake
felt in Bethel – stove covers rattled and dishes on shelves shook. “The
blockade is raised and business has revived; much oak is being hauled to the
chair factory.”
Albany: J. J.
McAllister started his steam mill but had unexpected breakdown. George Cummings
is hauling dry hardwood to Bethel – sells at $3.50 per cord.
2-14-1888.
Bethel. Gould Academy closed the winter term on
Wednesday. Knights of Pythias gave a ball at Ideal Hall Friday evening with 45
couples taking the dance floor; 35 couples dined at The Elms, E. E. Bedell, Proprietor. Chandler’s Band, Portland, furnished music.
West Bethel. Ed Bell met with a serious
logging accident – load got away from him. A. S. Bean’s mill yard is filling
fast; birch for spool stock and lumber for lathe rooms.
Newry: both steam mills are running.
2-21-1888
Bethel: The paper’s correspondent E. P.
Kimball reports having completed her 54th school term. In the past
year she received $160.50.
2-28-1888
Newry: the North Newry Sewing Circle had
a supper at the Poplar Hotel – had oysters and pastry meal.
Bethel: Gould Academy’s spring term opens February 28.
Many are expected from out of town. Large attendance anticipated.
Middle Intervale: oyster and pastry supper –
proceeds to assist church services.
South Bethel: R.J. Virgin has sold his spool
lumber to Mr. Tebbetts, Locke Mills.
Albany: Amos G. Bean is hauling his spool
lumber to Skillings’ mill in Bethel.
March
3-5-1888
Bethel Annual Town Meeting: The voters passed over the
article to build a town lock-up.
3-6-1888
Gould Academy opened it spring session with 75
scholars.
East Bethel: The lyceum
on the evening of February 24, 1888, was very interesting. The debate
question: “Resolved. The town system of schools is preferable to the district
system.” It was decided in the negative. The selectmen have been
visiting all school houses in town to appraise them.
Newry: Thurston of the Branch mill is
now setting up his recently arrived new boiler.
3-13-1888.
Mason: A. S. Bean’ steam mill is running
full time – five or six teams are hauling in birch and hardwood.
3-20-1888
East Bethel:
snowbound again – mail delayed two days (about 15 inches of snow reported in Albany).
Bethel: Bethel Dramatic Club presented “Our
Folks” in Rialto Hall.
3-27-1888.
Newry: potatoes going to market – price
in Bethel is 70 cents per bushel.
West Bethel: “West Bethel is too important corner of the
world to be left unnoticed in our County paper.”
April
4-3-1888
Bethel: George Brown of Danvers, Mass. has loaded two cars with spruce
spars which he sends to Boston. They are cut in Albany and are about 60 feet in length.
Newry: Logging is about done for this
season. The people in this section want a corn factory at the Corner.
4-10-1888
Albany: Stephen Libby thinks his new
turbine is doing good business. Circular saw makes 1735 RPM. There are 400
cords of short lumber and 100,000 feet of long lumber to saw.
South Bethel: Tapping trees is order of the
day.
Bethel: The Congregational Church Sewing
Circle had “an old fashioned school” at Rialto Hall.
4-24-1888
Locke Mills: S. S. Felt has tapped 1,200 trees
– doing large syrup business.
May
5-1-1888
Bethel: Saturday,
April 28, 1888 temperature reached 35 degrees – highest in 1888. [On January 2, 2005, the high
temperature was 39.9 degrees F.) Ice left the Androscoggin River on April 26. About 40 men from Berlin, N. H. left Bethel for Grafton to drive logs down
the Cambridge to the lake (Umbagog). Some 40 men are at the headwaters of Sunday River waiting for conditions to float
logs. Hay is selling Bethel at $12 – 15 per ton.
5-8-1888
Newry: Man killed breaking a jam on Sunday River last Sunday. May Day Ball at
Poplar Tavern Tuesday evening well attended.
5-15-1888
Bethel: “E. C. Chamberlain and family
have moved from Portland to the Alphin Twitchell place, Bethel, where he is superintending the
building of his house at Mayville.”
Gilead: The river is at a good driving pitch and the logs are running
very thick. Some large jams are happening on the heads of the island. The
largest fire that ever occurred in this vicinity occurred with the burning of
Locke & Hastings mill up Wild River. Loss was about $8,000 and owners
are undecided about rebuilding.
Bethel: The Androscoggin River is overflowing its banks and logs
are running rapidly. Many buildings on Bethel Hill are being painted and
spruced up.
5-22-1888
Bethel: The logs are out of Sunday River and the drive of Bean &
Wilson is passing Bethel this (Saturday) morning. The body
of George B. Farnsworth who died in Boston about a year ago was brought to Bethel Thursday for burial. He married a
daughter (Susie M.) of Dr. N. T. True. His widow bought a lot in Greenwood Cemetery, Bethel, and laid him by the side of her
father. She will erect a monument to his memory.
The A.L.T. Company has put another steam boat in Lake Umbagog. They took it from Bethel to the lake with fourteen
horses. The company will run a daily
stage from Bethel to their hotel in Cambridge at the foot of the lake.
South Bethel: little
farming has been done this week due to wet weather.
Grafton: ice has gone out of Lake Umbagog.
5-29-1888
Gould Academy closed a successful session with
exhibitions. There was a prize debate on the topic of organized labor and
strikes. A prize of $10. was
put up by A. E. Herrick, Esq.. A Mr. Elliott of Rumford won the prize. An
enjoyable reunion was held at Rialto Hall.
East Bethel: School opened May 14; teacher:
Miss Arvilla Grover; Z. N. Bartlett boards the teacher.
June
6-5-1888
Newry: steam mills expected to run into
late summer to cut all their birch. Bethel: the farmers have improved this past week in getting
their seed into the ground.
Albany: “Never so
late as now (to get seeds into the ground) is the word all around.”
6-12-1888
Gilead: The largest fire that ever
occurred in this vicinity occurred with the burning of Locke & Hastings
mill up Wild River. Loss was about $8,000 and owners
are undecided about rebuilding.
Bethel: The Androscoggin River is overflowing its banks and logs
are running rapidly. Many buildings on Bethel Hill are being painted and spruced
up. Most of the sweet corn in Bethel is planted by machine. The
Eclipse planter is used. It drops and covers the seed and fertilizer at the
rate of one acre an hour.
Newry: Thurston, of the Branch, is
having his spool strips hauled. Moore and Kilgore have each a team working for
him. Eli Stearns started for Bridgton today with a carload of fat oxen.
6-19-1888
Bethel: Deacon
A. W. Valentine died at age 47. A deacon in the
2d Congregational Church, a leader of the Mt. Abram Lodge, I.O.O.F., and an active
member of the Bethel Grange. The road machine in charge of J. S.
Bartlett and I. G. Kimball with four heavy horses is putting the roads in good
repair at one-half the expense of the old way of repairing.
Mason: D. T. Bean was suddenly taken
sick. Dr. Twaddle was telegraphed for. Apple trees are in full bloom.
6-26-1888
Bethel: V. V. Whitney of Lancaster, N.
H., has opened his marble shop at Bethel – today he is setting a monument
in West
Paris.
Gilead: A
champion road machine has been on trial here from an agent in Oxford.
July
7-3-1888
Bethel: the boarding houses are all in
order waiting for the summer visitors. The Misses Locke, four miles from the
village have put on new carriages and horses, in the charge of an experienced driver,
Charles DeMerritt. They accommodate about sixty guests. S. B. Twitchell
(Mayville), H. R. Godwin (North Bethel) and Mrs. A. W. Valentine are fitting up.
The Valentine Farm
in winter. This farm was also a summer
farm inn operated by Mrs. A.W. Valentine, and later by her son Charles. It was one of Bethel’s highly regarded
summer boarding houses for vacationers.
These buildings were located on the Northwest Bethel Road (North Road in 2006) less than one-half mile west of the Bethel Regional Airport in 2006. Photo courtesy of the Bethel Historical Society.
7/3/1888:
Bethel:
The Bethel correspondent for the Oxford
Democrat reported that on Monday (July 2, 1888) at “about 5 AM a dense cloud of smoke was seen
to rise over Mayville and in a few moments the large barn of Samuel B.
Twitchell was discovered in flames.” Quick response by townspeople saved other
buildings including the Twitchell house from catching fire but the barn and
most of its contents – about 15 tons of hay, two carriages, harnesses, farming
tools, etc. - were lost. The dollar loss
was estimated at $3,500 with insurance coverage of $2,500. Cause of the fire was unknown.
The Grand Trunk Railroad is treating their depot to a coat
of paint, outside and inside. They have erected a baggage shed to protect
baggage as it is taken from the cars in stormy weather.
7/10/1888:
Bethel: The Democrat reported that S.B.
Twitchell had decided not to rebuild his barn until after haying, having secured
storage for his hay near his farm. (Also, in the same edition of the paper, it
was reported that a nearby set of farm buildings (in Mayville) belonging to Dr.
John W. Twaddle and occupied by Nathaniel Barker had completely burned only a
week after the Twitchell’s barn was lost.)
The hay crop in Bethel is expected to be below average
(due to weather conditions).
7-17-1888
Bethel: The entire Bethel area was hit by a very severe
thunderstorm on July 13 and July 14. On July 14 the noontime temperature was
only 40 degrees. The lowest temperature seen was 38 degrees and it was the
coldest day in the memory of even the oldest residents. Rain that fell in this
storm was very welcome and broke a long dry spell but the very high winds
damaged corn and hay that was growing in fields all over the area.)
Newry: Thurston has finished sawing at
the Corner and will turn dowels for the rest of the season. There is more talk of a corn factory at the
Corner – and maybe a butter factory is also being discussed.
7-24-1888
Bethel: Prof. William Chapman and family
of New
York are spending the summer with his sister, Mrs. Jacob Horton, of
Mayville. Three
good hay days this week.
7-31-1888
Bethel Hill: W. E. Skillings (Steam Mill
Company owner), Judge Foster, and Samuel D. Philbrook (cattle dealer and later
President of the Bethel Savings Bank) accompanied by Albert Stanwood of
Waterford have been investigating the general possibilities of supplying Bethel
Hill with pure water and supply of water
in case of fire. They have a natural basin in Chapman Brook about three miles
from The Bethel House and one hundred fifty feet above the level of the Common
on Bethel Hill. Mr. Stanwood was for many years connected with the water supply
system of Boston. He thinks that the supply is sufficient and the
intervening ground is suitable for digging and laying pipe. An early effort
will be made to obtain a charter and enter in earnest upon the work.
Other news comments: St. John Hastings, Benjamin R. Bryant and
William Mason use hayforks which they consider a great advantage. S. D. Philbrook uses a tedder which he
considers the most valuable article in his haying machinery.
August
8-7-1888
Bethel village is alive with summer visitors; many bring their
own teams.
8-14-1888
Mason: dull weather has slowed haying
and Mason people are in the mountains in search of blueberries. They have not
yet acquired the habit of scouring their s like as the Newry people do. Corn is
growing fast.
All areas
complain of poor weather for haying.
Gilead: Rob
Hastings has bought out his partner, Mr. Locke, in the mill up Wild River and will continue business alone;
he will begin soon on a long lumber mill to replace the one that was burned in
the spring.
8-21-1888:
Bethel: the shock of earthquake was felt
in Bethel – “it sounded like distant
musketry”. The Whitney brothers have opened a marble shop near the depot in Bethel where they are prepared to
furnish all kinds of monumental work.
West Bethel: The
Village Improvement Soc. held a dance and social at Bean’s Hall on the 8th;
able to add $40.to their treasury.
8-28-1888
Gilead: Robert
Hasting has some twenty men at work on his new mill which is going up rapidly.
Bethel: The fall term of Gould Academy commences Sept. 4th,
Tuesday, in charge of A. C. Dresser, A.B., with an able corps of
assistants. Mrs. Abiel Chandler (wife of
Bethel correspondent) opens her house to
school boards at
$2.50 a week.
September
9-4-1888
Newry: weather continues to threaten
frost. There is talk of a new birch mill going up on Sunday River. West Bethel: A. S. Bean has two four horse
teams hauling spool stock from Mason to West Bethel with two trips daily. Haying
slowed; struggling with the weather; not four good hay days in the last four
weeks.
Bethel: Friday evening the citizens of
Bethel Hill, Mayville, and Steam Mill Village assembled at Rialto Hall and took
steps towards supplying these villages with pure water. A committee of three
composed of W. E. Skillings, G. A. Hastings and S. D. Philbrook were chosen to
make preliminary surveys, estimate of costs and report to a future meeting. The
citizens are in earnest in this matter and before the expiration of another
year hop to have a full supply of pure water for all purposes.
9-11-1888
Bethel: Thursday night ice formed as
thick as window glass and the crop of sweet corn is ruined. Political rallies- largely attended by both
parties – very spirited. The Republicans had the largest rally ever at Rialto
Hall. Hon. Nelson Dingley spoke to 1,500 people in the hall with another
overflow crowd of 500 outside – eager crowds from Norway and Paris attended – two bands and marches
of up to 400 paraded through the principal streets.
Newry: The corn factory has begun
operations at Bethel but a large part of the corn is
not sufficiently matured to pick.
9-18-1888
Bethel: The excitement of the election,
severe frost, damage to corn and beans are the topics of the day at Bethel. About a fourth of the usual crop
of corn will be canned. Maj. G. A.
Hastings mistakenly took a dose of poison thinking it was medicine and came
near to losing his life. His stomach was pumped to remove the poison before it
had assimilated with blood. S. D.
Philbrook is sending his potatoes to Boston from the field – he has two car
loads to sell.
Bethel: voting results:
For Governor: Burleigh: 316 and
Putnam: 232 and some scatter other votes.
For Congressman: Dingley: 317 and Allen: 232. For State (?)
Senators: Read: 309; Wright: 318; Moulton: 231 and Irish: 235 Edwin C. Burleigh was elected Governor and
served from Jan 1889 to Jan 1893. Dingley won re-election to Congress.
9-25-1888
West Bethel: “Five
lowery days of weather is moldering our frost bitten
corn fodder in the fields”. Several cases of typhoid fever reported in town –
people cannot be too careful in providing pure water the families at all
seasons of the year. Newry: lots of grain lying on the ground – potatoes
rotting.
Bethel: Eighth day of continuous rains
–corn fodder is ruined. Wolfe and Reesing have put up about one-fourth the
usual amount of sweet corn and beans. S.
D. & J. M. Philbrook bought 300 head of cattle in Vermont that they will have for sale in Bethel the first week in October.
October
10-2-1888
South Bethel: School
will begin Monday October 1st. Farmers are busy digging potatoes –
rotting badly in some places.
West Bethel: Continued bad weather rotting potatoes.
Bethel:
Elections in the Bethel Chair Factory company resulted in the following slate
of officers being elected: Pres. J. H. Barrows; Secretary and Treasurer, H. G.
Brown; Directors: J. H. Barrows, H. G. Brown, Calvin Bisbee, E. C. Rowe, J. U.
Purington . Other items: Dexter
Cummings, Isaac Crocker and J. L. Chapman are sending large quantities of birch
edgings to Portland and Lewiston.
Newry: Saddleback and Puzzle Mountain were white with snow Wednesday
morning. A number of snow squalls yesterday people hurrying to get apples
picked.
East Bethel: The thrashing machine has
completed its work in the neighborhood.
Bethel: The Rumford steamer made a trip
to Bethel<
