July 3, 1894

 

Bethel:

 

New Orleans Jubilee Singers gave a popular concert at Odeon Hall. “This troupe consists of seven genuine darkies who are pronounced the finest colored singers in the country”.

 

 Fourth of July activities: The G.A. R. and Ladies’ Relief Corps held a social and informal reception at Odeon Hall. Judge Foster was the principal speaker.

 

“The Fourth of July was duly celebrated in the village but nothing of importance occurred so Riverside Park received the masses.  Horse racing was the attraction of the day. Other events included a baseball game and bicycle race.

 

At the Congregational Church a “living pictures” program was given and Dr. J.G. Gehring gave a lecture entitled “Walking About Rome” which he illustrated.

 

SOCIAL:  George Bourne Farnsworth’s Tennis and Croquet Club held a picnic on Paradise Hill. The club is in a flourishing condition and is made up of the following young people: president, Fred B. Merrill, vice president, Bertha Wiley; patronesses, Mrs. Gehring; Eva Twaddle, Alice Russell, Alice Andrews, Florence and Barbara Carter, Ethel Richardson, Sadie Mason, Joan Stearns, Robert Foster, Walter Lawrence, Mr. Deering and George Farnsworth. Among the invited guests to the picnic were Mrs. Rich and daughters, Mrs. Fannie Merrill of the Bethel House, Mrs. Prof. Chapman and daughter, Edwin Gehring and Alice B. Chamberlain. After the picnic and entertainment, the party rode through the village in a hayrack singing college songs. (The Gould Academy field house is named for this Farnsworth.)

 

SPORTS: Bethel played Gilead in baseball again. The Gilead team was made up of players from Gilead, Gorham and Island Pond. Bethel won (14-5) making it three wins in succession over Gilead.   Bethel also played West Paris in a close game—Bethel won 6–4.

 

Wilson’s Mills: Leonard York is captain and Charles Blodgett engineer on the steamboat above the falls that is now running in the interests of the Parmachenee Club.

 

July 10, 1894

 

Bethel:

 

The directors of the Bethel Reading Room and Athletic Association have made a summer schedule of two afternoons and evenings a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays.  They also decided to open the reading room Sunday afternoons. (W.C.T.U. organized this program to keep people busy and away from drinking.)

 

July 17, 1894

 

Bethel:

 

At the new school building, the slaters have finished and rooms are now being plastered.

 

At Odeon Hall an attractive gold lettered sign has been placed at the entrance to the reading and gymnasium room doors.  Mr. James Barrows has announced that the chair factory summer picnic excursion to Portland and the Islands will take place on July 28th.

 

Gilead: A meeting was called July 11th to see if the town would vote for a new school building to be a graded school. The vote was tied at 34 for and 34 against the new building. The correspondent noted that the motion showed a lamentable lack of progressive spirit.

 

On July 31st, another school meeting was held with the same results as the first. We regret to know that the intelligent, broad-minded, far-sighted men in town are in the minority.

 

7/18/1894

Bethel: The Bethel House is filling up fast with city boarders. Twelve arrived last week.

 

At the chair factory work started up two weeks earlier than planned due to a wave of new orders. There was not enough stock on hand to fill the orders.

 

July 24, 1894

 

Bethel: The government Weather Bureau has a flag staff on the Bethel House from which it can display weather signals.

 

July 31, 1894

 

Bethel:  The boom at the spool mill (Steam Mill ?) that held several hundred cords of Milan (NH) poplar broke Wednesday afternoon about two o’clock.  The Androscoggin River was full of floating wood for some time.

 

Ten cars of Bob Hunting’s circus came to Bethel from Berlin, NH on July 28th. There was the parade, big tent and side shows.

 

Gilead, July 31, 1894 : There will be a grand concert at the church with solos, duets, trios, quartets and readings.  Ice cream and cake will be served after the concert.

 

AUGUST

 

August 14, 1894

 

Bethel: The special town meeting at Odeon Hall last Monday forenoon voted to raise the sum of $3,100 to furnish the new school building with seats, desks, and heating apparatus.

 

The Grand Trunk painters have painted the outside of the station with a coat of dark red paint with yellow trim.

 

The Ladies Club of the Congregational Church held its mid-summer fair at the Garland Chapel. Participants included: Mrs. Frank Tuell and Mrs. Ceylon Rowe. Also, Mrs. Enoch Foster, Mrs. Fannie Merrill, Mrs. Gehring and Mrs. Gilbert Tuell. Also: Ethel Richardson and Eva Twaddle, Miss Mollie Chapman and Miss Angie Chapman. Plus helpers, George Farnsworth and Walter Lawrence. Photographer C.S. York placed a large collection of Bethel views on exhibition

 

Gilead: August 14, Concert and recital at the Gilead village church with an orchestra from  Berlin, NH.

 

 

August 21, 1894

 

Bethel:

 

A large crew of men are building a dam across Sunday River at Swan’s Corner,  so as to change the course of the stream.  For several years the force of the waters has been gradually wearing away the bank till the main road (from the corner to the bridge over Sunday River) was in danger. This dam will no doubt save the town’s property.

 

At Garland Memorial Chapel, on August 20, the famous baritone  Dr. Carl E. Dufft will sing for the benefit of the Ladies Club of the Congregational Church. The program includes piano recitals by Mrs. Dufft and Mr. William R. Chapman of New York.

 

Gould Academy Aug 21.  Advertisement for Gould Academy run in the Oxford Democrat announced that E.M. Simpson was the Principal. Fall Term would begin Tuesday, August 26th and run for 12 weeks. Four courses were scheduled: College Preparatory, Commercial, Library and Scientific. Healthful location and expenses light. For particulars and catalog contact G.R. Wiley, Bethel, Maine.

 

Poland Spring—The big stable at Poland Spring was burned Tuesday evening and thirty horses lost their lives. The Mansion House almost directly across the road from the stable had a narrow escape as did the cottage of Mr. H.W. Ricker.  Light from the fire was seen as far away as Lewiston and Portland.

 

The Bath Iron Works has been compelled to exclude visitors owing to the large number who have been coming, many of them in large parties.

 

August 28, 1894

 

West Bethel: The Chapel Aid Society is about organizing preparatory to buying a lot and erecting a new church.

 

Bethel:  The several thousand (first report said hundreds) cords of poplar that was boomed near Skillings spool mill is being loaded onto cars with a portable engine and an elevator made of a belt carrying sharp spikes that runs into the river, catches the floating wood and lifts it into the cars forty feet above the water. Three men can easily load ten cars a day.

 

The 16 page book advertising the fourth annual meeting of the Riverside Park Association and the Bethel Agricultural Fair to be held September 11, 12 and 13 is out.  Copies may be obtained free of cost from Mr. Ernest Walker or C.M. Wormell. This little book gives valuable information to  horsemen and exhibitors.

 

 

SPORTS: August 28 Bethel’s baseball team players list in a game against Rumford Falls.  Rumford Falls won 24—10.  Bethel lineup included: Willis, Chapman and Adams, rf.,  H. Hastings, 1 b, Twitchell, 2 b, H. Wiley pitcher and fielder, H. Clough, 2d b, A. Wiley, 3d b, T. Hastings, lf.

 

SEPTEMBER

 

September 4, 1894

 

Wilson’s Mills: Steamboat inspectors have been here to look over the steamboat used in the interests of the Parmachenee Club.

 

West Bethel:  A.S. Bean’s crew has finished sawing about one thousand cords of hardwood into staves.

 

The Chapel Aid Society of West Bethel has completed the legal steps required and is now incorporated and ready to transact any business a corporate body may do.

 

Newry: H.S. Hastings came from the lake country with a drove of lambs.  He says he can’t buy any more lambs in Canada since the new tariff law was passed.  They are expecting a rise in prices.

 

Bethel:

 

The corn factory started operations on Wednesday.

 

The toll bridge abutment on the south side of the Androscoggin River has been undergoing repairs during the past week.

 

Mill brook dam—Bethel: 

 

James Hodgdon has a large crew men building a dam across the “mill brook” on the old Clough place. This dam is all stone,  280 feet  long  and 19 feet high and tapers to 8 feet at the top.  Mr. Hodgdon expects to get a head of 20 feet when it is completed.  A mill to work up small lumber will be run in a portion of the former corn shop.

 

September 11, 1894

 

Bethel: Managers of the  corn shop are rushing things along with  a large crew in all departments

 

Rumford Falls: “NEW $10,000 SCHOOL AT RUMFORD FALLS” Rumford has thrown open the doors to her fine new building to her sons and daughters. For the ceremony, the procession formed on Canal Street, marched through Congress Street, across the bridge to the junction of Somerset and Knox and Rumford Avenue headed by the Ellis River Band.

 

Bethel:  At the toll bridge work of strengthening the end pier goes on. It is feared that the middle support will also need  repairing.

 

The Chair Co had a large stock of their goods on exhibition at the state fair and the manager Mr. Frank Young had the pleasure of bringing home a first prize medal from Lewiston.

 

September 11—13, 1894

 

Bethel’s Fourth Annual Fair— “A Most Successful Exhibition at Bethel.. Fast Trotting, Good Weather and Big Crowd.

 

Owners of horses in the trot and pace race on the 1st day were from Bethel, Canton, Windham, East Sumner, Bryant’s Pond, Gorham, NH., and Hanover.

 

An unusual number of fakers had their tents and stands scattered about the track. The Bryant’s Pond band was in attendance and furnished excellent music.

 

The exhibits in the hall were fewer than expected. Exhibits included rugs, oil painting, quilts, fancy items, and hand painted china.

 

C.S. York had a display of photographs in a case and one enlarged portrait photograph.

 

Officers of the association during the fair:

C.S. Wormell, president ; Dr. Twaddle, vice-president; Ernest Walker, secretary and treasurer; Grounds Supt., D.A. Coffin; Stock Supt, J.M. Philbrook and H.S. Hastings; Horses, O.P. Farrington and Frank R. Merrill, Hall Supt., Dr. Tuell, Maria Robertson, Fannie Mason; Committees: E.S. Kilborn, A.W. Grover and Gilbert Tuell.

 

Members of the hall committee at Riverside Park are Dr. F.B. Tuell, Fannie Mason and Ann Maria Robertson.

 

Newry: For the first time in thirty years, the Republicans would have had a majority in this town if it had not been for two defective ballots thrown out.

 

West Bethel: Repairs and additions to A.S. Bean’s hotel are nearly complete.

 

Gilead: Only 60 of the 125 voters were at the town meeting to vote. Democrats were in the minority.

 

Newry: Bears are killing sheep in Sunday River—almost every farm has lost some.

 

September 25, 1894

 

Bethel: The corn factory has stopped canning until more cans are procured; they are expected within a week.

 

Pulp wood is still being loaded on cars in the Skillings mill yard. The side tracks have been full of loaded and empty cars for the last three weeks.

 

Mason: About 10 PM September 12th, A.G. Lovejoy’s farm buildings were burned to the ground. Peter Chaissong, 27, of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia was arrested on suspicion of setting the fire by Detective Wormell and Officer Barker. Justice Rich found probable cause to keep the prisoner; he was held over without bail until the October term of the supreme court.

 

Bethel:

 

Lyle’s Players appeared before large audiences at Odeon Hall for three nights. Three dramas presented were “Unjustly Accused”, “The Wanderer’s Return” and “American Rose”. And Prof. W.H. Gould gave clever slight of hand performances on two of the nights.

 

 

 

 

Pages– Home 1 | Jan-Mar 2  |  [Apr-May 3 | Jun  4  | Jul-Sep 5  |  Oct-Dec 6  |  Town Report 7  |  School Report 8  |  Names 9  | Railroad 10

 

Donald G. Bennett, The Bethel Journals , PO Box 763, Bethel, ME 04217

 

 

 

1894 Bethel Journal

Part Three—July to September 1894