The Westbrook Historical Society

	PEOPLE, PLACES AND EVENTS
	This page is dedicated to the people, places and events of Westbrook - past and present. It includes stories, photos and genealogies presented by our readers. We encourage you to send your stories to: info@westbrookhistoricalsociety.org

Top of the S.D. Warren Chimney - October 1979
by Alwyn R. Waite
[2012 History Contest Entry]

ALwyn Waite at top of S.D. Warren chimney; Presumpscot River below.

Burt Bittner and I were asked to measure the temperature of the exhaust from the Warren chimney. It was just another interesting day at work on the job for us and we didn't think much about the climb of the 360- foot plus Warren stack. To measure the correct temperature of the exhaust at the top, it would require reaching into the center to avoid any edge effect. We used two long pieces of 3/8-inch pipe extended towards center of the chimney with thermocouple-measuring wires attached Thermocouple wire consists of two different kinds of metal welded together at the end, which produces an electric current. These wires would extend to ground level, the electrical current measured and converted to find the temperature. Days before, we prepared the wires with a special coating to protect them from the weather. A crew was doing maintenance on the chimney and had installed a platform around the top. with a hoist to bring up material. The hoist consisted of the steel cable with about an 18-inch iron ball at the end holding it straight in the wind.

The Climb:
Both of us were in our twenties and thought little about climbing a ladder over 360 feet high. The ladder was surrounded by a simple open cage. The ladder and cage had been inspected and declared OK even though it had been exposed to the weather for over 27 years. So, up the chimney we went. About the half waypoint (160 to 170 feet) we suggested to each other we stop and take a break. We were exhausted! From that point to the top we must have stopped two or three more times. When finely reaching the top we sat on the platform for ten minutes just to get our breath back. The climb had taken (9) nine minutes We were told later that a first climb would be about (15) fifteen minutes but if you were in good shape and experienced it would take (8) minutes.

The View:
The view was suburb [sic]. Mount Washington northerly, the ocean southerly. Easterly laid Prides Comer, but in the opposite direction was Westbrook. Looking down lay Cumberland Mills with its two-way traffic and over a dozen active businesses. I don't remember much about the trip down the chimney ladder except for stopping a few times and resting against the cage.

The Final Results:
The temperature coming from the top of the S.D. Warren chimney was averaging 600 degrees Fahrenheit.
When it was time to take the pipes and wiring down, I had left to work on another project. Burt Bittner was left to take everything down He stood on the hoisting iron ball and held onto the cable that hoisted materials and rode to the top. Burt explained "it's the only way to go".
_________________________________________________________________________________

		CUMBERLAND MILLS BARBER SHOPS by Grayson A. Hartley [A 2012 History Contest Entry]

		There was no shortage of barber shops in Cumberland Mills during the 30's and 40's. I recall growing up in Westbrook during that period of time: Stevie's Barber Shop, Earl Stanley's [pictured here; see below. Ed.], Ben Crowley's, Vincent Bruno's and for a short time, Willis Strout's. The oldest shop was "Stevie, the Barbie's" located in the Brown block on Main Street. The block also housed a small Warren Memorial Library at the opposite end of the building from the "shop" with Gene's Wonder Bar located in between. The second and third floors of the Brown block had apartments, the Redmen's Lodge Hall and Saccarrappa Grange Hall. Walter Stevens operated the barber shop along with his son Bernard. "Steve", as Walter was known, opened the shop in the 1880's and in 1942 at the age of 85 was still cutting hair and giving shaves. Steve was shaky, as the word had it, but when he had the straight razor in his hand and was ready to shave a face, the hand steadied. Bernard was said to have had a glass eye, evidenced by the cuts he gave. Stevie's shop had two chairs facing the large plate glass mirrors on the wall behind the counter. Old shaving mugs with names of customers in days gone by with names inscribed, were arranged on the counter. I remember going to Stevie's for a haircut before Earl Stanley opened his shop in the Warren Laffin block at the intersection of Main and Cumberland Streets opposite the Warren block. Earl Stanley's Barber Shop in the Warren Laffin block was the last of his three locations over the years in Cumberland Mills. The first one I remember was located next to the Cooperative Market, later Jensen's IGA. Stanley also had a shop for a short period on the first floor of a home on the corner of Lamb Street and Main Street. Earl was a barber for most of his life. In his younger days, according to all reports, he was quite a ladies' man and a heavy drinker who went through three marriages. In the 1940's Earl laid off the booze and started a comeback. The result was the barber shop in the Laffin block. Noted more for his stories than the quality of his haircuts, he constantly entertained customers with stories as he chopped away. I remember how he whispered stories in your ear that carried all over the shop. The stories were colorful and were enlarged every time they were told. One or two of his famous stories I wouldn't dare repeat. Stanley hade two co-workers that I remember. One was Willis Strout who had his own shop for awhile in the area where Stanley's shop was, next to the cooperative market. The other co-worker was Ben Crowley who came from Portland where he barbered in the Congress Square Barber Shop. Ben was part Indian, a good barber and a great conversationalist. He and Stanley were skeet shooters and would go on weekend skeet shooting junkets. On Tuesday, after shop closure on Monday, they would display the awards they had won. The skeet shooting started out as a friendly competition but developed into a competitive relationship which finally led to Ben's departure from the shop and starting up his own place across the street in the old Cressey and Graffam building where he had a good business into the 60's. During the war, Earl collected pictures of Westbrook service men and displayed them on the mirrors in the shop. Free haircuts were given to any service men who came in. Stanley's clientele were mainly S.D.Warren employees, both management and labor. The influence of "Mother Warren" was alive and well in Stanley's Barber Shop Saturday afternoons during the 1940's and 1950's. Before the war and after his service time, Vinnie Bruno operated a barber shop again in the shop area formerly occupied by Earl Stanley and Willis Strout. After a short stay, Vinnie moved down to a business building across from the Riverbank Park, mainly to get away from the squabbling between Stanley and Crowley, so it was said. Barber shop stories reflect their times, and need to be preserved. They played a big part in the local scene of the life in Westbrook. _________________________________________________________________________________
		Thanks to Mike Sanphy for the above photo to accompany this essay, and for the following supplemental information: The buildings seen here were located on Cumberland Street and owned by Warren Laffin. Mr. Laffin sold the buildings in the early 1960’s to Westbrook Trust Company and they were demolished to make way for a new Cumberland Mills Branch of Westbrook Trust Company, replacing the original CM Branch that was located for years in the Warren Block across the street The Barber Shop seenon the left of the larger building (7 Cumberland Street) was operated for many years by Earl Stanley. When Mr. Stanley passed away his wife Mildred took over the Barber Shop and operated it until the building was sold. Mr. & Mrs. Stanley resided at 511 Bridge Street, present site of Rocky Hill Manor Nursing Home.

REMEMBERING BROWN STREET 1930s to 1940s Written by Philip LaViolet (1924 - 2009) [This article and accompying map was done by Phil LaViolet quite a few years ago "so people of Westbrook will remember what Brown Street used to be like when I was young." Copied,as much as possible, as he originally hand-wrote the material.]
	S.D. Warren Houses at one end Dana Warp Mill houses at the other end Walker St, houses (Scotch Hill) in between 1930s to 1950s [Brown St. was] Beautiful and clean with people proud of their home. A self sustaining community. It was a real neighborhood watch, with (mothers especially) everyone watching for everyone and helping everyone. The on-foot police officer walking the beat and knew everyone on the beat. (Patrolman Hebert). It was a real self-sustaining area. When the mill whistle blew at 9:00 PM it was curfew for everyone under 18, and we’d better be off the streets or else the patrolman would ring your home and give your parents hell and they in turn would give you hell. If you had to be out for a real special reason, you had better have a written permission. There were very few funeral homes until after World War II. The bodies were kept at home, with the wake lasting all night for 2 to 3 nights and days. There usually was a lot of food from neighbors, and professional wake watchers would check the obituary to find out who died, and go to those wakes for free food. The front door was draped with flowers, and black armbands were worn by men for 6 months women wore black dresses.

WHEN I WAS YOUNG...(in Westbrook)
Submitted by Rhoda Daley Leroux, 86 (a History Contest entry 2012)

Rhoda M. Daley WHS 1943 "To be awake is to be alive"	When I was young we walked everywhere. There was very few cars on the road. The winter snow made it hard to drive. There were no plows. It was all done by hand. In the summer we went swimming up the river. We would walk down Lincoln Street and jump the fence where the Jordans had cows. They never stopped us. Our yard was always full of kids. Many games were played every day. Winter was ski time down our hill into the silk mill yard. King Cove was the place to go skating when I was very young. Later a building was built on Lincoln Street called “The Bremans”. A second rink was DeClinton on Tolam St, and a third on North Street run by the Eagles. The Star Theater and Rialto was a favorite place to go.
Back then the church bells filled the air. And Dana Warp mill whistle sounded at noon, 3:30 PM and at 9PM. On Thursday and Saturday the stores were open until 9PM. All the stores closed for the weekend. As a teenager we went dancing at the American on Dunn Street free. In those days you never had to lock your doors when you went away for a while. Everyone watched out for one another. Back then the milkman and the iceman came by horse and buggy. No electric frig then. My dad planted gardens that helped feed us all winter. In the fall all food was canned. The apples were turned into jam. That went great on the homemade bread my mother baked. Those were the good days when we were taught to help. I’d say I was a very happy little girl. One more thing to write about: 1943-48 when the war broke out, all houses had to keep shades closed at night. Street lights had skirts on them. It made walking at night quite scary. ********************************************************************************************
This all started in the early 1920s Margaret Guitard came to Westbrook from Belledune N.B., Canada married to Fred Robichaud and then sponsored many families from Belledune N.B. She was next door neighbor to the Daley family. In the summer of 1923 she sponsored Henry and Marie Culligan Daley and infant son Henry Armand (1922) to come to Westbrook. She let them live in her home on Ash Street until they got their first apartment on High Street where the second son was born: Joseph Earl Daley in 1925, Mary Rhoda Daley 1925, Charles Culligan 1926 and Katherine Marie in 1933; all born at 19 Lincoln Street. In the early 30s was the great famine. People lost jobs and homes. That’s when my mother and father bought the 19 Lincoln St. home from John King for back taxes. To this year of 2012 it is still in the family. *********************************************************************** Many families came to Westbrook from Belledune N.B. early 1900s Henry & Marie Culligan Daley & son Henry Armand Daley 1923 (5 kids) Clarence Daley married Mary DeRoche 5 kids Mary Ellen Daley married Paul Pealer 2 kids Walter Shannon married Katherine Daley 54 kids Bella Guitard married Gene Berube 1 kid Steve Guitard (brother of Bella) married Victoria DeRoche 2 kids Emma Guitard married Edward Berube 4 kids Loraine Guitard (niece of Emma) married Andre Metivier 6 kids Angus Hare married Blanche LaBrecque 5 kids Micky (sister of Angus) married Eli LaBrecque 5 kids May Hare (sister of Angus) married ? DeCormier 1 kid The mother of Charles Guitard Charles Guitard (son of above) married Regina LaBrecque 0 kids Jody Guitard (sister of Charles) married ? 0 kids Clara (sister of Charles) married 2nd Carl Conant (his 1st) 2 +1= 3 kids Myrtle Guitard (sister of Charles) married ? Berube 1 kid James Guitard married Ellen Guitard (cousins) 9 kids Many more people I can’t remember all names. Many offspring came from these immigrants. Rhoda Leroux 86 years old 2012

Rhoda M. Daley
WHS 1943
"To be awake is to be alive"

When I was young we walked everywhere. There was very few cars on the road. The winter snow made it hard to drive. There were no plows. It was all done by hand.
In the summer we went swimming up the river. We would walk down Lincoln Street and jump the fence where the Jordans had cows. They never stopped us.
Our yard was always full of kids. Many games were played every day. Winter was ski time down our hill into the silk mill yard.
King Cove was the place to go skating when I was very young. Later a building was built on Lincoln Street called “The Bremans”. A second rink was DeClinton on Tolam St, and a third on North Street run by the Eagles.
The Star Theater and Rialto was a favorite place to go.

Back then the church bells filled the air. And Dana Warp mill whistle sounded at noon, 3:30 PM and at 9PM. On Thursday and Saturday the stores were open until 9PM. All the stores closed for the weekend.
As a teenager we went dancing at the American on Dunn Street free.
In those days you never had to lock your doors when you went away for a while. Everyone watched out for one another.
Back then the milkman and the iceman came by horse and buggy. No electric frig then.
My dad planted gardens that helped feed us all winter. In the fall all food was canned. The apples were turned into jam. That went great on the homemade bread my mother baked.
Those were the good days when we were taught to help. I’d say I was a very happy little girl.

One more thing to write about: 1943-48 when the war broke out, all houses had to keep shades closed at night. Street lights had skirts on them. It made walking at night quite scary.
********************************************************************************************

This all started in the early 1920s
               Margaret Guitard came to Westbrook from Belledune N.B., Canada married to Fred Robichaud and then sponsored many families from Belledune N.B. She was next door neighbor to the Daley family. In the summer of 1923 she sponsored Henry and Marie Culligan Daley and infant son Henry Armand (1922) to come to Westbrook. She let them live in her home on Ash Street until they got their first apartment on High Street where the second son was born: Joseph Earl Daley in 1925, Mary Rhoda Daley 1925, Charles Culligan 1926 and Katherine Marie in 1933; all born at 19 Lincoln Street. In the early 30s was the great famine. People lost jobs and homes. That’s when my mother and father bought the 19 Lincoln St. home from John King for back taxes. To this year of 2012 it is still in the family.
***********************************************************************
Many families came to Westbrook from Belledune N.B. early 1900s
Henry & Marie Culligan Daley & son Henry Armand Daley 1923 (5 kids)
Clarence Daley married Mary DeRoche   5 kids
Mary Ellen Daley married Paul Pealer   2 kids
Walter Shannon married Katherine Daley   54 kids
Bella Guitard married Gene Berube   1 kid
Steve Guitard (brother of Bella) married Victoria DeRoche   2 kids
Emma Guitard married Edward Berube   4 kids
Loraine Guitard (niece of Emma) married Andre Metivier 6 kids
Angus Hare married Blanche LaBrecque   5 kids
Micky (sister of Angus) married Eli LaBrecque   5 kids
May Hare (sister of Angus) married ? DeCormier   1 kid
The mother of Charles Guitard
Charles Guitard (son of above) married Regina LaBrecque 0 kids
Jody Guitard (sister of Charles) married ?    0 kids
Clara (sister of Charles) married 2nd Carl Conant (his 1st) 2 +1= 3 kids
Myrtle Guitard (sister of Charles) married ? Berube   1 kid
James Guitard married Ellen Guitard (cousins) 9 kids
Many more people I can’t remember all names. Many offspring came from these immigrants.

Rhoda Leroux 86 years old 2012

THE ALBERTS OF WESTBROOK
Submitted by Craig Siulinski

The Albert's of Westbrook have two distinct legacies: one related to the industrial history of the city and one related to a once-thriving and revered local business. Before these legacies came about in Westbrook, the Albert ancestors raised their families in Canada, and earlier in France.

The photo to the right shows many Albert descendents at a 2010 family gathering in Westbrook, Maine.

The industrial legacy of the Albert family began when a young man named Ferdinand Albert (1864-1929) emigrated from the province of New Brunswick, Canada to the city of Westbrook, Maine. Ferdinand was the son of Leandre Albert and Phoebee Poulin of Caraquet. Like so many other French Canadian individuals and families in the late nineteenth century, thoughts of a more prosperous life compelled Ferdinand to leave Canada. The 1881 Census of Canada listed Ferdinand as a sixteen-year-old farmer's son. A few years later, he would decide to redirect his destiny from agriculture in his homeland to industry in a new land. Descended from many generations of fishermen, and later farmers, Ferdinand made his way from Canada, c.1887*. See the relative distance between Caraquet and Portland in the map below. The trip itself must have been filled with incredible adventures and dangers.

To set the historic timeframe of Ferdinand's journey, Karl Friedrich Benz invented the first gasoline automobile in 1886. Also at this time, a new beverage came out on the market - Cola Cola.

In 1895, Ferdinand married Georgiana Hebert in Westbrook. The image to the left may be the only picture we have of Ferdinand. He worked as a silk weaver at the Haskell Silk Mill.**

* In the 1900 US Federal Census (Cumberland County, Westbrook, Maine),
Ferdinand's year of immigration was reported as 1887.
** See photo and more information on Haskell Silk Mill on the 'Photo Archives' page

The business legacy of the Albert family began when Ferdinand’s son, Auguste, found his life’s calling in the art of salesmanship at a very young age. The early death of his mother caused him to be resourceful by finding work helping local businesses. One of those businesses was the clothing store called A.H. Benoit* & Co.* His experience working at Benoit's, and the contacts he made from working there, led to the formation of his own clothing business that became known as The Men's Shop, Inc.
	The Men's Shop ad (above) was taken from the 1924-1925 Directory of Westbrook, Gorham and Windham, p. 206.

Auguste Albert (1900-1982), known as "Gus", developed a reputation as a devoted astute businessman, and was much respected and loved by his family and loyal customers. He inspired this writer to create a blog on the genealogy of the Albert's called August Legacy (augustlegacy.blogspot.com).

In this photograph, Auguste Albert is shown with his wife, Bernadette (Gagnon) Albert, at Kinney Shores in Saco where they lived for many years.

Our immigrant ancestor from Europe, Gabriel Albert (c.1738-1795), emigrated from Normandy, France, to the town of Pabos (Gaspe region of Canada) to work as a fisherman. Well before Jamestown and Plymouth Rock, French fishermen were reaping the benefits of the abundant fishing grounds off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Pabos became an important fishing harbor. Gabriel married Genevieve Le Bouthillier in 1751.***

***Gallant, Les Registres de la Gaspésie in Mémoires (Montreal: Societe Genealogique Canadienne-Francaise, 1961), p. 105.

Monument to the Founders of Caraquet
Source: Wikipedia

As a result of a northern campaign in the French and Indian War, British forces burned Pabos in 1758 causing settlers to scatter. To ascertain the whereabouts of the Acadian population after their tragic 1755 expulsion, an official from Montreal, Pierre duCalvet, went to the Gaspe Peninsula in 1761 to conduct a census. Although not Acadian, Gabriel Albert (and his wife and first son) were among the counted, and found to be living on Caraquet Island. In the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Albert family moved to the mainland. They were among a group of families allowed to settle on uninhabited land in Caraquet proper.

Later and more famously, Gabriel and his first son, Pierre, received 400 acres of land through a royal decree in the "Great Grant of 1784". The grant brought ownership of the lands they were settling on. Thirty-two other families also received land grants, and these folks became known as the Founding Families of Caraquet. The government of Nova Scotia administered the grants because New Brunswick had not yet become a province.

The diagram below shows the Albert genealogy from Gabriel Albert to the children of Auguste Albert. Jean-Baptiste Albert (c.1760-1830) was Gabriel's second son.

THE LABRECQUE FAMILY'S CANADIAN LINE

Anna Rose de Lima Labrecque was born to Regis and Sarah Ann (Witty) Labrecque in Canada in 1883. She and her family immigrated to Westbrook, ME in 1892. There were thirteen children in the Labrecque family. Anna's grandson Michel Giguére of Quebec City writes that he has some interesting photos of Anna and her family and of Anna working at the Blue Bell and teaching at the elementary school in Westbrook (see photo below; also see the Photo of the Month page.)

In 1912 Anna married married Conroy Giguére in Westbrook and returned with him to Quebec City where they raised their family. She left ten of her brothers and sisters behind in the States.

In seeking information about Anna we were surprised, and pleased, to discover that she was the sister of Joseph Labrecque, whose article appears below.

Anna's grandson is now seeking photos of Anna's wedding, family and friends in Westbrook. If you have any information, please contact the Westbrook Historical Society at:
info@westbrookhistoricalsociety.org. We will put you in touch with him.

MEMORIES OF THE LABRECQUE FAMILY AND SPRING STREET

Leanne Hudson of Stamford, CT wrote to us recently about her great grandparents Joseph E. and Eugenie (St. Pierre) LaBrecque. Joe was one of 13 children of a Westbrook family. He and Eugenie were married in 1933 when Eugenie was 45 and Joseph was 36. (Their wedding picture is seen here). Around 1945 they moved to a home beside the Stroudwater River, at 546 Spring Street, where they would live for the next 30 years.

Eugenie was an artist and the river became an inspiration for some of her paintings. Leanne sent a copy of one of Eugenie’s paintings which appears to be of the old Johnson’s Mill which sat on the river, in line with Brackett Street, around the turn of the century. Leanne’s mother told her that years ago Warren Memorial Library exhibited Eugenie's artwork.

Joe was also an ‘artist’ but his projects were created in his workshop where his great grandchildren spent many an hour watching over him as he made everything from whirly gigs to glider swings. And, as Eugenie signed her paintings, Joe burned his signature into a wall in his shop. Leanne states that Joe was a wonderful unique human being…a true one of a kind. She called him “Beautiful Joe” as in the vintage storybook that was given to her by Eugenie. Leanne still has that book and it is dated late 1800s in pencil on the inside cover which tells her that her grandmother had it as a child as well.

Leanne remembers that Joe and Eugenie attended St. Hyacinth's church every Sunday, most times with her and her brother in tow. “They were very devout Catholics. Back then men wore hats to church and clipped them in the hat clips on the back of the pews, women wore mantillas and fully garbed nuns were in abundance...”

Leanne also writes: I was very fortunate to live next door [to her grandparents] at 544 Spring for 10 years and had an extremely close relationship with my Grammy and Joe…. I played in that river from the Spring Street end all the way up into the woods towards Saco Street. My childhood friend, Judy Willette and I took a homemade wooden raft down the river from Spring Street all the way to Portland!! We had to carry along the bank at some points but what an adventure! We ended up calling from a pay phone for a ride home and our parents were in shock. I ended up with a good case of poison oak as a result but would do it again tomorrow if I could. What a great childhood I had working on Clarke's dairy farm, riding horses, bringing in the cows, hay baling was a huge adventure as we all rode on top of the bales behind the tractor down Spring Street after a long day in the fields. I was trampled by feisty cows and horses once and Mrs. Clarke had me on the concrete floor of the milk room hosing me down to wash the blood off. I have the scars to prove it! I even helped Mr. Clarke deliver a calf one day. What a great childhood... I attended the junior high on Main Street which I understand is apartments now. I remember going up in the annex for chorus and feeling like we were going to fall through the floor! ….I miss those times very much. I was born in 1958 to give you an idea of the timeframe I am talking about. Clarke's farm is still there, my best friend still lives on Spring Street and her parents’ home is still there (now Ed's Batteries)

Leanne’s parents are Bob Hudson and. Carol Ann Cass. “My father grew up on Tolman Street and also came from a large family. He owned Hudson's Floor Covering on Route 302 in South Raymond for many years but has retired to Florida. I miss the old days up at our camp on Panther Pond too. What a great life between Westbrook and the lake - only 30 minutes apart. I wish so much that my son could have had the childhood I did. The world has changed so much unfortunately.

[Eugenie LaBrecque's painting of the Stroudwater River]

You may also check an on-line genealogy of the Labrecque family which contains many Westbrook connections, including the family of Joseph E. LaBrecque:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/l/a/b/William-A-Labrecque/PDFBOOK1.pdf