LET IT SNOW!

The holiday season is fast approaching and the expectancy of snow is high here in Westbrook! What could be more fitting than an old photo, turned post card, of Main Street in winter. This photo points out some changes that have occurred over the years. Note that everyone is out shoveling their own snow... even down the middle of the street! Maybe it's to make it easier for the horse-pulled rollers to get through. [In those days they didn't 'plow' the roads, they 'rolled' and packed them.]

And certainly the snow is a lot more than we seem to get now. I always thought that I remembered really deep snow storms because, being small, even 6 inches of snow would be up over my boots; but this scene shows that those drifts really were monstrous!

But the greatest change seems to have been on Main Street. Most of these houses, buildings and trees are long gone. Can anyone pick out some landmarks in this photograph? As a hint, written on the postcard, in pencil, is the note "in the 1800s."

Anyone for the "good old days"?

THE SOKOKIS ON THE PRESUMPSCOT

In the late 1800s an excursion boat named the Sokokis was placed on the Presumpscot River by Captain Joseph Hezelton.  Its purpose was to carry passengers from the electric car terminus at Westbrook, 5 ½ miles up the river to “Horse-Beef” Falls [Mallison Falls] in Windham and back, a very popular excursion. The wharf at the Westbrook end was just above the dam at the Dana Warp Mills and up river there were two landings, one at the Falls proper and one at an old pavilion which was the destination of pleasure parties. The Sokokis made 3 runs a day, all days but Sunday, in the warm months.

The Sokokis, made entirely of cypress, was 60 feet long with a 12 foot beam and a 19 inch draft. She was built in Portland by Joseph Dow, a famous shipwright in those days.  Around her deck was a row of built-in seats and in the wide space between them were camp chairs for the tourists who often crowded her to her full 125 seat capacity. “The sail up the river was a beautiful one, for the river wound between densely wooded banks and the old boat often ran within a foot or so of the shore so that the trees overhung her as she passed.”

She was christened SOKOKIS in memory of the brave chief of the Sokokis Indian tribe, Polan, who in 1750, was killed in battle on the shores of Lake Sebago and buried there.  History says that the Sokokis were a strong branch of the Abanaki tribe and had their main settlements near the head waters of the Kennebec, Androscoggin and Saco Rivers and also another river not named on the ancient map of 1660, but is thought to be the Presumpscot.

The Sokokis had 8 successful years of service before the extension of the electric railway from Westbrook to South Windham. The railway proved its downfall since the cars proved more convenient and popular than the river trip. The river boat was move overland …a story in itself!*...to Stroudwater where it spent a year as a pleasure boat in Back Cove. After that she was sailed around to Portland Harbor and Widgery’s Wharf  where she was used for excursions  to the cod ground 10 miles out to sea.

In the late 1890s, when Portland Harbor was frozen over she was frozen to the wharf in a solid mass of ice. When the tide went out the poor Sokokis, encased in tons of ice, turned over and went to the bottom of the bay.  When weather allowed she was raised and sold to a New Jersey party for use as a ferry boat. Her fate after that is unknown.

* The difficult task of moving this large boat five miles across country was undertaken by  Lorenzo Knight.  With 4 pairs of horses and 12 pairs of oxen, all hired from surrounding farms, he accomplished the task after overcoming multiple obstacles.]

MEET ME AT ... THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY!

JV and Freshman basketball team
Westbrook High School 1951
1st row: Nancy Keith, Wanda Christensen, Thelma Robertson, Carol Brown, Angela Hardy, Bella Gresley
2nd row: Sally Percival, manager; Margaret Jensen, Dawn Tetrault, Patricia Christian, Diane Turgeon, Patricia Lampron, Jean E. Miller, coach
3rd row: Marilyn Woods, Beverley Lufkin, Florence Frost

A historical society means many things to many people. It may be seen as a library...or a museum...or a place where old things that no one else wants are kept. Maybe it's a place to visit or work when you are retired...or a place that you might go if you have nothing better to do with a morning or afternoon.
But how about...a meeting place?

According to the By-laws of the Westbrook Historical Society its purpose is "to bring together those people interested in the history of Westbrook, Maine, and to discover, collect, and preserve any materials and objects that establish and illustrate the history of the area."

Last year the Society received an e-mail from Jean Miller, an English teacher and basketball coach at Westbrook High School in 1949 - 1951. Now living in Arlington, VT after retiring from a long career in education, Jean was interested in contacting some of her former WHS students. Old year books and alumni materials that the Society had gathered over the years, were the sources for a packet of photos and some addresses and telephone numbers that were sent off to Jean.

Last month the Society received a note saying that Jean would be passing through Westbrook and would like to stop into the Society. Member Diane Turgeon Dyer quickly called several former basketball team members and invited them to join in the visit with "Miss Miller". Even though it was a holiday weekend 5 ladies showed up to swap stories and reminisce about the 50s and to bring each other up to date on their lives. A wonderful 58 year reunion was had by all! A meeting place it is!

Sally Percival Knight, Dianne Turgeon Dyer, Jean E. Miller, Pat Christian Currier, Phyllis Harnois Rogers, Joan Robie LaBrecque
2009

ST. HYACINTH SCHOOL

Wilfrid Albert, Agnés Moreau, Marie-Antoinette Giboin, Léo Fortin, Albanie Carignan, Eva Bergeron
1918

This picture of the class of 1918 is in the photo album ‘Graduations, St. Hyacinth School, 1899 – 1963’. The Society recently received the album from the disbanded St. Hyacinth Historical Society.  The album contains the names of the graduates of each 8th grade class as well as a photograph of them.  Every student is scrubbed, polished and in his or her best outfit...very different from today's graduation photos! The surnames are a testament to Westbrook's long and rich French Canadian heritage; any Catholic who grew up in Westbrook could probably trace their family tree in this album. 

Early on many Catholic Canadian families were attracted to Westbrook by the work offered by the industries in the area. One of the 1st Catholic families to arrive was that of John Graham who came here in 1854.  At that time the closest Catholic Church was in Portland and many a family walked there, with shoes in hand and lunch on their back, to observe the Sunday sacraments.

In the 1860s mass was celebrated in Cumberland Mills in John Brown’s brick house which is still standing and is marked as the “Site of the 1st Catholic Church service in Westbrook”. In 1872 mass was observed in the Warren Block at the corner of Main and Bridge Streets and in 1873 Brigham Hall, opposite Bridge Street, was used as a chapel. By 1877 a parcel of land on Brown Street was purchased and St. Hyacinth Church was erected. [In 1942 the original wooden church was replaced by a large granite church built across the street.]

In 1881 St. Hyacinth Parochial School (K-8) started classes in their new school building on Walker Street. [The first 8th grade class graduation was in 1899. The three students' names are listed in the photograph album but there is no photo: G. Auger, Rosie Welsh and Anna Labrecque.] This little wooden school was replaced by a large brick building in 1901. “The structure represented an outlay of $25,000 and contained well appointed classrooms. The nuns of the Presentation of Mary from St. Hyacinth P.Q. were installed as teachers.” [See ‘Photo Archives’ – Schools.]
            Some recent visitors to the Society talked about their memories of attending the school in the late 1940s and early 1950s:
            The girls had to wear a black skirt, a blouse with a very stiff Buster Brown collar and long brown cotton stockings. No one remembered special clothing for the boys.
            The classes were conducted in French in the morning and in English in the afternoon.  The Sisters weren't too strict as long as you behaved; although the nuns did seem to be stricter with the boys...they often got their hand hit with the ruler.
            At recess the boys were allowed to play on the field behind the church but the girls had to play on Walker Street. The recess was segregated but the classes were not.
            Typing was given in the 8th grade. When there was a test the nuns put brown paper bags over the students’ heads
so they couldn't see the keys. Diane Turgeon Dyer relates, “I have often wondered what anyone would have thought if they walked into that class and seen us all with bags on our heads!” 

In 1963 the last 8th grade class graduated from St. Hyacinth School.  Grades 1 through 6 continued there for a few more years but the 7th and 8th grades attended Westbrook Junior High School on Main Street.

THE HASKELL SILK MILL AT SACCARAPPA FALLS

Photo labels: "High water at Saccarappa Falls, about 1875"...................................................... "on left is original Haskell Mill"

Saccarappa Falls, in the Presumpscot River on the west side of Westbrook, has been a hub of activity since the 1740s when saw mills, grist mills and lumbering pursuits occurred on the banks of the river.

In July of 1874 James Haskell, along with his sons Frank and Edwin, formed a company for the manufacture of silk…the Haskell Silk Company.  The business began in a wooden building on the west side of Bridge St., very near the falls as this photograph shows.  When the company opened for business in September 1874, there were six employees and only spool silk and twist was made. The Haskell Silk Mill was the only silk mill in Maine and one of the oldest in New England. This was one of the industries that carried the name of Westbrook throughout the entire country and attracted an industrious population to the town.

All of the silk used in the manufacturing came from Japan in the form of skeins. The skeins were quickly rewound and then underwent a procedure called ‘doubled’ before they were ready for the spinners. The silk was then reeled, dyed and wound again, making it ready to be warped and quilted, then woven into yard goods.  The inspection or “picking” followed before the finishing.  The “picking” of the silk was for many years done by women in their homes and this became a flourishing “cottage industry”.  

Over the years, as the company became more successful, the need to expand caused the company to move to a large brick building on the north side of the river beyond Dana Warp Mill. In 1881 the mill started to produce black dress silks and then later,  beautifully colored silks and woven silk patterns. At this time several hundred people were employed there.  The Haskell taffetas, with black warps and colored filling, were manufactured in large quantities and widely sold throughout the United States.

The founder of the Haskell Silk Company, James Haskell, died in 1891 at the age of eighty-three. He had become a prominent, public-spirited, and beloved  citizen  of Westbrook.

Due to drastic changes in market demands and the introduction of rayon and other synthetic fibers, the silk company was forced to suspend operations and the business closed in 1933.  The building remained standing and was used later by Sebago Moc Shoe Company.

[In 2006 the large brick building standing on the banks of the Presumpscot  was purchased by Westbrook Housing and made into the Riverfront Lofts,  which houses 44 residential units.  The lofts combine the historical with the contemporary: post and beam construction, high ceilings, huge windows, and polished wood floors recall the building’s industrial past while up-to-date amenities provide ease of modern living.  A wonderful use for our old buildings.]

Information from "Fabius Ray's Story of Westbrook" and "Highlights of Westbrook History". [Both books are at the Westbrook Historical Society]

RUDY VALLÉE

Hubert Prior Vallée was born July 28, 1901 and died July 3, 1986. He is buried with his parents Charles & Katherine Lynch Vallée, sister Kathleen and brother William in St. Hyacinth Cemetery in Westbrook, Maine.

Thanks to Roland Tetrault for the photograph

July is certainly shaping up as Rudy Vallée month in Westbrook, Maine! On Saturday, July 25 the City of Westbrook will be rededicating Rudy Vallée Square and Eleanor Vallée (Rudy's widow) will be presenting the City with a bust of Rudy to be placed in the Square. [See the Activities page for a schedule of events.] The Westbrook Historical Society is gathering memories of the Vallée family from Westbrook citizens, to be shared at this event. Mr. Roland Tetrault, 92, whose mother's brother, Prosper Lenneville, was married to Rudy's older sister Kathleen, sent in his memories of the family as well as a copy of the photo seen above. Along with the stories and picture he shared his scrapbook which is devoted to Rudy's life.

The scrapbook, purchased at a local auctions years ago, was lovingly cut and pasted to form a collage of Rudy's personal and professional life. It contains pictures of his family, his college life, his love life (which he always admitted was extensive!) and pages of pictures of guest stars who appeared on Rudy's populare variety show The Fleischmann Hour. Snippets of magazine and news articles have been cut out and carefully pasted as captions under some of the pictures. One such item tells about Rudy being made an honorary cheer leader at the University of Maine for popularizing the "Maine Stein Song."

The following biography of Rudy's life, written in 1935, is included in the book: Rudy, christened Hubert, was born in Island Pond, Vermont [on July 28, 1901]. He was of Irish and French descent and received his education at the Westbrook, Maine high school and at the University of Maine and Yale.
        His youthful surrounding were those of the average small-town boy.  He worked in his father’s drug store and acted as usher in a movie theatre.  He might have stayed at his former tasks, were it not for his driving ambition – probably the keynote of his life.
        Always a lover of music, Rudy’s first lessons were from a correspondence school. His school days found him in a vacant room in the rear of the theatre playing phonograph records and taking lessons from a teacher. College found him making his expenses and starting a savings account from funds earned as manager of the orchestra which later became the famous Connecticut Yankees.
        Rudy’s hot saxophone became the talk of Yale and of New Haven.  The fame of his band spread and he and his orchestra went to London, where the Prince of Wales went into raptures over their music. Vallée made his radio debut in London, over the British Broadcasting Company's station and his moaning saxophone and voice made him the beau of London's feminine radio fans.
        Rudy and his Yankees, however, soon decided that there was no place like home and private engagements and night clubs offered them an opportunity to become known in New York. Then the National Broadcasting Company discovered this young collegian and after that he did better than all right
       Fan mail began to pour in and Rudy was soon hitting off the daily average of receiving 10,000 letters, 50 boxes of home­made candy, 20 boxes of flowers, 500 phone calls and messages and 6 to 10 cakes and pies. Some fame!
          As a singer Rudy [was] criticized and mimicked for years and although he had a considerable amount of coaching there is no use denying that he sang through his nose and that his tones were sometimes peculiarly flat. Nevertheless, it was reliably reported that during each broadcast 162 1/2  maidens swooned at his vocalizing, and entirely too many matrons thought that he is too, too divine; however, we must give Rudy credit for knowing how to enunciate so that every word was distinct and understandable. This, we believe was the secret of his singing success.

Because of Mr. Tetrault's thoughtfulness, a copy of this scrapbook will be available for viewing at the Westbrook Historical Society during the Rudy Vallée Exhibit on Saturday, July 25 from 9 - 12. The exhibit is free and open to the public as is the reception at 4 PM for Eleanor Vallée, William Vallée (nephew) and other honored guests. See you there!

THE POST CARD

Postcards…why do people save postcards but throw away photographs?  There is probably no answer to this question but every historical society is happy that there are Deltiologists out there! [Deltiology is the formal name for postcard collecting and it is the 3rd largest collectable hobby in the world, surpassed only by coin and stamp collecting.]

The history of postcard collecting says that the first postcard printed with the intention for use as a souvenir were the cards placed on sale in 1893 at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.   I am sure that the first postcard collection was also started in 1893! 

The Historical Society recently received a postcard collection from St. Hyacinth Historical Society which is disbanding. The collection included many postcards of Maine historic sites but also some postcards of Westbrook scenes, such as the one pictured above. It is printed on a linen type paper stock with very bright and vivid colors; it looks almost like a painting. [1930 - 1945 was the linen style postcard era.] This card is unused, except for the '1936' written on the front. It shows Main Street lined with awning-fronted stores. Even with all the on-street parking, Main Street still looks wider than it is today.

Urban Renewal hit downtown Westbrook in the 1970s so much of Main Street has changed since this photo card. First of all, there are very few sites where you can park on Main Street. The Westbrook Congregational Church seen on the left has disappeared, along with most of the buildings around it. The first brick building on the left is still there, as are the two white buildings on the back right. The red topped building on the right with a yellow first floor is the Vallee Block on the corner of Main and Bridge Streets. This building was the home of Vallee's Pharmacy, where Rudy Vallee worked part time for his father. Most of the other buildings on the right side of the street are no longer there.

Thanks to postcard collectors, we have a picture of a downtown Westbrook that no longer exists. And thanks to the St. Hyacinth Historical Society for assuring that this image stays in Westbrook.

THE WESTBROOK FIRE DEPARTMENT

The year was 1891. Sewers were being built on Lamb Street and electric lighting for Cumberland Mills was being talked about. It was in that year that the Westbrook Fire Department came into existence. Actually, if we go back to the town records we find that two hose companies, paying the men a salary of $3 per year, had been authorized by the selectmen in 1888. Just what happened between the time of its authorization and its apparent inception is not clear. However, we do see from limited records that much time and effort was spent in the purchase of teams of horses suitable for fire fighting work.

The first company to be formed was the Valentine Hose Company, housed in a wooden building on Mechanic Street. It was organized November 21, 1891 under the direction of Chief Charles H. Leighton but there were no fires during the rest of that year. The first fire on record which the Company attended was at the end of Brackett Street on July 5, 1892.

The second company formed was Presumpscot Hose Company 1S which was situated near 466 Main Street in Cumberland Mills, or as it was often called in those days, Congin. It was not long before the town realized the need of a hook and ladder, and in 1893 a company of men was formed. In that early time Ladder Company 1 was housed at the Valentine Station and the hooves of its wagon's single horse joined the clatter of the hose companies as they charged foward at the cry of "FIRE!"

By 1899, the villages at Saccarappa and Congin were in need of full-time firefighters. Charles Beesley was hired for Hose Company 1 and George Bennett drove the ladder. Volunteering has long been a way of life for the people of Westbrook and in particular the independent minded folks of Prides Corner. A hose reel that was stored in a barn belonging to Armand Wheeler, and later Harry Fielding's Blacksmith shop, was often hauled to a fire by whatever man and team happened to be close at hand. Later, in 1914, the Prides Corner Volunteers came into existence and were finally formed into Engine Company 3 in 1934.

As the century rounded the corner, the Westbrook Fire Department learned to live with the automobile. Many in those days worried that the gasoline engine could not be relied upon and wasn't nearly as dependable as a horse. The first fire truck in the city was a 1920 Reo. It was a chemical truck, that is, soda and acid where blended together and the chemical reaction formed a pressure that pushed the water toward the fire. The Prides Corner Volunteers had for its first truck a 1-ton Ford pickup. It proved itself unworthy, unable to climb some of of the hills in the area, and was soon replaced with a Lincoln town car that had been a rum runner's car in the days of prohibition. It had plenty of power.

Photo and information from Westbrook Historical Society's Fire Department Collection

THIS OLD HOUSE

The Westbrook Historical Society often receives requests regarding old houses…when were they built, who owned them, are there any photos of them, etc.  One such recent request asked for a photo of the house seen above, on the left.  It stood on Bracket Street before Urban Renewal tore it down in the 1970s. The Westbrook Congregational Church, who’s steeple can be seen in the background, was on the corner of Main and Brackett and was also demolished.

The request came from Toby Guimond who asked for a photo of “the old brick house at the end of Brackett Street. I grew up there as a kid. My grandfather Benoit Tardiff owned 11 and 15 Brackett Street. I remember the old stone basement and the hole in the wall that had a tunnel that went down to the river for slaves to get passage to Canada.”

This house was attached to the large building facing Main Street which later became the Lafond Department Store.  Fabius M. Ray’s Story of Westbrook gives the following account: “The large block on the corner of Main and Brackett Streets, at that time owned and occupied by Mr. Brackett as his place of business…had on its fourth story a large dark room. To this refuge slaves were taken….and kept there until a particularly dark night or a  good opportunity made it feasible to take the hunted black people to some place from which Canada could easily be reached…So careful were [Mr. Sewall Brackett, Capt. Isaac F. Quinby, the Rev. Horace J. Bradbury, and Mr. John Brown] …to keep their doings secret that even members of their families were in total ignorance…Mrs. Brackett was greatly mystified as to where her food was disappearing.”

Since no physical reminders of this block remain, it is only through writings and memories that this piece of Westbrook history can be passed on.

CELEBRATIONS

Memorial Day, Fourth of July, City Centenniel...all reasons for a celebration! And a celebration meant a parade and floats. Some floats were elaborate but others consisted of a little bunting added to a wagon and a group of girls dressed in their Sunday best.

The Westbrook Historical Society has many photographs of these events in it's collection.

THE BARRETT HOSPITAL

Photo courtesy of Mike Sanphy

Sometime after 1885 Dr. Felix Barrett came to Westbrook and by 1891 he was an established physician and prominent citizen of the City. By 1909 he had established the Barrett Hospital in his home at 537 Main Street.  Dr. Barrett died April 27, 1920 and in 1921 the City Directory listed the site as the Westbrook Hospital. (Note the carriageway attached to the hospital in this photo.)

Many of the local physicans admitted their patients from Westbrook, Gorham and Windham to the hospital.  Its capacity was twenty-two beds and eight bassinets.  The hospital closed its doors in December of 1959 due to new safety requirements for sprinklers and wider stairways.

The building was later made into apartments and today the outside is well kept and closely resembles the original building, minus the carriageway.

MAIN STREET 1925

"Westbrook Monument Co., Main Street 1925
Owned by Kenneth & Evelyn Gale; he passed away in 1929 "

By writing a caption on the back of a photo and then donating it to the Historical Society, an interesting image of downtown Westbrook is saved. Through this photo we not only remember but are also able to view a slice of our past. 

This wonderful snapshot identifies the long-lost business as the Westbrook Monument Co. It was on the Gorham end of Main Street in the 1920s.  Now take a closer look and an image of the City in that era immerges…trolley tracks running down the center of a cobbled-stoned Main Street. All vestiges of this business may be gone...but a photo helps us remember so pass on any old photos to your local historical societies or libraries

THE CUMBERLAND GYMNASIUM

A century after this photo was taken in 1905, it was donated to the Westbrook Historical Society by Janice Boucher. It had belonged to one of her relatives. Don't you love the hair-dos and the jewelry? The photograph is on hardboard and is as sharp as if it were taken yesterday. No names are on the photograph.

Cumberland Hall was located in the Warren Block at Cumberland Mills. According to Fabius M. Ray'sStory of Westbrook, one of the great benefits that the S.D. Warren family gave to the City was a gymnasium. In the winter of 1903-4, Miss Helen Coe of Portland was brought to Westbrook by the Warren family to conduct physical education classes for girls in the old Cumberland Hall. Cornelia Warren, daughter of S.D. Warren, paid for the cost of this venture. Cornelia, as well as the rest of the family, was ahead of her times in her beliefs and actions on Women's Rights.

The benefits derived from the classes were so great that Miss Warren consulted with an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association in Portland about equipping a regular gymnasium there. In the winter of 1904 preparations were started for a gymnasium for girls and the gym was completed about the first of March 1904. For the balance of the season the instructor came twice a week to give classes to the girls. A boys' department was added in March of 1905. The gymnasium was fitted with all the modern equipment and a small fee was charged.

The gym continued to be a focal point for local sports activities up into the 1970s. Tennis and golf lessons where given in the gym and many young boys learned and practiced their basketball skills in the Westbrook Community Association basketball league which was based in the hall. I remember going to the drug store or to the post office, both of which were on the ground floor of the Warren Block, and hearing the 'thump ...thump...thump' of the balls bouncing upstairs.

THE MINSTREL SHOW

One of the reasons people visit a historical society is to reminisce about days gone by. At the Westbrook Historical Society they often ask us if we have any information on the minstrel shows ...maybe this is because we have our collection and meeting hall in the same room where some of the minstrels were once held. But whatever the reason, here is a little history of the minstrel shows in Westbrook.

Westbrook residents enjoyed the Minstrel show format of entertainment right up through the 1950s. The talented Libby family was well know for four of the local minstrel entertainers.  (They are always mentioned when the minstrel shows are discussed.) For over thirty years Stephen H. Libby entertained in black-face with vocal and instrumental numbers. He also coached many of the minstrel shows as indicated in the photograph above.  His sister Irene and brother Lloyd often performed in the cast. Later his son Philip S. Libby became a well known director and performer, "gaining recognition as a negro impersonator" during the evenings while going about his duties in the S.D. Warren Company during the day.

The typical minstrel performance followed a three-act structure. The troupe first danced onto stage then exchanged wisecracks and sang songs. Upon the instruction of the interlocutor, a sort of host, they sat in a semicircle. Various stock characters always took the same positions: the genteel interlocutor in the middle, flanked by two characters, who served as the endmen or cornermen. The interlocutor and the endmen exchanged jokes and performed a variety of humorous songs.The second act featured a variety of entertainments, including the pun-filled stump speech, and the final act consisted of a slapstick musical skit or a spin-off of a popular play

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME!

The Old "Presumpscots"

Front row L-R: Fred Files (Capt. Mgr.), J. Campbell, Arthur Smith, Chas. Elkins
Back row L-R: F.E. Batchelder, S. Clark Morton, Bill Webb, C.S. Clark, Gene Harriman

"Quite a Team !"
1888
Highlight was game with Frederickton, N.B. played at St. John's, N.B. Won 2 out of 3.

[It is always wonderful for a Historical Society to receive an old photograph but it is especially great when it come with inscriptions, such as the above, on the back!]

Other Westbrook baseball players of note:

George “Piano Legs” Gore – born in Saccarappa in 1857 (there is discrepancy in his birth year
            and place, depending on which reference you read). He played for S.D. Warren paper mill team where he was known for his hitting…reportedly blasting a homer 450 feet.
            He played for New England League and the New Bedford Whalers, batting .324.
            He was offered $1,200 by the Chicago White Stocking, later the Cubs, but became the first holdout for more money. He asked for $2,500 but settled for $1,900.
In 1880 he lead the National League with a .360 average becoming 1st Mainer to ever win a batting championship. Set a League record by stealing 7 bases in one game.
            He was traded to New York Giants in 1887 and helped to win them pennants in ’88 & ‘89
            He was considered the Babe Ruth of his era.

Pete Tetreault – played professional and organized leagues for 3 decades, until in his 50s.
            1907 he played for Fall River baseball team in NE League.
            He shared birthday with Babe Ruth and in the 1920s played an exhibition game in Portland with the immortal Ruth.
            He was inducted into Maine’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975

Hormidas “Husky” Aube – lead Westbrook High team to Telegram Championship in 1926 and was a   member of college national all star team in 1930.         
He was a member of the New York Yankees organization for 4 years when an auto accident injury ended his career. While with the Yankees he roomed with Cy Perkins & Lefty Gomez. Babe Ruth called him “the kid”. 
He returned to Westbrook 1934 and joined the police force and later became the Chief of Police.

SOLAR ECLIPSE - AUGUST 31, 1932

A total solar eclipse, where the moon fully blocks the sun from view for up to 7 minutes, occurs somewhere on earth almost every year. On August 31, 1932 Westbrook, Maine was in its direct path. (See map below) This is a photograph of Alfred Turgeon (the gentleman in the front row in the "eclipse glasses") and his family preparing to witness the magical event. The glasses were worn to protect the eyes from the harmful solar rays but the person on the right was taking no chances and it looks like he has also included a protective basket shield! Although made of lightweight cardboard, the glasses were a treasured memento of the event. Some have survived the passage of time and at least two pair can be seen in the Westbrook Historical Society's collection

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GLASS PLATE NEGATIVES

This beautiful photograph of two men showing off their work place was developed from one of 28 glass-plate negatives recently donated to the Historical Society. A crate with these fine negatives was found in the attic of the “old Waterhouse” home in Westbrook and the negatives that seemed to be of Westbrook businesses were given to the Society.  (One of the Historical Society members identified this as a photo of the inside of the Knowlton Machine Shop.)

In the 1850s, the glass plate negative was developed for photography. The first negatives were called wet collodion negatives. The photographer coated one side of each plate of 1/8" thick glass with an emulsion of gelatin and metallic sliver. The plate was then immediately exposed and processed. This was the method that Matthew Brady used when taking his Civil War photographs. By the1880s the process had been refined to the dry-plate glass negative. These ready-made negatives could be stored before they were processed and multiple copies of prints could be made from each plate. This process greatly simplified photography. Prints made from these plates produced sharp, fine-detailed prints as you can see by the photograph above. You can see the glossy floors, the details of the machinery, the grain in the wood and the bright sun shining through the windows.  [It wasn't until 1888 that George Eastman developed the flexible material or negatives as we know it today.]

The Society contacted JUST BLACK & WHITE, a local studio that specializes in restoration of old photographs and negatives and had archival negatives and prints made of the slides. Thanks to the foresight of the discoverers of the glass negatives, these wonderful photographs are now a part of our Collection and the glass negatives are being preserved to prevent further damage.

What a wonderful gift to the Citizens of Westbrook!

ELECTRICITY ARRIVES IN WESTBROOK

It is hard to believe that something that we take so for granted, was such a big deal at one time! This is a photograph titled "First electric lights in Westbrook." The use of electricity for lighting purposes arrived in Westbrook in the 1880s. According to Highlights of Westbrook History, the first electric generator was installed outside the Leatherboard Mill on Main Street. On the day that the mill was to be lighted a large crowd gathered to witness this event. Many of the mill employees were members of the Saccarappa Lodge of Odd Fellows and they induced the owner of the mill to run wires across the street to light the Odd Fellows Block, thus creating the first business block in Westbrook to have electric lights. [Possibly this photograph was taken at the first lighting of that block.] The Dana Mill quickly followed with a generator. Mr. Dana later ran wires up Bridge Street to Main Street and lighted the square there. Soon S.D. Warren replaced their gas lights with electricity.... and the rest is history! What a wonderful photograph to have in our Collection!

(Note: This photograph was probably reproduced from a glass negative. More about that at a later date!)

WESTBROOK IMMIGRANTS

Although the above picture looks as though it was taken in Scotland, it is actually a snapshot found in our Genealogy Collection and was taken in Westbrook, Maine. On the back, written in pencil, is: "The Cairns family - #1 Johnnie, #2 Jimmy, #5 Thomas, #6 Christie, #7 father". [The missing sons' names are William and Joseph.]

The Cairns family came from Scotland to work at S.D. Warren paper mill. Family lore has it that Mr. Cairns developed a process for coating paper and would not sell it to Mr. Warren until he brought the whole family to America and gave the sons jobs at the mill. They lived on Stroudwater St. where this photo was probably taken. It is obvious that they carried many of their native customs with them and the daughter of John Cairns relates that "he never lost his brogue".

Westbrook was a town of many mills and immigrants were lured to the area for their special work skills. In the late 1880s the Westbrook Manufacturing Company added on to their mills. The new machinery for mill #3 came from Scotland and with it, 42 expert Scottish weavers. There was even a cluster of houses built for them to live in; the area is still known as Scotch Hill.

For the last 2 years the Historical Society has presented an evening program on Westbrook immigrants. This has been a very popular program with over 50 people attending this year. These Immigrants helped built our city and many of their traditions live on.

THE PEOPLE

Although the picture quality is not perfect...the family spirit is! This is a picture of the Jules Bernier family of Westbrook, gathered for Mother's Day in the 1940s. All seven of the Bernier sons served in World War II. Jules, Omer, Berton, Rudloph, Rene, Joseph and George...we thank you and all the families like yours who sent their sons and daughters off to serve and protect our country.
[This photo is from our scrapbook collection and appeared in local newspapers with an article stating that this was the first time in five years that the family had been able to all be together.]

Comments welcomed at: info@westbrookhistoricalsociety.org