The 2022 Holiday Season has arrived. It has been a good year and now History House is closed for the winter. So, let’s all enjoy the season.
Although our Society did not decorate a tree for the event this year, several of us enjoyed seeing the contributions of those who did. We want to show you those done by the 21 Club of Kezar Falls, a local women’s club, and the Kezar Falls Circulating Library as well as a small one done by our VP, Lyn Sudlow.
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The 21 Club’s tree with package ornaments representing 21 ways they have made a difference in our community.
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Parsonsfield – Porter Historical Society
sends
BEST WISHES TO ALL OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS.
Today we put the spotlight on a long time resident of Kezar Falls known for his work with young people.
Sidney Owen Griffith was born in Harrisville, RI on June 14, 1889 to Charles and Emma Griffith. He attended Burleighville High School there. He first came to know Maine when he attended Bliss Business College in Lewiston. He lived in Somerville, MA for 13 years and later in Medford, MA and was employed as New England Manager in Boston for the Whitlock Cordage & Twine Co.
He married Blanche Ridlon in Somerville in 1913. She was born in Kezar Falls the daughter of Frank and Luella Ridlon. She graduated from Porter High School in 1911 after which her family moved to Saugus, MA. The Griffiths returned to Kezar Falls in 1933 and he was employed by the Kezar Falls Woolen Mill as a “percher” in the weave room for 28 years.
Owen Griffith was always interested in the youth of the community. He gave much time over the years to coaching high school dramatics, as well as other local groups presenting plays and minstrel shows. He coached more than 100 Porter High School students in junior prize speaking. Many of them took top honors in the 25 years he devoted to working with young people in dramatics.
He taught Junior Members of Christian Service of the Riverside Methodist Church where he was a member for 29 years. He also managed local baseball teams and scored every Little League game for 14 years.
Owen was a member and held offices of the Ossipee Lodge, Knights of Pythias for 50 years. He was also a member of the Parsonsfield Porter Historical Society. His civic duties included 7 years as a member of the Parsonsfield School Committee.
He still had time for hobbies including hunting, fishing and had a large tropical seashell collection gathered while wintering in Florida.
The Griffiths had three children, Anne (Mrs. Harry Hadlock), Ruth (Mrs. Edmund Hadlock) and Sidney Owen Griffith, Jr,
Owen Griffith died on April 18, 1975, at the age of 85. His wife died previously in April 1974. They are buried at the Kezar Falls Burial Grounds.
The Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society sends wishes to everyone for a Happy Thanksgiving.
You can contact us through our Web Site: www.parsonsfieldporterhistorical.org
or our e-mail address: pphs@parsonsfieldporterhistorical.org
Planning for 2023 meetings, programs and events will begin early next year. If you have ideas for a program or for exhibits, please let us know. We welcome your input.
Our next newsletter will be out next April with what to expect for PPHS activities in 2023.
Once again, we return to featuring a local citizen who has been prominent in the history of our towns. This time the spotlight is on: CHARLES GARNER FOX.
Charles Garner Fox was born in Lewiston, June 12, 1893, son of Charles T. and Alice (Garner) Fox. He attended local schools and graduated from Parsonsfield Seminary in 1911. He also graduated from the Philadelphia Textile Institute. He was employed by the Kezar Falls Woolen Company for a short time and then became Assistant Superintendent of M. T. Stevens Woolen Company in Haverhill, Massachusetts where he remained for three years.
He married the former Gertrude Wentworth of Parsonsfield in 1915. They returned to Kezar Falls and he became associated with his brother, Carleton T. Fox in the manufacture of wood bobbins for the textile industry. The Glen Bobbin Company in South Hiram was organized in 1918 as an owner-operated company that was incorporated in 1919 and employed 20 to 25 people.
Photo of Charles and Gertrude in 1965.
Charles and Gertrude resided for 15 years in the house on Glen Street, South Hiram near the bobbin mill. While a resident of South Hiram he served on the Hiram Board of Selectmen. They returned to Kezar Falls purchasing a home on Elm Street, on the Parsonsfield side of Kezar Falls and he served several years as selectman of Parsonsfield.
Charles retired from the bobbin mill business in January 1957 and sold his shares to his brother, Carleton. The business continued to operate until October 1959.
Charles was active in his community. He was a director of the Kezar Falls National Bank for more than 30 years, a charter member of the Kezar Falls – Cornish Kiwanis Club serving as president, a member of the Riverside Methodist Church, a member of the Ossipee Lodge K. of P. and was a member of the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society.
Gertrude and Charles had two daughters: Constance who died young in 1936 and Mavis who married Carlton McDonald – commander of the U.S. Grant nuclear submarine (in 1965) and they had 4 children.
Charles had many interests. He was an avid sportsman and played baseball and basketball while in school and played for the Kezar Falls baseball team for many years. He was skilled at woodworking and made many pieces of furniture for himself, his family and various community projects. After retirement he became interested in tree farming and had a 500-acre tree farm in Parsonsfield.
Charles died March 31, 1970, after a long illness and is buried at the Kezar Falls Burial Grounds.
Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society’s last public meeting of the season will be held on October 22, 2022 – 2:00 pm at History House, 92 Main Street, Porter.
A free program and book signing will follow the meeting at about 2:30 pm presented by Ron Romano. Both of his books may be purchased at this time.
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A unique form of grave marker was produced in New England in the mid-1800s. Consisting of large stone slabs usually held aloft by granite posts, these monuments resemble signboards and have been named “billboard monuments” by cemetery historian and author Ron Romano.
Rare and often overlooked, only 42 have been discovered in Maine --- one of the most unique of which is in Parsonsfield. Ron’s research into this intriguing form of grave marker led to his 2020 book “Billboard Monuments of Maine” which featured the 38 monuments known in the state at the time. Readers of the book then found four more in the state. In 2021, Ron expanded his search for these interesting monuments beyond Maine, ultimately discovering four in New Hampshire and 27 in Vermont. All of the newly-discovered ones are featured in his new book, “Curious Gravestones in Northern New England: Billboard Monuments, Volume II.”
In a presentation rich with images and stories of the people these monuments memorialize, Ron presents his original research into this unique monument form, discussing the origin, construction features, dates of production, and makers.
Ron Romano is author of four-cemetery and gravestone-themed books. He’s designed tours for more than a dozen historic cemeteries in southern Maine. He is an officer on the board of the Association of Gravestone Studies, the leading organization in America for cemetery and gravestone studies, and he serves locally on the board of friends of Portland’s oldest burying ground, Eastern Cemetery (established in 1668).
(Image above, Lord family billboard monument – Parsonsfield, Maine.)
The last open house of the season on September 17th featured the new exhibit set up for 2022. Many of the Antique and Vintage Toys in the exhibit were from our own collection and members loaned us many others to fill out the exhibit. If you missed seeing it, most of them will return to their place in the children’s room. So, be sure to check out the children’s room next year.
Another favorite is this antique
doll one of several in the collection.
We also showed a history of toys so visitors would have an idea of when certain toys were first invented and how old they are. The following is a summary listing a few of the toys known from each period.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TOYS
Early Toys
Before
the 20th century children had a few handmade toys and those they did
have were precious. At that time children
did not have much time to play. Only a
minority went to school but most children were expected to help their parents
doing simple jobs around the house or in the fields. Children had often been thought of as small
adults, who were expected to work to produce the goods that the family needed
to survive.
In
Ancient Rome and Greece when boys were not at school and girls were not working
they played ball games with inflated
pig’s bladders. They also played
with knucklebones and toys like spinning tops, wooden or clay dolls, and
model horses with wheels, hoops, rocking horses and board games.
Toys
remained about the same through the 16th century.
Modern Toys
The industrial revolution allowed toys to be mass produced and they gradually became cheaper. The first jigsaw puzzle was made in 1767 – cutting maps into pieces to teach geography, but soon people began making jigsaw puzzles for entertainment. The Kaleidoscope was invented in 1817.
In
the 19th century middle class
girls played with wooden or porcelain dolls, doll houses, miniature dishes and skipping ropes. Boys played with marbles and toy soldiers as well
as toy trains and model boats. However, poor children had few toys and often
had to make their own.
In
the well-off Victorian family children played with rocking horses and clockwork toys like moving animals and clockwork
trains and the jack in-the-box. Simple toys like spinning tops were also popular.
So were hoops and games like pick
up sticks in which you had to pick up colored sticks from a pile without
disturbing the others.
On Sunday's, children were allowed to play with toys with a religious theme like a Noah’s ark with wooden animals. There were also magic lantern (slide) shows and puppet shows.
Many
new toys were invented in the 20th century such as tin cars, etc. and train sets became very
popular. Soft toys also became common in the early 20th century
including teddy bears.
During
World War II most toy factories were turned over to war production. However, in the late 20th century
with the arrival of an affluent society, plastic and metal toys became much
cheaper and much more common. In the 1950’s Legos became popular. Mr.
Potato Head was invented in 1952. The skateboard
was invented in 1958. Barbie
dolls were invented in 1959 and Action
Figures appeared in 1966. In the early 1970s
space related toys became popular.
At the end of the 20th century computer games made an appearance.
Today,
technology has entered the toy business in a big way. However, old fashioned toys still are
enjoyed, such as jig saw puzzles, Legos, yoyos, dolls. Board and card games still
exist, but many are now also available on computers. The selection of toys is now endless and
constantly evolving.
Source: Tim Lambert and other internet resources.
