The Spotlight is on CARL J. HAMMOND 1900 – 1992

 Carl J. Hammond was born April 4, 1900 in Monson, Maine to Eugene and Hattie (Day) Hammond.  By the time he was 10, he had lost both of his parents.  In 1910 he and his brother Eugene were living with their maternal grandmother Adelle Day, having by this time also lost both their paternal grandparents and maternal grandfather.  Adelle would live until 1928.  He attended Guilford schools and graduated from Guilford High School.

In 1920, Carl was living in a hotel in Northbridge, Massachusetts and working as a machinist.  In 1928 he married Mildred May Pierce, daughter of George Pierce of Garland, Maine and Mary (Jardine) Pierce of Nova Scotia.  George was living in Massachusetts and working as a teamster.  

In 1930, Carl and Mildred were living in Waltham and Carl was working as a finisher at Waltham Watch Company.  Soon after they moved to Kezar Falls and started a family.  Mildred’s parents had relocated here in 1920.

Carl and Mildred went on to have three children: Ronald, Jackson and Hope (Stacey Churchill).  For over 50 years Carl owned and operated C. J. Hammond Jeweler  upstairs in the Norton Block (next to the bank building) on Federal Road.  In 1969 Carl moved his business to a little shop he had added to his residence on Summer Street just one year before the Norton Block was completely demolished by fire

In Carl’s obituary, his daughter Hope stated, “His specialty was watchmaking.  But he was interested in many, many things.”  He was a well-known woodworker and built the cabinets for many of his hand-made grandfather clocks. He also made two violins and built model ships – one being the USS American and the Normandy.  His four foot replica of the Normandy was featured in the June 1945 issue of Popular Mechanics. 

Carl also restored antique cars, winning many trophies with his 1929 Chevrolet and 1932 Rockne.  He was an accomplished violinist, oil painter and magician and an avid matchbook cover collector.  Hope said “He was self-taught and a very disciplined man.  He was brilliant. His genius was in his hands.”

Carl and Mildred lived on Summer Street across from the Stanley family and were “Grandpa Carl and Grammy Hammond” to the Stanley children.  Jean Stanley relates “They were the kindest, sweetest people.  We could rely on them, if needed; even our cat visited them every day.  One night, we bet my sister Jennifer that she wouldn’t play her trumpet out on the front lawn at 9 pm.  Ever willing, she did.  Grampa Carl the next day complemented her on her playing.  When someone baked a cake for them, and he found out it had fallen in the middle, he quickly remarked how much he liked it that way.  One of Grandpa Carl’s most used expressions was, ‘my friend’. And indeed, he was the sort of man who was a friend to all. He made such a rich life from an early start of loss.  I was lucky to have had Carl and Mildred for my neighbors.”

Carl was active in the community.  He was a member of the Greenleaf Masonic Lodge, the Knights of Pythias and the United Riverside Methodist Church.

They were married 59 years when Mildred died on January 17, 1987.  Carl died Feb. 15, 1992 after a long illness.  They are buried in the Kezar Falls Burial Grounds in Porter.

Carl J. Hammond Jeweler was on the second floor here marked by the key and clock under double windows.

Thank you, Jean Stanley, for allowing us to use your “Tombstone Tuesday” article for most of the information in this post.

The Spotlight is on JEREMIAH W. DEARBORN M.D. 1832 - 1904

  We don’t often hear much about Dr. Dearborn, but he was an outstanding citizen of Parsonsfield.  Aside from being a distinguished physician, he was chairman of the 52 member Centennial Committee responsible for planning and ensuring the success of the Parsonsfield centennial celebration on August 9, 1885.  He was also largely responsible for producing the “History of Parsonsfield, Maine 1771-1888” published in 1888.  

Jeremiah W. Dearborn was born May 2, 1832 one of five children born to John and Sally (Wadleigh) Dearborn.  His grandfather, Jeremiah Dearborn of Hampton, NH was the first Dearborn to settle in Parsonsfield in 1794.  

Jeremiah had the usual struggles of those days gaining an education. He studied medicine with Drs. Moses and John B. Sweat and graduated March 26.1857 at Michigan University.  He began his practice at East Parsonsfield. Two years later he went to Effingham, NH, remaining there 16 years and then to Freedom, NH for one year.  Circumstances then brought him back to Parsonsfield where he remained.  His residence was in Maplewood at the family home built by his grandfather in 1794. In 1882 he was responsible for planting the maple trees which still line the streets here, giving Maplewood its name.  

In 1853 he married Miss Mary Smart, daughter of Gardiner and Sally Smart of Parsonsfield.  They had no children. He practiced medicine and surgery, and held various offices of the Town of Parsonsfield. While a resident of New Hampshire he was District Grand Master of the Masonic Lodge of NH for 8 years.  He was a member of the Maine Senate in 1880, and declined re-nomination for a second term.  He was appointed by Maine’s Governor Robie to the Board of Trustees of the Maine General Hospital and then served 3 years as member of the Board of Trustees of the Maine Insane Hospital.  

Dr. Dearborn was reluctant to write about himself, but a friend – Judge David H. Hill of Sandwich, NH – submitted a brief write-up about him insisting it be included in the “Parsonsfield History”.   It stated that “After 15 or 20 years of successful practice in NH and Parsonsfield, his practice began to extend and his reputation became much more than local.  He enjoyed, in a very high degree, the personal friendship of his medical rivals, and in matters of surgery and in the crises of dangerous diseases he has been much employed as a consulting physician and surgeon, meeting his brother physicians in hardly less than thirty towns in York, Oxford, Carroll and Strafford counties.  His valuable judgment and experience, as well as his pleasant personal relations with such distinguished physicians as his eminent townsman, Dr. Moses Sweat, Dr. Augustus D. Merrow, of Freedom, Dr. W.H.H. Mason of Moultonborough, Dr. W.H. Bragdon of Conway and Dr. S.O. Clark of Limerick, and the kindly aid rendered to the younger physicians, have necessarily led to this result.”

Dr. Dearborn died Dec. 8, 1904.  His wife died May 12, 1906.  They are both buried in Maplewood Cemetery. Dr. Dearborn’s home in Maplewood was continually occupied by the family from the date it was built until their deaths and still exists today.  A later owner in the 1980’s restored it to the beautiful estate shown here.   

 Winter continues with FEBRUARY – Usually the snowiest month of winter. Here is an article written 1978 by Dinny Whitmarsh talking about winters here locally. (Excuse the wavy print, but I think you can read it ok.) Also see some more pictures and a few entries from Harry Tureworthy’s journal in 1952.

The above looks like it could have been taken a couple weeks ago except for George French’s old car in the distance.  Long before snowmobiles existed, Dr. Magnus Ridlon of Kezar Falls used this vehicle adapted for traveling in heavy snow to get to his house call patients.

These were entries in Harry Trueworth's journal in 1952 - Porter, Maine.

Feb. 17th: Began to snow 5:30 am. Snowed all day and all night. roads are drifted awful.

Feb. 18th: Snowed and blowed all day.

Feb.19th: About 20 inches fell and drifted. The road full. Lloyd hauled the milk to Hiram line on the hand sled.

Feb. 20th: Hauled milk with horse down to South Hiram.

These were the kids from my neighborhood (near History House) – probably in the late 1940’s. Jan (MacDonald) Iler, Betty (Pease) Miller, Janice (Day) Clogston, Joe Pease, Stirling Low, Darrell MacDonald, Earl Pease, Larry Jewell & Vaughn Low.  All are now deceased except for Jan, Betty, Earl, and Larry.  Check out that snowbank.

By March we can begin to think about spring again and a new and active season at History House.  I am counting the days!

More Winter Scenes

 HISTORY HOUSE REMAINS CLOSED UP FOR THE WINTER AND THE PARSONSFIELD-PORTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS IN QUIET MODE FOR A FEW MORE MONTHS.

So, in the meantime, let’s look at some more pictures of winter here 

from years past. 

This was taken in Dec. 1938 on Colcord Pond Road near the Raffy’s home.  Note the old snowplow here and below.  Two men are riding on the back to help clear the way when needed.  Standing here is Alice Davis (later Giovanella) with her brother, Bancroft and an unknown friend.

Below is a view of River Street in Kezar Falls (circa 1910).  The building on the left was the first location of Ridlon’s Drug Store and Frank Holmes Dry Good’s Store.  It later became the Garner Gym and Kezar Falls Fire Department building and is now an antique dealer’s storehouse.

Above is a view of Middle Road Village near the Merrill Hill intersection in Parsonsfield (circa 1909).  The Middle Road Library is on the left, Meserve’s Store, Masonic Lodge are on the right.  Notice there was no electricity here at that time.

This picture was taken in Maplewood, Parsonsfield – date, probably the 1940’s.

I am trying to find a picture of an especially heavy snowfall year (in the 1950’s ?) when the snowbanks were so high a person standing on them could touch the telephone wires.  Merrill Dunnells told us stories about that and his experiences helping to plow the roads through it.   E-mail frediler@myfairpoint.net.   

LOOKING BACK AT WINTER SCENES OF THE PAST

 Although 2023 has started off as a very mild winter, that is not usual for Kezar Falls and the surrounding area.  Let’s look at some old-fashioned Maine winter scenes from years past.  

This is Kezar Falls from the Parsonsfield side of the river looking through the covered bridge with the Merrifield bobbin mill on the right, Frank Holmes store is left of the bridge on the Porter side and the Methodist church is in the background.  Each town “snowed” the road inside the bridge to keep it passable for sleighs.  The roads were rolled to pack down the snow instead of plowing in those days.

This scene shows the snow being rolled on Kezar Mountain Road to pack it down so it would be passable. 

This was a little later, probably in the 1940’s taken from the Hotel Malvern at the intersection of River Street, Bridge Street and Rt. 25.  The Methodist church is out of sight on the right.  Beyond the triangle is Frank Holmes store and filling station.  The bridge is out of sight on the left. 

This last picture is how I remember winter as a child growing up in Kezar Falls. In fact, there was often much more snow than in any of these pictures.

- Jan Iler

                         As 2022 passes into history we welcome 2023, a brand-new year full of promise and hope.

With this vintage New Years Day card, the 

Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society wishes

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!

We look forward to seeing you in the spring of 2023.

SEASON’S GREETINGS

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.

Many holiday events were held in the area the weekend of Dec. 3 & 4.  Among them was the Parsonsfield Seminary’s 2nd Annual Festival of Trees at the dormitory building in Parsonsfield.  This very appropriate Victorian era setting was decked out with wonderful Christmas decorations and trees of various themes done by several individuals and organizations.

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.

The 21 Club’s tree with package ornaments representing 21 ways they have made a difference in our community.

Kezar Falls Circulating Library’s theme was favorite books by Maine authors and can be seen in the library during the holiday season.

Lyn Sudlow’s was small and whimsical with a kitty climbing the tree.

Parsonsfield – Porter Historical Society

sends

BEST WISHES TO ALL OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS.