Postcards from Old Town

Lost Postcards

2010-10-03T17:13:00.000-07:00

Somehow my binder with all my postcards disappeared from my house. I am not sure how this happened, but I am hoping they reappear.

It has sucked the wind out of my sails. I will post again with new content, but it will probably not be postcards.

New Picture Mystery

2010-06-19T08:24:00.000-07:00

I bought this on eBay with the hope of blowing up enough detail to ID it.
No luck so far...Any ideas?

Brass beds

2010-02-28T12:30:00.001-08:00

After I acquired a receipt of payment for the transportation of brass beds from Bangor to Lincoln I have spent a very frustrating few months trying to piece together the story of the Steamboat W.N.Ray and the history of the Bangor, OldTown and Milford Railroad Co.
I imagined the story of a bed, probably manufactured in New York or Europe, travelling via ship to the Port of Bangor. From there it was carefully loaded on one of the first railroads in the United States to make the short trip to OldTown. There it was transferred to the steamboat and off to Lincoln it goes. From what I have found a brass bed was a status symbol in the 19th century and even iron beds were considered beyond the reach of most people in Maine.
While I am not a huge Wikipedia fan and completely understand that the “facts” there may be far from the truth, my story which I am sharing here will cite an article about Charles P. Rogers who started importing beds into this country starting around 1855. So without any real facts let call it a Rogers brass bed.
If you look at the map posted on this blog it shows the railroad crossing (44°56'28.79"N, 68°38'58.42") the Penobscot River to end at a depot in Milford. I have been unable to find exactly where the steamboats loaded cargo and people. If you look at the map and try to imagine, it may be easy to guess until you recall that there was not a dam in place as there is now so exactly how fast was the current anywhere in this location? That would have been one wild ride if the boat broke loose and headed downstream!
I did find an advertisement in the Bangor Whig & Courier stating that the steamboat departed for Five Islands at 7 o’clock A. M. after connecting from the train from Bangor.
If you look at a map you will not see a place name Five Islands, but Thoreau wrote that the location was just south of Mattawamkeag. So I will guess it would be around here: 45°21'41.94"N, 68°32'43.88"W.
In 1858 the Whig also stated the captain of the Steamboat W.N.Ray was Joseph L Smith. An article describes a tour to Aroostook which the steamboat trip was part of the itinerary. Old Joseph L. lived here (44°56'16.50"N, 68°39'2.79"W) and has a pretty interesting history which I will leave to you to explore.
As I live in Las Vegas now, my research will continue on my annual unplanned trip to Maine, only so much can be done via the internet. I would like to take a boat to retrace the path of the steamboats, but frankly, the Penobscot still scares me. My days as I grew up staring at the cold, sometimes dirty, waters, I still can feel the unnatural pull even 2500 miles away.

Current Project

2010-01-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

I will be taking a break from postcards on my next post to share a historic document I acquired recently. I am doing some research now to help me understand more of this era of Old Town, Maine. Hopefully the posting will be up soon!

An Old Map of Old Town Maine Mid 1800's

2009-12-27T10:03:00.000-08:00

St Anne’s Church on Indian Island, Old Town, Maine

2009-11-30T11:44:00.000-08:00

This is St Anne’s Church on Indian Island, Old Town, Maine. This picture shows the Convent, which on Google Earth, appears to be gone. The church is white in the photo and also shows white snow all around. Currently the church is brown.
I attended Mass there as a child. We used to walk across the old metal bridge, sometimes, as my home was not far away. The wind always seemed to blow down the Penobscot River so we were most always chilled even with hats pulled over our ears.
My Gephyrophobia, or bridge phobia, made the walk interesting to say the least.
They had a 5pm mass on Sunday that was very short (30 minutes and no singing). At the time there were no Saturday masses so you would see the people who would sleep in on Sunday or workers from the day shift at the pulp mill still in their work clothes and smelling of black liquor (like rotten eggs). The Indian children used to raise hell in the front pews at times and the priest would give them the evil eye. After mass we would walk home and look for something for supper (this was the only meal of the week you were on your own in my mother’s house)

44°56'34.04"N
68°39'8.90"W

New information:

National Register of Historic Places
(added 1973 - Building - #73000141)

Center & Main Street in the 1930’s

2009-11-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

Most of my postcards are from earlier in the century, but here are two showing two views of the intersection of Main and Center St.
The first image is heading toward French Island and Milford. Note the fine steel bridge which I loathed crossing. It had a grated deck and “sang” as you crossed in a car. It still brings shivers thinking of when I walked across it because you could see the Penobscot River; it seemed like, miles below.
The second image, and much safer direction in my mind, is toward Indian Island, the woolen mills and where I grew up. When I visited Old Town last summer I sat on a bench where the drug store was and imagined all what had happen in that spot over the last few hundred years. I invite others to do the same in a location familiar to you and feel how relaxing and satisfying it can be.

44°56'5.27"N
68°38'44.63"W

Old City Hall in Old Town

2009-10-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

44°56'9.78"N

68°38'55.86"W

Notice the church featured in http://postcardsfromoldtown.blogspot.com/2009/09/more-about-old-town-churches.html

Old Town Woolen Mill

2009-10-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Old Town Maine has been a mill town for over 150 years. We have seen saw mills, pulp mills, shoe shops, canoe/boat shops and woolen mills. Some are still here and producing and some are here, but serving other purposes.

The subject of this posting is the Old Town Woolen Mill. From Sanborn Maps this building is shown in place as a woolen mill in 1895, but it was there many years before that. In the 1960’s it was a shoe shop and today is called Penobscot River House (a retirement apartment complex).

It is sometimes confused with the American Woolen Mill which was south on N. Main St. At one time they were under one ownership.

I do plan on sharing more information in the future, but now it is about the pictures.

In the distance is the woolen mill, Indian Island would be on the left.

From the Milford side of the river.

A comment on the back of the above postcard states this is a place where he works with about 200 little french girls.

A little drama added to this postcard.

The road looks rutted and muddy.

Downtown Old Town Again

2009-09-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

I enjoy seeing the changes between postcards and trying to guess what happened. Old Town had many fires so this is probably the major cause.

Another downtown Old Town, Maine postcard

2009-09-26T11:35:00.000-07:00

The previous post was from the opposite direction. The one has been colorized (not my favorite technique). We can see the street car as well a horse and wagon. This is looking north toward Indian Island.

44°56'6.24"N
68°38'45.29"W

Very old Old Town, Maine downtown

2009-09-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

This is a very old picture of Old Town downtown showing horse and wagons as well as the tracks of the Bangor Street Railway. This section ran from Bangor to Great Works via Main St-Stillwater Ave.-College Ave and more or less Route 2 thru Veazie to Bangor.

This photo is rich in detail showing dirt roads, horses, wagons and a bicycle. Many people can be seen walking on the wide sidewalk.

44°56'8.45"N
68°38'46.66"W

Old Location of St. Joseph Church

2009-09-07T17:24:00.000-07:00

I found the answer in an excellent history of St. Joseph Church written by Genie Wollstadt.

She says that it was located in the current Forest Hill Cemetery between the first and second entrance roads. This is the location of the Catholic section, which makes sense.

My parent’s future burial site is about in this location as well as my grandparents.

44°55'14.89"N
68°38'25.75"W

St. Joseph Church Newspaper Article

2009-09-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

This explains what happen to the church on Water Street.

I wonder where the location was in Great Works?

More about Old Town Churches

2009-09-06T21:34:00.001-07:00

I found a book with more pictures of Old Town, ME churches. Some are still there and I have added their locations. Some are guesses using old maps.

First Congregation (Demolished) (Star in the East Lodge #60 A.F. & A.M. on this site)
44°56'3.16"N
68°38'53.65"W

First Baptist
44°56'6.37"N
68°38'58.41"W

Methodist Episcopal (Was Demolished) (Old Town Canoe Expansion on site)
44°56'10.83"N
68°38'56.45"W

Universalist Church of Our Father (Was demolished)
44°55'58.26"N
68°38'41.19"W

Chapel Indian Island
44°56'33.75"N
68°39'8.60"W

St. James Episcopal
44°56'4.18"N
68°38'45.49"W

St. Joseph Catholic
44°55'49.14"N
68°38'37.61"W

Union at Stillwater
44°54'36.81"N
68°41'13.41"W

Baptist at Great Works
44°55'2.05"N
68°38'21.40"W

Old High School in Old Town, ME

2009-08-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid this was the Jefferson Street Elementary School, but in my mother's day it was the high school. Notice the water stand pipe in the background that was used for Old Town's water.
This area was called Academy Hill because; I believe possibly the school started out as private. I need to complete more research on this subject. The building is still there last I checked.

44°55'51.94"N
68°39'27.44"W

Herbert Gray School Old Town, Maine

2009-08-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

I attended K-6 here as my mother did. This building is no longer there. I was always amused that over the side doors it was engraved BOYS and on the other GIRLS. I guess early in the 1900's the sexes could not use the same doors. I was sad when it was demolished. It was a fine brick and granite structure. The groups of five windows in the front were different rooms. Bottom right was my 1st grade, then clockwise...2nd, 3rd and 5th.
44°56'12.16"N
68°39'14.37"W

Downtown Old Town Maine

2009-08-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

44°56'8.11"N
68°38'46.43"W

Other Churches

2009-07-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

Top Picture Location

44°56'2.70"N

68°38'52.39"W

Church has been replaced with Masonic Lodge

Second Picture

44°55'58.44"N
44°55'58.44"N

Church no longer there

Third Picture

Same as second

Catholic Churches (Continued) Indian Island and Orono

2009-07-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

Top Picture

Indian Island Church

St Ann's

44°56'33.75"N

68°39'8.60"W

Second Picture

St. Mary's Orono, ME

44°52'51.78"N

68°40'26.97"W

Catholic Churches (Continued) St Mary's

2009-07-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

Catholic Churches

2009-07-31T09:51:00.000-07:00

The following cards show some of the Catholic churches in Old Town. There were two churches when I grew up in Old Town. St. Josephs, which I was a member and St. Mary’s. St. Josephs was considered the “French” church and St. Mary’s the “English”.

If I recall correctly St. Josephs was first located in the Great Works area of Old Town then relocated near the present location, but on Water St. The present location is on South Main St. One card will show both buildings. St. Joseph’s name was changed to Holy Family when it combined with St. Mary’s and now is called the Holy Family Church of the Resurrection of the Lord Parish. I am not sure of the details of that name change, but I believe it is due to priest shortages and parish consolidations.

There were other Catholic churches on Indian Island and Bradley. I actually lived nearer to the Island church and attended there occasionally as the mass was shorter and it was an easy walk.

So please enjoy and I hope to add more details in the future.
was first located in the Great Works area of Old Town then relocated near the present location, but on Water St. The present location is on South Main St. One card will show both buildings. St. Joseph’s name was changed to Holy Family when it combined with St. Mary’s and now is called the Holy Family Church of the Resurrection of the Lord Parish. I am not sure of the details of that name change, but I believe it is due to priest shortages and parish consolidations.

There were other Catholic churches on Indian Island and Bradley. I actually lived nearer to the Island church and attended there occasionally as the mass was shorter and it was an easy walk.

So please enjoy and I hope to add more details in the future.

The church in the background is the present St Josephs and the foreground is the one since torn down.
Approx. Location of old church - in foreground
44°55'49.70"N
68°38'36.37"W
Present church
44°55'48.64"N
68°38'42.19"W

Lower Main Street Old Town Maine

2009-07-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Carnegie Library Old Town Maine

2009-07-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

44°56'7.62"N

68°38'53.06"W

The Penobscot River Old Town Maine

2009-07-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

Woolen Mills Old Town Maine

2009-07-24T17:38:00.001-07:00

Business District Old Town Maine

2009-07-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Panoramic (River) View of Old Town, Maine

2009-07-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

Old Covered Bridge Over Stillwater River Old Town, Maine

2009-07-12T14:33:00.000-07:00

Center Street Old Town, Maine

2009-07-12T14:12:00.000-07:00

Bridge between Old Town, Maine and T & W Island

2009-07-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

The New Station Old Town, Maine

2009-07-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

Toll Bridge between Old Town, ME and Milford, ME View 2

2009-07-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

44°56'6.93"N
68°38'41.22"W

Toll Bridge between Old Town, ME and Milford, ME View 1

2009-07-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Panoramic View of Old Town, Maine

2009-07-05T07:23:00.000-07:00

Pulp Mill Old Town Maine

2009-07-04T08:41:00.000-07:00