by Burni Andres

Bud Randall

“I would tell them how I’ve had a good life,” Bud Randall offered on his 95th birthday last Monday when he was presented with Cherryfield’s Boston Post Cane honoring him as Cherryfield’s most senior citizen. The gold and ebony Boston Post Cane has been presented to the oldest citizen in the town since the tradition began in 1909 and was most recently held by the late Eunice Harrington Grant.

Leslie “Bud” Randall was born “up on the ridge” in Cherryfield on September 22, 1913. When he was four years old, his father swapped houses with Bion Willey and moved his family to Wilson Hill Road. Randall “went to the old school across the brook” and has been a Cherryfield resident all his long life. He has two children, four grandchildren, and has lost count of the great-grands and great-great-grands. He has been married three times. “They’ve all passed away. We had a good life. They were good to me and I was good to them.”

“I’m not crippled up. I’m getting along all right. It’s lonesome though, I’ll tell you that. I have a dog for company.” Randall is very grateful for relative good health. Although he has some diet restrictions, his eyesight is good and he’s “thankful for that” because he loves to read westerns to pass the time. He almost never watches television any more. He doesn’t wear a hearing aid and he still drives an automobile. His red pick-up was stolen and right now he’s driving a PT Cruiser provided by the insurance company. “I think I’ll get a Buick,” he muses. “I like a cigar and I smoke a pipe. I don’t inhale, so I guess it don’t hurt me any.”

For a man of 95, he keeps active. He rides his exercise bike every day and still mows his large lawn and that of a neighbor with a riding mower. “I used to love to dance. I’d love to go to one right now. I can dance just as good as I ever could. Do you know where they’re having them now?”

“I always hunted deer. Some submarine sailors used to come up from Connecticut and hunt with me and I’d go to Newfoundland for moose and caribou.” A large, mounted caribou head and a rack of moose antlers are hung on the living room wall, mute testimony to the success of these excursions. “Sometimes I’d go with Walter Tucker or Charles Cirone.”

He has fond memories of working as Deputy Sheriff for Washington County and 33 years for Wyman in the blueberry business. The only advice he has to offer is “you’ve got to get along with people.”

Please share:

Facebook

Twitter

email

by Burni Andres

In honor of the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Epping Baseline, Nancy Willey, “the Baseline Lady,” will conduct two bus tours on Sunday, August 12, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The tours will begin at the Cherryfield Academy on Main Street in Cherryfield and will commence with a brief history lesson to help those on the tour appreciate more fully the significance of what they will be seeing up on the barrens. She will also discuss the geology of the area through which the tour will pass, so that her “students” will recognize such glacial effects as a kame, a kettle hole, and an erratic when they see them.

Nancy Willey has earned her nickname by initiating students of all ages into Baseline history and lore. “It’s been a passion of mine for twenty-eight years,” she says. It all started in 1979 when, as the 8th grade history teacher at Milbridge School, she was instructed to come up with a project within her own discipline that would familiarize her students with the metric system. She decided to have the children measure the baseline in meters, thus teaching them something about the metric system and local history at the same time.

A report in the local newspaper states, “By 8:30 a.m. the class arrived at the site of the east monument of the base line at Epping. Dragging a piece of lobster pot warp which was 50 meters long, the students marched and measured for more than three hours, arriving at the west monument in time for lunch…After eating lunch…the class hiked out to Rte. 193 in Deblois where a school bus driven by school custodian Paul Bradbury was waiting for them….”

Willey recalls that first excursion with laughter. “The bridges were out. The road wasn’t kept up. The kids had to wade through the brooks and alder swamps.”

The students in Willey’s eighth grade class that year were Dawn Beal, Leland Beal, Donnie Bradbury, Lynn Cochran, Sean Cousins, Melanie Crabtree, Scott Hill, Heidi Huckins, John Kinghorn, Barry Lumley, Brent Lumley, Bruce Lumley, Larry Martin, Mike Perrone, Joel Perry, Lynn Reynolds, Richard Rossi, Kelly Strout, April Tucker, and Timmy Tucker. They all survived the ordeal and contributed to the “Baseline Anthology,” which was the follow-up assignment. Some have gone on to distinguish themselves locally. Perhaps the class that started it all will have a reunion and take the tour again on August 12.

An Abbreviated History of the Epping Baseline

Drawing on a number of sources, but most particularly an article written by Andrew Kekacs in 1991, which was based on “a thick stack of documents” compiled by Harold E. Nelson of Newport, “who has studied the coastal survey for more than a decade,” Willey has pieced together quite a thorough history of the baseline, which we will outline briefly.

In the early 1800s, our new nation was busy discovering and defining itself. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of the United States and the Lewis and Clark Expedition set off to explore and map the west. Meanwhile, all along the eastern seaboard, shipping had increased dramatically since the American Revolution and trade was flourishing, but the accuracy of existing nautical charts was poor.

In 1807 Congress authorized the U.S. Coast Survey to map the Atlantic seaboard from Maine to Louisiana to aid in both navigation and national defense. To determine exactly how this could best be done, Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury under Thomas Jefferson, asked leading scientists for proposals, and the successful proposal came from a Swiss immigrant, Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler. He “proposed a survey based on a chain of triangles stretching from mountaintop to mountaintop down the Appalachians” and he became the 1st Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey.

Known as the Eastern Oblique Arc, the chain would serve as the framework for linking individual harbor surveys. It was an ambitious proposal, a major scientific undertaking at a time when geodetic surveying was in its infancy. However, according to Nelson, “in the 1800s, the United States was at the leading edge of this technology.”

Six lines, measured with extreme accuracy, were built to facilitate Hassler’s plan. They were in southwest Alabama, northwest Georgia, the Chesapeake Bay area, off Long Island, NY, in Massachusetts, and Downeast Maine. It was most common for baseline sites to be selected on open coastal beaches, because a line of about eight miles was needed, along with visibility at the ends to mountaintops. The rugged coast of Maine made it necessary to site the last baseline well inland and that has proved to be its salvation, for whereas the Epping Baseline Road is extant, no remnants remain of the other five baselines.

Once a baseline was constructed it became the one “known” side of a triangle. The principle of triangulation used in surveying over great distances is, “that if one side of a triangle is of known length and at least two of the three angles in the triangle have been determined, a length for the remaining two sides can be calculated. The three now known sides may then each become the only known side for other triangles, and the system expands.” (Nelson)

Kekacs writes, “Any error in measuring the six lines would be compounded by the mathematical calculations used to create the Eastern Oblique Arc. Such errors ultimately would reduce the accuracy of the coastal survey.” (His article in 1991 was occasioned by the GPS measuring project, spearheaded by Harold E. Nelson, that found the Epping Baseline to be accurate to within a centimeter – less than one-half inch.)

The site for the last of the baselines, the Eppling Plains from Columbia to Deblois, ME, was chosen in 1853, preliminary surveys were made in 1854 – 1856 and towers for heliotropes constructed. In May, 1857, local farmers and lumbermen were hired to grade a 12-foot-wide path along the proposed line. Where necessary, the path was cut into banks or raised by stone cribbing so that the incline or decline never exceeded one foot in six meters.

On July 15, 1857, Benjamin Franklin’s great-grandson, Alexander Dallas Bache, 2nd Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Survey, arrived to oversee the measurement of the baseline. Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of War and later President of the Confederacy, visited the survey party while they were camped on the barrens. In his memoirs, his wife Varina writes, “On a plateau near the top were white tents pitched, one for each of us, an excellent cook, tenderloin steaks from Bangor, vegetables from the neighboring farms and to all this comfort was added the newest books, and an exquisite and very large musical box which played “Ah, che la morte,” and many other gems of the then new operas of Verdi.”

According to the daily recordings in the Journal of Measurement – Epping Base 1857, bad weather slowed the survey crew until July 27, when conditions improved making it possible to finish the measurements and comparisons on August 7, 1857.

The U.S. Coast Survey, now known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, marks its 200th birthday this year with a special website: www.celebrating200years.noaa.gov. They honor both Hassler & Bache among their Top Ten History Makers.

The Baseline Lady has lost count of the number of tours she has led over the 5.4 mile long Epping Baseline Road through the years, but she has helped literally hundreds of school children appreciate the uniqueness of their region. In September 2004, she led a group from the Senior College across the barrens. “Wow!” wrote Joan Stevens of Addison. “That’s the best word to describe our adventure yesterday on the Baseline Road. Everybody had a great time and we learned so much. You made the history and the people come alive for us. It was a beautiful day to be up on the barrens and for us to see the “purple mountains majesty above the fruited plains.”

This was probably the last group to see the southwesterly marker in its original setting, for in October 2004, the Maine State Museum removed the marble monument to its facilities in Augusta. Even though it was in an obscure setting, it had become the target of vandalism over the years and showed damage from target practice and other abuse. Despite that, one could still clearly read the carved lettering “U.S. Coast Survey,” “A.D. Bache Sup’t,” “Base No. 9,” and “1857” and fortunately, most of the road itself is still intact, stretching the eye and the imagination to the horizon. The Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society is home to what is left of the eastern marker.

Support for these tours is being provided by S.A.D. 37, Worchester Wreath, Fickett Properties, Cherryfield Foods, and Jasper Wyman & Sons. Charlie Corliss has volunteered to drive the bus. Donations from the tours on August 12 will benefit the Cherryfield Academy Restoration Fund. For more information and to make reservations call Nancy Willey at 546-2259 or Polly Craft at 546-9748.

Please share:

Facebook

Twitter

email

by Burni Andres

Cherryfield – June 24, 2007

Eunice Harrington Grant, 95, was honored as the most senior resident of the Town of Cherryfield on Sunday June 24th at the family homestead in Deblois. She was presented with the Boston Post Cane and given a framed certificate recognizing her as the town’s eldest citizen. Kathy Upton, President of the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society, made the presentation on behalf of the Cherryfield Board of Selectmen and the Town of Cherryfield.

Eunice Grant was an only child, born in Cherryfield on January 5, 1912. The family lived on the Stillwater Road and her father “worked in the woods and in the sawmills.” She attended Cherryfield Academy and still goes to Alumni Association meetings. After graduating in 1929, she attended four summers (equal to one year) of “normal school in Machias,” what is now the University of Maine at Machias. This qualified her to be a teacher and she taught in one-room schoolhouses for two years, one year in Columbia and one year in Deblois, before marrying Martin Andrew Grant on June 28, 1933, and beginning a family.

All five of Mrs.Grant’s children were present at the festivities – Polly Craft of Cherryfield, Don Grant of Orono, Violet Harrington of Cherryfield, David Grant of Brewer, and Jim Grant of Michigan – as well as many of her 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

They shared many happy memories of growing up on the old homestead and great love and admiration for the family matriarch. They recalled the great vegetable and flower gardens that Mrs. Grant maintained until 2004 when ill health made it necessary for her to give up her independence and move back to Cherryfield where she lives with her daughter Polly.

Now she keeps busy with reading, crossword puzzles, crocheting, knitting, and braiding rugs. She’s recently taken up Sudoku – that number game that is all the rage and routinely defeats much younger puzzlers, including yours truly. When I told her she was “as bright as a button,” she responded, “Yes, but I don’t know why.” Her family attributes her clear head, general good health, and longevity to keeping active and she exudes a gentle spirit of kindliness and interest in others.

Mrs. Grant’s mother, Hittie Tracey Harrington, held Cherryfield’s Boston Post Cane in 1985 and the family agrees that Eunice has the same determination as her mother. Right now she is recovering from hip surgery and determined to fly to Michigan next May for a family wedding.

Please share:

Facebook

Twitter

email

by Burni Andres

Thanks to the generosity of Phil Harriman, 88 River Road is the new home of the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society. “This house has a lot more room and we have stuff we can’t begin to display where we are now. This house is in much better condition than the Patten Building, it’s out of the flood plain, and it’s a building we can heat,” says Margery Brown, Founding Member and President of the Historical Society. “I’m delighted that Phil has given the house to the Society, so that we can continue to collect and display information pertinent to Cherryfield and I hope that it will encourage others to join us in our efforts to preserve Cherryfield history.”

Mr. Harriman is putting a new roof on the building and having a picture window installed in the kitchen overlooking the river because he’s “always wanted one in that location.” After some new wiring and plumbing and probably a new furnace are installed, the Society plans to redecorate and begin moving in, hopefully in early 2007.

Society Vice-President, Kathy Upton, says, “I’m just as pleased as punch. It’s such a positive thing for the Society and will be a great home. I think it’s good for Phil and for the Society. It puts us on firm ground, literally, and will make us more useful, more accessible, because we’ll be able to stay open year round.”

Although it is not listed in the “Guide to the Cherryfield Historic District,” the house was probably built around 1840 by William Burnham II, grandson of the Machias Burnhams of Burnham Tavern fame. Washington County Sheriff Benjamin Farrar was living there according to the 1861 Map and his second wife, Permelia, was William Burnham’s daughter. Some years later it served as the residence of Ulysses Gardner who lived in the farmhouse and ran “Gardner’s Grocery Store” downtown, in a long-gone building on Main Street right next door to the building that presently houses the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society.

Phil Harriman has been an advocate for Cherryfield all his long life. He was born on New Street in 1918 and shortly thereafter his family moved across the river to Elm Street. His father, John Harriman, ran a “1st Class clothing store in the best building on Main Street” that stood next to what is now Richard Kapral’s art studio. “It really was the best building,” says Margery Brown. “It was a nice, big, square building.” Joanne Willey remembers taking dancing lessons on the third floor of the Harriman Building; “A dancing instructor used to come down from Bangor to teach ballroom and tap dancing.” That building was later compromised by flood and finished off by fire.

After graduating from Cherryfield Academy, Phil went off to college and his work took him out of town for some time. In 1948, he bought the property at 88 River Road and for the next decade ran it as a sportsman’s lodge called the “Narraguagus River Inn.” “That was when the river was famous for salmon,” he says. During this time, he actually lived in Boston and later Portland, working as an engineer for the telephone company. He used his Aeronca TriPacer three-passenger airplane to “commute” to Cherryfield every few weeks during good weather and maintained an airstrip between the Elementary School and the pond on River Road behind the house.

In the early 60s he moved back to town and ran Cherryfield Motors for the next sixteen years. He kept his airplane for pleasure and would “fly down the river and over the islands, then back through Harrington and up to Deblois.” “All the school children used to look out the window and watch him land,” Kathy Upton recalls. “It was a lot more exciting than lessons. Then the school put up the backstop and that put an end to that.” Listen to Kathy tell about it in her own words:

When “the river went to hell, the fish stopped coming in and the fisherman stopped coming,” so Phil closed the inn and used the house as his own residence. “The government is spending a lot of money trying to find out what happened to the salmon,” he says, and Phil has been helping them for the past several decades. He has been an outspoken advocate for community involvement in salmon conservation and restoration as a founding member of the Maine Atlantic Salmon Federation and a Founding Member and long-time officer of the Narraguagus Salmon Association. He also produced a video about salmon fishing that is in the Historical Society archives.

In 1974, he inspired and was a Founding Member of the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society. In April 1977, he published Mills of the Narraguagus, a well-researched study of what was “In the late 1800’s, one of the largest concentrations of water-power-driven mills in the State of Maine…” turning twelve to fifteen million feet of timber into lumber annually. “The primary purpose of this article,” he wrote in the foreword, “is to create interest among the residents of Cherryfield and vicinity in the history of the town of Cherryfield and the Narraguagus River. It is hoped that some persons might be interested enough to assist in compiling other histories of the area, possibly on such subjects as shipbuilding, businessmen of the 1800’s and early 1900’s, the old houses of Cherryfield, the blueberry industry, and a complete history of the town dating back to the late 1700’s. It is also hoped that this article might stimulate more interest in and more support for the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society….”

After his parents died, Phil moved into their house next door leaving the house at 88 River Road vacant for the past twenty-some years. Now the house will have a new and useful life as the home of the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society. Secretary-Treasurer Joanne Willey says, “I’m just thrilled to pieces about it. First of all we need a new place and this will allow us to have more displays.”

One of the new displays will be Phil’s sister Helen Holland’s collection of teddy bears. “She had hoped to someday have a museum in Vermont with these,” he says, but when Helen died a year and a half ago and left that dream unrealized, Phil asked Maine State Police Officer Barry Curtis of Cherryfield to go to Vermont and collect many of the bears for the police to use in their work with children who come into their care through accidents, etc. The rest of the collection will be displayed in various vignettes throughout the new museum. “I was acquainted with his sister Helen,” says Joanne, “and we anticipate displaying the teddy bears as a tribute to her.”

Phil Harriman is not a man who leaves dream-fulfillment to chance. He is a hands-on sort of person and the man who is making the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society’s dreams come true.

For more information call Kathy Upton at 546-2076 or Joanne Willey at 546-7937.

Please share:

Facebook

Twitter

email

by Burni Andres

Margery Brown in the first Cherryfield-Naraguagus Historical Society building.

Margery Brown of Cherryfield is one of a group of outstanding volunteers from Eastern Maine who will be the honored guests of WLBZ 2 at the annual 2 Those Who Care Awards. The awards will be presented at a gala invitational ceremony on Wednesday, October 5, 2005 at the G. Peirce Webber Campus Center at Husson College in Bangor and will be televised as a primetime special on WLBZ 2 on October 18, 2005, 8:00pm.

Margery moved to Cherryfield with her late husband, Ted, in 1952 and began her life as a volunteer in 1953 by helping with the school lunch program where she “helped serve the food, cleaned up the mess afterwards and did whatever the cook asked you to do.” When her family was young she did a stint as a Sunday School teacher, but she is being recognized now primarily for her work during the past thirty-one years as one of the founding members of the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society (and 31-year President) and the Cherryfield Free Public Library, and for her more recent service as a member of the board of selectmen and a variety of related committees, the Washington County Council of Governments, the Sunrise Economic Council, the Washington County Commissioner’s Budget Advisory Committee, the Cherryfield Celebration Committee, and for numerous caring interventions on an individual level.

Unofficially labeled the “town historian”, it is rightly thought that Margery Brown knows more about the town of Cherryfield than anyone else in the world. She served as town clerk from her home for nine years (1963-1972) and on the planning board for ten years. In 1995 she secured a grant and put all the existing town records on microfilm. Through these activities she was introduced to what is now her primary interest, genealogy. She and her late husband cleaned and catalogued more than 40 historic cemeteries in the area and she personally fulfills the genealogical requests received by the Historical Society.

On one recent evening, Margery realized that she had two meetings in Cherryfield and one in Calais scheduled for 6:00pm. “I think I just over-extended myself,” she recalls saying. She sees her work as a way to serve the community, and conversely, as a way to fill her own life with meaningful activity. Although her schedule can be demanding and is the source of much family amusement, of the “Where’s Mom?” variety, she expresses no interest in slowing down. She is a two-time cancer survivor and has often lent support to other cancer patients by taking them on the 120-mile round trip to Bangor for treatment, as well as sharing her caring ear.

When we discussed this award one recent afternoon, it was very typical that she spent most of the time talking about the contributions of the other award winners she had recently met. She seemed most impressed with those who greet returning soldiers at the Bangor Airport. We agreed that it’s always nice to be recognized for one’s efforts, but I got the clear impression from Margery Brown that she does what she does for the love of it and rather wonders what all the fuss is about.

2 THOSE WHO CARE was developed by WLBZ 2 in partnership with the United Way of Eastern Maine to honor truly exceptional people – men and women from throughout Eastern Maine who unselfishly make a difference in the lives of others. 2 THOSE WHO CARE is sponsored by Merrill Bank and Webber Energy Fuels. For more info go to www.wlbz.com

Please share:

Facebook

Twitter

email

by Burni Andres

Cherryfield Academy was incorporated 176 years ago by an Act of the Maine Legislature on February 19, 1829, “…for the education of youth, and the promotion of piety and morality….” The original Board of Trustees reads like a Who’s Who of Cherryfield – Samuel Merrill, Phineas Bond, John Upton, Philo Lewis, James A Campbell, Tobias Hall, Joseph Adams, William Nichels, Alexander Campbell, Alexander Nickels, Jeremiah O. Nickels, James Small and Charles Hall. Many generations of these distinguished families were educated at the Academy and some descendents still reside in the town.

In 1886, Judge James Milliken became Cherryfield’s first historian by writing a small volume, The Narraguagus Valley – History of the Early Settlers. The Judge’s son, Dr. Charles J. Milliken, served as treasurer of the Academy in 1895-6. The Doctor’s son, James C. Milliken, founded the Milliken Insurance Company (later bought by Hollis Fickett from James Milliken’s widow, Charlotte). In 1948, James C. Milliken wrote a short narrative about the Academy, borrowing liberally from his grandfather’s little history book and family experiences. I, in turn, borrow liberally from James’ notes and from original documents supplied by Margery Brown of the Cherryfield-Narraguagus Historical Society. As usual when writing about matters historical, I siphoned some of this material directly from the mind of Margery Brown, Cherryfield’s living historical encyclopedia and current President of the Society.

In 1948, James C. Milliken wrote: “Until 1850, the school led a sort of itinerent [sic] life, being held first in one place and then in another. For the first ten years, the sessions were held in an old meetinghouse, which had been remodeled and repaired for the purpose. The site of the building was near the present location of the Baptist Church. In 1839 this structure was burned, and for ten years the school languished. A private school was taught for a time in Lyceum Hall.”

“In 1850, the Union School District was formed in order to provide the Academy with a suitable and permanent home. The present building was erected by the district and deeded to the Trustees. This generous act afforded the School excellent accommodations, and attracted the attention of those interested in higher education to Cherryfield. Competent teachers were employed, and the excellence of the instruction given drew many students, who are today among the active men and women of this and many other states.”

The “Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Cherryfield Academy for the year ending February, 1853” lists a Board of Trustees including some Campbells, Nickels, and Smalls plus a Willey, a Wakefield, a Burnham and a Nash among those at the helm. It lists two teachers, Francis A. Gates, A.M. and Miss Catharine R. Lord, and a total of 198 students – 99 “Gentlemen” and 99 “Ladies” – a student/teacher ratio that would surely be frowned upon today.

The textbooks used in the “English Branches” are listed as “Bible; Town’s Fourth Reader; Webster’s and Worcester’s Dictionaries; Brown’s Grammar; Weld’s Parsing Book; Thompson’s Seasons; Smith’s Geography; Burritt’s Geography of the Heavens; Smith’s Astronomy; History of the United States: Boyd’s Rhetoric; Hedge’s Logic; Comstock’s Natural Sciences; Foster’s Book Keeping; Watts’ on the Mind; Wayland’s Moral Science; Lambert’s Physiology; Wood’s Botany; Worcester’s Ancient History; Wayland’s Political Economy.”

In addition to English, Latin, Greek, French and Spanish were taught. The Trustees take the opportunity to include some general remarks, to whit, “This Institution is located in the pleasant village of Cherryfield, on the Stage road leading from Bangor, Bucksport and Ellsworth to Calais, Eastport and the Provinces: and the Trustees, in issuing this, their first Catalogue, take pleasure in saying that, in its success, their most sanguine expectations have been fully realized. In the facilities it affords for acquiring an education, either for practical life, or for advancement to the higher Institutions of our country, they believe it to be equal to any of the kind in the State, and therefore recommend it as such, pledging themselves that nothing shall be wanting on their part to sustain the high reputation is has already gained.”

The “Terms” are explained as dividing the year into four terms of eleven weeks each; commencing with the Spring Term on Feb. 23, followed by the Summer Term beginning on May, 25th, the Fall Term beginning on August 24th and the Winter Term beginning on November 23rd.

The “Expenses” are the last item listed. “Board, including lights, fuel and washing, can be had in private families, at from $1.50 to $2.00 per week. Tuition, for Common English Branches, $3.00 per Term: Higher English Branches, and the Languages, $4.00: Drawing (extra), $1.00.”

Getting back to James C. Milliken’s 1948 narrative we read, “In 1873, in order that the town might take advantage of the Free High School Act, the Academy building was leased to it for a nominal sum, and a school was carried on under the provisions of said act until 1895. Previous to that time it was recognized throughout the State that the interests of common school as well as higher education would be advanced by reorganizing the old academies. The Legislature of 1893 encouraged this movement by assisting many of them liberally. The Trustees of this Academy applied to the legislature of 1895 for aid, and having obtained it, opened the present school April 15, 1895.”

The Academy remained an educational and community center until 1967 when S.A.D. #37 was formed and Narraguagus High School was constructed, after which, the Trustees deeded the building to the Town of Cherryfield for use as a Town Office and community building. The town used it until 1999. During this period the town renovated a portion of the first floor lecture hall into offices, and two classrooms in the rear of the first floor were developed into the town’s library. Union Hall, the historic second story auditorium with its magnificent vaulted ceiling, stage and exquisite acoustics, was closed to conserve energy.

In 2000, after the completion of a new town office building and post office on Route 1, the Academy building as deeded back to the Board of Trustees. Since then it has housed the Cherryfield Free Public Library, some 1st floor rooms have been available for various group meetings, and the building has been maintained at a subsistence level. The effort to conserve energy, along with advancing age, caused degradation of the plastered walls and ceiling to the point of being dangerous and the auditorium was closed for safety reasons. This winter, the Cherryfield Library will be relocated to its new home in the old Union Trust building on Main Street.

The Board of Trustees, led by Chairperson Nancy Willey, have embarked on a plan to bring the Academy building back to life. With the help of Down East Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) they secured two small grants. With these, they hired Chris Glass, a historical architect from Camden, to study the existing building and submit plans for getting the building up to code – which includes removing some walls, installing an elevator, improving bathrooms and installing a sprinkler system so the building is suitable for general public use – while preserving its historical character. The roof has been repaired and the chimneys inspected.

Last spring several local businesses donated money to clean up and paint Union Hall. To date, the ceiling and walls of Union Hall and the ceiling over the stairs have been restored and painted. The signature magnolia medallion in the ceiling has been restored to its original splendor and, if the Trustees have their way, it will some day once again have a chandelier hanging from its centerpiece.

Fundraisers and donations are on-going and if the success of the recent Harvest Festival is any indication, the Trustees have the full support and enthusiasm of the community. They plan to sponsor suppers, plays, a Miss Cherryfield pageant, and a full range of Cherryfield Celebration activities. The Trustees, all Academy graduates recognizing their advancing years and a dearth or possible replacements, have amended the by-laws allowing relatives of Academy graduates to serve as trustees, thereby insuring an influx of new ideas and energy.

“We realize this is a tremendous undertaking,” Nancy Willey told me, “but we wish to make Cherryfield Academy once again, the educational, social and cultural focus of our community.”

Please share:

Facebook

Twitter

email