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Winter 2021 · Issue 27 · Editor: Jean Hankins · Layout: Jessica Dorr.
This is an archived annual newsletter to the society’s membership. Appeals, plans, and event details below reflect the time of publication. For current information, see society news, events, or support the society.
Support Otisfield history!
The Covid-19 Pandemic has made us realize the importance of history as a factual guideline and beacon. Simply put, what we’ve done in the past matters a great deal. The Otisfield Historical Society, like most other town-based groups, has had to compromise. We’ve postponed our programs and canceled our annual Strawberry Festival and most of our directors’ meetings.
Even though we’re an all-volunteer organization and pay no salaries, we still need to heat, insure and maintain the Old Town House at 53 Bell Hill Road which houses important town artifacts and documents. We are grateful for your past support, financial and personal, and encourage you to make a generous annual contribution in the enclosed envelope. We don’t plan on going anywhere and we cannot wait to see you all again!
Who’s working
With no public meetings in 2021, you might think that town history got shoved completely aside, waiting for interest to revive only when the pandemic ends. Not so! Here’s what some folks have been doing to keep it alive:
Tom Peaco, down in Florida, has been exploring the Road Book, which, when finished, will be a complete summary of the origins of all town roads, where they are and who lived there! Tom has also been working on late 18th and early 19th century deeds to the first settlers in town. This has led him to analyze entries in the Proprietors Record Book. This interest has also led to possibly digitizing this volume, which is Otisfield’s oldest historical document. It is owned by the town and safeguarded in the town vault.
Jean Hankins produced a summary of Otisfield’s role in Maine’s 1820 separation from Massachusetts, titled “Apathy and Ambivalence,” which the Bell Hill Meetinghouse Association published in their summer 2020 newsletter.
Dave Hyer and Jean Hankins contacted officials in the State Archives and Maine Historical Society — not an easy endeavor because of closures mandated by the pandemic. They were investigating ways the Proprietors Record book might be scanned or copied.
Jess Dorr and Derek Dorr have kept the OHS website updated and responded to Facebook inquiries. Jess has also transcribed from the manuscript all the 1920 entries from the diary of Nellie (Chute) Edwards.
Proprietors Record Book
The proprietors were a group of Boston businessmen to whom the Massachusetts General Court deeded the large plot of land that became Otisfield. Their record book, kept in the town vault, dates back to 1771 and is largely a careful record of land sales and of which people owned which lots. William Spurr’s History of Otisfield has extensive excerpts from the hand-written volume.
Recognizing its importance as a founding document, in 1976 the town had the state archives make a microfilm copy. The book is indispensable for anyone doing a careful study of early town history before Otisfield’s incorporation as a town in 1798. We are currently in the process of finding a way to add a copy of this important document to our archives so that anyone interested can have access.
The Road Book
This is another valuable town document, prepared some time ago by selectmen John Harth and Ethel Blow. Harth painstakingly copied from the Proprietors Book and other early town records all mention of roads, recording the exact wording of everything dated pre-1896. Because the town roads originally had no consistent names, Ethel endeavored to annotate the early entries with notes identifying the road’s current name — Rayville Road, Bell Hill Road, etc. This made Harth’s work easier to use.
Howard Dyer’s memories of 1918 flu
In 2009, Henry Hamilton interviewed long-time resident G. Howard Dyer about his recollections of the 1918 pandemic, commonly known as the Spanish Flu. Here’s a little of Howard’s response:
We had a good Doctor here, his name was Dr. Haskell. He took care of us. He knew a lot about flu. He said that about all he could do was try and make you comfortable. He told us to drink a lot of ice water and he said that it would be a good idea to drink a root beer every day.
Henry’s interview with Howard is available in its entirety on our website. There is also an in-depth program Henry gave in 2011 on the Spanish Flu itself, available on our YouTube channel.
Programs on hold — for now
With the pandemic raging and vaccinations uncertain, we find it impossible to schedule concrete dates and details for the programs we had planned for 2020. That doesn’t keep us from doing a bit of pre-planning anyway! Please let us know, in any way you can, what you think.
Civil War letters of Otisfield soldier, Algernon Scribner
Algernon’s family lived on Bell Hill Road. His letters home are of special interest due to his role as a fifer in the war. They provide fascinating details of what his job entailed. Program may be done virtually, as we plan on having a special guest.
Read the letters of Algernon G. Scribner, 1862–1864 in our article collection.
Cemetery tour
Did you know there are 14 cemeteries in Otisfield? These beautifully maintained locations provide ample resources for budding historians and genealogists alike. With a possible date right around All Hallow’s Eve, we hope to be able to regale you with tales of yore, and maybe even a ghost story!
Old house tour
We previously had permission from homeowners to let folks tour 8 of the town’s oldest homes, scattered all over town. We would supply a knowledgeable docent at each location to point out interesting features about the house and answer questions. This program will happen when it can be done safely.
Otisfield’s historic landmarks
The town has a lot of beautiful and interesting landmarks besides houses and cemeteries, such as the Ryefield Bridge and the foundations of the original poor farm on Swampville Road. Many of these locations are listed on the National Register of Historic Places! We can help you find them and answer any questions you may have! We are currently developing a program on this, but feel free to explore some of these sites yourself! A full list will be provided on our website and an information sheet can be sent via email.
If you want to stay up to date on all of the happenings of OHS, join our email list. The link can be found at the top of our website. We send out regular updates on scheduled programs as well as updates to our collection.
Original newsletter
Read the supplied page images: page 1 (PNG) and page 2 (PNG).
The source is labeled Winter 2021, Issue 27; this article is filed under February, the society’s annual mailing month. The exact mailing day is not recorded. The old website’s download labeled 2021 contains the 2022 newsletter instead; this transcription uses the two supplied images of the genuine 2021 issue.