Well, 2026 has decided to arrive and bring cold temperatures with it. Most of the time the temperature starts out with single digits in the morning and rises to the mid-teens by afternoon. If the sun comes out, the thermometer might get into the mid 20’s. At least the days are getting a little bit longer now, minute by minute.
It seems like that now the holidays are over, people have headed back home after their family vacations. Hopefully, they are headed to a warmer climate.
Not much to report on birds at the feeder this week. There seems to be just the usual ones. Pete Risbara reports that they have seen a large number of Blue Jays and Evening Grosbeaks at their feeder.
I saw a post on Facebook that Phil House made. He stated that he has been organist at First Universalist Church in Auburn, Maine for 41 years. Congratulations, Phil.
The recent bad weather caused a lot of problems with the slippery roadways in the area. It seems that Route 2 in Gilead was not kind to a few drivers. In case you missed it, the following is a post on Facebook from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office:
“On 12/31/2025 at approximately 0628 hours US Rte 2/Gilead Rd was reduced to single lane traffic with periodic closures during recovery efforts of a tractor-trailer truck combination which had been involved in an accident. Investigations found Mark Keddy of New Hampshire had been driving westbound on US Rte 2 in Gilead in a 2022 Western Star owned by SDS Logging INC of Jefferson, New Hampshire. Keddy was not injured. The Western Star truck had significant damage. The truck trailer was not loaded.”
The Gilead Fire Department has been busy on other calls after that truck accident. On Saturday, January 3rd. they were toned out to respond to a motor vehicle accident on Route 2. Deputies from Oxford County responded, along with Bethel Rescue. They were also called out Sunday, January 4th for a chimney fire on the North Road.
Gilead Historical Society
Historical Note: Excerpt from GHS publication, {School Days by Howard C. Reiche, Jr, Hugh G. Chapman, Linsley A. Chapman, 2014}-“HISTORY OF GILEAD SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION: These early Gilead records of education and the schools are scattered throughout several sources: the incomplete Town Reports, Town Meeting Warrants and the two note books of The Ministerial and School Committee.
Also, there aren’t many early State records. Primarily, because the towns were not interested in having the state involved in their business. It wasn’t until 1846 that a State Board of Education was formed. Its main purpose was to examine and correct the defects in the existing “district” system. Remember, each town district ran their own school, not the town or state. The State Board tried to make suggestions to the Town District Systems for the arrangements of the districts, uniformity of schoolbooks, teacher qualifications, the location and uniformity of schoolhouses, and the school year. It must have been like trying to herd cats! Nothing happened.
The Gilead Selectmen decided that no child should have to walk more than a mile to school. So, in 1836, the Gilead School Districts were set up by the selectmen. They created six districts with boundaries and a seventh called “the bog”! They were #1, #2 and #3 on the North side of the river from Bethel to the New Hampshire line and #4, #5 and #6 on the South side going downstream from the New Hampshire line to Bethel. No further references were found for “the bog”, or #7 school.
Also, there doesn’t appear to be any reason in the records why the Gilead selectmen would be interested enough to designate such a school. This could stand some deeper research.”
Got any news? Email me at chapmal@hotmail.com