The weather on Sunday couldn’t seem to make up its mind. It rained for a while and then the sun came out. This was repeated most of the day. I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day despite the weather.
We were saddened to hear of the passing of our neighbor, Alfred Leighton. He worked as a foreman for the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad for many years. After retiring, he served on the Board of Selectmen for the Town of Gilead and when his term was up this year and he decided not to run again, his wife, Sharon, stepped in and filled the position. Condolences to the whole family.
One day last week, it was windy and rainy. It was so loud, we could hear the wind and downpour coming down our street. The wind made a left turn between the Town Hall and our house and into our backyard. Which would have been no problem if it had not lifted up our metal storage shed and put it on its roof. Luckily, there was nothing of great value in there.
Hugh and I went to Tim and Michele’s to celebrate both Mother’s Day and Sidney’s graduation from Franklin Pierce University the day before. Sidney graduated with high honors in the health science degree. Of course, proud parents, Tim and Michele, attended graduation along with William Chapman and Ajay Landry and Jenna Edwards.
The hummingbirds came to our feeder on Mother’s Day like they have for the past few years. There were at least two of them fighting over the feeder. There was a hummingbird at Pete and Claudia Risbara’s a few days earlier and Tedd Brown spotted one about the same time as they did.
There are not too many different birds at the feeder, but there was a Rose-breasted Grosbeak out looking for some sunflower seeds the other day. The lone turkey has come back, too.
Gilead Historical Society
While some of the stages and then the railroad went through Gilead, the only large facility in Gilead with 50-60 rooms for visitors was the Bennett Tavern on Route 2, not far from the railroad depot. The Tavern at the head of the Androscoggin Bridge Road was built in 1898 and burned in 1909 with complete loss of the tavern, livery stable, and “tenement.” The Peabody Tavern predated Bennett’s by almost 100 years and was a major stopping place for the stage travelers for many years. It is still standing and is being used as an antique shop.
Quite a few of the Gilead farmers rented rooms to hunters and fishermen. Many of them returned and built their own small camps. An 1880 map shows camps on almost every one of the brooks in Gilead.
Early on, these people arrived by train and were driven to their camp or room by a farmer and his team. One camp built in 1901 had fish and game tallies written on its doors and inside walls. Regardless of the season of the year, many weeks they totaled 70-80 trout, a moose, usually a bear and a number of deer, partridge, and other small game!
Got any news? Email chapmal@hotmail.com