Alfred History

Transcribed by Bruce R. Tucker of the Alfred Historical Committee Lawyer Samuel Came did local work for the R.G.Dunn collection agency located in New York [forerunner of Dunn & Bradstreet]. He periodically evaluated local businesses and potential borrowers as to their credit worthiness. This is his assessment of the Shaker Community finances for 1881. “Continue to have confidence and respect of the community. Pay well and deal fairly. Aug. 9, 1881: Are considered perfectly tr

By Bruce R. Tucker, Alfred Historical Society The summer of 1812 found Samuel Wormwood, joiner, of Alfred with little to do. Samuel was the son of Amos Wormwood who lived toward the Kennebunk end of Mouse Lane- near Whitcher’s Mill. Parsons referred to the Wormwoods as teamsters and farmers but Amos’ probate listed his profession as carpenter and husbandman. Samuel, Amos’ oldest son, followed in his fathe

by Bruce R. Tucker of the Alfred Historical Committee Seldom, when we grab a bag of flour or loaf of bread off the supermarket shelf, do we reflect upon the fact that the contents were once living plants, waving on the prairie. The plants were likely harvested in mammoth swaths and then ground by the ton for sale by some multinational agribusiness. The scale of how it is produced (huge fields, huge combines, huge volumes) is not reflected in the small quantities of flour we d

by Bruce R. Tucker, Alfred Historical Society Sweating and foaming, the horse clattered into Morgan Lewis’s Alfred dooryard. The mud spattered rider from Wells seemed in no better shape than his stead as he nervously sought out Lewis and delivered his message. He was likely a man known to Lewis, probably a member of the Wells Committee of Safety or Correspondence. On this spring day, the 20th of April, 1775, the Wells man’s errand was being replicated all over the Maine coun

by Bruce R. Tucker of the Alfred Historical Committee [Taken from Bennett Quarry paper] PARSONS LIBRARY It was during Charles Bennett’s ownership that the quarry, with the assistance of his brothers Edwin and John, produced the granite for the Parson’s Memorial Library, in all likelihood their largest project. Originally, four materials were considered for the library- quarry stone, boulder stone, faced stone and hard burned brick. Owners of an unopened quarry offered stone

by Bruce R. Tucker of the Alfred Historical Committee Isaiah Whitten leaned heavily on his hoe and gazed across the fields, sweat running into his eyes in the blazing July sun. He appeared to be alone but was surrounded by his nemesis- the 10,000 cornhills belonging to the Came family. The 10,000 hills he faced now with hoe in hand. The corn he had planted when the days were cool, the corn he would pick when the days were frosty and husk when the days were frigid. Regardless

by Bruce R. Tucker of the Alfred Historical Committee Local legend says that Eliphalet Griffin, local blacksmith, was hastening to Waterboro with a pair of andirons he had promised a customer. Griffin saddled his horse, draped his andirons around his neck with a length of rope and kissed wife Mehitable on the cheek before setting off. He decided to shorten his journey by cutting across Shaker Pond on the ice, a fatal mistake. The ice gave way and poor Eliphalet and mount went

by Bruce R. Tucker, Alfred Historical Committee George Came Diary: Sunday Nov. 3, 1861: "Great Fire in the village last night. Mr. Stimson’s house [Menelly's 2018] caught fire about 7 o’clock and burned to the ground together with all his outbuildings- then widow Farnum’s house and stable burned [Kusma’s], then the town house and then the school house [in front of cemetery wall]. Most of the furniture was saved. I was in the village and into the house as soon as the door was

by Bruce Tucker, Alfred Historical Society The concept of having an exotic manufacturing facility like an embroidery mill in Alfred is shrouded in mystery. Certainly, it was not a common enterprise in rural Maine, so it was not a case of Alfred copying another successful venture in a neighboring town. Embroidery sales were limited to clothing manufacturers so it’s market was not necessarily the same as the high volume textile industries found in nearby Sanford or Biddeford.

by Bruce Tucker, Alfred Historical Society When we think of York County’s great landed proprietaries, the first name that springs to mind is the Phillips Proprietors. William Phillips and his heirs lay claim to much of central and northern York County based on the numerous deeds he purchased from local Natives in the 1660’s. Neighboring Sanford and Waterboro both evolved through the Phillips heirs but this proprietary shared the stage with others such as th

By Bruce Tucker, Alfred Historical Committee The fall of Quebec in 1759 signaled the end of France’s domination in Canada and a cessation of warfare by their Native allies. For over half a century this warfare had kept the English settlements pinned against the Atlantic coast, unable to venture into New England’s interior. The end of war was not even official before English colonies plunged into the hinterlands, anxious to lay claim to the frontier lands and

By Bruce R. Tucker, Alfred Historical Committee Alfred village did not always look as it does today. In 1800, the village area was largely farmland, a garden spot and woodlot. The intersection of roads leading to Waterboro, Sanford, Saco and Kennebunk made the village area a prime spot to site commercial ventures, churches and a town government. In 1801, Dr. Abial Hall bought a large parcel of land extending from the village center to the knoll where the courthous

by Bruce R. Tucker, Alfred Historical Society Historically the black population of Alfred and Waterboro has never been large, in fact, it has been downright infinitesimal. In this regard, these towns are not much different from other towns in York County, Maine. Given their small numbers, blacks seem to pass through our cultural landscape like ghosts, leaving few footprints in our stony soil. One of the places the black presence in York County is recorde

By Bruce R. Tucker, Alfred Historical Society The arrival of the railroad in Alfred was an eagerly awaited event. There were few things a town could do to insure its commercial future that could have more impact than having a railroad depot . The rails let goods and people move through your village regardless of the muddy roads or snow that hampered other towns commerce. Hopefully some of that money would stay in town, lining the pockets of Alfred merchants, as residents of

By Bruce R. Tucker, Alfred Historical Society At the close of the 18th century, Alfred began to feel growing pains. It had evolved from a hamlet with a few sawmills to an agricultural community with cleared fields. Resident’s needs were few on these self sufficient farms and what items were required could be easily gained by exchanging labor or surplus with neighbors. Most farmers kept account books (or day books) to keep track of their debts and debtors and accounts were ev

By Bruce R. Tucker, Alfred Historical Society The spring of 1862 arrived as all springs do in Alfred, eagerly anticipated and full of promise. Farm life moved in its easy familiar rhythms, dictated by the seasons and easily recognizable to generations of New England farm folk. Diarist George Came, on the Back Road, put up the sleigh and got out the wagon, hauled manure and waited for the fields to dry for planting. Life seemed little affected by the world beyond his rock wal

by Bruce R. Tucker, Oct. 2020 The Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the battlefields of WWI. Only 3% of those infected died from the disease but one fifth of the population of the world was infected, over 20 million. This particular virulent strain of flu was unusual as it was most deadly for those between the ages of 20 to 40, making veterans among the most susceptible. Enduring life in the trenches through brutal conditions was tough enough,