Waterville in 1915
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In 1915
Downtown
Walking Tour
(For Kids!)
Waterville Public Library
1905
Andrew Carnegie was a wealthy businessman who had emigrated from Scotland as a young boy. As
a young man, he educated himself by reading all he could at public libraries. He never forgot what
he owed to that ability to read, and donated millions of dollars to establish libraries and schools all
over the country, and the Waterville Public Library is a result of his gift of $20,000.
It was built in 1905, in an unusual style, called “Richardson Romanesque.” That basically refers to
the tower, arches, and combination of brick, granite, and copper building materials. All in all, the
result is a really neat looking building. The current renovations are recovering some of the original
look of the building—architectural features that had been covered up in fire repairs during the
1960s—while expanding collection space.
With over 90,000 books, cds, and movies in its collection, that new space will be invaluable as the
library continues to expand. Plus the new reading rooms will make the library into an awesome
place to stay and read!
Waterville Public Library circa 1905, historic postcard courtesy Bill Taylor
In 1959, a massive fire began in the library. Volunteers worked
for hours with the Fire Department to put it out. Some, includ-
ing students from Colby, formed a line and moved books as fast
as they could out of the library and into the Baptist Church
across the street. Thanks to that work, and to the copper fire
doors that you can still see on the main floor, the building and
collection were much less badly damaged than they might have
been.
During the recent renovations,
librarians have been delving into the attics and
old storage areas of the library. It’s amazing
what was found in those back rooms. Discov-
eries include ledgers from the 1800s; old
spelling books and newspaper articles; a bill
from Massachusetts (from 1804, when Maine
was still a part of that state) charging Water-
ville $112 in taxes; presidential primary bal-
lots; and a document signed by Civil War hero
and Maine governor Joshua Chamberlain,
commending Sydney Keith for his bravery in
the Civil War. Joshua Chamberlain, photo:
Ladder truck at Waterville Public Library fire, 1959, photo: Waterville Public Library
1. Waterville Post Office
1911
Before phone calls and email made getting in contact with
people quicker and easier, the Post Office was an even
more important place than it is today. The imposing
Greek style architecture and the central location of this
building reflect its important role as the center of
communication in the town.
The Old Post Office, looking south towards Main Street,
Across the U.S., the way mail was delivered was changing in the 1910s. Ru-
ral delivery (mailmen driving from house to house in the country) had re-
cently begun, and in 1913, packages could be sent. This increased the vol-
ume of mail shipped nationwide, and motivated the development of more
efficient transportation systems. By 1918, the U. S. Post Office had already
begun air mail deliveries to places in the United States, but airmail didn’t
reach Waterville until much later.
2. Hanford Hotel
1835 This house (with orange doors and cast iron
gates) is the oldest surviving
building on Main Street. Until recently, it was
both a boarding house and a hotel, depending
on the type of visitor.
Summer visitors stayed for as little as $1.00
for the night. Boarders stayed for a longer
time and got meals and housekeeping services
along with a room. It was a good option for
workers, who were too busy for cooking,
cleaning and laundry.
Among the boarders at the Han-
ford Hotel were many French Ca-
nadians looking for work at the
mills. Many who found jobs even-
tually settled in town.
If you look across
the street, you can
see a Rite Aid
building (now va-
cant). That’s where
another hotel, the
Elmwood Hotel,
used to be. It was
one of Waterville’s
most famous (and
fancy) places to
stay.
Lockwood Cotton Mill, historic postcard image
courtesy Bill Taylor
Elmwood Hotel,
historic postcard cour-
tesy Bill Taylor
Photo courtesy Waterville Historical Society
Front Street Area:
Lebanese Maronite Community
Immigrants from the Middle East began coming to Maine in the
1860s. Around 1910, large numbers of Maronite Catholics from
Lebanon began settling in Waterville. Many of these immigrants
were fleeing forced military service in the Turkish Empire, which con-
trolled Lebanon at that time. In Waterville, many Lebanese people
settled around Front Street, the area beside the river which allowed
them easy access to work at the mills or at the railroad which ran
through the area.
Try some Lebanese food!
George’s Restaurant on Union Street and Leba-
nese Cuisine on Temple Street still serve great
food from tabbouleh, hummus, and falafel to
baklava and spinach pies.
Or you can find recipes at the library or on the
internet and try making some yourself. It’s deli-
cious!
St. Joseph’s Maronite Church, c. 1950
Image: St. Joseph’s Maronite Church website
You’ll be able to see St. Joseph’s Maronite Church on
the corner of Appleton and Front Streets as you walk
towards the Two Cent Bridge. This wasn’t built until
the 1950s. Before that, the Maronites worshipped with
the French immigrants, or at a house on Appleton
Street.
Later in the tour, as you walk down
Main Street, notice the Lebanese
Heritage Mural on the side of the
GHM Insurance building!
Photo courtesy Waterville Historical Society
3. Haines Theater
By 1917, you could go to Haines, Silver, State, or Bijou Thea-
ters if you wanted to see a movie. All those theaters were on
Main Street, and even better, it cost only 7 cents to buy a
ticket!
Haines Theater burned down in 1967, but it used to be next
to the Cyr Building, where TD Bank’s drive-through is now.
The theater was destroyed in a spectacular blaze involving
explosions and flames that leapt 100 feet into the air.
Image from the Waterville Fire Dept website:
State Theater
eventually be-
came Steve’s
Restaurant and
is now
Cancun Mexican
Restaurant.
4. Two Cent Bridge
Workplaces like the Hollingsworth
and Whitney Mill were across the
Kennebec River in Winslow, but had
many employees from Waterville.
The mill workers couldn’t be swim-
ming to work every day, so a foot-
bridge was built in the 1890s to
connect Front Street with the oppo-
site shore. After that bridge was
washed away by very high flood wa-
ters in 1901, they built the current
one in 1903. To get across, you had
to pay a toll of two cents to the
collector in the red booth. That’s
how the bridge got its name.
Housing along the river before the Two Cent Bridge was built
historic postcard image courtesy Bill
French Canadian Immigration
The first French Canadian immigrants came to
Waterville in the early 1800s, and kept coming
throughout the early part of the 20th century.
They found work at the mills along the Ken-
nebec River. They became part of the regular
community very quickly, settling first in the
Water Street area and building St. Francis de
Sales Catholic Church in 1874 and Mount
Merici Academy in 1889.
The French Canadians
introduced hockey to Waterville!
St. Francis de Sales, 1876, historic post-
card image
courtesy Waterville Historical Society
Sacred Heart, 1906, historic postcard image
courtesy Waterville Historical Society
Religion was an important founda-
tion of Franco-American life. The
majority were Roman Catholic. The
first Roman Catholic Mass said in
town was in the home of Jean Bap-
tiste Mathieu on Water Street in
1841. As immigrants poured into
the area, and there were soon enough
people to build St. Francis, and only
30 years later, Sacred Heart Church.
An early Waterville
High team. Image
from the Waterville
Sentinel.
There are many ways to find
out about the early Franco-
Americans.
Take a look at the “Museum
in the Streets,” which guides
you through the French Ca-
nadian background of Main
Street and the South End.
On the other hand, you could
look up traditional French
Canadian food and music, at
the library or on the internet.
Eat and listen—both the
food and music are great!
French Canadian workers at
an iron foundry near Waterville.
Image : Collection of the Maine Historic Preser-
vation Commission
Foundry workers took molten
iron and poured it into molds
made of sand in a process called
“casting.”
Pig Iron referred to chunky casts
of metal sold as raw material.
Cast Iron was often more fin-
ished pieces, like tools, kettles or
even garden railings. At the Red-
ington Museum, you can see a big
carved wooden gear, used to form
molds for casting machine parts.
The Hollingsworth-Whitney Mill across the
river in Winslow
Historic postcard image courtesy Waterville
Mills and factories like the Lockwood Cotton Mill,
Hathaway Shirt Factory, and the Wyandotte Mill were
so common in and around Waterville because of the
Kennebec River and Messalonskee Stream. In the early
1800s, these waterways provided both power and easy
transportation, and they continued to help power the
mills until the mid-1900s.
Trains were one of the main reasons that Waterville was
such an important town at the beginning
of the 20th century. They allowed pas-
sengers to come and go easily, and also
made transportation of clothes, tools,
and food fast and simple. When you
walk back towards Main Street from the
Two Cent Bridge, you’ll cross over the
old tracks, and if you look further down
the river, you can see the railroad bridge
still standing over the Falls.
5. Maine Central Railroad
President Teddy
Roosevelt came to
Waterville around 1912,
stopping at the railroad
station to campaign for
office. Like many other
presidents,
Roosevelt enjoyed vaca-
tioning in Maine, and
came here frequently.
The Route: After coming across the river, the train ran along
Front Street, eventually crossed College Ave., and stopped at the
passenger station (across from where the Post Office is now).
From there it could go to Lewiston, Skowhegan, Bangor, or just
head to the Round Houses a bit further up College Ave., along
the Kennebec.
historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor
image courtesy Waterville Historical Society
Transportation
You could do most of your shopping on Main Street in 1915. People traveled by horse
or buggy to the downtown and walked from store to store; or perhaps to the City Hall,
Opera House, or movie theater. You could also take the
trolley down Main Street if walking was too much trouble. At first, these were horse
drawn, but by 1900, they were powered electrically, running along wires strung between
buildings.
Even though you could get most of what
you needed in Waterville, sometimes you
had to go farther away, maybe to Bangor
or Skowhegan. In that case, you could
head to the railroad station and hop on
one of the trains of the Maine Central
Railroad.
You can still see one of the
old engines at the train yard
on the right as you head down
College Ave.
historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor
historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor
The “City of Waterville” steamboat predated most of the
bridges in the area. This picture is from the 1890s.
The first car in
Waterville! Owned by
Charles Hussey
How they got to
fires in 1912:
horse-drawn fire
engines.
All images on this
page are from the
City of Waterville
website photo gallery:
http://
www.waterville-
me.gov/
departments/
administration/
6. Castonguay Square
The town common would have been an important base
for various official activities in Waterville. It was used
for festivals, ceremonies, and as a center for parades. Just
about every occasion imaginable was an excuse to put
banners out the windows of Main Street businesses and
send a parade down the street. Adding to the fun were
the dozen
or so
school,
church,
or club
bands
that were
organized
around
this time.
After WWI, the
Common was
renamed after Ar-
thur Castonguay, a
Franco-American
sergeant who was
the first soldier
from
Waterville to die in
the war.
On Saturday nights,
bands like the R.B.
Hall Band would
play live music and
people would come
out to dance in the
One of the bands, in
costume
Image: Waterville
Historical Society
historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor
historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor
Waterville history goes back a lot farther than 1915. It became a city in 1888, and was already a town in
1802—that’s before Maine was even a state!
You can still easily find out a lot about important things that happened in Waterville and the surround-
ing area. For example, in Castonguay Square, there’s a plaque commemorating the time that Benedict Ar-
nold and American Revolutionary troops landed just above Ticonic Falls on their way to
Canada. Another nearby place that dates all the way back to the French and Indian War in the mid 1700s
is Fort Halifax, just across the river in Winslow. You could also check out the park across the street from
the Library. Ever noticed the Civil War Monument there? Waterville history is
everywhere!
Use the internet, the Maine State Museum, or the Waterville Public Library to find out something inter-
esting about the history of Waterville before 1900. Then tell the story to someone else, either at school,
at home, or on your own tour of Waterville!
Fort Halifax before renovations Civil War Memorial
Images courtesy Waterville Historical Society
7. Waterville City Hall and
Opera House
How the Opera House was built:
(according to the Waterville Opera House website)
...Into town strolls a man named George Adams from Law-
rence, Massachusetts. George meets with the City Council
and declares that he has a design for an Opera House and
asks, “How big would you like it?” The City Council
members ponder for a while (as counselors are prone to
do), and they respond by telling George they don’t need an
Opera House; they need a new City Hall. George, being a
most resourceful man, makes a deal with the Council. “I’ll
build you a City Hall, and put an Opera House on top!”
Around 1915, all sorts of shows would have been on stage at
the Opera House: plays, music recitals, and vaudeville shows
involving singing and dancing—much like today’s musicals. In
the 1940s, it became a movie theater because the popularity of
live shows had declined. But now it shows mostly plays and
concerts again, except during special events, like the Maine In-
ternational Film Festival.
Left: an early
production at
the Opera
House,
probably
around 1903;
Image cour-
tesy Water-
ville Histori-
cal Society
City Hall was, and still is, the center of Waterville politics. In 1915,
Martin F. Bartlett was the mayor, and his office was here, along with the
city council offices. Now you can find the same offices, plus town re-
cords and the Police Department in this building.
The old City Hall used to stand right behind the present one. It was
first known as the Old East Meeting House, then City Hall. After 1901,
it became the armory, where the local guard troops stored their equip-
ment. Historic postcard mage courtesy Bill Taylor
Image courtesy Waterville Historical Society
Just for Fun
Even though people back in the 1910s
didn’t have computers, video games, or
televisions, they could still have plenty of
fun. When they weren’t listening to bands
in the Square, going to a play, or watching
a parade, they might play sports, go to the
fair, or even to the circus.
“Dare Devil Volo” is having a blast at the fair,
jumping through two rings of fire on a bicycle!
Elephants in Main Street,
heading to the circus
The Central Maine Fair used to
take place in Waterville, just off
Chase Ave, beside Mount Merici.
Just like now, there were animal
shows, races, and even Ferris wheels
to ride on!
All images on this page courtesy Waterville Historical Society
Left: The Colby
College football
team.
Image courtesy Bill
Taylor
“Nelson” was a favorite race horse at the fairgrounds in the early 1900s.
Image: Waterville Public Library.
Right: Nelson,
mid-race
Image courtesy
Waterville
Historical Society
8. Shopping on
Main Street
What do you think shopping
was like in 1915? Unlike
now, you would usually go to
many small stores to get eve-
rything you needed, instead
of to one big store. Stores on
Main Street like the W.B. Ar-
nold hardware store, the
Grand Union Tea Company,
or McCallum’s Fish and
Meat Market
allowed you to
support small
family businesses
in the center of
town.
The Clukey Block (above, on the cor-
ner of Silver and Main Streets) con-
tained one of the largest department
stores in central Maine. You could go
to a shoe store, millinery (hat) store,
clothing stores, and a dry goods store
all in the same building.
Main Street
shops in 1910,
looking south
Images on this page courtesy Bill Taylor
Levine’s in the 1940s Image courtesy Bill Taylor
Levine’s and H.R.
Dunham were two well-
known
clothing stores that only
closed within the last 30
years or so. You can see
where both used to be; the
Kennebec Federal Savings
Bank building is a
remodeled version of H.R.
Dunham, and as you walk
further south on Main
Street, look for the old
signs for Levine’s on a
building to your left.
One of the most obvious differences between life in the early 1900s and life
now is how people dressed. Both men and women generally wore hats. Men
wore vests and jackets. Women usually wore long dresses.
Using the internet or old Sears Catalogues (check the library), find pictures of
typical clothing from 1910-1915. You can print (or even draw!) what you find,
and compare it with examples of modern clothing.
A typical general store;
image courtesy Waterville His-
torical Society
Jewish Immigration
The Old Beth Israel Synagogue, built 1905
Just as it was for the French Canadians and Maronites, religion was a
major factor uniting the Jewish population into a close-knit
community. The founding members of the Beth Israel Congregation (chartered June
16, 1902) included Julius Levine, William Levine, Louis Wolman, John Paikowsky,
Phillip Levine, Moses Silver and John
Williams. Wishing to preserve their family traditions and pass them onto their children,
they held services at the Fire Station on Ticonic Street. Later, they bought a barn fur-
ther up the hill, demolished it, and built the first synagogue in town. Moses Silver be-
came the first shochet (ritual leader) and was
succeeded
by Hyman L.
Shenson. Since
1914, rabbis have
led the
Congregation.
The original
wooden building
was eventually
replaced by the
brick synagogue
on upper Main
Street.
Left: The New
Beth Israel Syna-
gogue, built
1958
Photos on this page courtesy of Beth Israel Congregation.
Website: http://www.bethisraelwaterville.org/
The Levine family started out as peddlers, (see
page 23) but soon became one of the founding
families of the Jewish community in Waterville
and owners of Levine’s clothing store on Main
Street and many rental properties on Ticonic
Street. That’s partly thanks to President John-
son of Colby College. As a boy, Louis Levine
used to sell papers on a corner of Main Street
near a bank (the site is now Judy’s Salon), kick-
ing his feet against the building in the winter to
keep them warm. President Johnson used to
buy the newspaper from him, and one day
asked Louis if he was going to college. Louis was a good
student and athlete, but he told Johnson that his parents
didn’t have the money to send him to college. That would-
n’t matter, Johnson told the boy. As long as Louis kept up
his grades, “Colby would make it possible for him to go.”
Sure enough, when he
graduated from high
school, he applied to
Colby and they worked
out a way to fund his
degree. He became a suc-
cessful lawyer and eventu-
ally bought the bank
building where he sold
newspapers years before.
A paperboy, around 1905
Image: http://
upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/6/61/
Newsboy_in_1905.jpg
The Colby Campus today: Miller Library,
built in 1939. Image courtesy Colby College.
Since the Jewish community was smaller than other ethnic groups
in Waterville, you can easily trace its geographical movement. It
was concentrated in
Ticonic Street initially, where housing was inexpensive. As families
began to succeed in business, many of them moved up towards
Colby College.
You can take a quick tour of this area by driving up Ticonic St.
from Chaplin St. (at Elm City Photo). Much of this area was
owned by the Levine family, who were one of the few wealthier
families to remain on the street after the 1920s, renting apartments
to poorer families. (The Levine house wasn’t sold until 2009, 13
years after Levine’s store closed.)
If you take a left on Kelsey St, you’ll be near the site of the old
synagogue. Continue, and you’ll come to Upper Main Street; the
new synagogue is on the corner of Kelsey and Main Streets here.
Many families moved across Main Street to Johnson Heights, and
the increasing affluence of the neighborhood is apparent as you
drive up. At the end of this road is North Street, and Colby Col-
lege—where many of these families were educated—is just beyond
that.
Unlike many other newcom-
ers to Waterville, Jewish im-
migrants often didn’t start
out working at the mills. In-
stead, they came from bigger
U.S. cities to work as ped-
dlers in the area.
Peddlers traveled the coun-
tryside, selling small goods
like needles and thread. If
they were successful, they
might eventually open a
shop. Stern’s, Levine’s, and
several other shops on Main
Street were owned by Jewish
families.
Other newcomers to the area
started out by going into the
scrap business. They would
buy junk for low prices, sort
out the metals, and sell them
to iron foundries (see page
9). From there, some family
businesses expanded into
waste management or car
dealerships.
9. The Lombard Tractor
Alvin Lombard’s
house is still at 65 Elm St. The
most interesting thing about it?
A secret room!
Although it was unfortunately
destroyed in the course of
street repairs, it used to be
camouflaged as a store room
with the door cleverly hidden
behind the furnace in the base-
ment. Some people think it
might have been a secret labo-
ratory!
You have to go all the way to the end of Front Street to find this Lombard engine on dis-
play.
Alvin Lombard invented this steam-driven machine for use in the logging industry. Its
continuous tracks provided traction and acted as snowshoes in the winter, allowing it to
travel over snow that was too deep for horses, and thus to transport wood easily year-
round. He began to lose money on his invention when other inventors copied his track de-
sign on other machines, such as construction vehicles and tanks.
The Lombard Plow
Images on this page courtesy Waterville
Historical Society.
10. First Baptist Church
1826
Samuel Francis
Smith, a pastor of
this church in the
early 1800s, wrote
the well-known
patriotic song
“My Country ‘Tis
of Thee” while he
was a student in
Massachusetts.
The oldest public building still standing in Waterville is the
Baptist Church directly across Elm Street from the library. It is
also the oldest church in town, but it wasn’t only built by Baptists.
In order to pay for the building, the church members—under the
direction of Jeremiah Chaplin, the first president of Colby—sold
pews (the long benches in the church) to whomever would buy
them. The buyers included Congregationalists, Universalists, Meth-
odists, and Presbyterians, so members of all these churches were
also part-owners of the new Baptist church!
Historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor
More on Waterville
(and Maine) History!
People in Maine are certainly
proud of their history. In Water-
ville alone, you can find histori-
cal societies, church records, and
family histories, not to mention
websites and Facebook groups.
Here’s a list of some of the
most interesting places and
events where you can find out
more about the town and the
state as a whole.
Colby Jewish History Exhibit: Don’t miss this when it
opens on the Colby campus next April! Designed for kids,
it will have all sorts of stories about the early Jewish settlers
in Waterville. (http://web.colby.edu/jewsinmaine)
Franco-American Festival: Taking place in September annu-
ally, at the Head of Falls, this celebration of Maine’s French
Canadian heritage involves traditional food and great music!
(http://www.waterville-me.gov/departments/franco)
Lebanese Supper and Bazaar: Check out these annual
spring and fall events at St. Joseph’s Maronite Church; a
great chance to experience Lebanese food and culture.
Maine State Museum: Tons of cool exhibits on Maine in-
dustry, wildlife, and history. Don’t miss the temporary ex-
hibit on Maine home life! (http://mainestatemuseum.org)
Museum in the Streets: A downtown walking tour centered
around the French Canadian immigration in Waterville. The
stops are marked by signs at various locations which give
the history of the area.
Redington Museum: Built by Revolu-
tionary War veteran Asa Redington in
1814, the house’s neat architecture and
historic furnishings can give you an
idea of what home life was like over a
century ago. (http://
www.redingtonmuseum.org)
Waterville Historical Society: The
headquarters is in the Redington Mu-
seum, so they’re easy to find. They have
tons of pictures, and even historical
records if you’re really interested in
something.
Waterville Public Library: Come back to the
library, of course! We have volumes of material,
both for grownups and kids on Maine and Wa-
terville history. Look for a few of the great
books that helped get this project started. Want
to know more about what Main Street looked
like years ago? Check out Around Waterville by
Frank Sleeper, or Reflections : Waterville and
the Upper Kennebec Valley (Vol 1 and Vol 2) by
the Morning Sentinel.
Acknowledgements
This project was funded in part through a Maine
Humanities Council Community Outreach Grant.
Many thanks to Bill Taylor of the Framemakers for use of his collec-
tion of historical postcards, and to Harry and Donnice Finnemore
of the Redington Museum, Waterville Historical Society for their as-
sistance in tracking down other valuable images. Thanks to Dr.
David Freidenreich of Colby College for his assistance in finding ma-
terials relating to the early Jewish community in Waterville. Also to
Rosanna Joseph for proof-reading and design advice.
Sponsors:
Waterville Public Library and Waterville Main Street
Writer and Designer:
Thérèse Couture
August 2010
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