The Somerset reporter., 1901-01-17

sUnclo Harlow"

Ooe Of our smart old gentlemen, Uncle
Harlow Bigelow, was receiving congrat-
ulations, Saturday, IL being his ninety.
fourth birthday anniversary. John
Harlow Bigelow was born In Starks,
Maine, January II, 1907, but removed at
AN early age to Skowhegan, then Bloom
field, and has spent the greater part of
his life here.
In his early years he was a carpenter
aud built many of the older houses in
Milburn and Bloomfield, now Skowhe-
gan. OF these 1 might mention the
Squire Emery house on Baptist Hill.
built In 1887. Later, in 1912, he took
The contract for the First Baptist
Church for $500, furnishing the brick
and stone. He also made the bricks for
he town hall, court house, high school
building and q part for the wooden mill.
In 1889 he opened the "Old Coburn
store," which stood where the wooden
mill now stands on the South side. Alb.
ner Coburn had bought the stock 10
New York and sent it by boat to Angus
IN, teams bringing it from there to
Skowhegan. This first stock of one
hundred tons contained, among other
things, three hundred OK bows. 1t is
said that the first night this store was
opened, 5000 worth of supplies were
started for the up-river lumber camps.
AS an instance of the amount of trade in
those DAYS, Uncle Harlow says he has
drawn off three hogsheads of molasses in
one night to send to the woods, sixty
three hogsheads the first year.
For many years he made practise of
setting out 3 few shade trees each year,
among the results of this practise may
be noted many of the trees on East
Front street aud Baptist Hill, also a few
on Elm street. Those on the Common
he set out In the spring Of 1874.
Uncle Harlow has always been very
fond of flowers, especially pansies of
which he used to have great quantities.
He still works in his flower garden each
season, his pet plant now being an i'm
mense garden hydrangea, nearly nine
feet across and over six feet tall.
He has always been very fond of chill
dren, and many of the parents of today
remember how Uncle Harlow popped
corn for them in their childhood days,
also the red apples and raisins he always
carried in his pockets. Nowadays he
carries peppermints and he still pops
corn, usually from eight to ten bushels
during the winter, rarely giving away
any unless popped. When the M. c..
r. r. was completed 10 Skowhegan in
1866, Uncle Harlow popped one and one
half bushels Of corn for the children who
came to the celebration and supper,
given the friends who had come from
different points along the line.
Uncle Harlow has good memory of
dates and old time incidents. In speak
ing of the changes in the business life
In Skowhegan, he tells me that the first
store In Skowhegan was built 10 1903
by Judge Bridge of Augusta. where the
wooden mill now stands; the next, in
1907 by Gustavus Dickman of Hallowell,
where the Lumsdens traded for so many
years.
The first news paper on the Kennebec
River, was the Hallowell Gazette about
1911. The first one taken In Skowhegau
was subscribed for by Captain Sylvanus
Pitts, Eleazer Coburn and Joseph
Emery. 1t WAS about sixteen inches
quare, four pages, and cost 90 90 per
wear. 1t was left at Mr.. Emery's by the
stage driver, Peter Gilman, IN the after
noon. In the evening the neghbors
gathered to hear it read aloud for about
light years, when a paper was started
Ut Norridgewock and more began to
subscribe for 1t.
For forty years Mr.. Bigelow lived at
the old Coburn place on Baptist Hill,
with his cousins, Abner and Philander
Coburn, and after their deaths, he re.
manned few years, until about twelve
years ago he went to live with his
nephews, James and DIR. Frank s. Bige-
low on East Front street. He often
walks over town, a distance Of mile.
He Ia an ardent Republican, always
attending caucuses and elections.
On his birthday, Saturday, he popped
corn for some of the children who called
TO see him In the morning and seemed to
enjoy himself with them quite as we'll as
with the older friends.
He Ia very much interested In current
events and can talk interestingly on
political matters of today. He has never
worn glasses and can still read little in
the daily papers. 49,