Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-05-27

the last century still remain. Among
others is the old inn shown in the ac-
campaigning illustrations In fact the
house was built some time during the
latter part of the 18th century.
In the year 1914. David Reed moved
from Topsham with his family ard
opened the house for boar,lers
This boarding house was carried on
until about 1888, when one OF his sons,
George ". Red, hung out the sign
"Travclers' Home ana made it into 4
regular hotel. The old sign after
swinging in the wind for almost half
n century. was taken down ana stored
away. An inspection of it now shows it
to be bright and handsome, and the gilt
lettering looks as though it might have
been on only a short time
David Reeds family, when he came to
Benton. consisted Of his wife and ten
children. The family lived rs All fami-
lies lived in those days. Today it is
hard to realize how entirely family
lived within themselves, so to speak.
Almost everything was home made,
from the farming tools and furniture of
the house, to the clothes they wore.
They raised their own flax, and Mrs.
Reed spun and wovc all the clothes. all
the table linen and all the sheets. etc,
for the beds. One may see in the house
at the present time the old flax and
spinning wheels, and the loom. just as
they were used in those carly days. In
fact, the loom, after almost Il hundred
years service. is still in use to weave
carpets on. Among other ancient
things in the house are chairs made By
Mr.. Reed himself.
When David Reed came to Benton he
had the house enlarged to its present
size. AS shown in the illustration, the
house is two and Il half stories high,
with a gambrel roof.
The main door is in the center of the
front of the building, and opens into a
long hall which runs almost the
length of the house. on the right and
left of the front Ioor, as you enter, are
doors opening into the parlor and bar
room respectively. Although the house
was closed as Il hotel in the ffties,
these two rooms have been allowed to
remain as they were in those days, and
anyone interested in antiques would be
repaid for a long journey to see these.
The paper on the walls was put there
in 1914, and was the first wall paper
ever brought into the town. 1t camC
i'm small squares. a single design or
each square. These were matched to-
gether as well as possible. The paper
in the parlor has a buff background
and the design is in n brown. The de-
sign represents n woman kneeling be
meath n tree. In one hand she holds 8
rope attached to a dog. The other she
has raised, as though she was ex-
plaiiIing something toa child who stands
near The child is leaning against the
tree. and has its legs crossed. pre-
sumably to represent a natural pose
though in the picture it looks as though
She was doing a balancing act. The
perspective in this, as in almost all the
old pictures. is entirely wrong. The
woman is as large as the tree, while
the dog looks as though it had not
Toasted for many moons In the bar
room the general effect is much dark
or The background has alternate darl
and light lines running through it. ant
the design represents some old castle.
Tie barroOm is perhaps the most in
terestiug in the house. In one corner
of the room is the old bar. which is al
most literally what the name implies
IT is small closet with the partition
built to about the height of a mant
chest. On this rests shelf. and from
this shelf bars of wood about an incl
square run to the ceiling. In the cen
ter a small space was left through
which to pass the drinks, or cigars
whichever were wanted. The entranc
to the closet was from the hall.
one piece of furniture in the bar
room is particularly noticeable. 1t is
combination chair and table, and i
shown at the right of the picture of tn
bar. 1t is over hundred years old
and was brought originally from
Wales. 1t was used most of the tim
as a chair. and when an extra care
table was needed the top was tippet
down.
This old room has {seen many inter
esting and exciting. | scenes. On tn
training days of the >0ld militia, tn
men from out of town Ttopped at tn