The Republican journal., 1909-01-14


and tstrength to this particular task anu de-
serves large share of the credit for the stand
ing of the school as model of its kind. His
was life which its graduates may well emu
late"
Col. Atwood was for a quarter of century
one of the trustees of the New England Agri-
cultural society, was one of the founders OF
the Maine Pathological Society, was the Or
ganizer of the Maine Poultry association, and
was delegate to the Worlds Congress Aux
iiary of the Worlds Fair at Chicago in 1893,
held under the auspices of the United States
Department of Agriculture. He was for sew
eral years member of the board of trustees
of the Maine State College of Agriculture and
the Mechanic Arts (now the University of
Maine,) also trustee of the East Maine Con-
ference seminary at BuckspOrt, and of Hebron
Academy.
His labors in behalf of his native town were
earnest and unremitting and Winterport is one
of the best advertised towns in Maine today
through his efforts. He lost no opportunity
of reminding the public that Winterport is
rightly named, and often favored his friends
with photographs showing the "open polar
sea-" In March, 1872, the steamer Katahdn
was frozen in below Bucksport Narrows and
the steamer Cambridge was tied up at this
port The Winterporters, under the lead of
Mr. Atwood, organized relief party to visit
the Katahdin and later came to Belfast in
sledges, dressed as EsquimauX, visited the
steamer Cambridge, had dinner at the Ameri-
can House, and good time generally. This
was play. Col. Atwood was the originator of
the Winterport Free library, which has be-
tween 1000 and 5000 volumes, with trust
fund of 81 900, the income to be used in buying
books He formed the Cemetery Trust Co.,
which has over $500 trust funds, the income g
be used to care for the lots perpetually. Mem
bers pay 50 and Soc year. Water was needed
at the cemetery and the Pipe Line Association
vryhn xyich
member and any one can use water by paying
rs cents per lot for the season. Years ago it
cost $l.SO to go from Winterport to Bangor.
Mr.. Atwood took the matter up with Payson
Tucker and got rate of so cents, 80 cents for
the round trip, and the Winterport Ferry Co.
was organized to take passengers across the
river to connect with the trains. The Winterport
Water Co., which supplies pure spring water
to the town, and has ample pressure to play 5
streams over any building in the district is also
largely due to Mr.. Atwood's efforts. He took
an active interest in the schools, and indeed in
all the affairs of the town, whose interests,
moral and material, were ever in his mind.
Col. Atwood very early became interested in
the development of Aroostook county. and
created widespread interest in that section
throughout New England by inducing exhibits
at the Maine State and New England fairs, by
personally conducting an excursion of capital
lists and journalists to that county in 1886, and
Boston, of which one of the results in part was
the successful building and operation of the
Bangor & Aroostook railroad. In letter of
June IA, 1907, Col. Atwood tells how he became
interested in Aroostook. He says: II became
a'convert to the possibility of the development
of Aroostook county through Daniel Stickney,
the old veteran, to whom the county is much
indebted for its development. l met him in
Augusta and subscribed for his paper with the
understanding that he would write up Aroos-
took So thoroughly and completely did this
sketch describe that section that two of my
neighbors James Haley and Enoch Grant,
drove up through Aroostook as far as Presque
Isle. On their return Mr. Grant called to see
me and when asked him about the places he
had visited, and described them to him, he ask
ed when was in Aroostook, and could hardly
believe that l could so correctly describe the
territory over which he had travelled without
q personal visit" He then speaks of the Aroos-
took exhibits in Lewiston, in Manchester, N.
H., and in Bangor, and of interesting Arthur
Sewall of Bath, Payson Tucker of the Maine
Central, and others in direct line of railway
into Aroostook Mr.. and Mrs. George A..
Quimby and Charles A. Pilsbury of this city
were members of Mr.. Atwood's Aroostook Ex-
ploration party which visited that section IN
1886, travelling by special train, and accom-
panied by President Cram of the New Bruns-
wick railway in his private car. Later, when
the Canadian Pacific acquired the New Bruins
wick railway, and Mr. Cram resigned his po-
sition with the Canadian Pacific and undertook
the building of the Bangor & Aroostook Mr.
Atwood and influential members of his ex-
ploration party were able to lend him material
aid. In March, 1887, Mr.. Atwood presided at
a meeting of farmers held in the Ploughman
building, Boston, to discuss the agricultural
advantages of Aroostook county. Addresses
were made by Governor Bodwell of Maine,
Hon. z. A. Gilbert, Secretary of the Maine
al, of
Fort Kent, Hon. Francis Barnes of the Maine
Board of Agriculture, Professor Charles F.
Fernald of the Massachusetts Agricultural
college, Hon. Charles B. Pratt Mr.. A. Stockin
Col 2. A. Smith, Rev. W. 7. Sleeper and 9TH
ers. Letters were read from Senators Frye and
Hale, Congressman Reed, Milliken and Bou-
telle and other prominent gentlemen. All were
enthusiastic over the agricultural advantages
of Aroostook; and this was, as Mr.. Atwood
said in recent years, 1.-The beginning of the B.
& A. For his work in aid of Aroostook from
1860 to 1907 Mr.. Atwood never received, per-
sonally, one penny-in fact he was dollars out
on his exploration party and the farmers meet
ing in Boston. 1t took two years for him to
get the State Agricultural Society to offer a
premium of $50 for the Aroostook exhibit at
lewiston and two years more to get the New
England Agricultural Society to offer premi-
um of $125 for the Aroostook exhibit at Man
chester, N H. Not alone the people of Aroos-
look DuC Ine people OF maine are lnQeDLeQ to
Col. Atwood for the work he did in tuilding up
that great county.
November %, 1860, Col Atwood married
Susan ]. Coffren of Winterport. Two children
were born to them: Edmund Souder, born
September %, 1861; died May 80, 1886; and
Lizzie Coffren, born October %, 1868; died Sep
tember 6, 1865. The sons death was a great
blow to his father, with whom he was engaged
in business. He was their only surviving child
and had been married but few months.
still greater loss, and blow from which Col
Atwood never fully recovered, was the death
September 21, 1907, of the devoted wife. They
had been lovers from childhood and in few
more years would have reached their 5Oth an
niversary. Mrs. Atwood had been an invalid
and totally blind for some years, and Rev. Nor
man LaMarsh, the blind preacher, officiated at
the funeral, reading poem, Though l Walk
in the Dark Am Not Alone" Both husband
and wife were lovers of flowers and the house
was filled with them and her grave was cover
ed with them She was laid at rest beside her
children.
The foregoing sketch conveys perhaps better
than mere words of eulogy the character OF the
day. His home life was ideal. his public life
Atwood was a man of positive opinions and
with the courage of his convictions, yet never
extensively partisan, conceding to others an
a marked energetic and pushing characte~,
moter: was genial and charitable in nature. and
always mindful of the interests and happiness
of his fellow men, He believed in protection
LII 1,k,r ord itol. in int ;r,,.;