The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-04-26


tel had not been built when 1t was
first located. In the very early days
there was no passage way across
Skowhegan Island The river was
crossed by a ferry from about the To-
cation of the ice house to the DAVIS
Miller landing.
The leagues, remembered by Mr.
Loveioy as musical family, have
pretty much all disappeared from this
section. One of them lived for q
time on what is now the Thomas
Dionne place on the Eaton Mountain
road. Frank b. was foreman of the
Riverside Pulp mill for good many
years. At the time of his death he
lived ON the Gould place, about foGr
miles out on the middle road to Wa
terville.
l. S. B. Brewster was quite famous
as a hotel proprietor. The Brews-
ter House was a very pretentious
structure. standing on the present
Hotel Coburn site. 1t was burned
about 1875 and the lot was vacant
! for five or six years before Hotel Co
burn was built
The hotel kept by Lyford on Rus
sell street is the present Skowhegan
House, much improved and enlarged
| The Otis harrington shop faced on
Russell street and was about the
| present location of the back end of
the Green Bros. Ten Cent Store.
! Opinions would differ about Otis be-
| ing the most even tempered man in
| town. In the above "reminiscences his
| residence next to the depot is men
| toned. This was on Court street at
| the present location of the Maine Cen
| trail Hotel The house itself is prob
ably still standing, moved to another
location nearby.
The residence of Thomas Ross Is
still there, now occupied by his son
| Charles A.
The town hall referred to in the
! comment on the bowling alleys was
undoubtedly the brick building on Wa
ter street so long occupied by the
Somerset Reporter now the location
of the Wateryille Motor Company
and the American Express.
| John Y. Dorothy had carriage
shop somewhere along there, perhaps
| about the location of the skating rink
| building, now known as the Heselton
! block.
| The Turner House occupied about
| the present location of the Municipal
building. 1t was a splendid struc-
ture with two wings fronting on Wa
! ter street and wire yard area be-
tween. After it's destruction by fire
| in abont 1882. it was succeeded by
| the Heselton House, also a very fine
| hotel.
The location of the Varney carriage
shop on Madison Avenue. was UNI
doubleday that occupied by Bragg d
| Varney at the present time.
Mr.. Lovejoy's first school, which
| he refers to on Madison Avenue, was
located at about the corner of Winter
| Street. In those days the area in
| its rear was pasture, marsh and
| woodland. Sometimes the marsh
| had water enough in it to afford fine
skating when it froze in the fall
| The Chandler Dyer home on Madi-
J son Avenue is still standing. altho 1t
| has been enlarged and improved. II
| is at present owned by Mrs. Il. T
| Steward a grand niece of Chandler
Dyer.
The pond referred to as being OPP
posite this first school house is still
there, part of the property of the
Danforth Greenhouses. John Whit
ten lived in what was then one story
house on Madison. Avenue opposite
the end of Leavitt Street. This house
became the property of the late DR.
John e. Wadsworth and he built II
over into it's present form. 1t is
now the residence of Dr. c. f. Rich
ardson. The brook referred to Is Of
course Written Brook Ii still finds
its way TO the Kennebec River
altho at the lower end 1t has beer
modified in appearance as it ap
proaches Elm Street.
The Judge White place Is nov
owned by DR.. l.. A. Dascombe. Judge
Whites second residence, mentioned
as near the foot of Dyer Hill, is now
the home of w. w. Creation.
| The stephen Coburn residence IL
still standing near the junction o
Pleasant and Elm Streets and is still
the home of his daughter. Miss Louise
Fl. Cohurn. Alonzo Coburn lived a
the head of Coburn Avenue, the las
house now standing there on th'
means and at one time very ,...f-w II
right hand side. He was man o
means and at one time was great!
interested in the breeding OF Merint
sheen. These sheep were very ex
pensive and Mr. CCburn took grea
pride in them. The story goes tina
one afternoon he heard rifle shot OF
two Which caused him to look out in
to the pasture at the rear of his home
where the sheep were grazing. T6
his dsmay he observed several o
them stretched out dead Rushing
out he found young man standing
near by in rather "contemplative'
mood. The gun ir his hand com
pleted the story. The gunner was
plainly drunk Upon Mr.. Coburn''
excited inquiry as to why he shot the
sheep he put up the defense that they
attacked him and that mo sheer
could bite him and live" Probably
the humor of his remark did not ap-
peal to Mr. Coburn but the theory tha
this intoxicated gunner put forth tha
he had killed the sheep in self de
Tense was certainly daring and unique