Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-07-25
JUST A FEW BY-CONES
or EAST WINTHROP LIFE

Rolling along in luxurious Sedan
over the fine road between Augusta
and lovely East Winthrop, one who
is old enugh, can remember, when
things were different, especially
roads. Where now, are those three
cornered, rocky lodges on the hillside,
over which your old horse used so
carefully to work his way, while you,
In the carriage got many a now and
then jolt? Not a trace of them re-
mains, while even the very outline of
the hills seem grown softened and
subdued.
Looking towards beautiful Lake
Cobbosseecontee, one recalls when it
was simply the pond; and how, at
| one period, after the death Of several
young women from consumption, at
not very long intervals, there began
| to be dread rumor that the POND
was unhealthy" but, with the sum-
| mer colony that has settled on it's
| shores, now, these many years and
made it famous as a pleasure and
health resort, there seems nothing to
have warranted such accusation. The
, general appearance of East Winthrop
has changed less in the past half"cen-
| fury or more than the modern trail
through it. AS elsewhere, new dwell
| ings have here and there replaced the
| old but on some of the ancient sites
where change and decay have taken
their TOLL only the grass has since
grown. On the top of the last hill ap-
preaching the village from the east,
once stood low. rambling red
house. where Samuel Richards fam
| lily of nine sons and tire daughters
were born and raised, while on the
opposite side of the road was an
other family of - children with the
order of sexes exactly reversed. Yes,
this is a true tale-24 children in the
two homes, but whether all lived to
grow up, is forgotten, also the name
of the second family. This hill came
to be known as Uncle Sans hill"
Passing the cemetery, the old house
still seen at the right was built in
| about 1869 by William Richards,
| father of Samuel. When he first
came to East Winthrop he was
thought to be something of a Croesus,
| because, as it was noised abroad, he
had money enough to buy all the land
in sight; and he made a long and
careful survey of it before making a
choice for his farm and house lot.
His wife Johanna Whiting was born
in 1868 and the writer has a rude por-
trait but supposedly likeness of her
taken when she was sweet sixteen
with the neck of the blue dress cut
in front exactly in the prevailing
mode of 1923-a rounded square. She
| became the mother of a large family.
whose descendants have continued to
| occupy the old homestead until with
! in comparatively a few years. Men,
! Dry seems to call dimly to mind a
watering trough along here. a long
! followed log, fed in some way by a
spring and assisted, perhaps by the
handle of pump.
A little further on, where the
north road" turns there was once
some sort Of shoe factory. This is
especially remembered by the writer
on account Of the labels it used,
which came in large sheets which we
little girls were more than willing to
take and cut apart for the sake of the
| lovely shiny, dark blue margins left,
coveted for May baskets" and pa
per dolF' work-fore-runn Of the
Dennison supplies and no less en-
joyed than the finest of them could
be. But long before the day of these
labels the itinerant shoemaker. with
his kit, went from house to house
where he cut, sewed and pegged, re-
naming in the family till all were
shod, or shoed, when he moved on to
the next place. A we'll worn path led
from the north road corner up to the
little white church. trodden by many
sanity feet and who, in those days,
in that godly neighborhood. would
ever have thought of any path lead
ing elsewhere on Sunday morning
Down by the shoe shop ran-prob-
! ably does a brook, where little
Johanna Prescott, namesake Of her
grandmother Richards, was in some
way drowned. There was no witness