In 1915

Downtown

Walking Tour

(For Kids!)

Waterville Public Library

1905

Andrew Carnegie was a wealthy businessman who had emigrated from Scotland as a young boy. As

a young man, he educated himself by reading all he could at public libraries. He never forgot what

he owed to that ability to read, and donated millions of dollars to establish libraries and schools all

over the country, and the Waterville Public Library is a result of his gift of $20,000.

It was built in 1905, in an unusual style, called “Richardson Romanesque.” That basically refers to

the tower, arches, and combination of brick, granite, and copper building materials. All in all, the

result is a really neat looking building. The current renovations are recovering some of the original

look of the building—architectural features that had been covered up in fire repairs during the

1960s—while expanding collection space.

With over 90,000 books, cds, and movies in its collection, that new space will be invaluable as the

library continues to expand. Plus the new reading rooms will make the library into an awesome

place to stay and read!

Waterville Public Library circa 1905, historic postcard courtesy Bill Taylor

In 1959, a massive fire began in the library. Volunteers worked

for hours with the Fire Department to put it out. Some, includ-

ing students from Colby, formed a line and moved books as fast

as they could out of the library and into the Baptist Church

across the street. Thanks to that work, and to the copper fire

doors that you can still see on the main floor, the building and

collection were much less badly damaged than they might have

been.

During the recent renovations,

librarians have been delving into the attics and

old storage areas of the library. It’s amazing

what was found in those back rooms. Discov-

eries include ledgers from the 1800s; old

spelling books and newspaper articles; a bill

from Massachusetts (from 1804, when Maine

was still a part of that state) charging Water-

ville $112 in taxes; presidential primary bal-

lots; and a document signed by Civil War hero

and Maine governor Joshua Chamberlain,

commending Sydney Keith for his bravery in

the Civil War. Joshua Chamberlain, photo:

Ladder truck at Waterville Public Library fire, 1959, photo: Waterville Public Library

1. Waterville Post Office

1911

Before phone calls and email made getting in contact with

people quicker and easier, the Post Office was an even

more important place than it is today. The imposing

Greek style architecture and the central location of this

building reflect its important role as the center of

communication in the town.

The Old Post Office, looking south towards Main Street,

Across the U.S., the way mail was delivered was changing in the 1910s. Ru-

ral delivery (mailmen driving from house to house in the country) had re-

cently begun, and in 1913, packages could be sent. This increased the vol-

ume of mail shipped nationwide, and motivated the development of more

efficient transportation systems. By 1918, the U. S. Post Office had already

begun air mail deliveries to places in the United States, but airmail didn’t

reach Waterville until much later.

2. Hanford Hotel

1835 This house (with orange doors and cast iron

gates) is the oldest surviving

building on Main Street. Until recently, it was

both a boarding house and a hotel, depending

on the type of visitor.

Summer visitors stayed for as little as $1.00

for the night. Boarders stayed for a longer

time and got meals and housekeeping services

along with a room. It was a good option for

workers, who were too busy for cooking,

cleaning and laundry.

Among the boarders at the Han-

ford Hotel were many French Ca-

nadians looking for work at the

mills. Many who found jobs even-

tually settled in town.

If you look across

the street, you can

see a Rite Aid

building (now va-

cant). That’s where

another hotel, the

Elmwood Hotel,

used to be. It was

one of Waterville’s

most famous (and

fancy) places to

stay.

Lockwood Cotton Mill, historic postcard image

courtesy Bill Taylor

Elmwood Hotel,

historic postcard cour-

tesy Bill Taylor

Photo courtesy Waterville Historical Society

Front Street Area:

Lebanese Maronite Community

Immigrants from the Middle East began coming to Maine in the

1860s. Around 1910, large numbers of Maronite Catholics from

Lebanon began settling in Waterville. Many of these immigrants

were fleeing forced military service in the Turkish Empire, which con-

trolled Lebanon at that time. In Waterville, many Lebanese people

settled around Front Street, the area beside the river which allowed

them easy access to work at the mills or at the railroad which ran

through the area.

Try some Lebanese food!

George’s Restaurant on Union Street and Leba-

nese Cuisine on Temple Street still serve great

food from tabbouleh, hummus, and falafel to

baklava and spinach pies.

Or you can find recipes at the library or on the

internet and try making some yourself. It’s deli-

cious!

St. Joseph’s Maronite Church, c. 1950

Image: St. Joseph’s Maronite Church website

You’ll be able to see St. Joseph’s Maronite Church on

the corner of Appleton and Front Streets as you walk

towards the Two Cent Bridge. This wasn’t built until

the 1950s. Before that, the Maronites worshipped with

the French immigrants, or at a house on Appleton

Street.

Later in the tour, as you walk down

Main Street, notice the Lebanese

Heritage Mural on the side of the

GHM Insurance building!

Photo courtesy Waterville Historical Society

3. Haines Theater

By 1917, you could go to Haines, Silver, State, or Bijou Thea-

ters if you wanted to see a movie. All those theaters were on

Main Street, and even better, it cost only 7 cents to buy a

ticket!

Haines Theater burned down in 1967, but it used to be next

to the Cyr Building, where TD Bank’s drive-through is now.

The theater was destroyed in a spectacular blaze involving

explosions and flames that leapt 100 feet into the air.

Image from the Waterville Fire Dept website:

State Theater

eventually be-

came Steve’s

Restaurant and

is now

Cancun Mexican

Restaurant.

4. Two Cent Bridge

Workplaces like the Hollingsworth

and Whitney Mill were across the

Kennebec River in Winslow, but had

many employees from Waterville.

The mill workers couldn’t be swim-

ming to work every day, so a foot-

bridge was built in the 1890s to

connect Front Street with the oppo-

site shore. After that bridge was

washed away by very high flood wa-

ters in 1901, they built the current

one in 1903. To get across, you had

to pay a toll of two cents to the

collector in the red booth. That’s

how the bridge got its name.

Housing along the river before the Two Cent Bridge was built

historic postcard image courtesy Bill

French Canadian Immigration

The first French Canadian immigrants came to

Waterville in the early 1800s, and kept coming

throughout the early part of the 20th century.

They found work at the mills along the Ken-

nebec River. They became part of the regular

community very quickly, settling first in the

Water Street area and building St. Francis de

Sales Catholic Church in 1874 and Mount

Merici Academy in 1889.

The French Canadians

introduced hockey to Waterville!

St. Francis de Sales, 1876, historic post-

card image

courtesy Waterville Historical Society

Sacred Heart, 1906, historic postcard image

courtesy Waterville Historical Society

Religion was an important founda-

tion of Franco-American life. The

majority were Roman Catholic. The

first Roman Catholic Mass said in

town was in the home of Jean Bap-

tiste Mathieu on Water Street in

1841. As immigrants poured into

the area, and there were soon enough

people to build St. Francis, and only

30 years later, Sacred Heart Church.

An early Waterville

High team. Image

from the Waterville

Sentinel.

There are many ways to find

out about the early Franco-

Americans.

Take a look at the “Museum

in the Streets,” which guides

you through the French Ca-

nadian background of Main

Street and the South End.

On the other hand, you could

look up traditional French

Canadian food and music, at

the library or on the internet.

Eat and listen—both the

food and music are great!

French Canadian workers at

an iron foundry near Waterville.

Image : Collection of the Maine Historic Preser-

vation Commission

Foundry workers took molten

iron and poured it into molds

made of sand in a process called

“casting.”

Pig Iron referred to chunky casts

of metal sold as raw material.

Cast Iron was often more fin-

ished pieces, like tools, kettles or

even garden railings. At the Red-

ington Museum, you can see a big

carved wooden gear, used to form

molds for casting machine parts.

The Hollingsworth-Whitney Mill across the

river in Winslow

Historic postcard image courtesy Waterville

Mills and factories like the Lockwood Cotton Mill,

Hathaway Shirt Factory, and the Wyandotte Mill were

so common in and around Waterville because of the

Kennebec River and Messalonskee Stream. In the early

1800s, these waterways provided both power and easy

transportation, and they continued to help power the

mills until the mid-1900s.

Trains were one of the main reasons that Waterville was

such an important town at the beginning

of the 20th century. They allowed pas-

sengers to come and go easily, and also

made transportation of clothes, tools,

and food fast and simple. When you

walk back towards Main Street from the

Two Cent Bridge, you’ll cross over the

old tracks, and if you look further down

the river, you can see the railroad bridge

still standing over the Falls.

5. Maine Central Railroad

President Teddy

Roosevelt came to

Waterville around 1912,

stopping at the railroad

station to campaign for

office. Like many other

presidents,

Roosevelt enjoyed vaca-

tioning in Maine, and

came here frequently.

The Route: After coming across the river, the train ran along

Front Street, eventually crossed College Ave., and stopped at the

passenger station (across from where the Post Office is now).

From there it could go to Lewiston, Skowhegan, Bangor, or just

head to the Round Houses a bit further up College Ave., along

the Kennebec.

historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor

image courtesy Waterville Historical Society

Transportation

You could do most of your shopping on Main Street in 1915. People traveled by horse

or buggy to the downtown and walked from store to store; or perhaps to the City Hall,

Opera House, or movie theater. You could also take the

trolley down Main Street if walking was too much trouble. At first, these were horse

drawn, but by 1900, they were powered electrically, running along wires strung between

buildings.

Even though you could get most of what

you needed in Waterville, sometimes you

had to go farther away, maybe to Bangor

or Skowhegan. In that case, you could

head to the railroad station and hop on

one of the trains of the Maine Central

Railroad.

You can still see one of the

old engines at the train yard

on the right as you head down

College Ave.

historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor

historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor

The “City of Waterville” steamboat predated most of the

bridges in the area. This picture is from the 1890s.

The first car in

Waterville! Owned by

Charles Hussey

How they got to

fires in 1912:

horse-drawn fire

engines.

All images on this

page are from the

City of Waterville

website photo gallery:

http://

www.waterville-

me.gov/

departments/

administration/

6. Castonguay Square

The town common would have been an important base

for various official activities in Waterville. It was used

for festivals, ceremonies, and as a center for parades. Just

about every occasion imaginable was an excuse to put

banners out the windows of Main Street businesses and

send a parade down the street. Adding to the fun were

the dozen

or so

school,

church,

or club

bands

that were

organized

around

this time.

After WWI, the

Common was

renamed after Ar-

thur Castonguay, a

Franco-American

sergeant who was

the first soldier

from

Waterville to die in

the war.

On Saturday nights,

bands like the R.B.

Hall Band would

play live music and

people would come

out to dance in the

One of the bands, in

costume

Image: Waterville

Historical Society

historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor

historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor

Waterville history goes back a lot farther than 1915. It became a city in 1888, and was already a town in

1802—that’s before Maine was even a state!

You can still easily find out a lot about important things that happened in Waterville and the surround-

ing area. For example, in Castonguay Square, there’s a plaque commemorating the time that Benedict Ar-

nold and American Revolutionary troops landed just above Ticonic Falls on their way to

Canada. Another nearby place that dates all the way back to the French and Indian War in the mid 1700s

is Fort Halifax, just across the river in Winslow. You could also check out the park across the street from

the Library. Ever noticed the Civil War Monument there? Waterville history is

everywhere!

Use the internet, the Maine State Museum, or the Waterville Public Library to find out something inter-

esting about the history of Waterville before 1900. Then tell the story to someone else, either at school,

at home, or on your own tour of Waterville!

Fort Halifax before renovations Civil War Memorial

Images courtesy Waterville Historical Society

7. Waterville City Hall and

Opera House

How the Opera House was built:

(according to the Waterville Opera House website)

...Into town strolls a man named George Adams from Law-

rence, Massachusetts. George meets with the City Council

and declares that he has a design for an Opera House and

asks, “How big would you like it?” The City Council

members ponder for a while (as counselors are prone to

do), and they respond by telling George they don’t need an

Opera House; they need a new City Hall. George, being a

most resourceful man, makes a deal with the Council. “I’ll

build you a City Hall, and put an Opera House on top!”

Around 1915, all sorts of shows would have been on stage at

the Opera House: plays, music recitals, and vaudeville shows

involving singing and dancing—much like today’s musicals. In

the 1940s, it became a movie theater because the popularity of

live shows had declined. But now it shows mostly plays and

concerts again, except during special events, like the Maine In-

ternational Film Festival.

Left: an early

production at

the Opera

House,

probably

around 1903;

Image cour-

tesy Water-

ville Histori-

cal Society

City Hall was, and still is, the center of Waterville politics. In 1915,

Martin F. Bartlett was the mayor, and his office was here, along with the

city council offices. Now you can find the same offices, plus town re-

cords and the Police Department in this building.

The old City Hall used to stand right behind the present one. It was

first known as the Old East Meeting House, then City Hall. After 1901,

it became the armory, where the local guard troops stored their equip-

ment. Historic postcard mage courtesy Bill Taylor

Image courtesy Waterville Historical Society

Just for Fun

Even though people back in the 1910s

didn’t have computers, video games, or

televisions, they could still have plenty of

fun. When they weren’t listening to bands

in the Square, going to a play, or watching

a parade, they might play sports, go to the

fair, or even to the circus.

“Dare Devil Volo” is having a blast at the fair,

jumping through two rings of fire on a bicycle!

Elephants in Main Street,

heading to the circus

The Central Maine Fair used to

take place in Waterville, just off

Chase Ave, beside Mount Merici.

Just like now, there were animal

shows, races, and even Ferris wheels

to ride on!

All images on this page courtesy Waterville Historical Society

Left: The Colby

College football

team.

Image courtesy Bill

Taylor

“Nelson” was a favorite race horse at the fairgrounds in the early 1900s.

Image: Waterville Public Library.

Right: Nelson,

mid-race

Image courtesy

Waterville

Historical Society

8. Shopping on

Main Street

What do you think shopping

was like in 1915? Unlike

now, you would usually go to

many small stores to get eve-

rything you needed, instead

of to one big store. Stores on

Main Street like the W.B. Ar-

nold hardware store, the

Grand Union Tea Company,

or McCallum’s Fish and

Meat Market

allowed you to

support small

family businesses

in the center of

town.

The Clukey Block (above, on the cor-

ner of Silver and Main Streets) con-

tained one of the largest department

stores in central Maine. You could go

to a shoe store, millinery (hat) store,

clothing stores, and a dry goods store

all in the same building.

Main Street

shops in 1910,

looking south

Images on this page courtesy Bill Taylor

Levine’s in the 1940s Image courtesy Bill Taylor

Levine’s and H.R.

Dunham were two well-

known

clothing stores that only

closed within the last 30

years or so. You can see

where both used to be; the

Kennebec Federal Savings

Bank building is a

remodeled version of H.R.

Dunham, and as you walk

further south on Main

Street, look for the old

signs for Levine’s on a

building to your left.

One of the most obvious differences between life in the early 1900s and life

now is how people dressed. Both men and women generally wore hats. Men

wore vests and jackets. Women usually wore long dresses.

Using the internet or old Sears Catalogues (check the library), find pictures of

typical clothing from 1910-1915. You can print (or even draw!) what you find,

and compare it with examples of modern clothing.

A typical general store;

image courtesy Waterville His-

torical Society

Jewish Immigration

The Old Beth Israel Synagogue, built 1905

Just as it was for the French Canadians and Maronites, religion was a

major factor uniting the Jewish population into a close-knit

community. The founding members of the Beth Israel Congregation (chartered June

16, 1902) included Julius Levine, William Levine, Louis Wolman, John Paikowsky,

Phillip Levine, Moses Silver and John

Williams. Wishing to preserve their family traditions and pass them onto their children,

they held services at the Fire Station on Ticonic Street. Later, they bought a barn fur-

ther up the hill, demolished it, and built the first synagogue in town. Moses Silver be-

came the first shochet (ritual leader) and was

succeeded

by Hyman L.

Shenson. Since

1914, rabbis have

led the

Congregation.

The original

wooden building

was eventually

replaced by the

brick synagogue

on upper Main

Street.

Left: The New

Beth Israel Syna-

gogue, built

1958

Photos on this page courtesy of Beth Israel Congregation.

Website: http://www.bethisraelwaterville.org/

The Levine family started out as peddlers, (see

page 23) but soon became one of the founding

families of the Jewish community in Waterville

and owners of Levine’s clothing store on Main

Street and many rental properties on Ticonic

Street. That’s partly thanks to President John-

son of Colby College. As a boy, Louis Levine

used to sell papers on a corner of Main Street

near a bank (the site is now Judy’s Salon), kick-

ing his feet against the building in the winter to

keep them warm. President Johnson used to

buy the newspaper from him, and one day

asked Louis if he was going to college. Louis was a good

student and athlete, but he told Johnson that his parents

didn’t have the money to send him to college. That would-

n’t matter, Johnson told the boy. As long as Louis kept up

his grades, “Colby would make it possible for him to go.”

Sure enough, when he

graduated from high

school, he applied to

Colby and they worked

out a way to fund his

degree. He became a suc-

cessful lawyer and eventu-

ally bought the bank

building where he sold

newspapers years before.

A paperboy, around 1905

Image: http://

upload.wikimedia.org/

wikipedia/commons/6/61/

Newsboy_in_1905.jpg

The Colby Campus today: Miller Library,

built in 1939. Image courtesy Colby College.

Since the Jewish community was smaller than other ethnic groups

in Waterville, you can easily trace its geographical movement. It

was concentrated in

Ticonic Street initially, where housing was inexpensive. As families

began to succeed in business, many of them moved up towards

Colby College.

You can take a quick tour of this area by driving up Ticonic St.

from Chaplin St. (at Elm City Photo). Much of this area was

owned by the Levine family, who were one of the few wealthier

families to remain on the street after the 1920s, renting apartments

to poorer families. (The Levine house wasn’t sold until 2009, 13

years after Levine’s store closed.)

If you take a left on Kelsey St, you’ll be near the site of the old

synagogue. Continue, and you’ll come to Upper Main Street; the

new synagogue is on the corner of Kelsey and Main Streets here.

Many families moved across Main Street to Johnson Heights, and

the increasing affluence of the neighborhood is apparent as you

drive up. At the end of this road is North Street, and Colby Col-

lege—where many of these families were educated—is just beyond

that.

Unlike many other newcom-

ers to Waterville, Jewish im-

migrants often didn’t start

out working at the mills. In-

stead, they came from bigger

U.S. cities to work as ped-

dlers in the area.

Peddlers traveled the coun-

tryside, selling small goods

like needles and thread. If

they were successful, they

might eventually open a

shop. Stern’s, Levine’s, and

several other shops on Main

Street were owned by Jewish

families.

Other newcomers to the area

started out by going into the

scrap business. They would

buy junk for low prices, sort

out the metals, and sell them

to iron foundries (see page

9). From there, some family

businesses expanded into

waste management or car

dealerships.

9. The Lombard Tractor

Alvin Lombard’s

house is still at 65 Elm St. The

most interesting thing about it?

A secret room!

Although it was unfortunately

destroyed in the course of

street repairs, it used to be

camouflaged as a store room

with the door cleverly hidden

behind the furnace in the base-

ment. Some people think it

might have been a secret labo-

ratory!

You have to go all the way to the end of Front Street to find this Lombard engine on dis-

play.

Alvin Lombard invented this steam-driven machine for use in the logging industry. Its

continuous tracks provided traction and acted as snowshoes in the winter, allowing it to

travel over snow that was too deep for horses, and thus to transport wood easily year-

round. He began to lose money on his invention when other inventors copied his track de-

sign on other machines, such as construction vehicles and tanks.

The Lombard Plow

Images on this page courtesy Waterville

Historical Society.

10. First Baptist Church

1826

Samuel Francis

Smith, a pastor of

this church in the

early 1800s, wrote

the well-known

patriotic song

“My Country ‘Tis

of Thee” while he

was a student in

Massachusetts.

The oldest public building still standing in Waterville is the

Baptist Church directly across Elm Street from the library. It is

also the oldest church in town, but it wasn’t only built by Baptists.

In order to pay for the building, the church members—under the

direction of Jeremiah Chaplin, the first president of Colby—sold

pews (the long benches in the church) to whomever would buy

them. The buyers included Congregationalists, Universalists, Meth-

odists, and Presbyterians, so members of all these churches were

also part-owners of the new Baptist church!

Historic postcard image courtesy Bill Taylor

More on Waterville

(and Maine) History!

People in Maine are certainly

proud of their history. In Water-

ville alone, you can find histori-

cal societies, church records, and

family histories, not to mention

websites and Facebook groups.

Here’s a list of some of the

most interesting places and

events where you can find out

more about the town and the

state as a whole.

Colby Jewish History Exhibit: Don’t miss this when it

opens on the Colby campus next April! Designed for kids,

it will have all sorts of stories about the early Jewish settlers

in Waterville. (http://web.colby.edu/jewsinmaine)

Franco-American Festival: Taking place in September annu-

ally, at the Head of Falls, this celebration of Maine’s French

Canadian heritage involves traditional food and great music!

(http://www.waterville-me.gov/departments/franco)

Lebanese Supper and Bazaar: Check out these annual

spring and fall events at St. Joseph’s Maronite Church; a

great chance to experience Lebanese food and culture.

Maine State Museum: Tons of cool exhibits on Maine in-

dustry, wildlife, and history. Don’t miss the temporary ex-

hibit on Maine home life! (http://mainestatemuseum.org)

Museum in the Streets: A downtown walking tour centered

around the French Canadian immigration in Waterville. The

stops are marked by signs at various locations which give

the history of the area.

Redington Museum: Built by Revolu-

tionary War veteran Asa Redington in

1814, the house’s neat architecture and

historic furnishings can give you an

idea of what home life was like over a

century ago. (http://

www.redingtonmuseum.org)

Waterville Historical Society: The

headquarters is in the Redington Mu-

seum, so they’re easy to find. They have

tons of pictures, and even historical

records if you’re really interested in

something.

Waterville Public Library: Come back to the

library, of course! We have volumes of material,

both for grownups and kids on Maine and Wa-

terville history. Look for a few of the great

books that helped get this project started. Want

to know more about what Main Street looked

like years ago? Check out Around Waterville by

Frank Sleeper, or Reflections : Waterville and

the Upper Kennebec Valley (Vol 1 and Vol 2) by

the Morning Sentinel.

Acknowledgements

This project was funded in part through a Maine

Humanities Council Community Outreach Grant.

Many thanks to Bill Taylor of the Framemakers for use of his collec-

tion of historical postcards, and to Harry and Donnice Finnemore

of the Redington Museum, Waterville Historical Society for their as-

sistance in tracking down other valuable images. Thanks to Dr.

David Freidenreich of Colby College for his assistance in finding ma-

terials relating to the early Jewish community in Waterville. Also to

Rosanna Joseph for proof-reading and design advice.

Sponsors:

Waterville Public Library and Waterville Main Street

Writer and Designer:

Thérèse Couture

August 2010