BOOK - Scarborough's 350th Celebration

INTRODUCTION

Scarborough at 350, Linking the Past to the Present

This book is the most comprehensive history of the town of Scarborough ever assembled - covering its earliest history to its dynamic present and recounting the memories and observations of hundreds of people of all ages who have shared and shaped the town's story. Among the book's treasures are newly uncovered details, art, narratives, and other works offered here for the first time and never previously published. This history of Scarborough is the magnificent culmination of the unprecedented cooperative effort of hundreds of volunteers who freely shared their own and others' unique accounts and perspectives, memories, research, photographs, and talents. Donating thousands of hours to create this exceptional glimpse of Scarborough past and present, these dedicated people epitomize the town's unique and generous spirit as they proudly join together in celebration of Scarborough's 350th year.

Thanks to our lead sponsor
LEN LIBBY CANDIES
and our major sponsors
Norman Berube Builders
Bernstein Shur

ORDER LIMITED EDITION BOOK

Version to Print Out in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) form.

Thanks to our lead sponsor
LEN LIBBY CANDIES
and our major sponsors
Norman Berube Builders
Bernstein Shur

ORDER STANDARD EDITION BOOK

Version to print out in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) form.

Thanks to our lead sponsor
LEN LIBBY CANDIES
and our major sponsors
Norman Berube Builders
Bernstein Shur

EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK

Captain John Wiggin of Prouts Neck
By Rodney Laughton

John Wiggin was the proprietor of a small store located on the shore across from the entrance to Black Point Inn during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Wiggin’s store did a brisk business during the brief summer season. He called his establishment the “Hotel De Wiggin,” a good-natured poke at the upscale hotels of Prouts Neck. These hotels took a dim view of Wiggin and his business operation. The store was a tumbledown arrangement of three rooms, none of which would have made comfortable guest accommodations. Wiggin lived there alone with a number of cats as his companions.

As a practical joke he had printed a “Prospectus for the Season of 1896.” The handout advertised the services available at the store and was another way of tweaking the nouveau-riche summer tourists that patronized the summer hotels in the area. In the pamphlet Wiggin writes: “A lifeboat is here, manned during bathing hours, for the benefit of those who do not wish to be drowned.” The store, he noted, had an unsurpassed ocean view. This was undeniable as the store literally stood on the cliffs that dropped straight off to Western Beach and Saco Bay. Wiggin closed by stating: “Strictly temperate, no rum sold or drank on the premises, neither beer or anything intoxicating.” In reality customers could procure drink that was stronger than the Moxie advertised on the front door.

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The Way It Was
by Margery Milliken Fancy

I lived about a mile from Dunstan village over on the Payne Road, which was then called the Old Stage Road. Few people owned automobiles, but every family had a horse or two for transportation. In the fall those who had cars “put them up” for the winter. “Put them up” was an appropriate phrase, for the cars rested on blocks to take the weight off the tires. The town’s roads were all dirt; there were no paved roads. Many roadways became mired in mud with the arrival of spring. After winter storms, townspeople rolled the roads to pack down the snow. People exchanged wagons for sleighs and glided across the roads on runners.

Horses, while quite dependable, occasionally caused problems. My father drove his wagon and team of horses back and forth to work at Prouts Neck. Just as he began the turn off Black Point Road, a trolley rolled by. Terrified by the noisy contraption, the horses turned the corner, probably on two wheels, and threw my father out of the wagon. He went into Dr. Wentworth’s house and called home, telling Mother “Get the children in out of the driveway, the horses are coming home!” And sure enough, they did.

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Prouts Neck War Years
by Elaine Frederick Killelea

During World War II life changed on Prouts Neck as elsewhere. My mother, Olyve Frederick, became the Air Raid Warden and we walked every street in the nearby area each evening to be sure no light could be seen. This was particularly important among the cottages lining the beach front. It was not a popular job; no one reacted happily at being told either to turn off their lights or to cover their windows so no light could escape.

At the same time the U.S. Army arrived on Scarborough Beach. They built a hut, first near the Atlantic House and later at the foot of Massacre Lane. Six soldiers at a time rode a truck from their Saco barracks to the hut to stay for four days. Rifle-toting soldiers patrolled the beach 24 hours a day, watching for any unusual activity as well as submarines. This continued from May 1942 to November 1943, then the company left to go overseas.

Naturally, during this time most year-round residents became acquainted with these young service men. My father, Walter Frederick. loaned clam diggers, his skates, and sometimes his tools. My mother baked goodies at the request of one young man. We had no sugar in those days of rationing, so he brought her the required amount of that scarce commodity and she provided everything else. The young G.I. was so appreciative, as were the remaining men in the hut with whom he shared his homemade brownies, that my mother felt well paid for her effort.

When these young soldiers left, we knew and they knew that some of them would never return. It made us sad to see them go.

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“A Doleful Slaughter” near Black Point
by Sumner Hunnewell

In June 1677 the General Council in Boston decided to send troops to answer the constant attacks in the eastern territory of Maine. They also wanted to reclaim lands, including Pemaquid, that lay to the east of Scarborough and that had been abandoned by settlers because of the unrest.

The deployment of the forces would be approached in two ways. Lieutenant James Richardson would take the English soldiers and friendly Indians under his command to range the woods between the Merrimack and Piscataqua Rivers and then march to Scarborough. To encourage the men, Massachusetts promised them twenty shillings for every enemy scalp and twice that for any prisoners taken. The plan was for Richardson’s troops to march up the coast of Maine until they reached Black Point. Major Thomas Clarke and Captain Benjamin Swett would take a seaward route with the bulk of the army in three ships. The rendezvous date was set at June 26, but the ships did not arrive in Scarborough until June 28.

As the men marched toward Black Point’s garrison, behind them lay Saco Bay. On their left were Blue Point and Dunstan and the crescent sands of Saco. To the right lay the woods of the neck and farther on, the plains where once the families lived by farming and husbandry, much of their efforts destroyed the year before. An expanse of marshland spread ahead of them, where freshwater springs and the sinuous Nonesuch River wound its way.

Marching in two or three files, the men saw the land give way to an expanse of marshland on their left, while the land rose before and to the right of them. It took less than half an hour to march to the vicinity of Moore’s Brook, a small waterway that led down to the marsh. They were about two miles from the safety of the garrison, walking along an open plain. As the men began to cross over Moore’s Brook and head up the hill on the other side, the Indians attacked.

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Milliken’s Tavern
by Dr. Susan R. Snow

The most graphic and unchanged reminder of Dunstan’s tavern days is the Lary home—a distinguished brick structure nearly two hundred years old on Route 1 at the entrance to Scarborough from Saco. From the 1700s, the Millikens ran a tavern, inn, and stable there for weary travelers. The family also ran a large farm and mills along Stuart’s Brook, a tributary of Scarborough River running through their property. Captain Mulberry Milliken was in the shipping industry with Richard King. Later his son, Captain Benjamin Milliken, ran Mulberry’s Tavern. His grandson, Dr. John Milliken, became a country doctor and a farmer.

Built around 1815, the brick structure that replaced the original tavern provided a stable across the street to accommodate the horses of travelers, carriages, and stagecoaches, as well as oxen used on the family farm and at the mills. The building’s bricks were made from clay found near the Stuart’s Brook falls and were burned in a kiln. A stone from the gristmill was cut for the steps. The main house had four large rooms upstairs and downstairs, each with huge fireplaces. One of the two large front bedrooms upstairs accommodated women, the other served men. The tavern business began to shrink after the 1840s when the railroad between Portland and Boston began running.

Silas Lary purchased Milliken’s Tavern and farm about 1875, but he died two years later, leaving his wife to raise their two small boys, Alfred and Ralph. She had a piece of glass removed from one of the windows so she could point a gun barrel through the hole to scare away intruders. She added a second story to the ell in back of the house when Ralph married. He raised his three children there—Clarence, Leon, and Elinor. Leon married Marguerite Rice, who taught three generations of Scarborough High School students. Clarence and his mother remained in the main house. After her death, Clarence married Jeannette Douglass, and the couple resided in the main house though the 1970s. The house and farm, owned by fourth and fifth generations of the Lary family, is empty. The brick structure is not significantly changed from 1815. The front doorway, adorned with its fan, and the keystone over the millstone steps are silent reminders of times past when visitors flocked to the tavern; the barn and extensive fields are reminders of its days as a thriving family farm.

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Thanks to our lead sponsor
LEN LIBBY CANDIES
and our major sponsors
Norman Berube Builders
Bernstein Shur

BOOK EVENTS

Thanks to our lead sponsor
LEN LIBBY CANDIES
and our major sponsors
Norman Berube Builders
Bernstein Shur

AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

Authors

• Earle Ahlquist, Scarborough, Maine
• John Andrews, Saco, Maine
• Elinore Ansteensen, Topsfield, Massachusetts
• Virginia Nelson Austin, Port Townsend, Washington
• Peter Dow Bachelder, Ellsworth, Maine
• William David Barry, Debra Verrier Barry, Portland, Maine
• Julie Bassett, Scarborough, Maine
• Ariana Susan Bratt, Scarborough, Maine
• John B. Butler, Scarborough, Maine
• Jonathan E. Cahill, Scarborough, Maine
• Marjorie Waterhouse Cantara, Saco, Maine
• Earlene (Kitty) Ahlquist Chadbourne, Cumberland Center, Maine
• Judi Clancy, Yarmouth, Maine
• Paula Corbeau-OBrien, Scarborough, Maine
• Rebecca Delaware, Scarborough, Maine
• Nial DeMena, Waterville, Maine
• Robert J. Demarest, Hawthorne, New Jersey
• Kenneth H. Dolloff, Scarborough, Maine
• Mark E. Dudley, Hampton, Connecticut
• Jane E. Dudley-Ruel, Wye, Kent, England / Greenwich, New York
• Mark A. Dyer, Scarborough, Maine
• Terri Eddy, Scarborough, Maine
• Margery Milliken Fancy, Scarborough, Maine
• Susan Dudley Gold, Saco, Maine
• Glenn D. Grant, Scarborough, Maine
• Eldred Harmon, Scarborough, Maine
• Adam Hawkes, Sebago Lake, Maine
• Merton G. Henry, Scarborough, Maine
• Frank Hodgdon (deceased)
• Sally F. P. Howe, Saco, Maine
• Jeff Hunnewell, Gray, Maine
• Sumner G. Hunnewell, Arnold, Missouri
• Erica Jesseman, Scarborough, Maine
• Harold Johns, Yarmouth, Maine
• Elaine Frederick Killelea, Scarborough, Maine
• Annie Laughton, Scarborough, Maine
• Rodney Laughton, Scarborough, Maine
• Edna and Jim Leary, Saco, Maine
• John R. Lewis, Scarborough, Maine
• Steve Libby (deceased)
• Janice M. Littlejohn, Windham, Maine
• Robert P. Lynch, DC, Scarborough, Maine
• Don McLewin, Westbrook, Maine
• Cecilia and Ken McNaughton, Scarborough, Maine
• Frances K. Marsh, Gorham, Maine
• Brent M. Mayo, Scarborough, Maine
• Sylvia J. Most, Scarborough, Maine
• Bob Noonan, Canaan, Maine
• Dave Packhem, Scarborough, Maine
• Daniel H. Presby, Brunswick, Maine
• Jean E. Radley, Gorham, Maine
• Carol S. Rancourt, Scarborough, Maine
• Katherine Jessica Rancourt, Scarborough, Maine
• Harvey Rosenfeld, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
• Ellen K. Ross, Waterboro, Maine
• Steve N. Ross, Waterboro, Maine
• Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, Maine
• Lauren Chelsea Sesto, Scarborough, Maine
• Zelia M. Shaw (deceased)
• Harold F. Snow, Scarborough, Maine
• John O. Snow, Scarborough, Maine
• Dr. Susan R. Snow, Scarborough, Maine
• Paul Southern, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England
• Laurene Swaney, Scarborough, Maine
• Dale McConnell Temm, Scarborough, Maine
• Bruce H. Thurlow, Scarborough, Maine
• Karen Vachon, Scarborough, Maine
• Herbert (Bud) Waldron, Scarborough, Maine
• Dan Warren, Scarborough, Maine
• Dolores Gantnier Willard, Scarborough, Maine
• Don Willard, Raymond, Maine
• Glyn Williams, South Portland, Maine
• Martha McFarland Williams, South Portland, Maine

Photography and Graphics

• Tim Byrne
• Steve Whitehead
• Current Publishing
• Portland Press Herald

Contributors

With heartfelt thanks we recognize the following, who contributed to articles, participated in interviews, or assisted in other ways:

• Earle Ahlquist
• Paul Andrulli
• Chris Anton
• Susan Auglis
• Bill Bayley
• Paul Bayley
• Bruce Bell
• Cathy Bennett
• Steven Bentley
• Marcia Blanchard
• Erno Bonebakker
• Ken Bornheimer
• Dr. Bruce Bourque
• Dr. David Calhoun
• Robert Carson
• Susan Libby Cole
• Jill Cournoyer
• Nancy Crowell
• Andy and Ralph Cusack
• Barbara Deering
• Anna Delaware
• Warren H. Delaware
• Elizabeth Dellara
• Vincent Michael DeSimio
• John Disanto
• Stanley Douglas
• Leonard Douglass
• Connie Dube
• Lynwood Dyer
• Roy Fairfield
• Jack Flynn
• William Gelinas
• John C. Gold
• Donald Googins
• Glenn Grant
• Barbara Griffin
• Carroll Guest
• Warren Hamilton Sr.
• Pat Harmon
• Peggy Harmon
• Betty Hart
• Jessica L. Hews
• Daisy Walker Higgins
• Susan Higgins
• Judy Hochmuth
• Dwayne Hopkins
• Sally Howes
• Camille Jania
• Neal Jannelle
• Helena Jensen
• Larry Jensen
• Walter A. Jordan
• Tim Kipp
• Don Larrabee
• Rodney Laughton
• Jim Leary
• Mary Lello
• Richard (Mike) Libby
• Phil Libby Family
• Susan B. Libby
• Florence Ahlquist Link
• Gary Lorfano
• Joe and Viola Lothrop
• J. B. McConnell
• Edward (Bo) McFarland
• Maine Historical Society (Don King and Sophie Mendoza)
• Laura Masi
• Phil Martin
• Howard Mehlman
• Marion Mehlman
• Betsy Moore
• David Moulton
• Police Chief Robert A. Moulton
• Laurel Nadeau
• New England Vintage Race Car Association
• Michael Norton
• Kathi Olivier
• Robert Osborn
• Marilyn Paige
• Harry Pearson
• Nancy (Simpson) Pearson
• Floyd (Jack) Perley
• Richard Plummer
• James Pope
• Melodie Provost
• Peggi Pyle
• Craig J. Rancourt
• John Redmond
• Linwood Robinson
• Marla St. Pierre
• Robert Scamman
• Scarboro Signs
• Scarborough Historical Society
• Rebecca Warren Seel
• Roger Smith
• Harold Snow
• Kathy Sparda
• Barbara and Richard Sterling
• William Stone
• Alvin Temm
• Temm family
• William Temm
• Fire Chief Michael Thurlow
• Barbara Burnham Turner
• Robert E. Waterhouse
• Phyllis Watson
• Barbara Widley

With everlasting gratitude to Jane Dudley-Ruel, who spent the better part of her vacation proofreading every word in the final manuscript. Her expertise improved the finished work immeasurably.

A complete list of authors, Photography and graphics, and contributors is given in two Adobe Acrobat (pdf) documents:

• Authors Page 1
• Authors Page 2

Thanks to our lead sponsor
LEN LIBBY CANDIES
and our major sponsors
Norman Berube Builders
Bernstein Shur

SPONSORS

View in Adobe Acrobat (pdf) form.