Sun, 06/23/2024 - 11:00am

Ed O’Brien

Lizzie Pillsbury, with her niece and nephew, and Ruth and David Nichols, enjoying the new concrete sidewalk at Lincolnville Beach (Photo courtesy of the David Nichols Collection, LHS)

The new beach toy library. (Photo courtesy of the Lincolnville Improvement Association)

All the sand toys you could want! (Photo courtesy of the Lincolnville Improvement Association)

Lizzie Pillsbury, with her niece and nephew, and Ruth and David Nichols, enjoying the new concrete sidewalk at Lincolnville Beach (Photo courtesy of the David Nichols Collection, LHS)

The new beach toy library. (Photo courtesy of the Lincolnville Improvement Association)

All the sand toys you could want! (Photo courtesy of the Lincolnville Improvement Association)

On April 20, 1916, fourteen women of Lincolnville, likely Beach ladies, gathered at the home of Ida French, 12 Beach Road today. They were women with a mission. The sidewalks of the Beach, made of wood planks, were deteriorated, and improvement was needed. And there was born the Village Improvement Society.

These women spent that spring creating “fancywork”, a word I had never come across before, but my phone tells me it is defined as “any ornamental needlework, such as embroidery or crochet.”

They made aprons, and balsam pillows, and handkerchiefs, and pincushions, and all other manner of fiber arts. In July of 1916, these industrious ladies put on a summer fair to peddle their wares, complete with five gallons of ice cream (three vanilla, two caramel).

By the August 4 meeting, the Village Improvement Society had one hundred thirty-three dollars and sixty-nine cents in its treasury.

Halley Gilberte, a popular singer of the time and summer resident, put on an August concert, bringing in another $61. More money was raised by hosting Whist parties — again, the pocket computer to the rescue; Whist is a old card game. Throughout the fall and winter, the group continued to meet and held a winter social and cake raffle on January 24, 1917 at Freeman’s Hall, which stood at the site of the Lobster Pound until the 1930s.

That winter, with nearly $300 in the bank, the women went to Selectman Irvin Eugley (Eugleys again!) and the Selectmen voted to have “a cement walk begin at the Beach, and going each way so far as we have money to build.”

More fancywork and ice cream was sold throughout the summer and on August 24, 1917, the women representing the Village Improvement Society signed a contract with Beach resident Frank M. Collemore to, “construct and complete a concrete walk, laid out within the limits of the town highway.”

As written by Diane O’Brien in Staying Put in Lincolnville, Maine, 1910-1950: “The Women of Lincolnville Beach had done the improbable, turning gingham and lace, thread and percale into neat concrete blocks, 42 inches square, connecting the stores, post office and homes of their village. All through the 1920s, they would continue to meet and sew, to put on sociables and dances, card games and fairs. Each year they added to one end or the other of the walks, north and south of the Beach, until the ladies’ sidewalk was 1.7 miles long, from Will Munroe’s dairy farm at 2356 Atlantic Highway to the Ducktrap Bridge.”

And all this before women were even allowed to vote.

Lincolnville Improvement Association

The work of the Village Improvement Society continues to the day, albeit with both genders represented, as the Lincolnville Improvement Society. This year the LIA gave out eight scholarships to Lincolnville CHRHS graduates. Congratulations to Maggie Blood, Chloe Day-Lynch, Abigail Hise, Cooper McBride, Jackson Strout, Mason Clark, Freya Hurlburt, and Owen McManus.

The LIA also rebuilt their toy library on the Beach, with the original a victim of the winter storm. I love the idea of a stash of sand toys available to all the children who find themselves on our sandy shores.

The LIA meets monthly, with a potluck and guest speaker. The next meeting will be on July 18 at 5:30 at the Tranquility Grange, with guest speaker Town Administrator David Kinney.

And of course, you can’t miss the LIA’s main fundraiser, the Blueberry Wingding, August 10, 7-10 a.m., which will once again be hosted by McLaughlin’s Lobster Shack at their new location. Blueberry pancakes, bacon, sausage, and coffee. And undoubtably there will be some fancywork available for purchase.

Lincolnville Breaks the Silence

Finding Our Voices, the Midcoast organization dedicated to breaking the silence of domestic violence will be active in Lincolnville in the coming month. Beginning June 29 and 30 from 8-3 at 90 Hope Road, with a multi family yard sale and StreetFood330 food truck. Call Christina Buckley at 207-230-4618 if you would like to donate items in good condition for the sale.

Rose Lowell at Dolce Vita Farm will be selling her wood fired pizzas on July 6 from 2-6. Order from Rose at 207-323-1052 by July 5 to secure your pie; they are fantastic. Lincolnville eateries Astor and Rose and Dot’s market will be participating in Finding Our Voices Foodie Fiesta, with a yellow beverage or food item from which proceeds will be donated to the organization.

Founder Patricia McLean also let me know that two Lincolnville dentists, Dr. Kristine Landry,of Lincolnville Dentistry, and Dr. John Lewis, of Penobscot Bay Dentistry, are part of the Finding Our Voices program of free dental care for survivors of domestic abuse.

And finally, stop by Windsor Chairs at Lincolnville Beach in July to purchase a $20 raffle ticket for a custom chair. I have mentioned Windsor Chairs before here, and I cannot recommend enough a browse through Michael and Jana Timchak’s beautiful showrooms.

I wholeheartedly support the mission of Finding Our Voices, to bring into the light the often hidden reality of domestic violence, and standing up for Maine women and children.

Alright, Lincolnville. The rain is coming down buckets here at Sleepy Hollow, and I really hope that tornado warning is just out of an abundance of caution. Stay dry, and be kind. Support local organizations, and make the community better. As always, reach out at ceobrien246@gmail.com.

CALENDAR

Monday, June 24

Select Board, 6 p.m. Town Office

School Committee, 6 p.m. LCS

Tuesday, June 25

Library open 3-6 p.m. 208 Main Street

AA Meeting 12:15 p.m., Community Building, 18 Searsmont Road

Wednesday, June 26

Library open 2-5 p.m.

Planning Board, 7 p.m. Town Offive

Thursday, June 27

Heart and Soul Team, Environment, 6 p.m. Breezemere Park