The
12th Annual Hike Through History
"Through the Eyes of a
Child"
1. Bicycle
Collection- Mr. Zarmarchi's collection. This is
in the driveway on the Dunkin Donuts side. Several
bikes will be displayed and Mr. Zarmarchi will talk
about the history of the bikes and give some
demonstrations.
Turn right out of Central
School:
A Methodist church used to be
where Dunkin Donuts is now. The church across the
street, The Federated Church, was built in 1826 for
town meetings and church meetings. Sarah Orne
Jewett had her own pew in the church.
POINT OF INTEREST
The Cogswell house on Main
Street is almost 200 years old. It is the white
wood and red brick house. Legend says that is was
once a safe house in the Underground Railroad.
Slaves hidden in the basement could look out the
ground level windows to watch the kitchen
entrance.
2. Becker
House: The Becker's green colonial house is on
the site of the train station for the Boston and
Maine Railroad. There is a stone marker i the yard
that says "Boston 61 miles". Abby Becker wrote
poetry. "Abby's Tree".
Turn right on to Sewall Street.
The McIntyre House is the blue house on the right.
This house is almost 175 years old. Many Native
American artifacts were found when the house was
renovated.
3. South
Berwick District #4 School. This lot is empty
now but it was once #4 School. There were two
teachers for grades one through three. When Central
School opened in 1925, all of the little schools in
the community closed. At one time there were 13
small schools in South Berwick.
As you are hiking, watch for
tall granite slabs. They were used as fence posts.
Mrs. Hoyt remembers one on the corner of Parent
Street that was knocked down by a snowplow in the
1970's.
4. Reddy
House - The large green house on the right is
the Reddy's House. It is about 175 years old. It is
believed that there was a trap door that led to a
tunnel that ran towards the river. Slaves may have
used this house as a safe house as they traveled to
freedom in Canada.
5. Granite
Post:
Continue down Sewall Street and
on to Parent Street.
6. The
Kareckas House is on the left just as you turn
down Parent Street. They have kept a "foot time
line" that edges the garden on the right of the
driveway. In their yard is a gondola from the
Wildcat ski area. It was one of the first used in
New England in the 1950's. Gondolas have been
replaced by chair lifts because they are faster and
hold more people. There is an interesting boulder
named the Headache Ball at the street corner of the
yard. It looks like there is a scooped out area for
a seat. This boulder was used in the 1980's to
smash other boulders during work on the Berwick
Sewer System. Sometimes engineers use this method
instead of using dynamite: They would find a large
boulder and lift it with a crane. They they would
drop it to smash rocky areas that they wanted to
remove. Most boulders would be smashed too,
eventually. This boulder survived with just a small
chip and was moved to its new home in South
Berwick.
Continue on Parent Street to
Young Street
7.
Currier/Swasey Home: This house was build by
Mrs. Hoyt's great-grandfather about 100 years ago.
Her great-grandfather Frank E. Swasey, was born in
1868 in Massachusetts. He built this house to raise
his family. He had a grandson named Bill. Bill is
Mrs. Hoyt's father. The family from
great-grandfather to great-granddaughter lived in
the house. Pigs and chickens were kept in the back
yard. An od train track was behind the house. The
train used to run from Eliot to
Rollinsford.
Across the street from the
Swasey House is the Kelly House.
8. St.
Michael's Church: This building was originally
build for the French and Irish Mill
workers;
Turn left on to Main Street and
head down to Fogarty's Restaurant.
POINT OF INTEREST
Roberge House- Built in the
early 1900's Albert and Emily Roberge House 429
Main Street. The property adjoins Salmon Falls
Brook and a former mill pond. A road once led to
the mill area near the brook's mouth on the river.
This house was once a duplex. Albert Roberge, Sr.
moved into this house after opening a candy store
across the street, now 430 Main Street, about 1918.
His uncle Joseph had operated a bakery there since
1900. The family later operated Roberge Bakery next
door at 431 Main Street. In 1920 Albert married
Emily Gilliland, whose father drove a carriage for
the Vaughans at their estate (now the Hamilton
House), and made many of the trails now in Vaughan
Woods State Park.
9. Roberge
Bakery- In the won report of 1900, Joseph
Roberge, baker, advertised his cream bread baked in
"Happy Valley, South Berwick, Me". This bakery was
a Confectionary/Bakery with a brick oven section.
Joseph Roberge lived upstairs in this building,
according to family accounts. About 1918, nephew
Albert Roberge Sr. then opened a confectionery in
part of the building just before he was married.
After his business had moved to the 431 Main Street
Location across the street in the early 1920's the
store belonged to Fred Dube, a wholesale grocer,
according to Roberge Family accounts. In the lot
behind the store was a water tower, and Joseph
Roberge ran the water company that supplied the
entire Point neighborhood.
" Joseph Roberge, Baker,
Happy Valley, South Berwick, Me. "Home Made Pastry
is what you get from my bakery and a trial of the
same will convince you that my statement is
absolutely correct. Everybody who has used my CREAM
BREADS will tell you that it is the best made. If
my drivers do not call on you send my a postal for
a Window Card and they will in the
future."
- 1900 South Berwick Town
Report
10.
Fogarty's - This will be a stop. High school
students will talk about the mill and the mill
town, the people who lived here.
. Cross the street and head back
up Main Street.
11. 432
Main Street Tibbetts/Provensal Store 1872 Owned
by L. Tibbetts. By the early 20th Century the store
contained three businesses including Provensal
clothing store, a beer joint, that became a lunch
counter after South Berwick became dry in 1939, and
a beauty parlor/ barber shop operated by Mr. and
Mrs. J. M. Lynch. It also contained the O. Dube
boot and shoe store.
Mrs. J. M. Lynch, Ladies'
Hair Dressing Parlor, Salmon Street, South Berwick
, Maine - "Tel. 112-3 Work by appointment -
Shampooing, Facials, Bobbing, Marcel Waving, Violet
Ray Treatment, Manicuring, Eye Brow Arching,
ETC.
1925 South Berwick Town
Report
12. The
Palace
From the 1920s until it burned
in 1949, The Palace operated by Leo "Ben" Vachon
drew patrons from miles around to boxing matches as
well as pool, roller skating, basketball, and
movies. Albert "Junior" Roberge grew up across the
street.
Leo Vachon, bowling alley,
Vachon Block, Salmon Street, South Berwick, Maine
&endash; "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN &endash; If you want
to spend a pleasant afternoon and evening, visit
the new Bowling Alleys in Vachon Block on Salmon
Street, one of the best alleys east of
Boston. Everything new and up-to-date.
Best order maintained. Come in and inspect
the place. You are always welcome. LEO
VACHON, Proprietor"
&endash; 1923 South
Berwick town report
Palace Theatre, Vachon Block,
Salmon Street, South Berwick, Maine &endash;
"The largest and best hall in this section will
soon open for MOVING PICTURES on Monday, Wednesday,
and Saturday Evenings and Saturday Matinees AT
POPULAR PRICES &endash; Special Dances on Thursday
Evenings &endash; GOOD MUSIC &endash; BEST ORDER
&endash; You are cordially invited to attend."
-- 1924 South Berwick
town report
As you entered the Palace from
the front, you passed some unusual steps made of
concrete with glassy marbles inlaid into the
concrete. Many a youngster would comment on that as
they scurried by not daring to look in. Mothers did
not want their children "hanging around". According
to Cliff Cleary Sr., the inside walls on the first
floor were a dark mahogany finish. "It was very
dark inside," he said, adding to the mystique. The
first floor contained three bowling alleys and
three or four pool tables, depending on whom I
asked. The pins were set up manually, a chance for
kids to make a few cents.
The second floor was open space
where at different times boxing, basketball, roller
skating, and movies took place. Reo Landry told Mr.
Wood that a David LePage managed the bowling
operation and he would call Reo to set up the pins.
The building had a wood stove and Reo, about 10
years old would tend it at times. Sunday afternoon
were for roller skating. Silent movies were played
featuring Alice Dube.
The Palace had a back room for
friends and invited guests to play poker, threw
dice. The best known recreational activity at the
Palace was boxing.
Form Ernie Wood's findings web
site obhs.net/Recreation.html
13.. Reo's
:Landry's Cobbler Shop. 406 Main Street early
1900's
Cobbler Arthur Landry built this
shop in the early 1900's and repaired shoes. It is
on the map of 1927. Landry's son Reo, whose barber
shop was in Central Square in the old Jewett Store,
moved here in the late 1900's. Today the building
still contains Reo's Barber Shop, operated by
arthur's grandson.
POINT OF INTEREST
Sulllivan and Cauley
Confectionary 428 Main Street
This shop was a confectionery
store on a map of 1901. It contained a soda
fountain into the mid-20th century.
Continue to the top of Main
Street . Cross the road turn left on Norton Street.
14.
Cummings Mills:
. Continue down Norton Street to
the South Berwick Fire Station.
15.. South
Berwick Fire Station Learn about the history of
the fire station and the fire trucks. Bucket
Brigade activity.
Turn left on Spring and the
right n Goodwin to Rt. 4. Stop at this intersection
to:
1. Look across the street to the
left to see the Dame School. This was a private
school for "gentle girls".
2. Look towards Main Street. All
of the roofs are the same height until you see a
roof on the far left end towards Central School.
One day that roof slid right off into the street.
Many of the original roofs are still there. They
are Vermont purple slate stone roofs placed in the
Beaver Tail pattern. The Video Stop, now the Jazz
Fitness Gym, is the oldest brick building in South
Berwick.
POINT OF INTEREST
The Libby House on the corner of
Portland Street and Highland Street right behind
Mrs. Jackson's house. The Libby House was once a
bicycle shop. They built and fixed bicycles right
inside the house.
POINT OF INTEREST
The South Berwick Library was
originally Sarah Orne Jewett's Home
16. Sarah
Orne Jewett House - Presentation. Sarah etched
her name into one of the library windows. Her name
can still be named today. Game in the
garden.
Cross Main Street to Wadleigh
Gardens
17..
Wadleigh Gardens: Was once a roller skating
rink and a movie theater- Black and White
movie.
18. Town
Hall- Take a look at photos of the original
school houses in South Berwick.
Head back to Central School.
Activities at
Central:
Underground Railroad -
gym
Shoe Making - art
room
1800's School House - Mrs.
Trites Room
Carol Bond Patriotic - Music
Room Songs
Word Bowl Activity - Mrs.
Wendell's room Mrs. Becker or High School students
Marbles - Mrs. Mulcahey's
classroom
Colonial Games outside in the
fields bubbles, ball toss, stilts, hopscotch, Hoops
and Sticks, Leap Frog, Jump Ropes