My Great Maine Homestead Hunt (Orono, Skowhegan: apartments, house, tax)

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[SIZE=5]Clinton, Maine Homestead Picture[/SIZE]
Around 1980, I was given an old photograph, from Herb Davison. The cardboard picture measures 5 5/8” X 9 ½”. He said it came from New England. He bought it in Skowhegan Maine, around 1958-1960, from the man, named Otto Farrington who at the time was some town Official (Mgr or Tax Collector). Sometime around 1998, when I took it out to scan it, I found that the back of the picture was stamped “Clinton, ME”, which for years I had read as “Ma” and considered Clinton Mass as a possibility. There is also a name that I can’t decipher. I found Clinton Maine on the map between Fairfield & Pittsfield along Rte 95. Clinton is 14 miles from Skowhegan.

It shows the full front view of a large, white, house, the right side being an integral barn. The camera is set up across a gravel road that runs in front of the house (State Rte 100), and you can see weeds, then the road, then the yard, and the house.

In front of the house, is a white hitching post, used for tying up the horse. Although the horse is not present, he has left his calling card on the road. Behind the post is a thin oak tree, around 25 feet high, with a trunk around 6 inches. Its leaves are full, and would be green, if this photo were in color.

Moving left to right, along the front of the house, you see a tub with flowers, three different high backed chairs & rockers, and a bent wood bench of some kind.
The wooden sliding door to the barn/garage is slid open and the opening is dark. You can see the door and handle through the window on the right. The windows, screens, and curtains are also visible. Next to the house on the right side, part of a large barn or outbuilding is visible, and an unhitched wagon is shown.
The thing that really makes this a 'haunting' picture, in the sense that you find yourself drawn to it, are the people. There are 7 people standing in the yard in front of the house. To the left of the small tree is a man; in front of the front door is a woman.

Between them is a small boy holding the handle to a 3-wheeled wooden wagon.
To the right of the tree, are 4 men. At the edge of the front porch is an older man with a white beard. In front of the barn/garage is a thin, dark man with a white goatee, a shorter white man and another dark skinned man. They are all dressed in dark, formal, clothing, and seem to be playing a game of croquet.
You can see the balls and the poles, and each of the adults are holding or leaning on a mallet. They are all standing, looking at the camera, as if posing. From their clothes, I would guess the year around 1900.
I always wondered: Who are they, and is that house still standing? If I could travel back in time, and wander up the road & introduce myself & say hello.....what a treat that would be.


The good news is that I located the house on 5/11/09. It is at 1124 Main Street Clinton Maine 04927.

I will return the original picture and to the Clinton Maine Historical Society, in care of Coleen Bean.

[font=Arial]So far, I have not been able to learn anything about Otto Farrington, or Irving Holt, who lived in the house in the past. The present owners are Marvin and Sheila Douglass.
I hope to learn in the future, when this house was built, who the people in the picture are, and when it was taken.

Jim Lehman
Pennsylvania

[moughie]

Fascinating story!

Your description of the photo is so vivid- the farm sounds quite lovely.
I would love to see the photo! Could you scan it and upload it on to cd forum?

Good luck to you on your quest finding information on the previous owners.

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Originally Posted by moughie

Fascinating story!

Your description of the photo is so vivid- the farm sounds quite lovely.
I would love to see the photo! Could you scan it and upload it on to cd forum?

Good luck to you on your quest finding information on the previous owners.

I've uploaded 3 pictures of the house then and now on my cd forum album.
Jim

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I 've uploaded 3 pictures of the house, then and now, on my cd forum album, but I am not sure how to access them. It has been amazing how this one small picture has made such a big impression!
Jim L.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by Jim Lehman

I 've uploaded 3 pictures of the house, then and now, on my cd forum album, but I am not sure how to access them. It has been amazing how this one small picture has made such a big impression!
Jim L.

I looked at the pictures - great!

Am I to assume from the latest one that the homestead has gone the way of many old ones and been chopped up into apartments?

I have a copy of an old photo of my great-grandparent's homestead in Orono. Over the years it has been bought and sold to various developers and house-flippers who've turned it into an apartment building, so unless I use the road address, I couldn't find it now. It's too bad because all of the character detail like the porch is gone.

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Your're right about that... the grand character of the house is gone! But that says as much about the family and lifestyle flippers, as much as it does about house flippers.

The porch is now enclosed. The carriage house has been converted to living
space with outside stairs and deck.
the chimney on the main part of the house is gone. The window alcove on the
left has been removed.

Treasure your photo and your memories!
Jim

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One of my goals in life has been to watch the "Back To the Future" Trilogy in one sitting. So far, I haven't gotten'r done.

After having this picture in Pennsylvania for the last 50 years (30 with me), I will be relieved to return it to its home town of Clinton Maine. It has been sort of an off and on hobby over the years, and I am still adjusting to the fact that the house is still sitting in Clinton.

Although the house itself has held my interest, as I discovered details and treasures, the real charm has been the people in the picture. I wanted to go back.step into the scene and talk awhile. Well....the famous DeLorean is so much rusted wreckage along "Eastwood Pass".... so I went to my trusty photo-software! "Perfect".. or is that "Heavy"!

I have attached 3 pictures.


In the first picture, I arrived before the picture was taken, and the photographer was taking a practice shot. Only the house.....no people. Without the people, the scale changes and it is lifeless.


In the second picture, I arrive after the picture has been taken... and the folks of Clinton walk up and cross the road to chat, and bring me a cool drink.


In the third picture, I find that they have returned to 2009, via my software, and are now standing outside the house of today....scratching their collective heads! They even brought their wagon.

Where will it end?

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I guess it will end when I stand outside the house, in downtown Clinton, and actually touch it! When I can walk around it, maybe even through it! Maybe I'll find an old croquet ball under the bushes. Maybe not! I don't know when a visit will be in the cards.... but who can tell?

[msina]

The pic is too small for me to see well. It could be a grandchild or perhaps they're not as old as you think. My Mum had her last child at 45 though, after all those kids she looked older by today's standards.

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I'm gonna be outta the boat for awhile... but don't worry.... I left plenty of slack!