“Windham Then
and Now” - The fourth in a series of historical topics about Windham’s unique
history and heritage
As
the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches, the legacy and
influence of Windham’s “favorite son,” John Albion Andrew, extends into the 21st
century. Andrew was born and raised in South Windham. He attended Bowdoin
College and became the 21th governor of Massachusetts during the
American Civil War, serving from 1861 to 1865.
In
2007, the newly elected 71st governor of Massachusetts, Duval
Patrick – following tradition – selected the portrait of a former chief
executive to hang behind his desk in the governor’s office. He chose John
Albion Andrew. “At a time of great divide in America, he demonstrated a
willingness to change the status quo and encourage others to do the same,” said
Patrick, “I am proud to display his portrait . . . and hope that I may govern
with the same compassion and foresight that he demonstrated.” Patrick served
until 2015.
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| THEN: Birthplace of Gov. Andrew |
Andrew
was born in a small single-story, wood frame house in the Little Falls section
of Windham in May of 1818. In his lifetime, he would be immersed in some of the
most significant issues of the 19th century: temperance, civil war,
emancipation, reconstruction and even divorce laws.
His
parents, Jonathan and Nancy (Pierce) Andrew came to Windham from Salem,
Massachusetts and purchased the house of Dr. James Paine (an early Windham
physician) on Depot Road. Jonathan established a grocery business on the corner
of Depot and Main (now River Road), which he later moved to a location near the
bridge in South Windham. The two were highly regarded citizens of the
community. Nancy had been a teacher (or preceptress) at Bridgton Academy,
Jonathan a general trader and Deacon of the Congregational Church (“Windham,
Then & Now,” March 24, 2017).
Their oldest child, John Albion Andrew, would
later be remembered by C.O. Stickney, writing in the Boston Sunday Globe around
1898 as, “One of the best and most popular of boys raised in (Windham) bright,
likeable and full of fun.” Many remarked on his unusual ability of elocution.
At
age 14 he would deliver an inspiring talk on the evils of drink at a public
temperance meeting. It was considered a remarkable performance for a young boy.
A story often told by Albion, as he was known by all in Windham and Gorham,
probably reveals the origin of his strong feelings on prohibition. It seems
that his father sold “ardent spirits” at his store, the sale of which was
highly “remunerable.” Through the thin walls of the house on Depot Street, Albion
and his siblings would eavesdrop on frequent bedtime conversations between his
mother and father. Mother was a fervent supporter of the early temperance
movement, and would use this time to urge her husband to end the sale of
alcohol in his store. This, according to Albion, went on for months when, finally
one night, his father stopped his wife in mid-refrain to announce, “I stopped
selling spirits several weeks ago.”
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| NOW: What Andrew's birthplace looks like today |
Albion
and his siblings were “home-schooled.” Jonathan built a tiny schoolhouse behind
the home where he and Nancy tutored their children. Albion eventually attended
Bridgton Academy where his mother had once taught. He entered Bowdoin College,
class of 1837, where one of his classmates later observed “(His) college life
was the flow of generous impulses and noble purposes, rather than the display
of brilliant talents and extraordinary scholarship.” He was also known as a
joker, a mimic and a general cut-up. A cousin, Nathan Church, said that the
governor “Could not only pray and preach like old Parson Smith of his native
town, but could also slay his audiences with impersonations of politicians and
other well-known preachers.” Church also said, “He could have had success as a
comedian.”
Following
college, John Albion Andrew entered the bar in Massachusetts and opened a law
practice in Boston. He was noted for his strong defense of poorer clients and
for his wit and anecdotes. His firmly held beliefs on the issue of slavery and
other reform movements, led him to politics, and by 1858 he was elected to the
Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he opposed the Fugitive Slave Law
and used his position to defend fugitive slaves and raise money for their legal
fees and shelter. He became an early organizer of the new Republican Party and
rallied for Abraham Lincoln at the Chicago Presidential Nominating Convention. Their relationship while he was governor would
become thorny due to the President’s handling of various war issues. Andrew,
notorious for his lack of patience, criticized Lincoln for holding off
delivering an emancipation declaration until late in the war, and for what he
perceived as the president’s reluctance to accept blacks in the Union armies.
As governor, he won high national praise for the early formation of militia
regiments, even before the start of the war. As a result, Massachusetts would
furnish the first volunteer regiment to reach Washington and the first to fight
in the Civil War.
Andrew
traveled the countryside in his recruiting efforts, visiting Windham and other
Maine towns in his appeal to organize volunteer regiments. The late Ernie
Knight, author of several books and articles on local history, once told a
gathering of local history enthusiasts in Windham that Northern townspeople, in
general, did not want their husbands and sons to fight their Southern brethren,
even though they had always been willing to take up arms when necessary. But
because the recruiter was “our native son of renown,” Andrew succeeded in
garnering enlistments.
Following
Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, Andrew succeeded in organizing a regiment
of black soldiers – the famed 54th Massachusetts Regiment which came
to be known for its heroism and sacrifice.
In
his Valedictorian Address in 1865, Andrew called for reconciliation with the
South rather than punishment, “The halls of legislation are the arenas of debate,
not of muscular prowess . . . we must secure the constitutional, civic
liberties and franchises of all the people.”
Andrew
returned to his private law practice after the war, focusing much of his time
on reforming the archaic divorce practices of the day.
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| Former Gov. Patrick was inspired by Andrew |
Interred
in Windham’s Brown Cemetery near the corner of Depot Street and River Road are
several members of the Andrew family, including the governor’s mother, Nancy,
who died in 1832, and his grandfather, John Andrew, who passed away in the
1790’s. Mossy headstones identify their resting places. The burial ground, one of
Windham’s oldest, is within sight of the old Andrew home, still standing today
at the hilltop on Depot Street. The current owners, Paul and Sandy Penna, say
it’s a “quaint old house,” a white wood-frame cottage that still retains much
of its 18th century charm.
According to Sandy, “The house itself is
the original structure with many of the original wide pine flooring boards.”
Built in 1792 by Windham’s second physician, Dr. James Paine, it was later
purchased by Albion’s father, Jonathon Andrew, who greatly improved it. The
house may have once faced toward the main (River) road. Early sketches show a
classic portico front doorway flanked on either side by two windows with
shutters, a center chimney, adjoining carriage shed, all fronted by an early
version of a picket fence. Now in its 225th year, the house is one
reminder of Windham’s historic and revered son. Others include Albion Road and
the John A. Andrew School, which stood near-by for nearly a century. At Windham
High School in the early 1960s, many former students still recall the essay
assignment in junior year English: The John A. Andrew essay contest on the
topic “What it means to be an honest man.”
