Historian to relate spooky ghost stories at Raymond-Casco Historical Museum

By Ed Pierce

Did a prominent 19th century Raymond resident predict how he would die years before a tragic accident claimed his life? This tale and other eerie ghost stories will be part of a free community presentation to be held at the Raymond-Casco Historical Museum later this month.

Eerie and spooky tales from the Lakes Region of Maine
will be related by historian Mike Davis from 4 to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 25 at the Raymond-Casco Historical Museum
during a presentation called 'Ghost Stories and Unusual
Happenings.'  COURTESY PHOTO 

Historian Mike Davis of Bridgton will relate spooky tales from the Lakes Region of Maine from 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 at the museum while surrounded by historical artifacts during a presentation called “Ghost Stories and Unusual Happenings.”

Raymond-Casco Historical Society’s Sue Pride says with Halloween nearing, this will be an event sure to interest many in the area.

“Mike’s storytelling brings together history, mystery, and local lore – perfect for the Halloween season,” Pride said. “These historical tales of curious happenings, scary ghosts and unusual circumstances will be sure to entertain everyone in attendance.”

Among the tales to be told by Davis is one about Edgar Welch, whose story was originally contained in the book “Historical Gems of Raymond and Casco” written by the late Ernest H. Knight, one of the founders of the Raymond-Casco Historical Society.

Welch was born close to the Raymond/Casco line on the County Road to Otisfield (Route 85) in Raymond in 1849. His grandfather, James Welch was born in 1765 and came to Raymond from Cape Elizabeth as an early pioneer settler. Edgar’s father was born in 1819 and taught his son how to farm.

For years Edgar farmed and eventually worked for a neighbor, David McLellan, whose barn and part of his house are still in use, the main house having burned in 1954.

According to Knight, Edgar was a bright, pleasant person though inclined toward strange ideas on work and physical activity, which were extreme to say the least.

“Besides hard work, running was his pastime for which the urge seized him after a week or so of labor,” Knight wrote about Welch in his book. “Dropping whatever he was doing at the time, winter or summer, he would be off running to Portland, Norway or wherever fancy directed, and on his return, he’d pick up where he left off.”

He wrote that on frequent occasions Welch’s route was through the White Mountains and once a year he would run to the top of Mount Washington, an event to which proprietors and guests looked forward to with anticipation. 

“For this event he wore a suit, boots and a tall beaver hat where on his ordinary runs his garb was his overalls with woolen socks in the winter and barefoot in the summer,” Knight wrote. “On one occasion he ran to Boston, circled through Tremont Street and Boston Common and then headed for home. Once an owner of a nice span of driving horses challenged Edgar to a race to Portland. Starting from Raymond Village, the team soon left him far behind, but when the team reached its destination on Congress Street, Edgar was there waiting for them.”

Knight said that Edgar had unique ideas about labor and benefits to mankind.

“An astute observation that the McLellan farm, being on the easterly slope of Rattlesnake Mountain, had the sun set much earlier than farms to the north or south, set him on a mission,” Knight wrote. “To correct this fact of nature, he worked for many years off and on as time permitted, day or night, rolling boulders from the top of the mountain to reduce this bothersome interference. In the stillness of the night, people would awaken to the sound of crashing on the mountain, and remark that Edgar was at it again, and go back to sleep.”

While piling logs on the ice at Crescent Lake (then Great Rattlesnake Pond) to be floated to Sebago when the ice melted, Knight said that Edgar would get hot feet, take off his boots and run on the ice or snow until he could go back to work in comfort.

“He was a great conversationalist and interested in the politics of the day. As a composer of rhymes and ballads, with a good voice always in true pitch, he would sing on picnic occasions accompanied by Carrie McLellan on her portable melodeon,” Knight wrote. “His physical make-up baffled doctors, though he never had need of their services as he never even had so much as a cold. With all his work and running, Edgar never perspired, which the doctors said should have killed him.”

But Edgar Welch is said to have had one more attribute which will be part of the presentation by Davis and that is clairvoyance, or a sixth sense.

Reportedly when Welch was young, a man named Eastman Bean of Otisfield fell from a haymow while holding a pitchfork, and he impaled on the pitchfork’s tines and died.

Knight said that bizarre accident was on Welch’s mind for all of his life, and over the years, he was overheard muttering some sort of rhyme or reference to Eastman Bean.

On Dec. 23, 1903, Edgar was working in the McLellan barn, which is still standing on the easterly side of Route 85 not far from the Raymond-Casco line, when he slid from the mow while pitching hay down for cattle. He was impaled on his pitchfork and died in the same manner as Eastman Bean.

His funeral was conducted from the old Village School at Webb’s Mills, now Crescent Lake Village, and it was attended by so many people that the overflow stood outside near the windows which were left open so they could hear the orations honoring their friend who may have predicted the manner of his death years before.

The “Ghost Stories and Unusual Happenings” presentation welcomes families to the event, although some of the tales in the presentation may be a bit spooky for the littlest ones. Participants are encouraged to wear a costume and enjoy trick or treat refreshments that will be available.

Admission is free, but donations that night would be greatly appreciated by the Raymond-Casco Historical Society to continue bringing these events to the community.

To learn more about the Raymond-Casco Historical Society visit raymondcascohistoricalsociety.org or find them on Facebook. <

Local Revolutionary War patriots subject of historical presentation

By Ed Pierce

As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, contributions made by Raymond and Casco patriots to the cause of liberty are easily overlooked. But thanks to a new presentation being offered by the Raymond-Casco Historical Society, the bravery of Revolutionary War patriots living in Raymond and Casco will not be forgotten.

Sue Pride of Raymond will highlight the lives and
service of 28 Revolutionary Way patriots during a 
free program at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 6 at the
Raymond-Casco Historical Museum, 1 Shadow
Lane in Casco. SUBMITTED PHOTO  

Sue Pride, the Collections Manager for the Raymond-Casco Historical Society Museum, will discuss and highlight the lives and service of 28 Revolutionary War patriots from the area during a free public program at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 6 at the museum, 1 Shadow Lane in Casco.

Her presentation includes a richly illustrated PowerPoint talk focusing on the remarkable stories of early local settlers who answered the call to defend America long before Maine became a state.

Pride was inspired to create the presentation while sorting through the historical society’s collections to organize them. It prompted her to research how Revolutionary War veterans ended their journeys in Raymond and Casco.

“This year is the 250th birthday of the United States, and I thought the museum should do something to bring Raymond and Casco into it. I thought we must have some veterans.”

In conducting research, Pride found that some patriots were living in Massachusetts on April 19, 1775, and responded immediately to the alarm of the Lexington and Concord opening of the American Revolution. Others were already living in the district that would become Maine, and they enlisted shortly afterward and marched to Cambridge to join American troops during the Siege of Boston.

When the Revolutionary War for American independence from Great Britain erupted, Raymondtown, now known as the towns of Raymond and Casco after the communities split in 1841, was part of the Cumberland County Militia territory, with its members serving under the command of early settler Captain Joseph Dingley of Raymondtown. Their membership roll was used as a recruitment tool for soldiers to join the Continental Army once it was founded and placed under the leadership of the Continental Army’s General George Washington in June 1775.

“Before the army, it was just the militias fighting,” Pride said. “Lexington and Concord were fought by the militia.”

The area’s sparse population at the time meant that not many men from Raymond enlisted and Pride’s research found four residents who had traveled south to fight. However, she has discovered at least 28 Revolutionary War veterans are buried around Raymond and Casco, which shows the influx of former soldiers locally after the war ended.

“Many of the 28 patriots later served under Capt. Richard Mayberry, taking part in the Saratoga Campaign, a turning point in the war, and enduring the harsh winter encamped at Valley Forge alongside General George Washington’s troops,” Pride said.

Her new program will also touch on the broader story of Maine during the Revolutionary War, including the Battle of Machias, which is often called the first naval battle of the war, and the devastating burning of what is now known as Portland in 1775.

“I found one veteran who only served three days and never served again, but he was at Lexington and Concord, so it was a pivotal three days,” Pride said. “I think there were four who were living in Massachusetts and marched to Lexington and Concord.”

She also found a story of one soldier who was captured by the British and then held in the notorious prison ships afloat in the harbor of New York City, which were decommissioned or damaged ships that were used to hold prisoners in overcrowded conditions, where many died due to illness or malnutrition. He survived to be discharged from the army six months after his service was meant to have ended. Pride also discovered two men buried locally that died while serving. One drowned after falling from a floating bridge and the other died of fever.

Both Dingley and his son Samuel volunteered for military service at the start of the Revolutionary War in the company of men from Raymond and Windham and returned to the fast-growing Raymondtown as Captains, a title that Joseph retained for the rest of his life, even though he later held the rank of Colonel in the militia.

The 28 patriots highlighted in Pride’s presentation came to reside locally and helped to build and shape the community’s legacy.

“As the nation marks its 250th birthday, the Raymond-Casco Historical Society emphasizes the importance of honoring their service and recognizing their influence on the region’s early growth,” Pride said.

To learn more about Raymond and Casco’s role in the Revolutionary War, visit www.raymondcascohistoricalsociety.org or find them on Facebook. <

Late Windham resident's legacy lives on through Tia’s Prom Project

By Dina Mendros

Tatiana “Tia” Morrell of Windham is remembered by her friends and family as “uplifting,” “generous” and “a bright light” in the lives of others. Tia was taken too young. She died in a moped accident in 2024, and she was only 28 years old.

The late Tatiana 'Tia" Morrell of
Windham attended proms when
she was a student at Windham
High School and now her friends
and family are remembering her
by providing free prom dresses
to Cumberland County stduents
through an initiative called
'Tia's Prom Project.'
COURTESY PHOTO   
 

Those who loved her don’t want Tia to be forgotten and have decided to memorialize her through the creation of an initiative called Tia’s Prom Project. Starting this year, the project will provide dresses to high school and middle school students in Cumberland County for prom, homecoming, or any other formal or semi-formal school events at no cost to the student.

Friends and family say that they wanted to find a way to remember Tia in a meaningful and lasting way because of the type of person she was.

“She was a very big person with a very big personality,” Samantha Erickson said. “She was the type of person when she came into the room you knew she was there, and you would feel that she would radiate energy. Even when she left the room that energy just stuck with you and you just took it wherever you went for the remainder of the day.”

Others agree and are happy to help with the project.

“She was just such a bright light in all of our lives,” Devon Jones said. “She would always make sure that everyone felt included and felt like they belonged. She would make sure people felt like they had a purpose and like they mattered.”

Tia was “high spirited and very giving,” her mother, Shelly Worthing, said. “She was always a light in the room as a child and always happy with a smile on her face.”

The inspiration for remembering Tia through Tia’s Prom Project stems from an event that took place when she was just in eighth grade. A new girl started school in Windham and Tia, her mother said, wanted to help the girl by buying her a dress to attend a semi-formal dance cruise that eighth grade students were attending at the end of the school year.

According to Worthing, the girl had a rough childhood and would not likely be able to attend the event if Tia hadn’t helped out. Worthing said that her daughter was independent and determined and once she decided she wanted to help the student there was no stopping her.

Tia enlisted the assistance of her mother and together they bought a dress and on the day of the dance cruise, Worthing helped the new student with her hair and makeup.

“I remember (the student) having the night of her life at that dance,” Erickson said. After that, people started talking to the girl and being nice to her. “They saw her as a person finally. It was just a huge turning point.”

Worthing said that led to this new effort.

“Samantha (Erickson) was the one that remembered that story and that’s what kind of started our project,” Worthing said.

Worthing and Tia’s friends have big plans for Tia’s Prom Project. The initial plan was to have dresses donated and available for Cumberland County school proms in 2026. However, people have already started requesting dresses for homecoming dances which take place this month and in October.

While the dresses are limited, they are available for those who are interested. By next year’s prom season, organizers say they are hoping to have several hundred dresses available for students to choose from. Eventually, Worthing said, they hope to work with property owners who have vacancies where they can house the dresses and students can peruse them and try them on.

Erickson said she hopes that girls will take pictures of themselves in the dresses and/or write a note about their experience wearing the dress on their special night which can be shared with other girls who wear it at a later event. In addition to taking donated dresses, they want to be able to provide accessories, so they are accepting donations of shoes, jewelry, makeup and other items.

“The idea really only came to life in May,” Erickson said. “Even in the first year we just plan to get bigger and bigger with this. So yeah, you know, we’ve only just begun.”

To find out more about Tia’s Prom Project visit their Facebook page. To request dresses for homecoming, prom or other formal or semi-formal school events, send an email to [email protected] or call Samantha Erickson at 207-747-7308, Shelley Worthing at 207-232-1967 or Devon Jones at 207-310-8869.

Prom dresses to be donated can be dropped off at 8 Turning Leaf Drive in Windham; 585 Roosevelt Trail in Windham; 781 Edes Falls Road in Harrison; 780 Broadway St. in South Portland, or from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Causeway Commons, 978 Roosevelt Trail in Naples; or call or email to have them picked up. <

Legal help for elderly available at no cost

Legal Services for the Elderly is a nonprofit organization that has provided free legal help for Maine residents ages 60 and older since 1974.

Call the Legal Services for the Elderly Helpline at 1-800-750-5353 for assistance.

Services are free and confidential.

To get free help for limited-income Mainers of any age who are having trouble getting or affording their medications through Medicare, call Legal Services for the Elderly’s Medicare Part D Appeals Unit toll-free at 1-877-774-7772. <