Raymond's Nathaniel Hawthorne House celebrates summer - By Walter Lunt

Art, strawberries and a committed group of local preservationists are among the entities that support one of the oldest and most historically significant houses in the lakes region. Built in 1812 and now listed on the Historic Register, Hawthorne House, located in Raymond at the corner of Cape and Hawthorne Roads, was the childhood home of famed 19th century writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. The two story Georgian/Federal hybrid style house is being preserved by the non-profit Hawthorne Community Association, a devoted group of neighborhood citizens and others “from away” totaling nearly 150 members.

Repairs and maintenance on a historic house can be costly, particularly when they are carried out in the “period correct” manner. And that is where the fundraising comes into the picture. John Manoush, an association trustee said at least three important events are scheduled for this summer. 

On Saturday, June 25 beginning at 6:30 p.m., the Association will hold their annual strawberry festival at Hawthorne House. This year’s speaker is historian Steven Rogers, who will present original research on the topic of Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Shakers. The program will be followed by a social hour and homemade strawberry shortcake.

“It’s local strawberries, fresh whipped cream and homemade shortbread,” said trustee Melanie Champniss. Coffee and punch are included. Donations are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 8 years. All proceeds go to preserve and maintain Hawthorne House.

On July 15 and 16 (Friday and Saturday) the association will host a first ever art show and sale at the historic house from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Several local artists will present for view and for sale several forms of art. Jessica Bates will feature her line drawings, quash and poster-sized tapestry photographs. Libby Welch will show landscape and oil paintings. And Sharon Renk will present watercolor paintings of land and seascapes. Other artists are expected to participate. The event is free.

Trustee Champniss said “Hawthorne House is still vital,” and sponsors many events throughout the year including book club discussions. Patrons should also check local newspapers and the association website for the date and location of the annual chicken barbecue.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of several American classics including The Scarlet Letter  and House of Seven Gables spent summers at the Raymond house from age 9 until he entered Bowdoin College in 1821, about 8 years. He is known to have hunted the area and fished Sebago Lake and Thomas Pond. In later years he wrote in a letter to his sister, “I shall never again run wild in Raymond, and I shall never be so happy as when I did.”

Manoush said the Hawthorne family moved to Salem, Massachusetts following Nathaniel’s graduation from Bowdoin in 1825. The house became a tavern on the local stagecoach line.  At some point in the mid-19th century until 1921 it became a church meeting house. In that year the Hawthorne Community Association was formed for the purpose of preserving the historical significance of the property.

For more information on the house, its history and fund raising events go to www.hawthorneassoc.com.

In the Photos: 

 John Manoush, Melanie Champniss and Basil Champniss pose with "Nathaniel" at Raymond's Hawthorne House on Raymond Neck. Visitors can sometimes get their picture taken with the famous author, but apparently he is unavailable for book signings.

What to expect Summerfest weekend - By Walter Lunt

There will be many activities at Summerfest on June 25 on the grounds of Windham High School. From the traditional parade and food booths, there will also be activities for the whole family, entertainment from a variety of bands and performers on the main stage. 
 

The committee is still looking for volunteers for the parade, which kicks off at 10 a.m., and a clean-up crew for Sunday. 

Summerfest is not a town funded event. Everything is paid for by donations from businesses and organizations who participate. Donations were down this year, so the committee is doing the whole day on a “shoestring budget,” the committee said.  

There will be a carnival as there has in the past and the fireworks will go off at 9 p.m.

Saturday will kick off with the seventh annual Duane Clark Memorial Car Show with a bonanza of classic cars and over 30 categories of winners.

It’s got doughnuts, coffee, drivin’ and cruisin’ songs and dozens of classic cars. The Duane Clark Memorial Car Show is fast becoming a tradition at Windham Summerfest.

Founder and coordinator Stan Page predicts “The show will be bigger and better than ever,” especially considering that “…it’s the only car show in town this year,” referring to the cancellation of this year’s Windham Boosters Auto Show.

Duane Clark was a 1964 graduate of Windham High School who died in 1971. A committee of his classmates started the scholarship in his memory in the early 70s.

 “For those of us who loved Duane and love old cars, this is a natural marriage,” said committee member and classmate Gary Plummer.

Clark is remembered by his high school peers as an outstanding athlete and all-around great guy who promoted positive school values, sportsmanship and fair play. Committee members said Clark was well liked and highly respected across the entire student body, and that virtually everyone considered him a friend.

“The car show helps to support a $1,000 scholarship to a deserving Windham High School senior by carrying on Duane’s unique qualities,” according to Page. The 2016 scholarship was recently awarded to WHS graduate Sadie Nelson who will major in athletic training at the University of New England.

Page said this year’s auto show, on June 25, features 26 classes of vehicles with trophies awarded to first, second and third place winners. Classes range from antique cars and motorcycles to Corvettes and street rods. Special awards include best of show for both car and truck, best paint and best engine.

The premier Duane Clark Cup is selected by Duane’s classmates who decide which vehicle would be the one picked by Clark to drive away in. The student who won the Duane Clark scholarship the previous year selects and presents the special Scholarship Winner’s Pick.

A number of car show participants join the Summerfest parade, which precedes the start of the Summerfest day activities. The public is invited to visit the car show for free at the Windham High School front parking lot between 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Car Show participants can register between 7 a.m. and 9:45 a.m. For more information, call 892-7389.

Civil War encampment at Village Green

Civil War re-enactors will muster on the Windham Historical Society’s Village Green on Saturday and Sunday, June 25 and 26. In period dress, the soldiers of the 3rd Maine Infantry Volunteers will march with drum and fife in the Summerfest parade and demonstrate drills and camp life at an encampment behind the historical society Town House museum on Windham Center Road.

Saturday, beginning at noon, events include an infantry drill with musket firing, a Civil War era regimental surgeon, field music and an inspection by a civilian Sanitary Commission attempting to promote healthy camp life for the men.

Sunday, at 8 a.m., there will be a special portrayal of Camp Hamlin (named for Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin), which was established near Augusta for the mustering of the 3rd Maine in May/June, 1861 as it prepared to leave for Washington D.C. and three years of federal service in the War Between The States. It includes a fashion presentation, mail call, and the closing of camp around 3 p.m.

On both days guests are encouraged to visit with the soldiers, take a look at the cook stove, tents and equipment and ask questions.

Also on site in the historical society museum will be a display of a home front parlor. The self- guided tour includes hand sewn silk bonnets, a treadle sewing machine, original billboards advertising a traveling minstrel show of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, letters home from Windham Civil War soldiers, needlework, furniture and household items.

The encampment and display are free. Donations to the historical society are gratefully accepted. For more visit, www.windhamhistorical.org.

Although not all of the events are a direct part of Summerfest, the weekend is shaping up to be full of fun and laughter.

The Summerfest Committee is looking for more board members for next year’s event. It’s never too early to volunteer. They are looking for coordinators for entertainment, certain fundraising events and someone to run the parade. 

Even if volunteering isn’t on your agenda, make sure Summerfest is on the calendar for June 25. To volunteer this year or for the board, visit www.windhamsummerfest.com or call Kelly at 894-5600. To make a donation to help fund Summerfest, visit www.gofundme.com/windhamsummerfest.

Photo: Stan Page awards the 2015 Duane Clark Scholarship check for $1,000 to Adam Poitras of Windham, who completed first semester studies at Northwestern University where he majors in Economics.

Windham native Cody Dube drafted by Baltimore Orioles - By David Field

Windham High School 2012 graduate Cody Dube was drafted #301 by Baltimore Orioles last week. Dube just graduated from Keene State College (D3) with a Bachelor’s of Science in safety and occupational health with a 3.28 GPA. 
 

For Keene, Dube earned several awards: Little East Conference First Team, Little East Pitcher of the Year, All Region First Team for New England, All American Third Team, Strength and Conditioning All American, New England Senior All Star. During his senior year he had an ERA of 1.2, with a career at Keene of 2.68.

Dube has always wanted to play professional baseball. He has wanted to go to the next level after stepping up. In 2015, Dube played for Sanford Mainers which is part of the NECBL. In the first month of the season, Dube was seen by several scouts. His success earned him a spot on the NECBL All-Star team and the pro scouts also saw his performance there. 

Dube received an email from Atlanta Braves and did a workout/showcase in the fall of 2015. He then started getting emails from other teams and was asked to complete questionnaires. In total, Dube heard from 25 teams. Although he was excited, Dube took things one step at a time and that meant finishing college at Keene State.

In the last few weeks, Dube received several calls from scouts inquiring about his interest in the Major League draft. He also did three workouts before the draft for the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Orioles first saw Cody play in his first game for Keene State in March while the team was in Florida.

Cody left for Maryland this past Monday. He will be subjected to a team physical exam and then expects to be playing for the Single A Aberdeen Ironbirds. Cody’s opportunity to hit the big fields will occur during spring training 2017. 

Some other interesting facts about Cody Dube:

Best baseball memory: Senior year of high school a 12-4 loss to Scarborough in semi-finals and a great group of kids to play with.

Piece of advice to kids that want to play pro: Work hard and take each step one at a time. Never take anything for granted. Keep the goals small and achievable and success will come.

Growing up favorite professional baseball team? Red Sox. He may have to change his alliances later on, but feels that you don’t lose who your favorite childhood team was.

Cody’s parents, Randy and Andrea are obviously excited and taking a page from Cody’s book, taking each day one at a time. 

“It’s been a whirlwind since last week,” said Randy.

Roadside archeological dig resumes on River Road - By Walter Lunt

A team of archeologists from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission are back on River Road to continue their investigation at the site of Windham’s old Province Fort near the intersection with Anderson Road. Their work is similar in purpose to their mission last fall when the same team uncovered architectural and cultural evidence at the spot where history tells us that the early inhabitants of New Marblehead (Windham) gathered for protection from the Sebago Natives during the latter years of the French and Indian Wars.
 

Lead archeologist Leith Smith said the initial findings may be significant, and could result in a revision of the historic drawing of the fort. The classic rendering, known to virtually all Windham elementary students and many residents, shows a 50-foot square, 2-story blockhouse, topped with two watchtowers at diagonal corners, surrounded by tall palisade fencing.

Smith, however, said current evidence suggests there may have been double fencing around the fortress – an outer wall that would have been the vertical stockade design shown in the traditional drawing. And an inner fence composed of stacked logs set in a rock or wood sill, built with dovetailed corners, and secured with wooden pins. 

Smith says the approximately 12 foot area between the enclosures may contain evidence of trash mounds and/or privies (outhouses) and would have served as an area for watchmen. He said the double fence design was typical of the time period (1740s) in Massachusetts and the province of Maine.

The current investigation, said Smith, may also unearth the rock foundations of the main blockhouse and other smaller buildings within the fort enclosure. He said the presence of multiple structures was also typical of the period. 

“In particular,” he said, “there is the likelihood of finding iron slag, which would indicate the presence of a smithy,” or blacksmith.

The present dig is being conducted on both sides of heavily traveled River Road, including the grounds of the historic Parson Smith House. Smith said the remains of ancient River Road can be seen on the south (downhill) side of the current roadway and that the fort very likely spanned the current road bed.

“If our work shows that to be true, we’ll return in 2017 when the Maine Department of Transportation begins the process of widening that section of River Road.”

He said the archeological team will scrutinize the contents of the overturned earth as the heavy equipment works to both lower Anderson Hill by four or five feet and widen the road.

An earlier phase of the archeological study, conducted last fall, revealed stone foundations (probably a chimney base), pieces of flint used in early rifles, ceramic bits, stems of clay pipes and a single cuff link, English in origin, dating from the 17th or 18th century.

The current dig will continue for about another month, according to Smith. He said the safety of his crew is a concern and urges motorists to observe the road signs and cones that warn it is a work area. Speed and limited sight distances create a hazard for the half dozen archeologists working the site.

The Eagle will continue to update progress on the archeological investigation that appears to adding to and changing the information about Windham’s early history.

 Local artist and author publishes fiction book - By Michelle Libby

 Barry Jordan takes his love of little league to the top - By Michelle Libby

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