Samuel D Hanson School - Crescent Yearbook (Buxton, ME)

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THE CRESCENT 9 Many fierce and bloody battles surround all the Forts of Maine. Picture a small family struggling to live - being on the verge of success when suddenly attacked by Indians and killed. This is only one of the instances and reasons why Maine was in need - of fortifications. If all the romance, danger, death, disease, courage, and bewilderment could be told which took place within these forts it surely would portray an adventurous and courageous story. Life goes on with its struggles and tales - everyday new in- ventions are created - making this life of ours more easy, but the memory of the pioneers will live on. Rae Elaine Bartlett'45 'Our Maine Lighthouses At the time when clipper ships, and three masted schooners were in use carrying cargoes from little Maine towns to European cities and coming back again with a larger cargo for their people large rocks and shoals were the cause of many accidents. In the year l790, Massachusetts undertook to build a lighthouse to be ceded to Maine. It stood on Portland Head at the entrance of the Harbor. Originally, this lighthouse was composed of rubble stone and stood about thirty feet in heightg but in 1865 it was enlarged to eighty feet. The buildings at this station were so close to the military batteries that their structures suffered from air concussion during gun practice. Windows in the keeper's dwelling place were forced out and chimneys had to be inspected before the building of fires but finally a way was devised to avoid the damage, and now our lighthouses stand firm. As one approaches from Canada the first lighthouse is West Quoddy Head which stands on the eastern most point of land. In the one hundred and sixty miles from the light to Portland there are about eight large lighthouses, and ships, as they come to harbor, can often see two or more lights. These include Libby Islands, Moose Peak, Petit Manan, Mount Desert, Matinicus Rock, Lonhegan Island, Pemaouid Point, Sequin and Halfway Rock. Just to the southeastward of Portland are the Portland Lightship and Cape Elizabeth Lights, and going southwestward one comes upon Boon Island. Along two hundred miles of coast there are about twelve hundred and sixty-six aids which means an average of six to tho mile. They consist of ninety-nine lights, nine hundred and thirty-one buoys, and one hundred and forty-nine fog signals. The Petit Manan Lighthouse is about one hundred and nineteen feet high and is composed of granite. Mount Desert Light is on a rocky islet about twenty milos from the mainland and is the most exposed lighthouse on the Atlantic Coast. During suvfre storms the sea breaks ever the rock. The light is shown from a sturdy tower, that has a broad base and thick walls and stands fifty-eight feet in the air. The rock is frequented by many birds, especially gulls which lay their eggs there. Matinicus Rock is eighteen miles from the mainland and is almost as much exposed as Mount Desert. There is no form of vegetation on the rock and the nearest port is twenty five miles

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8 THE CRE SCENT Around seaports the sea captains' houses were very common. The old captains were lonely on shore so they built flat roofs like their ship decks with a cupalo on top. These had windows on all sides and there the captain could take his telescope and chair and comfortably watch the ships sail in and out of the. harbor. trimmings whic porches. Cups Throughou as French korma Spanish stucco and seen in no other part of the MAINE F on the rapi Meonbeams danced of water seem studded r . ,I After the Civil War many northerners grew extremely wealthy. They had nothing to spend their money on but elaborate homes. It was then that the gingerbread houses with their ornate h looked like lace hanging from the roofs and los, gables, amd balconies were seen everywhere. t America were the foreign influenced types such ndie houses, gambrel roofs, Swiss Chateaus, and houses but all the other types are purely American world. Shirley Lieby'42 ORTS ds of the riv with diamonds. The soft K1 c, making sprays breeze'blew through the pine trees, the trees swaying back and forth keeping time with the rhythmical marching of the night sentinel. Such are the elements '.'. fhich surrounded Fort Edgeoomb or any fort constructed in the early seventwenth century. Addition upon this scene would have to be, in order to make it traditional. A lovely girl clothed in a flowing dress, wearing a velvet wrap and glass slippers. The girl being the commanding officer's daughter, has a dull life in the fort. At this time the shad- ows move - out steps a masculine form, which is the hero and heart throb of the Fort. The scene completed - either the moon disappears or the fort is attacked hy Indians. At the time Maine first becare settled, the environment of the peopl: was vgry diffzrent from today. Families struggling desperately for a living - depending wholly upon themselves for existence. Villages, towns dnd settlements sprung up here and there. Finally when all is peaceable and harmonious it is the way of life to have intruders and war hawkes enter upon the scene. People of these towns and settlzments were protected by and with- in ths malls of forts. An ekamelq of the valu ..'., of these forts 'H to settlers is that thgy afford protection from Indians. These with th ir cry of terror and deadly arrows were the pioneers dreaded danger. At present, Kaine has many of the original forts, which are still in existence - surrounded with mystery and romance. In order to prdsorve the forts from individual ownership and de- struction, the state has bought eight of these forts. ' Aa one visits and looks at Fort St. George or any other fort such as the picturesque scenes surrounding Tdgecomb - it is hard to realize these psactful buildings were once alive with busy pioneers dressed in daerskin and coon caps - shouldgring heavy guns. Always on the alert for the treacherous Indians.

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10 THE CRESCENT away. Twin lights are shining from two granite towers about sixty yards apart. ln a storm of January 19, 1856 the sea made a complete sweep over the rock which washed away everything moveable. The keeper of the lighthouse happened to be away at the time and his fourteen year old daughter wrote to a friend, dAs the tide came, the sea rose higher and higher until the only 'I endurable places were the light towers.H For four weeks no one could land on the rock but not once did the lightkeeper's daugh- ter let the light go out. Monhegan lighthouse is the most fortunate, because though it is far from the mainland, it stands in the middle of a summer resort. As this also isla popular art colony the walls of the keeper's house are adorned with works of art. . Pemaquid Light stands at the very tip of the peninsula. lt was established in l827 and was connected with the keeper's dwelling place. The heavy surf at all times can be heard pound- ing oeaselessly against the rocks. . Sequin was one of the earliest lighthouses on the coast built in l795 at the cost of 96300. At Cape Elizabeth are also twin lights shown from towers three hundred yards apart. Boon Island has a granite tower, one hundred thirty-six feet high and as the isle is low it appears to spring up from the sea. lt was this lighthouse that inspired Celia Thaxter to write The Efatch of Boon lsland. Today people are wont to think that lighthouses and light- ships are things of the past - almost as ancient as the clipper ships that they guided past rocks and shallows, - but nothing could he farther from the truth. Hardly a day passes without the chance of some keeper to do an act of bravery, or to aid some one in distress. Years will pass and numerous improvements will take place but it is needless to say that we will romembsr the sturdy picturesque lighthouses - the sentinols of our Raine coastline. Natalie Wiggin'i5 I V -+.- ' H 1.25 '-. f. :5f:1:1f2:5f. lg., -. A I -'-1-11:34 f -:l'-K . '- 1. .g:-.47 L- - T. , 'M ,:-'- 1-Sgr-.4 ' :I3.lZ'Z.: ' - ' - -' - ' :. .4:-:-.-' ' . ' fn ' - '5gt-:Qp:-:,.- ., ,214 - ff' ' . -s1..:..1.zaz ' Iizaazfzlci ': '-E'EfZ237'Z11'-3' 2' 7' 1,1 ., . Ezggzzgg-: '-1 -5, ag:-:g.g:,, I zzz' -i f X . ,.--A 4 , V-1 -. 14.,-mf:-.N at ji,..g.,.. , '. 4, ,WSJ , - . 1-2'-'-