The story of the day on Nov. 15, 1951 was on the front page of our hometown newspaper. A liquor store was to open in Damariscotta. According to Ed Talbert, State Liquor Commissioner Bernard T. Gahm had stated that Damariscotta was in line for a state liquor store.
This and the Bucksport store were to be the first to open since May 13, 1949. There seemed to be considerable confusion in the minds of many people as to the procedure with regard to placing a liquor store in a town.
Every two years, the towns would vote on various referendum questions. Every year since prohibition went out, the town of Damariscotta had voted yes on question 2: Shall state stores for the sale of liquor be operated by permission of the State Liquor Commission in the city or town?
Some months before, the Damariscotta Region Chamber of Commerce had sought a state store in Damariscotta, feeling that it might bring more business to the town. While there were many who questioned the wisdom of the move, the work was done and the commission started to find a location.
A section of Lincoln County Hardware was being prepared for the opening of such a store. In the meantime, Commissioner Gahm had stated before several people and in correspondence to others that the matter was not settled.
It was, however, obvious that with the preparation of the building for installation of the equipment, the state store would become a reality soon. It was understood that letters had been sent to the governor and others trying to stop the installation of the store.
It was perfectly clear that it was far too late to stop the procedure. It was, however, also clear that had the chamber of commerce not sought the location of a state store, none would have been located in Damariscotta.
Since the same vote year after year had not resulted in the location of a store in Damariscotta, the newspaper had been criticized by those who sought a store because it had not advocated for the store and by those who opposed it because it had not written editorials in opposition.
Actually, the newspaper (as represented by its editor) had been opposed. The whole question was economic, although there were those who opposed the liquor store for moral reasons. The vote of the town settled the matter that the town voters were willing to have a liquor store.
The chamber of commerce voted to seek a store on economic lines, but there was no point of trying to stop the installation once it had been decided upon. Damariscotta was to have a state liquor store in the near future.
Now for the rest of the story, seen through the eyes and ears of a young boy around 15 years old at the time. The town village area was still small in population. Everyone knew one another. Everyone was always willing to pick up something or do a good favor.
The highways were crowded with cars, and many local people drove to Rockland to buy items that could not be purchased here in Damariscotta. If your neighbor or a friend found out you were going to Rockland, they would ask my parents to pick up an item for them.
I recall that many of my father’s close friends would ask him to pick up a bottle of some kind of liquor for them. Even the local freight service truck would pick up a bottle or case of liquor for people at a charge of $1 a bottle.
I can see why the chamber of commerce in Damariscotta wanted to have a state liquor store here in town. It made sense economically to keep the money here in town. I recall the day the liquor store opened here in Damariscotta. It was located next to the Lincoln County Hardware building in the so-called Austin block.
The front of the store was painted a dark green color, and everyone used to say, with a big smile, ‘Have you been through the green doors lately?’ The liquor store did a good business, but it needed a location where there was ample and easy parking for cars.
So finally, Mr. Neil Sprague started the Elm Street Plaza. The first store built was a store for the Maine State Commission for an outlet for the sale of liquors. At that time, I was working for Carroll Lugwig, a local Damariscotta contractor and builder, and he got the contract to build the liquor store.
The building was the first building to be built in the wintertime, and it was encased in a plastic cover, and the inside was heated by a so-called prairie schooner heater, which burned furnace oil. It did the job, but sometimes the fumes were real bad.
The building sat on a cement foundation wall, and the walls of the store were made of large cement blocks. Norman Kelsey was the stone mason, and my boss, Mr. Carroll Lugwig, used to let Mr. Kelsey use me as his mason tender while laying up the side walls of the building.
The carpenters I worked with on the job were Robert Williams, Charles Dodge Sr., Carroll Lugwig, Henry Ives, Mac McLaughlin, Walter Smith, and Maynard Turner. These men were all fine carpenters.
These men are all deceased, but I still have many fond memories of all these men and still remember the skills they taught me as a young man. I even helped paint the outside walls of the building with a special masonry paint, and it was painted white with green trim, and the large front door was painted a dark green color.
When the liquor store was finished, we started to build another store next to it, which was to become the Western Auto Store, which was to be operated by Mr. David Chapman for many years. I always remember while working on the roof of the next building, we could all see everyone coming and going from the liquor store.
One person of interest to all of us was an elderly woman who lived down on the Bristol Road here in Damariscotta. She was always very neatly dressed when she drove up in front of the liquor store in the well-kept old Ford Coupe which had a rumble seat in the back. It was painted black with a little green stripe on the side. I think it was a 1934 Ford Coupe.
We all enjoyed seeing that car every other day, especially it being in such fine condition. I still recall in my mind seeing her opening the car door and getting out, and then reaching back into the car and removing a beautiful old split ash wood basket with a wooden loop handle.
The basket was always covered with a neatly pressed red and white checkered cloth as she went into the store. The same as she came out of the store and went over to her Coupe and opened the door and placed the basket on the seat beside her.
Once in the car, she would look in the rear mirror and then gently back out into the parking lot. We all guessed that she did not want anyone to see her coming out of the store with a brown paper bag.
Just a wonderful memory of working on the first liquor store and the new Western Auto Store beside it. Now all the state-run liquor stores are gone, and they are just memories. Such is the way of doing business by the State Liquor Commission nowadays.
I am the only living carpenter in Mr. Carroll Lugwig’s crew. I still have so many fond memories of all these men and the many good times we had working together. Carroll Lugwig lived in the big white house just past the Elm Street Plaza on Elm Street. He had his carpenter shop in a building behind the house. This large house has now been turned into condominiums.
