In doing more research and checking back into the history of the Longfellow School located in the village of Damariscotta Mills, we both came up with some real interesting history with the great help of George Weston, a longtime historian of the Mills area.
We all feel the children who went to the Longfellow School at the Mills area and are now in their 60s, 70s, and 80s would like to know some of its past history and articles that have been written and recorded in the town records of Nobleboro.
We start with a letter recorded in the town records of Nobleboro dated 1871-1912, volume 3, page 362.
This letter was written by Charles P. Gardiner, Esq., of Brookline, Mass:
“Dear Sir, we the undersigned municipal officer, supt. of schools, and superintendent school committee of the town of Nobleboro in the county of Lincoln and State of Maine in consideration of the great interest you have taken in the humble schools of our town, and fortunately in the school located in the Damariscotta Mills Village and said Nobleboro, by presenting said school with a beautiful bell and recently with two large paintings of the distinguished poet, Longfellow, and also tablets suitably inscribed with the name of Longfellow and also of Charles P. Gardiner, the donor of these presents, and for other good and sufficient reasons, have this day in behalf of the citizens of our town named said school and building, Longfellow School, and we have caused a copy of this declaration to be entered upon the records of the town of Nobleboro. Dated at Nobleboro January 11, 1899.”
Selectmen of Nobleboro at this time were James E. Mulligan, Chester D. Hall, and Benjamin C. Winchenbaugh. The superintendent of schools and school committee were Herbert L. Coombs, Edwin D. Oliver, and Henry J. Palmer.
Also in the Nobleboro archives, a newspaper article from Nov. 8, 1900 reports the Longfellow School was established in a new schoolhouse. It had two rooms equipped, the upper for the grammar school, taught by Miss Alma Flagg, of Jefferson, the lower for a primary school, over which Miss Elmira Mulligan presided.
The article describes the first time a 9×18 foot flag was raised upon the school’s 72-foot Liberty pole. The funds for this purpose were collected for a long time. A beginning was made when Albert Vinal taught there. Entertainments have been held, the S.I.L.M. has taken hold and now the work is done.
According to the article, the staff stood firmly embedded in small stones and Portland cement. The teachers marshaled their pupils, more than 60 of them, in the lower room and marched them out the doors where a large number of citizens and visitors had assembled.
The first young people formed a circle and saluted the flag, which hung in a ball and was held in place by Herbert Jones until the proper time. The American hymn was then sung by the school, assisted by Miss Josie Winslow at the organ, after which the flag was formally presented by Miss Mulligan in a graceful speech.
Supt. F.L. Blanchard accepted the flag with a few well chosen words defining real patriotism.
The raising of the flag was very neatly done. As an appropriate song was sung, the flag was gradually drawn to the top of the staff in a ball and at the conclusion, was broken out to the breeze amid the applause of all present.
The Longfellow School was built in 1898 at a cost of $1,701.78.
This did not include the cost of desks. The desks came from the Grand Rapids Seating Company at a cost of $146 that was shown in the annual report of the town of Nobleboro for the year ending March 4, 1899.
Doors for the school were $6.50. The Damariscotta Mills Water Company, timber for the school fence $90.86. James A. Nash and Don, grading the schoolhouse lot $12.50. Ira Sidelinger building a fence at the school $16.50. A. McCurder nails for the school and fence $6.50.
Also in the archives, we read a notice in The Lincoln County News which stated a contract was out to build a school at Damariscotta Mills. The size of the building was to be 28-by-40, two stories, with a height of post 24 feet.
The Longfellow School lasted for some 57 years.
When the Longfellow School closed, the land and school building was sold by the town to E.A. McGray and the deed dated Sept. 13, 1957 for the sum of $700. We find that E.A. McGray had the school building torn down and the beautiful old school bell, which was housed in the bell tower, was cracked and ruined by dropping it to the ground from the belfry. The complete bell unit weighed some 1,200 pounds.
McGray sold the land only to George and Helen Weston, deeded June 15, 1967. Such is the past history of the old Longfellow School that once stood in the village of Damariscotta Mills.
The only piece of history of this school building is a great postcard photo which clearly shows the Longfellow School with great detail and which caught a part of history around 1935. This photo shows the beautiful old bell tower.
We hope that Marjorie and I, with the great help of George Weston, have been able to shed some light on the great past history of the Longfellow School and all the men and women who went there and still remember those school days at the Longfellow School.
