Limington Historical Society

08/23/2026

From Limington Academy's 1957 yearbook...

"The Class of 1960 entered Limington Academy on September 4, 1956, fifteen students strong. We were initiated by the sophomores at Freshmen Reception on September 28, at the Harold B. Emery Jr. Memorial School and suffered many indignities at their hands. However, a pleasant dance followed the reception and soothed our feelings. At our first class meeting we elected the following officers: President, John Pariseau; Vice President, Richard Karcher; Secretary, Janice Hubbard; and Treasurer, Bonnie Edgecomb.

08/16/2026

This summer we initiated a project of honoring our veterans. Our hope is to post portraits of them in our history barn. The slides of Everett McKenney and Harold B. Emery, Jr. give an idea as to what is included with the portrait. The first batch of portraits are in place as shown.

We are starting with World War I & II veterans and will move forward from there. Included in this post is a list of soldiers from both wars. If you have a family member listed (or know someone related to a soldier), we’d love to hear from you! The list was pulled from academy yearbooks, our 2014 calendar, and assorted resources. Some of the photos were shared with us by family members, others were ‘harvested’ from 1940s yearbooks. If we have missed a veteran, please let us know!

Our hope is to have a companion resource on our website, something that will be developed this winter. There, we hope to share information that speaks to the veteran’s story.

If you wish to connect with us about your veteran, please send us an email or stop by the history barn on a Friday morning 10-noon. We have two Fridays remaining in our open house schedule, August 21st and 28th. If sharing through [email protected] , please write in the subject line…. Veteran Project - veteran’s name.

We are looking for-
Portraits
Branch and Unit designations and location of service
Citations
Newspaper articles
Written down oral stories of their experience
If deceased, an obituary.

We will also be scouring resources for information to populate the website. Once it is ready, we will let you know.

When we are 'done' with WWI & II and are ready to move forward in time, we will put the call out for info.

Included in this post with Everett’s and Harold’s portraits are letters they wrote home. Harold’s was printed in the 1943 academy yearbook. Winnifred Pillsbury of the Class of ’43 was on the yearbook staff. She accumulated soldier’s field addresses and wrote them letters asking them to write back to the folks at home. There were other letters, poetry, and prose printed in that yearbook with a wartime focus. A pdf of this will be on our website this winter.

Thank you for the help!

World War I
Bean, Harry
Berkeley, Rowland Wm - b.1899-1946
Black, Melvin A. - 1895-1978
Boothby, Thomas Russell - b.1889-1983
Brackett, Robert Emerson - b.1898-1978
Brackett, Roy Frost - b.1886-1930
Carrier, Edward L. - b.1895-1970
Chase, Marion Elizabeth - b.1893-1992
Chick, Harry Moses -1893-1954
Chick, George Ed - b.1897-1973
Emery Sr., Harold B. - 1890 - 1976
Floyd, Herbert 1894 - Dec'd
Gallant, Joseph - 1892 - dec'd
Haley, Ralph Burton - b.1890-1950
Huntress Sr, Dana - 1895-1990
Lewis, Lawson Ernest - b.1890-1942
McKenney, Everett - 1895 -1918
Sawyer Jr., William Hayes - 1892-1968
Spiller, Charles Alpheus - 1886-1958
Stiles, Arthur H. - 1895-1957
Usher, Ellis B - 1887-1963

World War II
Bickford, Arthur - 1918 - 1961
Bonnell, Sgt. Donald C. - 1918 - 2003
Brackett, Leroy E. - 1925 - 1988
Brackett, Manley - 1922 - 2022
Brackett, Merton - 1926 - 2024
Brackett, Robert - 1920 -
Braley, Berton - 1918 - 2004
Braley, Richard Harris - 1922 - 1992
Brooks, Lyndon R. - 1919 - 1998
Brunk, Edward G. - 1919-2005
Brunk, Cpl. Richard M. - 1918 - 1999
Chase, George H. - 1924 - 1987
Chick, Sgt Edwin A - 1913 - 1990
Chick, Sgt. Edgar. Malcolm - 1911 - 1977
Cook, Robert F - 1912 - 1984
Decker, Philip C - 1925 - 1979
Dow, Clyde - 1921 - 1980
Ducharme, Raymond A, - 1913 - 1977
Emery, Edwin B. - 1921 - 1975
Emery, Harold B., Jr. - 1924 - 1945
Foss, Ernest Irvin - 1914 - 1990
Foss, Frank H. - 1927 - 2011
Gammon, Lester - 1921 - 2012 - Silver Star, 3 Bronze Stars
Gammon, Melvin - 1924 - 2003
Grace Jr., Clayton - 1926 -
Graffam, Dennis C - 1925 - 1997
Gray Jr., Cpl. Bruce
Houston Jr, Raymond H. - 1921 - 2009 - Silver Star, Bronze Star
Hubbard, John A. - 1922 - 2011
Jensen, Harold
Lord, Lt. Edward S. - 1913 - 2004
Martin, Carlton E. - 1921 - 2014
Mayo, Herbert - 1918 - 2001
McKenney, Everett - 1895 - 1918
McKenney, Norman F. - 1916 - 1997
Miller, Clyde W.
Moulton Jr, John H. - 1914 - 1977
Norton, Roger E. - 1924 - 1982
Pattee, Lt. Col Karl - 1897 - 1985
Pillsbury, Cpl. Donald - 1916 - 2011
Pillsbury, James Carleton - 1918 - 1992
Price, Dorothy Dearborn - 1925 - 2007
Price, Norman - 1922 - 2000
Shaw, Charles Senter - 1923 - 1977
Shea, Tech. Sgt. Arnold V. - 1920 - 2015
Smith, Alberton - 1920 - 1988
Smith, John W. - 1925 - 2008 Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Usher, Maurice - 1920 - 1994
Varnum, Leonard - 1921 - 2001
Weeman, Earl - 1923 - 1996
Yennie, Sgt. Richard - 1910-1986
Wentworth, Frank J - 1915 -

08/11/2026

The railing from the Old Town Hall is now permanently installed at the historical society!

We thank Madison Moody and Jake Smith for carefully dismantling it and delivering it to us in July. Many thanks to Fred Letellier for downsizing the railing (made of oak) and installing it between two posts in our 'wagon' room.

Why the big deal and trouble to save it and install it at the historical society?

In the 1857 town report a motion was made by James W. Joy (1811-1892) to erect a rail in front of the town house desk. A long look into the tumultuous 1850s politics sheds light on its purpose to 'guard' the desk … perhaps. There were multiple political parties during the early part of the decade. There was division in the United States over the issue of slavery. In 1857 the Republican Party was a few years old. The railing became a reminder of respect between differing points of view.

At the time of Joy's motion, the 'town house' was located near the former Longfellow school. Throughout the 1860s, there was discussion about whether to build a new town house or repair the current building. Finally, in 1869 the vote swayed in the direction of a new building which was completed in 1871. The town conducted its affairs there until the 1990s when the municipal center was built.

At what point the railing was installed within the town house / Old Town Hall is not known at this moment. Facts like that appear, often serendipitously, when going through notes left by town elders. Thanks to some recently donated negatives, we know the railing was in place at an early 1950s town meeting. Those pictures will appear in our 2027 calendar.

The 1857 town report excerpt --

"1857 May 30 ~ Voted to adopt James W. Joys motion, which is as follows – Viz.- That the town Agent be directed to [cauk] two posts not less than four inches square to be let through the floor not less than three feet in front of the town house desk & to be securely fastened in the ground below with a space between the same eighteen inches wide; & two other posts set in like manner & of same dimension to be set as to leave a space of at least 16 inches at the right & left of said desk & to be so railed as to form a substantial guard in front of said desk."

The removal of the rail and desk from the Old Town Hall this year allows for freedom of movement throughout this community gathering space.

08/07/2026

A few weeks ago we posted a picture of Roland Gammon. Well, here's another proving his affection for his pet groundhog. The story turns into a Maine Historical Society promo.

Thank you Jake Smith for dropping off a box full of good stuff (historical items) from the Old Town Hall. This clipping was part of a scrapbook within the lot.

07/23/2026

07/11/2026

With this being Ossipee Valley Fair season, this gem from our 2012 calendar deserves to be seen again. Perhaps a reader or two, or three, could share a story about the folks on this slide.

06/28/2026

Back in the day ..... when town meeting day was a full day!

In 1946 the students of Limington Academy Junior and Senior class presented a play in the evening of 'town meeting day'. These three-act plays were put on every year. After the town meeting folks would go across the street to the church for dinner then go back to finish the meeting. In the evening people would fill the upstairs of the Old Town Hall to watch the play.

Behind the brown paper background on the stage was a narrow hallway for the cast to move about from one end of the stage to the other. The three tin shades at the front of the stage hid the lighting. The plays were highlights of the year!

The cast of Aunt Bessie Beats the Band -

Standing L- R Doris (Hasty) Brunk, Thelma (Hubbard) Libby, Stanley Harmon, Edith Brice, Charles (Bud) Varnum, Roger Durgin, Jean (Grace) Doughty, Freeland Bolster, and Mrs. Dorothy Chick - Coach

Students around desk - Standing - Jean (Grace) Doughty, Edith Brice, Charles (Bud) Varnum, Roger Durgin.
Seated is Thelma (Hubbard) Libby

05/29/2026

Population Trend

The slide attached to this post compares Limington’s population with that of neighboring towns. Lots can be written about the rise and fall of each town’s population. Historian Elizabeth Ring wrote her thoughts on Limington’s decline in a continuation of the essay shared in last week’s Revolutionary War Veteran post. That she wrote the essay in 1948 is reflected in her thoughts of Limington’s (then) population decline.

“What has happened to Limington is the fate of many a Maine town. Its population now, 864, is hardly more than the number who were in the town in 1790 when it was incorporated. The population increased rapidly at first until it reached its peak of 2,317, in 1840. Gradually a decline set in. Virgin forest that had attracted settlers to the S**o and Little Ossipee Rivers by 1840 had suffered depletion. Much of the growth had been in the south of the town. With the best timber cut, the land was hardly more than a plain covered with scrub growth, with sandy barren soil that never had been fit for farming no matter how willing a man was to work the clock around to support his family.

"Toward the west and north of the town, the land rose abruptly, forming hills with deep valleys between. Uneven and rocky, the wonder is that early settlers who spent prodigious labor in erecting fine farm buildings ever could have believed that the land was productive enough to warrant their labor. It may have deserved their hope of a better life, sustaining them when living standards were low. But families grew. Sons begat sons. Little wonder that men of the third generation went to growing manufacturing towns nearby, or to better agricultural lands in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

"The Gold Rush and the Civil War increased the ranks of those who left never to return. Over a third of the male population of military age served in the Civil War, and fully a half of those who did, never returned to take their place in town affairs.

"After the war the exodus continued. Hardly a Limington by who went to college in this period returned to live in town and give it the benefit of his education. Many of these young men became teachers, writers, and publishers, lawyers and ministers – trained for their careers in the sternest of schools – a Maine farm.

"And so today the population of Limington is what it was at the time of incorporation. For the lover of antiquity, suggestive now of this former life are 48 private burying-grounds and five cemeteries, numerous excellent but now inactive small mill-sites, miles of abandoned roads, scores of deserted farmhouses, many with only a cellar to mark their former location.

"But the town, though depopulated, is far from dead. Profits in orcharding are more than fair. The combined yield of three of the largest orchards in town – those of Ralph Weston, Mrs. Katherine McArthur Perkins, and Guy Brackett – for a bumper year would top 50,000 bushels – and there are smaller ones. The progressive poultry farming of such young men as Arthur Libby, Kenneth Edgecomb, Chester Batchelor, and Manley Brackett – Fulton Blake’s thriving dairy business – indicate that the town in its change from general to more specialized farming, may still have something to attract young people.

"For those who return in August (Limington’s 1948 sesquicentennial celebration as well as the academy’s centennial), the old town remains – the village canopied with magnificent elms as they have stood for over 100 years - the elms that may add a touch of melancholy to the scene for those who remember that the town had seen better days.”
______________

Source – Portland Sunday Telegram and Sunday Press Herald – August 8, 1948.
Population charts are found on each town’s Wikipedia page.