Guilford, Maine

By: Carrie Fellows

Dedication of Odd Fellows Hall, Guilford, 1904

After the Hudson Store and Odd Fellows Hall burned in 1902, a large brick building was built on the same footprint. When finished in 1904, a huge dedication ceremony took place in Bank Square that was attended by hundreds of people.

We Remember The Days - Guilford's Centennial Celebration - 1916

June 17 and 18, 1916, were gala days in our town. The Guilford Board of Trade proclaimed the 100 year anniversary of the town's existence. Committees and sub committees were appointed; buildings were decorated with great enthusiasm the town prepared to celebrate.

At 10:45 on Saturday, the street parade formed, led by a band of 42 pieces from Bangor with the well known leader Adelbert Wells Sprague. Forty three beautifully decorated floats received the applause of hundreds of people gathered on the streets, in doorways, window, anywhere to exclaim over the beauty and imagination shown in the parade.

At 2:30 pm in the Town Hall, exercises were held, the highlights being the History by Henry Hudson, Esq., of Guilford and the oration by Rev. George A. Martin of St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

A concert at 7:30 by the Bangor Band featured a march, Guilford Centennial, by Lee Sanford, a former Guilford boy who had played in the President's band for a number of years. A ball followed the concert and a large gathering of ladies in evening gowns and their escorts provided a scene of beauty to the audience seated in the balcony.

Sunday forenoon, a commemorative service was held in the town hall by the Methodist and Universalist Churches; in the afternoon, a Sacred Concert was held on the lawn of the Universalist Church.

Owing to the downpour on Saturday, the auto parade was held on Sunday at 4:15 pm. Ten automobiles, decorated with many colored flowers, vied with each other on muddy roads for the prizes.

At the Guilford Memorial Library, antiques were on display. This collection was large and had great historical value.

The churches served dinners and Samuel Boardman and the men from his mill set up tables in the sheds by the railroad and served beanhole beans. Many problems were met with before the two day celebration was over but with the cooperation of the townspeople and the businesses, everyone felt a great satisfaction in a day well planned and long to be remembered.

Armistice Day

The day of the Armistice was a day of wild excitement, whistles blowing, parades and torch light processions. Once more we would welcome our soldiers home and once more we would live in peace for a short time. Now we would build again in our town and take up its duties.

Guilford Fair

In the early part of the 20th century, Guilford was home to the largest fair in Piscatquis County. The date of the first Guilford Fair is uncertain but appears to have been some time in the late 1800’s. Always a traditional agricultural fair, it was held on the Saturday following Labor Day and featured livestock judging, horse and oxen pulling, and an assortment of carnival rides and games. The beloved annual fair came to an end when the B & A Railroad ceased. When the rail line was abandoned and the tracks taken up, it removed the natural barrier surrounding the fair grounds. With the bank gone there was no way to prevent access to the fair and thereby make money from admission charged. With no way for the Legion to make a profit the fair was abandoned.

Guilford Fair Baseball Game

The centerpiece of the fair was a double header baseball game between the local semi-pro Guilford Advertisers and a visiting team from the Eastern Maine League. There was a large grandstand for watching the ball game, while hundreds of cars would also park in the outfield. It seems every town had its own team made up of local athletes but the towns would also hire two or three professional ball players to help them out. These pros were usually pitchers or big hitters and would be offered a regular summer job in the town as well as money to play on the ball team. Names like Lefty Pulombo and Duke Elliot come to mind as well as Galen Turner who eventually went on to play in the major leagues. The semi-pro games provided a lot of entertainment over the years, and many traveling teams from all over the country would play in Guilford. These traveling teams had names as colorful as the players themselves; like the House of David team with all the players sporting long dark beards and uniforms, and the Colored Giants, an all-Negro team renowned for their razzle-dazzle. The games were difficult to follow for many years, until the introduction of an exciting new feature, the Gordon Sound System, an extremely important addition to the enjoyment of the national pastime.

First Airmail Delivery

On Thursday, May 19, 1938 a two seated biplane swooped down out of the skies and into the history books as the first Air Mail service landed in the field at the Hudson Farm. A parade ensued and was the beginning of a week-long celebration, “National Air Mail Week” . Part of the celebration was the special commemorative cancellation stamp that was developed by Postmaster E.E. Ross and Mrs. Ada Knowles of the post office. The "cachet", as it is called, is a 2” x 2” square with a picture of an airplane and it reads: "Honoring Guilford Low, First Baby Boy Born in Guilford, ME."

Sesquicentennial Celebration 1966

Friday June 17 and Saturday June 18, 1966 were two days chosen to CELEBRATE Guilford’s 150th Birthday. After the devastation of events such as floods and fires, the townspeople of Guilford come together once again to celebrate.

A Souvenir Program Booklet listed events on Friday such as horse pulling, ball games, bean-hole bean supper, talent show, helicopter rides and a horseshoe tournament. The first day ended with a spectacular display of fireworks viewed from the Guilford Ball Park.

Saturday there was to be a “Mammoth Parade” of over 100 units assembling at Morin’s field, traveling down Main Street and Water Street and ending at the Guilford Ball Diamond. The parade included several Street Floats, Clubs & Organizations Floats, Business Floats, and area fire trucks, antique automobiles, several bands, and even a doll carriage parade.

Some other events were oxen pulling, barbeque, canoe races, log chopping contest, magic show, chalk talk, and street dance. One of the highlights was a beard judging contest. The winners were Joseph Morin – most original, Roy Fairbrother – most luxuriant and George Tozier – most artistic. The evening ended with a magnificent Sesquicentennial Ball.

Memorabilia included the 150th Sesquicentennial Coin and golf tees donated by Pride Manufacturing Co. Special ribbons were awarded to prize winners and professional photos were taken to be on display at Crockett’s Bakery the next week to be purchased.

EXHIBITS
HOME