History of Events
by: Piscataquis Community Middle School 8th Grade Students
Included in the next three pages:
Fires
Floods
Log Drives
Fires
Text By: Jamie Libby and Chase Bouton
Eighth Grade Students at
Piscataquis Community Middle School
Images from the Guilford Historical Society
Fires In Guilford
Fires happen every day. Employed fire departments keep their fire fighters all year round. Volunteer fire departments don’t operate the same way. They could be called in at anytime. The Guilford Fire Department is a volunteer fire department and was founded in 1893.
(Gen. Disasters 2006-2010)
In the beginning there were 16 members, all men. All they had was a linen hose, a two-wheeled hose reel, and a sled for in the winter. They were paid around three dollars a year. The Guilford Fire Department bought their first fire truck, a 1931 Ford, which is still used in parades today.
(Tom Goulette)
The town hall in Guilford was built in 1880. It was used for many things, most importantly to keep files. But in 1928 the town hall burnt to the ground. In this fire many files were lost in this fire. The town hall was not built again on this spot.
(Maine Memory Network 2000-2010)
One of the big fires that happened was on December 7, 1902. An entire block was destroyed by this huge fire. Also, it destroyed many business, and left three different secret societies without a place to meet. The total loss was $22,000.
(Gen. Disasters 2006-2010)
On June 28, 1958, Hardwood Products, one of Guilford’s most successful businesses, caught on fire. The Guilford Fire Department responded and put out the flames. This was a very hard fire to fight. In the end the fire department lost 2,000 feet of hose and much more in expensive equipment. Sadly there was $750,000 in damages.
(Guilford History 1990s)
One of Guilford’s biggest businesses burned down on March 1, 2003. The Braeburn Hotel had been many different businesses over the years, including a post office. The Braeburn, in 2003, was used as an apartment building. Sadly, the Braeburn burnt to the ground.
(Town of Guilford 2003-2004)
Trebor Mansion Inn Fire
On January 24, 2004, a historical building burnt down in Guilford. The Trebor Mansion was reported on fire at 9:45 in the morning. At the time the Trebor was 173 years old. Seven fire departments responded to the fire. There were 80 fire fighters there. It was in subzero weather and two people were injured. Later on, they found that the fire had started on the first floor due to an old wood stove. Next, the fire spread to the upper floors. The only thing left was bad smoke and heat damage. Later, on the Mansion was rebuilt to its former glory.
(Trebor Mansion Inn 2002-2006)
The Guilford Fire Department works hard at every fire. They have meetings every first Sunday of the month and training every second Monday. They work hard to keep Guilford people and businesses safe, by keeping updated on their equipment and by keeping their fire fighters updated on their training. By doing so they save many buildings, homes, and big businesses in Guilford.
Floods
Text By: Courtney Richardson & Zachary McKenney
Eighth Grade Students at Piscataquis Community Middle School
Images from the Guilford Historical Society
The flood of 1923 came totally unexpected. There had been a lot of snow but no rain. The ice was melting late, so it appeared there wouldn’t be enough water to drive logs. One night it rained all night and the wind blew very hard. The next morning, the river was rising quickly. People that lived in houses on River Street were forced to leave their homes. That afternoon, River Street was entirely flooded. Strong currents swept debris through the road and around houses. The athletic field was covered with several feet of rushing water. There was a lot of damage caused by this flood; homes were filled with debris, mills and machinery were ruined.
Another big flood was the flood of 1936. The Piscataquis River flooded again. This time the damage was caused by ice jams. The peek reached its highest point on Friday, the day after the flood started. The Gray Gable Tea room, the garage, living quarters, and over-night camps of J.O. Buzzles were completely flooded. On Friday afternoon the ice jams in Sangerville were dynamited. That released the pressure, which caused the river to drop several feet at once.
The biggest flood recorded in Guilford since 1936 was the 1987 flood. The Kennebec River flooded on April Fool's day. There had been four days of rain and warm weather that caused the snow to melt. The water started to rise early on March 31, 1987. By the end of the day on April 1, Front Street was flooded. It rose all day and it finally crested at 20 feet on April 2. Many buildings were destroyed, along with one bridge that was washed away. Pieces of homes, trees, and bundles of lumber floated down the river. When the lumber hit the Father Curran Bridge the straps snapped, which caused two-by-fours to go flying through the air. The Low’s Bridge washed away; it was 130 years old. It was a covered bridge across the Piscataquis River that connected Guilford and Sangerville.
Low's Bridge Flood of 1987
That is some information about the floods in Maine. There were many more floods in Maine, but we only told you about three of them. There were a lot of historical objects lost in these floods, the flood of 1926, the flood of 1934, and last but not least the flood of 1987 and those objects couldn’t be recovered.
Log Drives
(Text pending)