The Sou'West Voyage Norwood Cove Greening Island Southwest Harbor Manset Seawall

Published three times yearly: February, June, and November February, 2017 __________________________________________________________________________________

1921-22 Pemetic Champs. Back row: Jones Wass, Leslie Stanley, Harold Trundy, Francis Young, Bertram Faulkingham, Jonesport (?); Middle row:Ferdinand Dolliver, KennethWatson, Charles Carroll, Cliff Robbins, Joe Trask; Front row: Lester Wass, Henry Wass. (Photo from SWH Hist. Soc. collection)

Unimaginable as it may seem, basketball was notimmediately popular with the people of SouthwestHarbor. Eleanor Newmanwrote about the history of the sport as it developed here.

Pemetic High Has Excellent Basketball Background By Eleanor Newman

Southwest Harbor – March 9, 1953 – Pemetic High School's courageous basketball team missed a statebasketball title Saturday night by a slim margin but basketball was still the talk of this town today. Ingeneral, the local fans replayed Pemetic's thrilling state title game with Cape Elizabeth in which Pemeticcame from behind to force the game into overtime before losing.

TOO NOISY – Specifically, however, this was the highlight of Pemetic's basketball – the firststate title bid in 38 years. But it wasn't the entire story of basketball here.

In fact, time was when Southwest Harbor wasn't basketball minded at all. Back in 1915, whenRaymond “Bud” Whitmore was trying to introduce the game to the high school and the town's peoplestayed away from the game because it was “too noisy,” they had to be enticed. Bud turned the trickby arranging a double-header with a girls' game for the opener. Townspeople came to see the girls,then stayed to become enthusiastic about a faster game which the boys introduced. (Cont'd on Page 3)

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE The Sou'West Voyage Feb 2017 Page 2

Here we are in 2017. Fourteen years ago, a group of folks gathered together at Becky (Hodgkins)and Bruce Carlson's home to start discussing possibilities for the celebration of the Southwest HarborCentennial in 2005. One of our money makers was a contest for school children to develop an image to beprinted on the coffee mugs we would sell to help defray the cost of our plans. We lined up musicalprograms (remember those under the tent on the horseshoe and also in the park), we had speakers whoentertained us with stories of the past, and among many other plans, we had a great time. We even soldKrispy Kreme donuts, only a day old. Out of this group came the Southwest Harbor Historical Society.

I am sharing these memories with you to let you know that we are still having a great time. Weare looking forward to new programs this summer. We are asking for your input. What would you like tosee this year? We would also welcome you at our board meetings which will start again on April 5 th at lPM at Harbor House.

May 2017 be good to you and we will see you in the spring.Karen Craig, President (207-244-5267 or kc232sw@yahoo.com)

IN MEMORY OF. Contributions have been made to the society in memory ofJennie Jordan Cline by Andy Cline Jennie Cline by Eleanor RobbinsEdna Jellison by Aimee Williams Edna Jellison by George Jellison, Jr.Jack Madore by Loretta Rogers Peggy Walls by Kathe Newman WaltonMarguerite Gilley by Alan Spurling

DONATIONS. We are grateful to the following people for their continuing support:Alice R. AbbottPhyllis AcadiaBarbara & Mark AmstutzAlexandra AndrewsDavid & Anne BensonLynne BirlemDuane & Ruth BraunSusan BuellNatalie Spahr BushBarbara & Mark CampbellWilliam J. CarrollDavis AgencyHector DiazRichard DimondPamela DiehlDeborah Dyer

Ken & Mary EvansJan FlemingFidelity Charitable TrustRichard & JoAnne FuerstJack & Marguerite GilleyMary & Wayne GilleySheldon Goldthwaite, Jr.Steven HerrickBetsey HoltzmannPeter & Linda HomerMaggie & Jack KelleyEdward & Rosalinda MadaraAl & Donna MichaudLiz & Dale MillsEllen & Patrick MitchellSue & Jarvis Newman

Cora Olgyay & Alan RosenquistJeffrey OxmanMr. & Mrs. William R. PetersenHenryetta PonczekHenry RaupLouise RiemerErland SeaveyCummins & Diane SpeakmanCharles StanhopeJoan TerryEugene ThurstonMary & Jim VekasiPaula & Howard VogelKathe Newman WaltonJennifer Waters & Todd PetersonMark Worcester

______________________________________________________________________________________________Officers: Karen Craig, Pres.; Phil Whitney, V.P.; Lynne Birlem, Treas.; Henryetta Ponczek, Secy.; Board Members: JohnBurnham, Bob Davis, Margaret Delehanty, Wayne Gilley, Bernie Mauger, Patty Pinkham, Ralph Stanley, Kathe Walton.Our acquisitions, displays, and general information about the historical society are located in the Southwest Harbor/TremontChamber of Commerce room at Harbor House on Southwest Harbor's Main Street. Hours change with the seasons.Closed mid-October into May. You may also visit our website:SWHHS.org.

PEMETIC BASKETBALL The Sou'West Voyage Feb 2017 Page 3(Cont'd from Page 1)

Those early teams usually played under the flickering light of kerosene lamps. In the hallswhere they played those first years—the old Masonic hall and later the Park Theater in SouthwestHarbor, a Seal Cove hall, and the Manset VIA hall—the heat was often supplied by stoves. A cordonof fans had to place themselves around the almost red-hot stove to protect the players.

The first Southwest Harbor team composed of Bud Whitmore's brother Jay, Captain Lowell Ralph,Andrew Herrick, John Noyes, and Fred Tolman, and substitutes Paris Gray, Presley Holmes and ByronRobinson didn't have ready-made uniforms supplied to them by the school. These boys chose theschool's colors of garnet and black and their mothers bought the best material they could find to maketheir outfits as the team entered the first Hancock County Tournament.

FIRST TOURNEY TEAM – Jones Wass, grandfather of '53 Pemetic Cheerleaders Audrey and PatWass, provided transportation on one of his sardine carriers for the team as they went one night to stayin Deer Isle. After the game the boys could not return home and the lobby of the hotel seemed theonly place available for them to stay. The hotel manager warned them to be quiet because of hisguests but the boys' high spirits could not be subdued. Seeing the manager coming again to squelchthem the boys fled for the haymow in a nearby barn for the remainder of the night – a far cry fromthe luxurious accommodations provided the '53 Pemetic Indians during last week's tournament in a Bangormotel.

The 1922 Southwest Harbor team was the first to enter a state-wide contest, the University ofMaine Tournament in March of that year, with the quintet taking the measure of Foxcroft Academy andWashburn high (repeat performance, 1953!) before being defeated by Mattanawcook of Lincoln.Captain of the '22 team was Charles Carroll, uncle of this year's Johnnie Carroll; Henry Wass, starforward, father of '53 cheerleaders Audrey and Pat, and their uncle, Lester Wass; Ferdie Dolliver; KenWatson; Cliff Robbins; Joe Trask; Les Stanley; Harold Trundy, and Francis Young.

The 1923 team also entered the University of Maine Tournament defeating Northeast Harbor, BarHarbor and Dexter but losing by a single point to Cony high of Augusta. Obviously, the statetournament of those days knew no S, M, or L Divisions – a small school like Southwest Harbor wasthen, had to compete with the largest in the state for recognition! That team was composed of theWass brothers, Dolliver, Robbins and Trundy from the previous year, plus Dick Gilley, father of JackGilley, and Ken Robbins.

The 1925 team defeated Scarboro High and Cony before losing to a scrappy little Jonesport highteam in an overtime period in that year's University of Maine Tournament. Jonesport won the statecrown and went on into the New England Tournament. On Jonesport's winning team, it is interesting tonote, was a young sophomore, Ken Mansfield, now athletic director at Bar Harbor high school. On thePemetic team were Dick Gilley, Henry Wass, Kenneth Robbins, Dick Carroll, father of '53 outstandingClass M player Johnnie Carroll, and substitutes Ken Lord, Orville Trask and Sheldon Spurling.

REAL SPIRIT – The team made the last lap of the journey home from the tournament from Mt.Desert Ferry to the Southwest Harbor steamboat wharf, by the so-called “boat train.” The boys wereall dejected even though they had won the Hancock County honors, as they landed at the wharf. Butthey were met there by their number one fan, Bud Whitmore, who had a huge Pemetic banner poisedon a wood sled behind a pair of horses. As the boys' faces brightened at their welcome, the boatcaptain exclaimed: “What a pleasure it must be to live in a town like this!”

GUEST CONTRIBUTION The Sou'West Voyage Feb 2017 Page 4

THEODORE GRINDLE JR.(1925 – 1999)

By Steven Herrick

I hardly knew the man but here I am, 60 years after an important day in my life, trying to find theright words to describe how, in just a few minutes one summer day, a person made a major positiveimpact on my future. That person was Ted Grindle and he can’t read this, nor can his wife Grace(Stanley) Grindle who died in 2012 nor his son Theodore Grindle III who died in 1992. However, hehas descendants and I hope there are other people who knew Ted Grindle that may be interested in mystory.

It is safe to say that I had a chip on my shoulder at age 14 in the summer of 1956. I would be ahigh-schooler in the fall and, among other things, I was feeling confident about basketball. I had beenpracticing with the varsity while in Junior High and I felt sure I would make the varsity team as afreshman. For those of you who don’t know the history of the Pemetic Indians, basketball was “king”in Southwest Harbor at that time. I was also a member of a group of fun-loving latchkey boys wholived “on the edge”. I guess most people would have called us a gang. The best I can say aboutour activities was that we never destroyed anyone’s property. On the other hand, I must admit I’m notreal proud of our exploits.

As I was walking up Clark Point Road one day headed for Jim’s Poolhall, the Ford State Cruiser pulledup beside me. Trooper Grindle rolled down the passengerwindow and asked me to get in. I hesitated for a second then,thinking that this might be a good story for the poolhall, got in.He started out by saying that he was aware of some of myescapades and that I should know that he would be watching me.As he spoke, my eyes were drawn to a notepad on his dash. Icould clearly read the four names written on the pad and onename was mine! I was transfixed as he went on to say, inpart, “Your father Woodrow used to be Town Cop and Iremember your grandfather Will Herrick’s funeral a few years backwhen all the stores in town closed in his honor. I wonder ifyour Dad or Will Herrick would be proud of you if they knew what Iknow.” Well, standing on the sidewalk as the cruiser drove away, my mind still held the image of thatdashboard note and Trooper Grindle’s words had really hit home. I forgot about the poolhall andreturned to my house as I thought about my family and my future.

My life took a different path after that day. I paid more attention to my schoolwork and thought moreabout pride in family than my own personal self-importance. I’ve come to realize that there are usuallya handful of events in one’s life that have a significant positive or negative effect and that few minuteswith Trooper Grindle 60 years ago was certainly one of my positives. To me, he was a perfectexample of how important the caring men and women in blue are to our society.

PHIL'S PAGE The Sou'West Voyage Feb 2017 Page 5From The Bar Harbor Times, December 3, 1959

RECENT ACQUISITIONS The Sou'West Voyage Feb 2017 Page 6

The following is a partial list of the dozens of donations we've received lately. For a complete,detailed list compiled by our archivists Becky and John Burnham, consult the Finding Aid on ourwebsite, SWHHS.org.

“The Entrepreneur: Charlotte Gill. Charlotte's Legendary Lobster Pound, Seawall Road.” Bangor Daily News, August 12, 2016.

A Romance of Mt. Desert: The Jesuits' Ring, by Augustus Allen Hayes, 1887, reprint 1985, fromJohn Burnham.

“The Boating Industry of Mt. Desert Island, 1981.” Bar Harbor Times, 28 pages, from John Burnham.

Ocean House brochure, George B. Bond and Mrs. Ernest Jones, Proprietors, from Joan Terry.

Letter of Abram Somes, first settler of Mt. Desert Island, to Eben Parson, Esq. Of Boston, 1816, concerning effort to evict him, Bar Harbor Historical Society, photocopy.

Box of 228 postcards of Mt. Desert Island scenes as well as scenes outside MDI, collected by Jarvis and Susan Newman.

Various sports (baseball and basketball) memorabilia: photos, articles, clothing.

The Pemetic yearbooks 1946, 1950, 1952, from Robert S. Soukup.

“Birds of Mt. Desert Island, Acadia National Park Maine,” by Carroll Tyson & James Bond. Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1941, 82 pages, from Robert S. Soukup.

Guide map of Acadia National Park, ca 1941, from Robert S. Soukup.

Three framed photographs of Worcester/Robinson families, from Dottie and Warren Worcester.

Invitation to ceremony honoring Mary Brown Robinson with a grave marker by MDI DAR chapter, Oct. 10, 1997, Mt. Height Cemetery, from Dottie and Warren Worcester.

Hardbound copy of Naval Visits to Frenchman's Bay: A Photographic Record of Naval Ship Visitsto the Mount Desert Island Area, compiled by Jonathan Eno, 2015. 693 pages, from Jonathan Eno.

Trifold postcard of 6 photos of Stanley House hotel, undated, from Joan Terry.

History of Thompson Island and the Thompson Family, rewritten by Cindy Thompson King, August,2015, originally titled The Thompsons of Thompson Island, Bar Harbor-Trenton, Maine, A Family History,written by John Thompson. Illustrated, photocopy, from Kristin Hutchins.

RAVENTHORP, GREENING ISLAND The Sou'West Voyage Feb 2017 Page 7

Archivist Becky Burnham has done research on Southwest Harbor locations on the NationalRegister of Historic Places. It was her suggestion that the newsletter occasionally highlight one ofthose places. Consequently, we are featuring Raventhorp on Greening Island in this Februaryedition. It's easy to forget that Greening Island is a part of greater Southwest Harbor.

Photos are from the Southwest Harbor Historical Society's collection.

Raventhorp is an historic summerhouse at the northern tip of Greening Island. It was designedby Fred L. Savage and Milton W. Stratton and built in 1895 for Joseph Gilbert Thorp and AnneLongfellow Thorp. He was a prominent Boston lawyer and she the daughter of poet Henry WadsworthLongfellow. When the Thorps purchased property on Greening Island, the Thorps were joining numeroussocial acquaintances who had built or were planning to build equally ambitious cottages. Thorp's avowedinterest in golf was perhaps the deciding influence on location because soon after Raventhorp wascompleted, he undertook the construction of a small golf course on the island. The Thorp cottageremained in the family until 1981 when it was sold to Peter Forbes of Boston.

The house sits on 8.7 acres facing north. It is a large 2½ story Shingle-style structure with awraparound porch that has sunrooms enclosed in glass at its eastern and western ends. The mainblock of the house has a variety of gables, projections, and recessed sections typical of the Shinglestyle. The eastern facade has a prominent high rubble-stone foundation and a projecting bay that risesthrough the main roof to a turreted roof of its own. The interior features extensive original woodwork,from paneling in the public spaces to cabinetry in the kitchen.

Earle Shettleworth, Jr., former director of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, said thatthe inclusion of a house on the National Register means it is considered “worthy of preservation andprotection as part of the nation's cultural heritage.” Raventhorp was added to the National Register in1988. A more complete list of locations in Southwest Harbor is on our web site, SWHHS.org/historicplaces. Information in this article taken from Wikipedia and the Mount Desert Islander, November 14, 2013.

Ravensthorp circa 1900

Some Things Never Change

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS The Sou'West Voyage Feb 2017 Page 8 _______________________________________________________________________ITEMS FOR SALE BOOKS

RECOLLECTIONS OF SOUTHWEST HARBOR, MAINE, 1885-1894. By Jesse L. Parker, 1955. Edited by John P. and Rebecca D. Burnham, 2010.

52 pages. 8 l/2” x 11” spiral bound. This book is also for sale at our presentations; at Sawyer's Market and at Carroll Drugstore, both in Southwest Harbor; and on our website, SWHHS.org, where there is an order form. Members $11 Non-members $12

Please add $3 for shipping.

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD—MANSET AND SEAWALL. 2015. 160

pages with compact disc. 8 ½” x 11”. Features 365 buildings withcomprehensive deed work; 125 photos. This book is also for sale at ourpresentations; at Davis Realty Agency, Carroll Drugstore, and Sawyer's Market, allin Southwest Harbor; the Southwest Harbor Public Library; Sherman's Bookstore in Bar Harbor; and on our website, SWHHS.org, where there is an order form.

Members $33 Non-members $35 Please add $4 for shipping.

DVD'SThe DVD's are recordings of some of our summer programs. You may go to our web site, SWHHS.org,where there is an order form for these DVD's, or you may just write us directly with your order.

On Fishing; Wendell Seavey, Speaker Ice Cutting; Jack and Wayne Gilley, Speakers A Southwest Harbor Boyhood; Ralph Stanley, Speaker The United States Coast Guard; Rich Viera, Speaker The Granite Industry; Stephen Haynes, Speaker The WWII K-14 Blimp Mystery; Earl Brechlin, Speaker

The Steamboat Era of Southwest Harbor; Ralph Stanley & Phil Whitney, SpeakersNEW Family Photos of an Earlier Southwest Harbor; Kathe Newman Walton, Speaker

Members $11 Non-members $12 Please add $3 per item for shipping.

Orders for the books and DVD's should be sent to Southwest Harbor Historical Society, P. O. Box 272,Southwest Harbor, ME 04679. You may use the order form on our web site simply write a note withyour request.

MEMBERSHIP DUES There is still time to send in your dues for the 2016 membership year. The date above your name

on the address page shows when your membership expires. We look forward to receiving your dues so that wemay continue mailing you the newsletter. We are now offering you the option of receiving the newsletter byemail. On this month's blue cover sheet there is a spot for your email address. Fill in your email addressonly if you wish to receive future newsletters that way.