Our Civil War Legacy

On this Memorial Day in America, we Maine people, wherever we may presently reside, recognize the 150^th anniversary of the 4^th Maine Infantry Regiment and honor their memories. I felt it appropriate to revisit the history of the Civil War and what that war’s legacy is to these United States of America. I will also make some parallels to present day wartime eras and to the prevailing thoughts on the subject then and now.

As I write this story, Company B 20th Maine Infantry Regiment has already held its annual Encampment and battle Re-enactment up in Washington, originally called Putnam. These folks are all volunteers and have a passion for Civil War history. During the year, they participate in clearing and cleaning Civil War battlefield sites in and around Gettysburg.

I expect, that here in the South, other re-enactments are taking place. Knowing that you will most always come out a loser in these exercises must be a real downer for Southerners. By the way, some “true” Southerners insist on calling the Civil War, the “War Between the States” and even others are still squabbling about that war and why it happened. More about that later.

First of all, let’s examine Memorial Day and why we celebrate it as a national holiday. Memorial Day, formerly called Decoration Day, was enacted after the Civil War to honor the soldiers who fought in that war. It was extended after World War I to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. We have come to see the day as a time to remember and honor the memory of all those we loved. It is a time to visit grave sites and decorate them with flowers and with flags if they are a veteran.

Of course we also use that long holiday, occurring on a Monday, as a long weekend to be with family, cook out, maybe watch a parade or even the Indianapolis 500 auto race on TV. Somehow I don’t see this as a bad thing. After all, didn’t our veterans fight so that we could enjoy times like this with our families?

The 4^th Maine Infantry, which we honor today, was formed on April 23, 1861. A meeting was called by A.H. Kimball and other prominent citizens, at the court house, to sign up volunteers for the Civil War in the South. There were 23 men there who signed up for possible enlistment into the army.. Capt. C.F. Hodgdon threw a $20 gold piece onto the floor and declared that it was for the first man to volunteer for the military.

Stephen H. Chapman picked it up and became the first man to enlist in the 4^th Maine. Then Elijah Walker volunteered and 25 firemen of the Dirigo Engine Company.

On April 24, a recruiting office was opened in the Kimball Block in Rockland and later that day the 1^st Rockland Company elected its officers: Captain Elijah Walker, 1^st Lieutenant; O.P. Mitchell, 2^nd Lieutenant; J.B. Litchfield, title unknown. The men of the 4^th Maine Infantry Regiment sailed off to civil war in June of that year.

Not everyone in the area agreed with our participation in a “Southern” war. James Skoglund will give a talk today, as I write this piece, about the effect of the Civil War on St. George. Here is where some of that war’s legacy comes into view.

A sea captain, writing home in the early part of the war wrote, “Lincoln is a Pumpkin Head. If he had half wit he would have made peace long ago.” Have we not heard similar opinions in all the wars that followed? Did we not wish to be isolationists at times? Haven’t you heard such expressions directed towards our present President Obama about bringing home our troops presently in Afghanistan?

The tradition of hiring mercenaries to replace you as a draftee in the Civil War was a common practice at that time. St George hired many of them so that local boys wouldn’t have to go fight in the South. Let’s look at that fact during the Vietnam war. While your substitute was not actually hired to replace you, if you were in college and stayed there, you could be deferred for years. I remember my fellow college students hoping that the war would be over before they graduated so they wouldn’t have to go to Vietnam.

If you looked on the front lines, which changed from day to day in Vietnam, what kind of faces did you see on the TV coverage for that day (the first war fought on TV, some say)? Black faces, black men from the poorest neighborhoods in the U.S. These were the men who couldn’t afford to go to college; who volunteered to get away from the ghetto; or were given the choice of enlisting or jail. Different wars, same principle.

There were others who felt as though they were ostracized because they supported the reasons for the Civil War and the North’s participation in it. Another quote from Skoglund’s presentation comes from Governor Washburn on this subject, “…the present state of affairs is depressing to Union men, who are silent only to be slandered, and speak only to be insulted, browbeat and abused…”

R.W. Wall, who served draft notices in St. George, wrote to the Adjutant General, “…I am surrounded with Copperheads, or Traitors, that are opposed to me putting in a single man, and would be glad if I should lose everyone I put on the quota.”

This statement reminds me of how our Vietnam soldiers, in particular, were treated when they returned home. They were cursed at, spit upon, and generally treated like second-class citizens. They got no welcoming parade, no congratulatory speeches from their Congressmen.

My Master’s Theses touched on these times, focusing on the anti-war music of that time and the ensuing anti-war rallies where they were most often sung. It was a volatile time and not one I would want to see repeated in this country.

So why is it that we went to war with the Confederate States of America anyway? It is my opinion, as well as the opinion of many historians and political experts, that the war was about one thing, Slavery.  As much as some want to put the blame on other things, the fact remains that a good many of the people residing in our country were living under the thumb of one slave owner or another.

What did this mean to those of us who lived way up in Maine, a heck of a long way from all this conflict? We were isolated then. Transportation was by train or horse and buggy. The trip by sea was not much quicker. How many Maine people had ever seen or would ever see a black person in their lifetime? Can you begin to see then why some of us would stick to an isolationist view?

Believe it or not, however, Maine did have a part in the Underground Railroad activities. We provided safe houses and safe places for our black friends to stay until they could reach a place of safety and live in freedom in Canada. Our activities were in direct opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a year before our participation in the war.

If you are interested in this subject, go to a talk by Mark Alan Leslie at the Union Historical Society at the old Town House on Town House Road on June 1 at 7:30 p.m.

To wrap this up I realized that I have lived, at age 70, through several foreign conflicts that the United States of America participated in. These wars had a significant effect on the course of my life, even though I’m not always aware of them. The wars in which I was alive include World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, Desert Storm, and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I’m sure I’m not listing all the conflicts we’ve been involved in over the years. As part of the United Nations, we are usually the first nation called upon to help.

One more thing I would like to mention is the fact that the most viscious conflicts in history are those that are fought because of religion or a social disagreement, like slavery. Think back to the Crusades, a holy war; or an Islamic Jihad; or the conflicts that made political gypsies out of Jewish people. We need to finally learn from these terrible mistakes in our history. Bigotry in whatever form it takes should not be tolerated; whether it stems from religion; societal reasons; or even prejudice towards the color of your skin or handicap or sexual preference. All of these categories of people have seen suffering. We need to find a way to settle disputes without war. War is Hell. There’s no question about it. However, I respect and honor those who have fought for our freedom.

Thanks for listening.

(For pictures of a few of our Union Soldiers; flags of both the north and the south during the Civil War, and President Lincoln’s role in the war, please see the separate blog, “Honoring our Civil War Heroes.”)

Honoring Our Civil War Heroes

April 23, of this year was the 150^th anniversary of the
 4^th Maine Infantry Regiment. 

Here are some of our local heroes of that war.

This monument to General H.G. Berry, of Rockland, stands in Achorn Cemetery at the corner of Lake Avenue and Old County Road. It was sculpted by Franklin Simmons and dedicated in October 31, 1855. (Photo by Enoch C. Fernald, about 1870) The main inscription reads: Maj. Gen./H.G. Berry/killed at Chan/cellorsville, Va.,/May 3, 1863/Born at Rockland, Me./Aug. 27, 1824/AE 39 yrs. He was a young general and he died young.

   Aldabert Ames, born in Rockland in 1835, was a sailor, soldier and politician. He served as a Union Army general in the American Civil War and as a general in the Spanish-American War. He was a carpetbagger, Senator and civilian governor in Reconstruction-era Mississippi. He was the last general of the Civil War from either side to die, dying at age 97 in 1933. That was way beyond the ordinary life span at that time.

General Jonathan Prince Cilley, of Thomaston was a Union Brevet Brigadier General. He was the son of a Congressman, Jonathan Cilley. In 1861, he enlisted in the 1^st Maine Cavalry and was made Captain of Company B, later on promoted to Major. He was severely wounded in the Shenandoah Valley Battle. He returned to action as Lieutenant Colonel in command of the 1^st Regiment Maine Volunteer Cavalry and served with his men till the end of the war. Returning to Maine after the war, he married and resumed his law practice. He served in the Maine legislature in 1867 and held several other political posts during his lifetime. He died in 1920, at age 85 while visiting his daughter in California.

This picture was submitted to the Rockland History Facebook page by Carolyn Meserve Philbrook. This is her great-grandfather, Parker B. Miller, of Rockland, who served in the 4^th Regiment Maine Infantry. He died in his home town in 1908.

Benjamin Chase, of Unity, served as chaplain of the 4^th Maine Infantry Regiment, which left from Rockland for Washington DC in 1861.

(These pictures of our Civil War Heroes all came from the Rockland History Facebook Page)

Turn of the Century Veterans Day parade on Lincoln Street (at the corner with Beech Street). It is likely there are Civil War heroes aboard.. Submitted by Glenn Billington. 

We had more than one flag during the Civil War.

 Men on both sides served under these battle flags.

The Union flag of the Civil War period had 35 stars in the field of blue with 

West Virginia being the 35^th state.

The Confederate States of America had several different flags. This one was finally chosen as the Confederate Battle Flag and can still be seen flying in several places in the South. In recent years there was a big controversy about displaying this flag as part of the Georgia State Flag. (see story below) A compromise was finally made, but not everyone supports the present flag.

This familiar confederate battle flag was designed to look very different from the Union “stars and bars” motif by Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard. The flag was never adopted by the Confederate Congress even though it has become a symbol of the conflict in the South. It was adopted by the Confederate War Department on October 1, 1862. Western armies of the Confederacy had flags of their own.

This particular Confederate flag became a symbol of bigotry during the reign of the Klu Klux Klan, which first formed after the Civil War.

With that thought in mind, modern Georgians set out to change their flag, which until recently, contained elements of that hated flag.

Here’s what google said about the present flag now in use in Georgia:

“On May 8, 2003, Governor Sonny Perdue signed H.B. 380 creating a new state flag for Georgia. The act became effective immediately, giving Georgia its third state flag in a period of 27 months. Support for the new flag came from critics of the 2001 flag and those who felt there should be a public referendum on the state flag. The legislation also provided for a statewide advisory referendum on March 2, 2004, at which time voters will choose between the 2001 and 2003 flags. However, results of the referendum are not binding, and any future flag change will require an act of the General Assembly.

“Georgia's new state flag is based on the first national flag of the Confederacy (the "Stars and Bars") and consists of a field of three horizontal bars of equal width, two red separated by a white bar in the center. In the upper left corner is a square blue canton the width of two bars. In the center of the canton is a circle of 13 white stars, symbolizing Georgia and the other 12 original states that formed the United States of America. Within the circle of stars is Georgia's coat of arms (the central design on the state seal) immediately above the words "In God We Trust" -- both in gold.”

One wonders what our beloved President Abraham Lincoln would have to say about the resulting history of the United States of America after that great Civil War. I have kept an analysis of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, which I believe appeared in Life magazine in the 1960s. The piece was entitled “Lincoln’s Failure at Gettysburg.” A copy of his speech appeared in the article in his own hand and which is now kept in the Library of Congress.

Meet Brian Sylvester

Meet Brian Sylvester, head librarian at the Thomaston Public Library. Brian is very devoted to his clientele at the library and is well respected for his devotion to the library and how to make it a pleasant place to visit, as well as offering the best that his library budget will allow. Stop by someday when you’re in the area and see what he’s done with the place.

Visit www.thomaston.lib.me.us/ for a look at the recent renovation at the library with before and after pictures. Visit “Events at Your Public Library” in this blog space to read about other activities at the Thomaston Public Library.

See his latest project below. If you’re interested in maybe purchasing a book shelf from him, just call him at the library, 354-2453.

Here’s what Brian had to say on his Facebook page about these shelves:

“Behold! The Book-Shelf. A shelf. Made out of Books! With Books on it! Which I constructed this week to be part of the history of the library display. This one is sort of a first draft. I can make more and might try selling them if there is interest. It is made of 100% recycled books and a few bits of scrap wood.”

The Courier Company Picnic

In the second row second from the left in the nice 3 piece suit is W.O. Fuller Publisher of The Courier Gazette. In the back row on the far right is Captain Hall, a Schooner Captain who worked for the Courier in his Retirement. The Hall cottage is still in very good shape in Spruce Head. Submitted by Glenn Billington.

This picture was recently posted on the Rockland History Facebook page. It's dated July 29, 1916. How nicely dressed they all are…for a picnic! Company picnics are fast becoming a thing of the past, mostly for economic reasons. The Courier Gazette had a long tradition of company picnics. I attended several myself. They were also hosted by the publisher. Ours at that time was Sid Cullen. I believe we had our picnic at his cottage in the same area. He put on a great lobster feed for all of us.

What I remember most about those picnics was the cartoon show Everett Blethen always put on for us. Everett was a big man who commanded a presence wherever he went. His personality was perfect for the role he played as ad man and cartoonist at the paper.

I believe Everett used to work on Madison Avenue in New York City. He was a very talented cartoon artist and it was fun to see his work in the newspaper.

Everett was a great practical joker. He loved to tell jokes. One time, when they were building the new bank that stood near where the Copper Kettle was, the drive-in window was partially erected. Everett stepped up to the window and pulled out a penny and said, “I’d like to deposit this, please.”

His greatest practical jokes, however, took place at his drawing board. At our picnics we looked forward to the time that Everett would set up his easel loaded with big pieces of newsprint. He would then take out his charcoals and proceed to make caricatures of those present. The fun part was that you never knew who his subject was until he put in his last lines.

Those in the audience who shouted, “Do me, do me,” were eventually “done” by Everett, but not until he’d gone through a couple other people. Then it ended up being a bigger surprise when you saw your face appear on his board. They were always dead on too. My Dad was one of those people and we kept that sketch for years. All the while he was sketching; Everett was making jokes about his subjects. It was great fun.

When I was doing research for these two Courier stories, I looked through my scrapbook trying to find a masthead to use as part of my graphics and I came across this story about Everett on the back side of something else I ‘d saved.

This is the original story as it appeared in the paper. the left side of the type is missing some letters, but I think you can figure it out.

...and then the web broke

I have often written about The Courier Gazette on this blog spot. That office and that group of people were like a second family to me growing up. I was recently reminded of that family when I saw the beautiful pictures Glenn Billington, of the Free Press, posted on the Rockland History Facebook page. I was therefore inspired to tell you the rest of the story.

In this part of the story I will try to relate to you how it was to work at the Courier. My whole family worked there at one time or another. My father Ted Sr, was a compositor, usually setting up ads by hand, letter by letter, which appeared upside down and backside to so that when the paper ran over the bed in the press it would come out normal. My brother worked several jobs: as a “pig man”, sometimes a press man, and eventually as a linotype operator. My sister, mother and I all worked as inserters off and on and I had a steady gig in the summer working in the press room on the days when the paper came out as an addresser and mail sorter. I also inserted papers and was an occasional proofreader.

By the way, my brother, Ted, Jr. has been so busy this week I haven’t been able to reach him to verify my facts here. So if something is wrong, blame him. Let me also mention that I will also try to enlighten you as to the way “hot lead” was used to produce a printed product. I will try to explain the jargon as I go along.

First of all, let me mention some of the people I worked with. My father used to take me into the office as a baby in his arms, therefore, everyone knew me before I even started working there part-time as a teenager.

First of all, our leader’s name was Sid Cullen. He was the publisher of the paper. He was always interested in young people; how you were doing in school; what your future plans were. He always tried to find a place for his crew’s own families, even if it was only an inserting job. He was especially kind to college students who needed work in the summer, like me. He would say, “just come in when you can fit us into your schedule.” There was always something you could do on any given day.

As I remember, there was a small file box on the front counter that contained a card with your name on it.  The part-time workers used it. When you came in to work, you just put down what time you came in and then what time you left. No time clock, no one to question whether you were cheating or not. No one ever did that I know of.

Here are some pictures of some of the people I worked with. They come from Glenn Billington, of the Free Press via the Rockland History Facebook page.

This is “Pink” or Mr. Pinkerton. I believe he is either setting up ads like my father did; or setting headlines or “heads” by hand. We called his wife, Ma Pink. She was in and out of the office often. She often brought us doughnuts and even hamburgers on press days.

This is George Heath, hard at work at the linotype. You could always tell a lino man when they typed on a regular typewriter because they typed sideways, which is how the keyboard was set up on their linos. A long narrow piece of lead was hung on the side of the machine and as they typed, letters would be pressed out of the metal. The whole machine took up quite a lot of room as you can see. As the metal went through the machine, it always sounded like a music box without a definite tune. I missed that sound later on in my printing career when they no longer used hot lead.

Jimmy Smith is making proofs here on the “proof press” for the proofreader to check out. You can see a tray of type in the front the size of a column in the paper. He would put a piece of newsprint slightly larger than a column width on top of the type, roll the inker over it, then give it to the proofer. The proofer would make his correction marks, using special "proofer marks," and give it back to the lino man.

I must also mention Raymond Anderson. We called him “Andy.” He used to give me a dime for an ice cream when my father brought me into the office as a child. He and his wife, Etta, a nurse, were good friends with my folks. Andy operated the job press, which worked by a hand lever. He printed up invitations, business cards and the like this way. You had to have real good hand/eye coordination. He was always quick with a joke. This picture shows a hand press, here operated by Dana Start. It may be one that was run automatically after you set it up. I didn’t work with him. He now owns Good Impressions.

Speaking of humor, we had the best ad man and cartoonist in town and probably in the state in the form of Everett Blethen. Please see the accompanying blog: “The Courier Company Picnic” to learn more about his story.

I spent my days at the Courier working whatever job was available that I was able to do. As you will remember, the Courier also published many other things besides the newspaper. They also published The Coastal Courier, cookbooks, and even books, including Homefront on Penobscot Bay…”  Many jobs, such as the cookbook, required a skill called collating. Today they have machines to do what we did. Basically it involves gathering all the pieces of a product and making sure they are in the proper order.

The Courier’s biggest success when I worked there was a cookbook which I think was called “Coastal Cooking.” It was collated and then put into a spring binder.  I spent many long afternoons walking around a long table gathering all the pages to this book. After a while I was able to gather it front to back then back to front so I didn’t have to retrace my steps to start over again. I usually had the company of my sister or another friend from high school.

I was also a proofreader at times. Eventually I got the job doing the addressing/mail sorting on press nights. I worked on a machine with a foot pedal I think we called the addressogram. That thing was put together with rubber bands and a wing and a prayer. On occasion, the paper plates I worked with would all come apart or “get pied” and I would have to sort them all out again.

On those press days, I worked at night until the paper was all printed. After all the pages were put together and laid down in the bed of the press, or the paper was “put to bed,” I would go to work.

Sometimes that night went on a little long because the “web” would break. The web is the roll of paper on the press that the paper is printed on. It’s called a web because it’s put on the press not unlike a spider’s web. Down there in the cellar it was hard to regulate the temperature so that the paper wouldn’t absorb too much moisture or get too dry so that it would split apart.

If the “web” broke you would hear a sudden clanging as the rollers dropped down. Then someone would run and hit the red “panic” button on the front of the press. Getting the press up and running again involved rethreading the roll or replacing it entirely and then getting the press wheels going again by forcing it up to speed with long iron rods. Lots of fun as you can imagine.

It could take up to two hours or more to get rolling again. On those nights, my mother would wonder where the heck I was; because I might not get home till two or three in the morning.

The panic button had another purpose. If something didn’t look right with the printed paper as it came off the press, the panic button could be pressed to fix the problem. On one such night, Sid was in the press room and I spotted a mistake on the front page. Two pictures had the wrong captions on them. I knew the subjects in the pictures and the captions obviously needed to be switched.

I pointed this fact out to Sid and he said “Are you sure?” When I said “Yes,” I was, he said “Why didn’t you hit the button then?” He trusted me enough, as a mere teenager, to make the right decision.

A note here about safety standards. OSHA, which didn’t exist in the 50s when I worked there, would probably have shut the place down. Let me count the reasons:

1.   Lead dust and paper dust flying around in the air, as well as ink smells. I believe one of the female lino operators had to take time off from time to time because of lead poisoning. Many is the night I’d go home from the press room and blow black ink out of my nose, which is why I say I have “printer’s ink” in my veins.

2.   The room downstairs next to the press where they re-melted the lead to make new “pigs” for the linotypes was hot and smelly too. You had to be very careful that something didn’t catch fire. As I remember, my brother and another worker once made paper hats for themselves while working in that room and they caught afire.

3.    The noise factor. Put together the linotypes; compositors throwing lead around; the proof press; the job presses (worked by hand); and various other machines going, and you get a lot of noise.

4.   Ventilation. Practically non-existent. I believe there were some side windows that pushed out, but it could be hot in the summer at times. Downstairs in the press room we opened the back bay door and let the ocean breezes in.

I could go on with many more stories of my time at the Courier office down on Main Street in the 50s. I hope I’ve given you at least a feel for those times and the institution that was The Courier Gazette. If a history of the place is ever written, I’d be the first in line to buy a copy. (Don’t forget to check out the Everett Blethen piece in “Courier Company Picnic.”)

Thanks for listening.

Midcoast Community Chorus Spring Concert

The 130 members of the Midcoast Community Chorus continue to receive praise from all who are privileged to listen to one of their concerts. The winter concert was close to Standing Room Only as audience hopefuls lined up for the few available tickets left to purchase. They performed with the Paul Winter Consort, which was produced by the Bay Chamber Concerts.

The chorus, led by Mimi Bornstein, is made up of non-professional singers from all over the area. Their programs include music from around the world and spread the word of hope, healing and peace.

They sing to benefit nonprofit organizations that address local needs or injustices. Past recipients have included The Knox County Health Clinic, New Hope for Women, and Five Town Communities That Care. This year, the Maine Farmland Trust will be the recipient. The Trust is a statewide nonprofit organization working to make farming in Maine more vital and viable.

Check out the ad above for details of the upcoming concert. Don’t miss this one, folks!

More 2010 Sea Princesses

These girls were also sea princesses in 2010. 

The format would not let me include them in the main blog.

                                                                                     

Hometown Royalty Continued

  These were your sea princesses for 2010. The first picture up top became the Sea Goddess, Emily Benner. I have a few other pictures to show you this time. Some I will need help with in identifying the girls. (See the rest of the 2010 princesses in a separate blog)

It is the tradition that girls graduating from area high schools will join the ranks of the sea princesses for that summer’s pageant. In 1959, the year I graduated from Rockland High School, we had ten girls enter the pageant. They were (by their maiden names): Dotty Childs, Mary Cole, Mary Soule, Priscilla Newbert, Marie Gardner, Sandra Stinson, Joan Knowlton, Judy Carver, Earlene Sayward, and Louise West. The Southenders in that group were Dotty, Marie, Sandra, Judy and Earlene.

There were 22 girls in the pageant that year. None of my classmates were chosen as Sea Goddess. The other girls who entered were: Nancy Arey, Lauretta Shields, Joyce Gregory, Janet Kaler, Sharron Peacock, Gail Makinen, Evelyn Eaton, Raeberta Jordan, Nadene Sawyer, Donna Howard, and Mary Curran. Of those, Nancy Arey was chosen as Sea Goddess. This is the only picture I have of Nancy. If you have a better one, please email it to me. I assure you that if this project becomes a serious endeavor that all the pictures will be top notch. That’s a promise.

I gleaned Nancy’s picture from a newspaper clipping I cut out for my high school scrapbook. On the back side of the page that pictured all the princesses for 1959, I ran into this photo. I must assume it is from the year previous, 1958. It seems that our royal courts were sometimes used in advertising. Don’t you love the transistor radios they’re holding. More importantly, do you know who these girls are? Email me that information if you know it.

Here are the rest of the pictures I was able to find. Some of them came from the Rockland History page on Facebook. I highly recommend that page if you’re looking for Rockland history facts. The Sea Goddesses I was able to identify were for the following years. I don’t have photos of all of them:

Elizabeth Poisson, 1957; Nancy Arey, 1959; Judith Spear, 1960; Megan Ranquist, 2007; Bryson Cowan, 2008; Callie Lynne MacQueston, 2009; and Emily Benner, 2010. Emily is the granddaughter of one of my former classmates, Linda Goodnow (maiden name). As you can see, there is a gaping hole here.

This program came from the 1951 Lobster Festival. Do you know the Sea Goddess here?

This was the Sea Goddess for 1957, Elizabeth Henkel Poisson. She submitted this photo on the Rockland History Facebook page.

This was the Sea Goddess for 1960, Judith Spear. Photo submitted on Rockland History FB page by Carolyn Meserve Pilbrook.

These were some of the Sea Princesses for 1960. I don't have names for them. It looks like they were trying to save gas that year by putting more than one girl on a convertible in the parade. Either that, or they couldn't find enough convertibles to use. This one looks like a Cadillac. Am I right? Can you identify these girls? Main Street Hardware is now the Rockland Cafe. The photo was submitted by Carolyn Meserve Philbrook on the Rockland History FB page.

This is Sea Goddess for 2008, Bryson Cowan, being crowned by Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Crane of the United States Coast Guard. Photo is from the Coast Guard.

Sea Goddess for 2009, Callie Lynne MacQueston, taken from last year's Festival brochure.

Sea Goddess for 2007, Megan Ranquist. I believe this picture came from the Rockland History FB page also.

Hometown Royalty

2010 Sea Goddess, Emily Benner

 We all enjoyed watching the royal wedding of William and Kate recently. However, lest we forget, we have our own local royalty in the form of the Sea Goddess of the Lobster Festival. The best part is we get to see a new pageant every year and see the crowning of a new Sea Goddess. 

In 2010, our Goddess was Emily Benner. For a look at a YouTube video of Emily walking on the Festival grounds, copy and paste this link into your browser. If it tells you they can't find it, just hit google search and you will see the listing for the video. The title of the video is "Lobster Festival with the Sea Goddess August 2010."

http://youtube/MrpOlSWV2xg

As far as I know, there is no book, pamphlet or other written history of the Sea Goddess Pageant. Therefore, what you see here will have gaping holes that will need to be filled at a later date. I think this subject deserves a broader look and I will certainly entertain that project in the future. For now, I'll give you what I have and hope that you will help me fill in the gaps.

I believe that this pageant is long overdue for an historical account to be written down about it in some form. That will be a project I may possibly undertake at a later date. For now I will give you what I was able to scrap up from one source or another. You will notice huge gaps that will need to be filled in. I’m hoping you, my loyal readers, will assist me in this task. More on that later.

Let’s start with King Neptune, a focal personage of this pageant and of the festivities over the course of the Lobster Festival, which takes place the first weekend that falls at least partly in August. 

Whoever thought of making King Neptune part of the festivities was brilliant. From the time he comes up from the sea and arrives by boat down at the landing with his most recent Goddess, he is on a big stage that covers the whole city.

Here’s the mythology that goes along with King Neptune, God of the Sea. Neptune is a Roman God, his Greek counterpart is Poseidon. Both have also been called the God of Horses. Neptune is also God of fresh water.

As mythology tells us, the world was divided into three. Zeus was God of the earth and sky; Hades, was God of the Underworld; and Neptune or Poseidon, God of the Sea.

Neptune has been paired with Salacia, possible Goddess of Salt Water. Poseidon’s wife was Amphitrite. Maybe we should therefore rename our Sea Goddess, Salacia. What do you think?

There was a festival called Neptunalia or “Festival of Neptune” which took place on July 23. It was a time of general free and unrestrained merrymaking. That date is not far off from our Lobster Festival celebration. We do partake of much merrymaking, however, our local police force likes to keep the unrestrained part to a minimum. Overall, I think our activities would make King Neptune proud.

2008 Sea Princesses file onto the pageant stage.

O.K. so you want to sign up for this year’s pageant. Unfortunately, deadline for this year was April 15; but keep these guidelines in mind for next year or for any young lady who will be eligible and interested in the coming years.

The pageant accepts 20 young ladies for the pageant. You must submit a completed application with a sponsor contribution of $500. For more information on applications, contact the Maine Lobster Festival, Coronation Committee, P.O. Box 552, Rockland, ME 04841.

Here’s a brief recap of the eligibility rules:

1.    Applicants must be a single lady, a high school (or GED) graduate, not more than 21 years old.

2.    Contestants can only participate in the pageant once.

3.    A Sea Princess is required to volunteer a minimum of 4 hours before the Festival opens on Wednesday.

4.  Sea Princesses must mingle on the Festival grounds a minimum of 2 hours a day wearing appropriate dress and sash.

5.   Explain the benefits of participating to your sponsors and that they are helping pay for your gown and other necessities. Your sponsor will be advertised in everything you are a part of for the Festival. It is suggested that at least one of the sponsors be fish industry-related.

6.    The young lady chosen to be Sea Goddess and Crown Princess have these duties:

a.    Attendance at all hometown affairs representing the Maine Lobster Festival.

b.    If the Sea Goddess cannot appear at any given time throughout the year, the Crown Princess my represent the Festival in her stead.

c.    Daily attendance on the Festival grounds wearing your crown and sash is required. Also mingling with King Neptune and others of his court; having pictures taken; handing out rewards for competitions like the Lobster Crate Race.

(see the video of last year’s Sea Goddess, Emily Benner, above)

The Sea Goddess is also expected to attend other festivities like parades and other Maine festivals and expositions in New England throughout the year. She is also expected to attend opening festivities for the following year and to give a small speech on stage at the pageant; and ride in the next year’s Festival parade.

So there you have it.  Next week I will have more pictures to share and hopefully you can identify some of the people in them. If you think back to the year you graduated from one of the area high schools, see if you can remember who was Sea Goddess that year and send me the name and a picture via email if possible. We’ll all do this together, O.K.?

Thanks for listening.