Beyond the South End

So You Think You Know The South End

On April 26 at the Strand Theater, Rockland Main Street Inc. will present a program called “So You Think You Know Rockland.”

The evening will test six teams of three on their knowledge of their hometown of Rockland. They will begin by answering 20 questions on subjects such as people, events, buildings, local businesses, sports and other historical and current topics.

The final round will be a Championship round to win the trophy crafted by Ken Barnes, pictured here.

The evening will include a silent and live auction and will benefit Rockland Main Street Inc. Admission is $10, $5 students younger than 18.

My reason for including this information in this blog is to offer some possible tie-breaker questions pertaining specifically to the South End. How much do these teams really know about the South End? We shall see.

Here are my 20 questions:

1.    How did Mechanic Street gets its name?

2.    What is the name of the mayor, born in the South End, who served several terms on the council?

3.    Name three family names who were early inhabitants of the South End.

4.    Name one hotel or public building that has existed in the South End.

5.    Name three businesses that have existed in the South End.

6.    Name three sea captains who settled in the South End.

7.    What was the name of the famous ship built in Rockland and who was its captain?

8.    Name three family names who were prominent in the 20^th century from the South End.

9.    What school in Rockland was named after a Southender?

10.  What are the names of the three schools that have existed in the South End?

11.  What street hill did we slide down in winter and what pond did we skate on?

12.  What does the sign say by the railroad tracks down at Sandy Beach Park?

13.  When did the whistle blow at the fish factory in the South End?

14.  What was the name of “the Bike Man” in the South End and where was his shop located?

15.  What was the most favorite swimming place in the South End called?

16.  What are the names of the two parks in the South End?

17.  Name three family names of recent times that are associated with fishing and lobstering.

18.  Where was the old fish factory located in the South End? What building now stands there?

19.  What two businesses now occupy the old Naum and Adams store?

20.  What are the three longest lasting businesses in terms of years now existing in the South End?

Here are the answers for the facilitators of the “So You Think You Know Rockland” event. You participants might also want to read them over.

Answers:

1.    The men who worked at Snow’s Shipyard were called “Mechanics.”  Many of them lived on that street, thus the name of the street became Mechanic Street.

2.    Tom Molloy

3.    Ingraham, Kalloch, Knowlton, McLain, Piston

4.    Lynde Hotel, corner of Park and Main; Hotel Rockland, corner of Main and Park; City Hall which used to be where the railroad station was on lower Pleasant Street; Narragansett Hotel, also called Maine Central Hotel and Wayfarer East, on the corner of Park and Union.

5.    Naum and Adams, Sims Lunch, Economy Fruit Co., Duncan’s Grocery, Jesse’s Market, Fullers Market, Snow’s Shipyard, Market Basket, Sweeney’s, Sweets & Meats to name a few.

6.    Alfred Stahl, Andrew Gray, Hiram Pillsbury

7.    Red Jacket, Andrew Gray

8.    Sulides, Witham, Blackman, Merriam, to name a few.

9.    Thomas Mclain

10.  Crescent Street School, South School, Purchase Street School

11.  Steven’s Pond and Pacific Street hill.

12.  Rockland Branch; Begin State of Maine MCRR Track

13.  Noon and at the end of the working day.

14.  “Tete” Raye. His shop was on Prescott Street.

15.  The Little Granites

16.  Sandy Beach Park, Snow Marine Park

17.  Harvey Small, Pomroy, Ames, Post

18.  On the point at the bottom of Ocean Street/Sandy Beach. The building erected by MBNA.

19.  Maine Boats, Homes, and Harbors Magazine and Sweets and Meats

20.  Jesse’s Fish Market, South End Grocery, the gas station on the corner of Crescent and South Main. If you know of others, please add them.

I believe all these answers are correct.  If not, I may be disinherited by the folks in the South End. See the references I used below. Good luck to all and if I could participate I’d want to be on any team which included Gil Merriam.

Thanks for listening.

On Being a Southender, Vol. 1, 2009, my own CD book. Information on purchasing this CD can be found on the right hand column of my blog site: www.southendstories.blogspot.com.

Images of America, Around Rockland, published by the Shore Village Historical Society, check with them if you are interested in this book.

Mechanic Street, by Eleanor Motley Richardson, check with the Reading Corner.

Shore Village Story, by the Historical Society, check with them or at the Reading Corner.