Monday, December 11, 2017

Maine Places: The Reed Mansion is Gone!

The town of Waldoboro sat in the shadow of the Reed mansion for years since about 1815. On April 2, 2017, it burned to the ground. The historic house, on the historic register, was reduced to charred wood, brick, and crumpled metal. I never had the chance to go inside the house. In my lifetime it was always a private residence or apartments. The current owners were investing in it to make it into an event center, although that idea had been put on hold when neighbors expressed concerns about traffic. According to the Lincoln County News's story about the fire, the owners had changed tack and were planning live there. Now they are planning to sell the lot. Its a story too-often heard--historic landmarks going up in smoke or torn down, lost forever, with only photographs and historical records to remember them by. It changes the landscape of a town forever. I only have photos of the devastation. I never took a photo of it standing! I have linked to the news articles, and there are images of this beautiful home online. I've been sitting on this blog post for months because I didn't know what more to say about it. But it was a big newsworthy event in the life my small hometown, and therefore to me as well.
The house's name, Reed, is for Isaac Reed, who was a prominent citizen of Waldoboro, Maine, in the early 1800s. According to an article written by Jean Lawrence, Isaac Reed purchased the site of the mansion in 1811 from a minister who had started but couldn't finish the house he had planned to build. Reed enlarged the site and the building plans. He married a wealthy widow, Jane Smouse, who had three children. They went on to have six more children, and Reed began a successful law practice on Main Street. According to the article, Jasper Stahl wrote about how Reed signed his name into the wet foundation cement.
The charred remains of the Reed Mansion and tangled
 flag (above) appear in stark contrast to the beautiful views.


A wood fence stands guard around new landscaping cut
 into the hillside lot of Reed Mansion


The iconic house may be gone, but historians and townspeople will remember it as a beautiful house with historic memories as it is the place that the Maine state seal was designed. Isaac Reed was a part of the committee that was charged with creating the state seal!
www.maine.gov/sos/kids/about/symbols/seal.htm
Click the seal to read more about the Maine State Seal!

Maine Season: A White Christmas

Maine has snow now. I love the first snow, and who doesn't want a white Christmas (that is, if you live in a place that gets snow in December)? I took a walk in the falling snow with my dog, who loves the snow, and I snapped photos of the scenes around me. In a few weeks, I'll be tired of shoveling, the cold, and cleaning the floors from the boots and dog leaving snow and mud puddles everywhere, but the first snow is exciting, refreshing, and romantic. Winter in Maine, though, can be anything but romantic at times with the incessant shoveling, slipping on ice, driving on icy roads, and heating and plowing bills. Its the time of year when food banks and many advocates remind us that there are people who have to choose between heat or groceries. (Ugh!) This is also a season that seems to go on forever in Maine. April, when spring should be fully in bloom, can sometimes have a wintry Nor'easter. There are winter seasons in life as well, when someone you love is sick, your job is hard or your career dreams are on hold, or life just feel blah for whatever reason. This is the time to find what is still good about the season. 
I, too, am experiencing some anxieties in the season of life I'm in, just as many people don't enjoy winter or worry how they are going to get through another one. So during the snowstorm, I decided to gear up and go out in it. I am also trying to face my anxious situations in life head on with prayer (and by asking for prayer) and with a hopeful attitude. I am also trying to communicate my anxieties to the people who may be able to help me sort things out during the changes at hand. I am trying to look for the unexpected blessings and opportunities as well. On my walk this weekend, I found many things to revel in. These pics show some of what I found. I hope that whatever season of life you are in, you can find something to rejoice in, be thankful for, or just enjoy, no matter how simple it seems. Remember there is beauty in every season.








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