The following article appeared in the Piscataquis Observer, 7/2/97
BRIGHT, SUNNY SIDES HONOR MONSON'S 175TH
by Paul J. Gough and Linda Gray
MONSON- With pomp, circumstance and a lot of fun, more than 2,000 attended Monson's 175th anniversary celebration Saturday and Sunday.
The celebration began Saturday morning, with a craft fair at Kennedy Slate, a book sale at the Monson library, and a big exhibition at the Monson Museum on Main Street. It wasn't long before the cars sporting license plates from Maine to Florida lined Main Street and others surrounding downtown.
And there couldn't have been a better day to draw out the crowds, with nary a cloud in the sky, temperatures near 90, and a slight breeze.
"We hit the jackpot there. It was a top-notch weekend," said the Rev. Daryl E. Witmer, pastor of the Monson Community Church and co-chairman with his wife, Mary, of the 175th Anniversary Committee. The committee worked feverishly for more than a year leading up to this past weekend, with contributions from Monson residents, present and past.
The day continued with a concert next to the church by The Dixieland Band, an hour long parade with nearly 90 units that marched right through the center of town, and a ceremony that featured Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and the well-wishes of many other people. Greetings were sent from President Bill Clinton, Gov. Angus King, and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.
Others participating in the ceremony included state Sen. Stephen Hall, R-Guilford, and state Rep. Sharon Libby Jones, D-Greenville; state Rep. and former Monson Town Manager Ruel Cross; Town Manager Jeanne B. Reed; Selectman Paul Suomi; and congratulatory greetings and remarks from Estella. Bennett of the Monson Historical Society; Annalee Korsman Libby of the Monson Preservation Society; Wayne Huff of the Moosehead Manufacturing Co.; Glenn Poole of the Monson Alumni Association; Monson historian Althea Haggstrom French; and delegations from Monson, Mass., and Hebron, Maine. Monson was named after the Massachusetts town.
Not bad for a town of about 700 people, situated on Lake Hebron and a gateway through which thousands pass every year on their way to and from the Moosehead Region. It's also a major stopping point on the Appalachian Trail, which runs across Route 15 just north of town.
Major exports include products from the Moosehead Manufacturing Co., which is headquartered in town, and the town's slate industry. The headstones of both former President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, are made from Monson slate.
The afternoon parade rode down Main Street and included floats from Monson families, a fire truck from Monson. Mass., Foxcroft Academy, and several bands. The children who lined Main Street were excited to see candy, pogs, slammers and other items tossed from the participants to paradegoers.
As with any celebration of this type, Monson celebrated its link to the past with exhibits in the Monson Museum, an old fire engine at the Monson Fire Station, and the one of the day's hottest attractions, the old No. 3 engine pulling back into the Monson Station on Water Street.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Monson Museum, dedicated to preserving the town's heritage. It's located in the Grand Army Republic Hall, which until 1971 was a municipal building. The building was built in 1889 and was once a garage.
More than 200 people rode on the No. 3, affectionately nicknamed "the Peanut Roaster," which once plied a narrow-gauge track six miles from Monson to Abbot. The track is long gone and the train, built in 1913, hadn't been in Monson since 1944. But thanks to the efforts of the Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Portland (which now owns the locomotive) and Sheepscot Rail in Alna (which donated the 1,000 feet of track used Saturday), a little bit of the past chugged into the Monson Station.
Inside the Monson Station was a museum-in-formation. with various artifacts on display and items for sale from T-shirts to notecards, postcards, and even unissued stock certificates from the Monson Maine Slate Co.
There are plans for a more permanent museum.
"They're working on it," said Brenda Tetlow, secretary of the Monson Historical Society, who was working at the railroad station Saturday morning.
And not just the past was being celebrated. Christine Sargent is spearheading a time capsule to be buried next Memorial Day and unearthed in time for Monson's 200th Anniversary Celebration in 2022.
Brisk sales were reported at the Monson Library's booksale.
Sue Killam pointed at 15 boxes piled up alongside the library, apart from the tables filled with books for sale. The price was hard to beat; a bag of books cost $1. "I started at 9 a.m. and everyone of these boxes were full," she said. "People have just filled up their bags and were thrilled."
Not too far from the site of the old Monson Academy, which was built in 1847 and operated until 1969, Piscataquis County author William R. Sawtell was on hand to sell books and answer questions about local history. Sawtell's latest book, due later this month, is called "Monson Academy Revisited, 1847-1997." An oral history of the school by the people who studied and taught there, Sawtell hopes the book will be ready for the reunion July 19. The book took about a year to complete, and includes the relationship between the town's Finns and Swedes as well as the championship sports teams of decades past.
"Monson was known for its basketball teams in the '30s and '60s," said Sawtell, who covers Penquis region sports for The Observer. A year before closing, the Monson Academy Boys team won the Maine State Basketball championship. They also won equivalent tournaments in 1909 and 1932, before there were state championships, Sawtell said.
The celebration continued through the night, with a baked bean supper at the United Church of Christ on North Guilford Road and a street dance at the Monson Elementary School yard.
Sunday's events took a more reflective tone, with services by the Rev. Gard Rowe at the United Church of Christ and the Rev. William Huber at the Monson Community Church. There was an open house and luncheon at the Good Samaritan Mission in the old Swedish Lutheran Church, plus the opening of an exhibit of Monson church history since the 19th century.
Witmer, pastor of the Monson Community Church and co-chairman of the 175th Celebration Committee, led a service Sunday afternoon, including a time of informal sharing with several ministers who once lived in Monson. Witmer said that ministers came from as far away as Wisconsin and Florida for the service.
"It was just a combination of perfect weather and celebratory spirit," Witmer said of the Monson festivities. "We couldn't have asked for more."
His words were echoed Sunday morning by two boys who biked up Water Street, from the No. 3 locomotive, to Main Street. "They picked the perfect day, didn't they?"