Saturday, February 29, 2020

c1937 Newspaper Clipping: Old Wyman Homestead Near Skowhegan Once Stage Line Inn


c 1937 article about the old Wyman homestead near Skowhegan, which was once an inn along the stage line.  The inn was operated by Benjamin Wyman, son of early settler Seth Wyman.


The clipping is pasted in a scrapbook of items mostly from the area around Dexter, Maine, and Skowhegan, Maine.

Transcription

Old Wyman Homestead Near Skowhegan Once Stage Line Inn
Special Despatch to Sunday Telegram
Skowhegan, March 2 - The farm of Bert C. Fletcher and Valton Neil, three miles from Skowhegan on the middle road to Waterville, is one of the oldest in Somerset County. The homestead was in early years one of the country taverns which accommodated the travelers of stage coach days.

The farm was settled by Seth Wyman, the first of the name to locate in what is now Skowhegan. He cleared the property from the forest and Benjamin Wyman was one of his large family of children. It was Benjamin who operated the place as a tavern. The old bar was in the present diningroom of the homestead and the old hotel lock is owned by Mrs. A. P. Wyman of Waterville. 

The property later came into the hands of Deacon James Cleveland and then passed on to Benjamin Fletcher, who married his daughter. Their son is Bert C. Fletcher, who is associated in farming there with his son-in-law, Valton Neil, a native of Mercer.  Mr. and Mrs. Neil have a little daughter, Joan, now 2-1/2 years old. Thus the homestead has sheltered five generations. Deacon Cleveland and his descendants.  The older barn on the property was erected by Benjamin Fletcher and it was his winter's work to get out the timbers and hew them for the new building.

There are 150 acres in this farm. It is conducted along modern trends in agriculture. There are 18 head of purebred Guernsey stock on this place. Superior animals on this farm are a pair of fine Clydesdale horses. They weigh 2900 pounds and are good workers. This is an unusual breed in this section and they took the blue ribbons at the Skowhegan Fair last fall.

Hay and grain are the principle crops at the Fletcher Farm, along with yellow corn for the herd. Twelve acres of grain are raised. Strawberry culture is practiced and the sum of $112 was realized from 1-10 of an acre this year, besides the berries used for home consumption. A silo is maintained to help out on the cattle rations in the Winter. Early hay cutting is practiced, the harvest being about the middle of June. 

Mr. Fletcher and his son-in-law are Farm Bureau members, Mr. Neil having been the head of the Skowhegan Farm Bureau. He is the master of Skowhegan Grange, while Mrs. Neil holds the office of Ceres in the order. 

Key:

If you have information to share on the Wyman, Cleveland, Fletcher and Neil families and those associated, please leave a comment.

No comments:

Post a Comment