The town of Corinna was incorporated on December 11 in 1816 with a population of about 400. The one hundredth anniversary of incorporation was celebrated in the late summer of 1916. By that time the population of the town was about 1,300.
Invitation printed at the time
Stewart Library Building
Completed in 1898, this building was a gift to the Town of Corinna from Levi M. Stewart. Mr Stewart was a wealthy lawyer in Minneapolis who grew up in Corinna. The building was a memorial to his parents. Housing the town office, the public library, and an auditorium on the second floor, here we see the building decorated with flags and bunting for the centennial celebration. The building still stands today.
Centennial Celebration Schedule of Events, Tuesday, August 22, 1916
9 a. m. – Baby parade
9:30 a. m. – Trades and Floral parade
11 a. m. – Auto parade
12 m. – Dinner. (The Academy campus is set apart for picnic parties)
1:45 p. m. – Literary exercise on the Library grounds, as follows: Address Rev. Clinton Simonton; History, J. H. Winchester; Address, Rev. G. J. Gilbert; Centennial poem, Mrs. Lulu Foss; Address, Rev. Henry Arnold
3 p. m. – Baseball game, Smith’s field between Corinna A. A. and Fay & Scott A. A. of Dexter. The rivalry between the teams is keen. The Bangor band will be stationed on the field during the game.
8 p. m. – Centennial concert and ball. The concert will include readings by Miss Nancy Vermell, a very talented young women, and an accomplished entertainer; solos by C. E. Wass of Newport, whose singing is always a pleasure to his hearers and will be appreciated on this occasion; Pullen’s orchestra, six pieces, of Bangor, will play several selections and will furnish music for dancing.
Literary Exercises on the Library Grounds
This is the gathering mentioned in the schedule of events above. Starting at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22, 1916. One of the speakers at this event was John H. Winchester, brother-in-law to Levi Stewart. The Bangor Daily Commercial newspaper published a portion of his “History of Corinna” address. The text from the newspaper is included at the bottom of this page.
Civic buildings were decorated for the celebration.
Corinna Union Academy
Corinna Union Academy was incorporated in 1852. The building was enlarged in the 1930’s with addition of two wings.
Corinna Grammar School
This building is on the Newport Road just across the road from Mill Street. It served as an elementary school for many years. When the Eastland School opened the K through 6 grades moved to the new school. This then became the Junior High for grades 7 and 8.
Commercial buildings were also decorated.
The Realty Block
This building on the south side of Main Street including stores on the first floor and a hotel on the second and third floor. In 1928 a fire burned off the top floor. The second floor was then made into apartments. Some will remember a restaurant in the first section on the left, a grocery store in the second section, and a drug store in the third. The arch-way door near the second car lead to the stairs. We, paperboys delivering the Bangor Daily News in the 1960’s, used the entry to keep our papers out of the rain while delivering around town. At that time the fourth storefront was a barber shop and the fifth was Carl Edgerly’s T&K Store. The building was destroyed by fire in 1975.
Corinna Manufacturing Mill
This woolen mill was built on the north side of Main Street in 1912, not long after a fire in 1911 destroyed most of the buildings on that side of the street.
Store at the corner of Main Street and the Stetson Road.
This hardware store at the east end of Main Street was later owned by Cecil Brown and then Robert Pearson. I do not know the owner pictured here.
Main Street as the Odd Fellows Hall was decorated
Main Street looking east as decorations were added to the Odd Fellow Hall on the left.
The Inn
This building was an inn located at the corner of Main street and the Stetson Road.
Private homes were decorated.
People throughout the community decorated their homes in honor of the centennial celebration.
History Address by John H. Winchester at the Literary Exercises on the grounds of the Stewart Free Library on the occasion of The Bicentennial of the Town of Corinna, Maine, Tuesday, August 22, 1916.
This account was transcribed from the Bangor Daily Commercial newspaper, published at that time.
The history prepared by J. H. Winchester was a very interesting and comprehensive account of the development of the town. He took up the early settlement, stating that Constant Southard was the first settler in 1807 or 1808, told of the incorporation on December. 11, 1816, the first town meeting, the early schools, early settlers and the general growth of the town.
Speaking of the industries, Mr. Winchester said in part: “Mention above has been made of the mill built by the Irelands’ and acquired by Mr. Moore. In latter years this was sold to Eben Roberts who conducted it for sometime and then sold out to Elam P. Burrill and William A. Ireland. In the early 70’s they built the stone dam and the brick grist mill. In 1877 the Eagle block was added which contained stores, lodge rooms and offices besides the elevators in the rear. On July 4, 1904 this was destroyed by fire and it looked for a time as if the business section was doomed and afterward as if Corinna’s prosperous days were over, but the enterprise of the olden times came to the front and building was soon underway and Leslie F. Ireland, who had acquired the mill business, built one of the finest elevators in the state where the mill of Corinna Manufacturing Company now stands.
“When the mill was nearly completed the town met with irreparable loss when Mr. Ireland met death by accidental drowning at the upper dam, but his brothers, E. P., E. E. A., and R. E. Ireland, formed the Ireland Bros. Co., and completed the mill and conducted the same until Sept. 11, 1911, when we were again visited by fire, burning the new mill together other business blocks and two dwellings. Not to be discouraged again enterprise came to the front. The Ireland Bros. Co. erected the one story part of the present elevator and again commenced business, running their mill by electricity, but the following year sold out to the Corinna Manufacturing Co.,who put on the elevator front and leased the same to the Eastern Grain Co. who now conducts the grain business.
“The latter part of the 90’s L. F. Ireland installed an electric light plant in his mill. His service ran until 11:30 nights when the water was sufficient to run. This was also established in the new mill.
“At the time of the last fire the Central Maine Power Co. bought out the pole line and now we have electrical advantages second to none in the country. The services have increased from 30 to 120, and is continually increasing. In 1875 J. & C. A. Dorman came to Corinna and purchased the mill site below the village and the town realizing what this would mean, promptly loaned them $500 and took the first mortgage of the mill. After various vicissitudes the town had to take over the property and it was afterwards rented to Chas. Greenwood who finally bought it. After his failing health did not permit him to continue business it was taken over by his son, C. A. Greenwood, who conducted the business until 1909 when T. F. Burrill and E. R. Clark took over the mill property and called it the Kenwood Mill.
“Messrs. Burrill and Clark have brought the structure up to an excellent degree of efficiency. They had 16 looms when they bought it and have continued to make additions. This year they will expend over $25,000 in improving their property and will have installed 80 looms and bring it up to a nineset mill. In 1912 the Corinna Mfg. Co. was incorporated, they acquired the Ireland Bros. property and erected the mill now on Main street. This is an up-to-date mill with the best of machinery. It has a four set capacity and at present are operating 26 looms. C. J. Trickey is president, J. H. Winchester, treasurer and B. A. Smith, business manager. The directors are the above named with W. A. Smith and J. E. Gray in addition.
“The Kenwood mill, while under the management of the Greenwoods was burned three times, but with much pluck and energy was again rebuilt. In the 70’s Lewis Hutchins came to Corinna and built a carriage shop which was burned in 1879 and rebuilt and which he conducted making in later years the addition of a wood-working plant, until his death in 1910. It is now carried on by his sons, E. & C. R. Hutchins.
“Another of our industries which means much to the town is the West Penobscot Telephone Co., which had its inception here and has a large list of subscribers in this and surrounding towns. T. F. Burrill is president and H. W. Knowles, manager, J. E. Gray, treasurer.
“The first society to be formed was the temperance society which came into existence directly after Elder Stewart’s temperance lecture in 1827. The next in order was the Masonic Lodge in 1870, followed by the Good Templars in 1874. The grange came next with the Odd Fellows, Rebekahs and Order of Eastern Star which are the principal orders which have flourished and made themselves a part of the community. The Masonic and Odd Fellows Society with the grange now form an important part of the life of our people and each in their way are a great factor in the development of our community. After the first of 1907 the Odd Fellows built the block now occupied by the Smith Co. with their lodge home in the second and third stories
“I have saved for the closing just a few words in regard to our library building which is so familiar to you all. In regard to the first inception of this building I will repeat Mr. Stewart’s words as given to me within the walls when, at one time, he was on a visit to his old home.
Mr. Stewart said, “More than 30 years ago I made up my mind that if I prospered in my business that some day I would build a library for my native town. Even as far back as that I had chosen the place for it. I thought it was the ideal spot and then again it was on this spot that I spent the first penny I ever had to spend. One day Hook Burrill, Thomas Pratt, Warren Pratt and myself came out to town and they waited in the street while I went into Robert Moore’s store and expended my penny for licorice and came out and divided it with the boys. Spending of millions today would not give me one tenth the satisfaction that the spending of this penny afforded. I always expected to have to buy two sets of buildings, but the Almighty was kind enough to remove them for me. A few years ago when you people here were talking of a new town house and Samuel Burrill wrote to me asking for a donation as I could scarce tell him my future plans at that time the only way I saw was not to answer his letter and I trust he has now over looked that discourtesy.”
“Sixteen years have passed since Mr. Stewart talked this over the writer in the library room that afternoon but the remembrance will remain with him as long as he lives, as he realizes more and more what this gift of books means to us and to our future generations. His only access to a library in his boyhood was a small circulating library at North Newport, and he took so much comfort with that, he then made up his mind that the boys and girls of Corinna should have advantages second to none in the country.
“A little later it fell to the lot of the writer to go to Mr. Stewart’s offices and there assort and arrange books and papers which had been his treasures for years, and when he came across the publishers’ catalogs with the slips pinned among them in which he had made selections for our original library, and realized not the hours but the days it meant to perform this work then more than ever did it make an impression upon his mind which years cannot obliterate.
“His private library which came to us which was the pride of the north-west, coming to the town of Corinna, is the most priceless gem we could possess. And we are fortunate in having a book plate which cannot be duplicated as it has inscribed upon it a facsimile of his own handwriting from his original will in which he bequeaths his library to the Stewart Free Library and the sum of fifty thousand dollars to help maintain the same in a state of excellence.