Winthrop> Local town history centennial projects written by students about their communities

Editor’s Note: This is the 25th in a a series of town history centennial projects written by students about their communities in the Bangor Daily News readership area. Students were asked to compile a timeline of important events in the 20th century, to write an essay about what has set their community apart, and to choose a photograph that sums up something important about their community’s history during the century.

By Winthrop Middle School students in eighth-grade reading classes; with teacher Mary Dumais

In 1771, when the early settlers of our area petitioned for permission to establish a town here, they requested the charter be issued in the name Pond Town. Though the charter was granted, allowing the town to formally establish itself, officials in Boston who issued it decided instead to name the town Winthrop.

The 20th century saw incredible development and change. Winthrop gradually moved away from its agricultural roots and was greatly affected by the growth of industries. As early as 1900, Winthrop Mills Co. opened its doors with the most modern equipment of the day for spinning cotton warp and weaving wool. In its heyday, the mill was one of the nation’s largest producers of blankets.

While the mill faltered during the height of the Great Depression, its basic business continued. In 1954, Winthrop Mills was sold and became Carleton Woolen Mills. While it recently has been under financial stress, Carleton continues to operate the bulk of its production from the same structure that housed the Winthrop Mills Co.

Although many industries no longer operate here, through the 1900s Winthrop was home to many, including a corn canning facility, Portland Packing Co., H.P. Hood and Sons milk processing plant, Gull Manufacturing Co., which produced lace, Progressive Iron Works, which is a steel fabrication business, and the Inmont Corp., which found success in plastics technology. The newest addition in developing technology-related jobs is the computer service company, Envisionet, which opened an office here in 1997.

Taking advantage of its desirable location among impressive bodies of water such as Lake Maranacook and Lake Cobbosseecontee, Winthrop’s other primary job source is recreation. Though it has long been a resort town, through the 20th century Winthrop’s fame as a vacation spot has grown. Bolstered by the routes of the Maine Central Railroad, the Lewiston, Winthrop and Augusta Street Railway and steamboat service on the water, recreational opportunities have enticed area people as well as those from away to make Winthrop their vacation destination. Tourism is such an important factor in the town’s economic structure that during the summer months the population of the town doubles.

Timeline:

1900 — Winthrop Mills Co. opens and becomes of the the nation’s leading manufacturers of blankets.

1900 — The first long-distance telephone service comes to Winthrop.

1902 — The Lewiston, Winthrop and Augusta Street Railway brings trolley service to the area.

1906 — The Maranacook Hotel resort burns, killing four people and destroying the steamboat Winthrop.

1907 — The Lewiston, Greene and Monmouth Telephone Co. finishes building a telephone network to serve the town.

1913 — Winthrop becomes one of 13 Maine communities to establish evening school so French-Canadian immigrants who work at the mill may work and attend school.

1916 — The Charles M. Bailey Public Library opens.

1928 — H.P. Hood and Sons processing plant closes.

1932 — The Great Depression closes the Augusta Trust Co.

1933-34 — Severe winter kills three of every four apple trees in local orchards, changing the apple harvest business forever.

1954 — Carleton Woolen Mills opens, replacing Winthrop Mills Co.

1965 — The Winthrop High School band is chosen to represent Maine in the inaugural parade of President Lyndon Johnson.

1969 — Interchemical Co. becomes the Inmont Corp., leading supplier of vinyl-coated fabrics for shoes in the western hemisphere.

1997 — Envisionet, a computer servicing company, opens.