Memories of Western Ave with Sandra Clark Boynton

At our recent Hampden Historical Society program, member Sandra Clark Boynton shared vivid memories of growing up on Western Avenue during the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. Her stories brought to life the families, friendships, landmarks, and childhood adventures that shaped one of Hampden’s most beloved neighborhoods.

From skating on the Frog Pond and playing among dandelions in the spring, to memories of local shops, sledding hills, and treasured community traditions, Sandra’s recollections offer a warm and detailed portrait of Hampden’s past. Her presentation was warmly received, and we are grateful to share her full written memories here for our community and future generations.

Below is the complete text of Sandra’s talk, preserved as part of the Hampden Historical Society’s growing collection of oral histories.

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SANDRA CLARK’S MEMORIES OF GROWING UP ON WESTERN AVENUE IN HAMPDEN, MAINE IN THE 1940’s, 1950’s AND EARLY 1960’s

Written by Sandra Clark Boynton

I was born on November 8, 1944, during World War II, at Eastern Maine General Hospital in Bangor. My father was away filming bombers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as he was an aerial photographer. Therefore, my father’s parents thought it would be appropriate for me to come home to the Clark house next door to the Kinsley house. After Dad was discharged from the Army Air Corps, we moved up to my great-grandmother Elizabeth Rawley’s house next door also. The houses were quite attractive back in the 1940’s with porches, cement walkways, and many other features. Wish they were like that today.

From there we moved to the “brick building” beside the old Hampden Academy. We lived on the right side of the second floor. I do not remember too much about the above. However, when I was about four years old, Mum, Dad, my little sister Pauline, and I moved to Dewey Street on Western Avenue, also known as Rt. 9. We lived in the white house at the end of Dewey Street. I loved growing up at the “Upper Corner.”

We lived with my Grandfather Goodwin in the house my mother grew up in. A few years later my father, Reginald Clark, purchased the house and land from Grampy for $15,000. Sis and I loved the lawn, barn, gardens, fields, and woods to play on and in. When we first moved in there was a big cast-iron cooking stove in the kitchen with a hot water tank attached. We had a chemical toilet that Dad would have to empty in a covered cesspool beside the barn. There was still evidence of a built-in outhouse in the barn. We had heat stroke in the bedrooms in the summer and froze to death in the winter. However, my father and mother worked very hard renovating the house over the years, and I was so very proud of my home even though we still froze in the winter and had heat stroke in the summer in the bedrooms. Dad built a bathroom shortly after we moved in.

The Frost kids lived across a field on this side and the Harts and Vigneaults across the other field. We children used to play softball among the dandelions and black flies in the spring. Mr. Frost let us run wild in his garage among the school buses and town trucks. We loved the huge scales he had at the front of the garage. I always remember Mrs. Frost hanging out the clothes — the seven of them in that family wore. The clothes would be hanging from the house to the smaller garage. I spent a lot of time with the Frost kids. We also used to sneak up on Rod and Jerry kissing.

So many of us skated in the winter at the Frog Pond behind the Russell house and the Tibbetts house. Priscilla Frost Ellingwood reminded me the other day about Streaker Hughes helping us tie our skates. David Baker, Billy Quincy, Jeanne Foss, Skip, Toby and Nancy Hart, Bobby, Nancy and Billy Vigneault, the Frost kids, and many others skated in the winter. Streaker Hughes was very well known in town, especially by the Hampden Fire Department which used to be situated between Rowell’s Hardware Store and the old Lennon Store. Streaker loved to chase the fire trucks. He was the brother of Kathleen Hughes, who was our special music teacher in grade school.

Back in the day, we would pick up our mail at Braithwaite’s general store. Mr. and Mrs. Braithwaite must have been 100 years old back then. As you know from James Husson, the post office changed to many places after that.

Sledding was so much fun on the little hills in back of the Frost Garage. We would sometimes slide down the hills on my family’s old toboggan and then came flying saucers. Then we would come back home and have hot chocolate. I remember so clearly making snow forts, especially with my dear friend Nancy Hart. They were big forts because of all the snow that accumulated back in the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. My dad perfected snowmen when he made them with my sister and me, as well as the neighborhood kids such as Stanley Chase and Frankie Ferran.

I was lucky enough to eat fried clams at Arlene’s Restaurant and watch Fourth of July fireworks at the Canoe Club. Our neighborhood generation was noted for the rummage sales we had in front of the Vigneault and Hart houses. We also had Kool-Aid stands. Plus, mostly with the Harts and Vigneaults, along with my sister and me, we would put on plays in the Clark barn. We would charge 10 cents, and family, neighbors, and the residents of the nursing home would attend. We were so impressed with the ancient lady who smoked a pipe. She was a resident of the nursing home. Dad fixed an old blanket on a rope across the “stage.” I can’t imagine what I performed; however, my sister was the star of the show. I think some of us sang. My sister tap danced away and received the most applause. My mum may have produced something to drink and eat for the audience.

Cecil Matthews used to live where the St. Matthew’s Church priest lives now. He had two children, Stanley and Elaine. In back of the Matthews barn were many stacks of lumber. My special friend, Priscilla Frost Ellingwood, and I had our first and only cigarettes there. We could not sleep that night thinking that maybe we had set the lumber on fire.

My grandfather Goodwin was a barber and had a barber shop on the side of Lennon’s Store for a few years. Also in the “upper corner” village was Foss’s Esso Station and of course the Hannibal Hamlin School that I attended for first through second grades before the Consolidated School was built and now named Weatherbee School. We were so fortunate to be able to walk to our schools from kindergarten through our twelfth year of school. So many wonderful memories. Of course, we girls were not allowed to wear slacks and our legs would get so chafed in the winter. I attended an all-girls college outside of Boston and the same was true there. Not fair to girl students.

On our way to school, as they were all in the same direction, we would pass Beatty’s little general store. No wonder I have soft teeth as I purchased so many candy bars for 5 cents from Mr. and Mrs. Beatty along with penny candy. They had everything for an entire week’s grocery shopping from fresh meats to dog food. The Town Hall was also a place for fun—from basketball games before the “new gym” at the high school was built, to dances, voting, and of course local dance recitals where my sister was famous. We had town inoculations there given by Dr. George Weatherbee. Dr. Weatherbee lived at the bottom of the hill going up to the Consolidated School. Dr. Weatherbee’s office visits were $2.00 and home visits cost $5.00 when I was young. He came out in all types of Maine weather to take care of his patients.

Some of us children would sleep outside in our parents’ sleeping bags. My parents would not let us sleep in my backyard because of skunks. However, the Hart and Vigneault homes were almost across from the telephone office, so we were allowed to sleep there. Skip and Toby (Forest Hart) were too old for us youngsters, but they would sit near us and tell us spooky ghost stories before we went to sleep. Actually, I do not think we slept very much, especially after hearing the scary stories.

Of course, in back of where we would be sleeping outside would be cages full of Toby’s mink that he would cultivate for skins, and in back of the cages would be the family gardens.

During the 1950’s, different families would move into the old Hannibal Hamlin House. The house was quite dilapidated by then. Some of the children living there would join in on our adventures. One such youngster was Stinky White. We never did find out his real name. One time he tackled my sister in the old field beside Mrs. Morgan’s house. Herb Frost tried to fight Stinky off but was unsuccessful. Along came Donna Mingo, who lived beside the Hampden Water Works. She pulled her bicycle to a screeching halt and Stinky never bothered my sister again.

My mother, Pauline Goodwin Clark, was a wonderful mother. One of her jobs was at the Hampden Exchange Telephone Company as a switchboard operator. She worked with Edna Carlton, Florence Rogerson, Clarice Frost, and Theo Lawrence, as well as some other operators. The switchboard was not very large and usually had two operators on duty at a time. In front of the switchboard was a bed where Theo Lawrence would sleep. She would wake up to attend to any phone calls which might light up the board in the middle of the night. The telephone company was where Subway is now. My poor mother… as my sister and I would get into sister fights and bother Mum while at work. My sister wanted to do the housework at home, and I wanted to read.

I also had a beautiful Chesapeake Bay P dog, Bonnie, and a very mean cat, Mittens.

There is so much more to tell regarding this corner of Hampden. Maybe I can save that for another time.