Signs of Spring

Each May we are filled with the promise of flowers as the weather warms here along the Penobscot. Yellow dandelions peek above the leaf litter, waiting like docks for sleepy bees to reemerge. In Hampden already, we see spring. Daffodils and hyacinths appear in yards around town, the farmer’s market begins to bustle again, and everywhere we are filling our calendars with plans for trips to the coast, yard sales, and celebratory events.

Many things may have changed in Hampden over the last 160 years, but not the watchful eye of her residents waiting for and celebrating the flowers that herald spring. The folk of this town have been viewing, picking, and decorating with them for generations as evidenced here by this clip from the Whig & Courier in 1866:

"As an evidence of the mildness of our winter weather we have a dandelion Hower taken from an open fleld yesterday by Mr. T. G. Rich of Hampden. May flowers have been found this month in various parts of the State."

Annie Eliza Hardy Still Life "Trailing Arbutus"

A 1906 article from the Bangor Daily News highlights the wedding of a Hampden couple and describes the home, turned venue, as prettily decorated with daisies and ferns. Another wedding that same year, between a Miss Katherine Hardy and a Captain Turner of Hampden, recounts the couple being married beneath an arch of evergreens and flowers in an alcove, also at home. Later, cake and sweet ices (by Hampden caterer Burdett) were enjoyed in the garden, gaily decorated with Japanese lanterns.

“The earth smelled sweet after rain, and the young ferns stood curled like green fists beside the path.” — Fanny Hardy Eckstorm

Another spring piece from the Bangor Daily in 1900 reveals, in great Victorian style, the coming of the season — detailing the arrival of each bird and blossom, from the bluebird to the wake robin and back again. Here it specifically mentions the deep woods of Hampden, where spring was still sleeping while dandelions unfurled at an oddly early time:

“And after these came the oddity of the year. In cities on warm banks, vegetation comes forward in leaps and bounds. One may see dandelions in Bangor in March when the Mayflowers have not blossomed in the damp woods of Hampden...[O]ne bloom in Bangor does not indicate that the woods are equally favored. As a rule the strawberry and the dandelion blossoms are about a week or ten days apart, with the strawberry behind. This year the order was reversed. The strawberry was all abroad in the fields, growing in white and yellow masses and causing one to look close to make sure it was not some more gaudy plant, fully two weeks before a single dandelion had the courage to lift a golden flower to lure the passing bees.”

Floral porcelain pitcher set on display at Kinsley House Museum

Gardening in Hampden has always been a popular activity, kept alive today by the Hampden Garden Club at Harmony Hall. In days gone by, renowned Hampdenite Jeremiah Pearson Hardy, in addition to his romantic eccentricity, skills as a painter, and connection to the original Wheeler family through his wife Catharine, was known for the gardens surrounding his home. Writings from the time say he and Catharine could be seen enjoying gardening together in the early morning. This painting of his climbing roses was likely done at his home in Bangor. One wonders what sorts of gardens enveloped his earlier home in Hampden. It is no wonder his daughter Annie went on to become one of the preeminent still life painters in the state, famous for her beautiful roses, some of which are on display at the Bangor Historical Society and Bangor Public Library.

Jeremiah Pearson Hardy American, 1800-1887 Watering Roses (The Garden of the Hardy Family, Bangor Maine)

Another old news clipping from the Commercial shows a charming exhibition of strawberries and flowers in “Handsome Hampden” in July of 1898:

“Local strawberry and flower exhibitions, like that held in the town hall at Hampden on Friday afternoon and evening, do a great deal to aid a love for the culture of the sweet and beautiful things.”

Indeed they do. The article goes on to describe how flowers growing around farms and village homes, trailing vines, and vibrant window boxes added to the charm of a place — perhaps encouraging residents of the time to take part in making the town even more beautiful.

And finally, a grand affair was held in honor of the often-celebrated Dorothea Dix.

The soft summer delights of Hampden’s outdoor gatherings arrived again in a commemorative fair day honoring the Hampden native and mental health advocate. In addition to the festivities, a flower-filled poem was written by a Julia H. May to Ms. Dix in June of 1899, highlighting both Hampden and the Penobscot as the notable woman’s roots:

“Wave out, O blossoms that she loved,

O rose and violet;

Wave o’er the meadows and the woods

Till they cannot forget;

Till every bird and every flower

Shall her sweet fragrance hold,

Whose flower of life once waited here

Its petals to unfold.

Wave out your blossoms, summer flower,

O rose and violet,

Along the meadows that she roamed

Till they cannot forget.

Lift up, O grasses of the field,

Your flags of living green,

For she, ‘God’s every day sweet love,

’In your bright blades hath seen.

Wave, wave, till the Penobscot shines

Along its verdant banks,

With answering ripples that combine

Our loving and our thanks.”

And with that, a hearty thank you to all the folks who keep Hampden beautiful, and who celebrate the small moments that make our little town so full of charm.