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Historic Sites

Gray Depot

Gray Depot

In 1870 the Maine Central Railroad began to run trains through East Gray. Railroad tables listed the station there as "Perley's (Gray)" until 1878, and indicate that the telegraph station was not opened until 1877; but within a few years Gray Depot, with sidings, an express office, a freight shed, and a water tower, was established; and for the first time there was a better way to move people and commodities between Gray and cities to the north and south than by horse drawn vehicles over the roads.

One or two express companies continued hauling to Portland, but from that time until the Interurban went through in 1914, the bulk of the town's freight moved through the Depot: lumber, cordwood, pulpwood, and products of all the industries mentioned elsewhere were shipped out; and grains, coal, dry goods, groceries, hardware, and agricultural and other machinery came in. The stores and factories ran two, three, and four horse teams to the Depot, often working long hours to avoid demurrage. For many years there were three passenger trains, two carrying mail, on weekdays, and the fare to Portland was 80¢. Stages that carried both passengers and mail ran between the Depot and various parts of the town, and in 1893 fares were as follows: Gray Corner, 25¢, North Gray, 25¢, West Gray, 50¢; Dry Mills, 50¢; East Raymond via Dry Mills, 75¢. Some of the earlier stage drivers were Warren Vinton, Will Vinton, Robert Allen, George Bailey, Archie Harris, and George O. Stevens; Vinton's stable became the Odd Fellows Hall, and Bailey's stable is still standing back of the brick hardware store.

The following men are known to have been stationmasters: C. J. Perley, 1897; E. N. Roundy,1898; R. S. Andrews, 1899-1904, W . B. Holt, 1905-1906; E. L, Patten, 1907-1908; Edwin S. Wood, 1909-1913; Walter W . White, 1914-1920; E. S. Colbath, 1921-1922; >, 1923-1942; and Gerald Humphrey, 1942- 1957. Gray received its last mail from Gray Depot on Saturday, April 27, 1957, when Frank Witham, a carrier for 24 years, met the final passenger and mail train on the Portland to Farmington run.

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East Gray Cemetery

East Gray Cemetery

According to the book, "History, Records, and Recollections of Gray Maine" by George T. Hill, the Gray Methodists built a church on the easterly side of what is now called Mayall Road; a small cemetery was established beside the church in the direction of North Yarmouth. In 1869, the church was part of a collective effort to merge and to provide for a central meeting place. The East Gray church was then moved to Gray Corner and set on a lot beside the Baptist Church. Later, an an unspecified time, the cemetery at East Gray was moved to Gray Cemetery.

Note: mapped location is approximate based on 1857 map

43.883394, -70.292532

King's Mast Yard

King's Mast Yard

It is said that in 1762, Moses Twitchell with his wife and children accompanied by Moses' father, Thomas, a brother, Jeremiah, and a crew of men, came up a spotted trail through Falmouth, bringing with them teams of oxen, a cow, and some hens. The Twitchells built a cabin near the site of the Everett Higgins house on the Old Portland Road. Although records that follow indicate that Moses Twitchell, John Matthews, George Knight, Samuel Young, John Stinchfield, Daniel Cummings, David Hunt, and Nathan Winslow were working in the mills in the northern part of New Boston (North Gray) as early as 1760, they apparently had not brought their families, and the Twitchells are credited with being the first family to settle permanently in the town. Moses established a King's Mast Yard in what is now [i.e. 1978] Elva Webster's field. The mast timbers were cut and hauled to the riverside during the winter; in the spring they were floated down Pleasant River through Westbrook to Fore River, where they were loaded on vessels or rafted and dispatched to England and other destinations.

Excerpted from "History, Records, and Recollections of Gray, Maine" by George T. Hill, 1978; Page 23

See also, Big Timber, the Mast Trade on the Maine Historical Society website

43.869592, -70.332658

Dry Mills Village

Dry Mills Village

From the 1880 Cumberland County, Maine Atlas, we find:

Dry Mills, in the north, comprise the store of A.G. Morrill established in 1862; saw mill, shook and barrel-factory established in 1859; carriage- and smith-shops, and contains 30 families. It takes the name from Dry Pond, so called because it has no open outlet. A long beaver-dam extended across the flat near this place when the first settlers came in 1750.

Dry Mills Store, which once stood at the intersection of Rt26/Shaker Rd and North Raymond Road was demolished in 2020.

43.919847, -70.356475

Freeman Farm

Freeman Farm

The Freeman Farm Historic District consists of an one-hundred acre farmstead, located on the west side of the West Gray Road in Gray Maine. The farmstead Includes three contributing buildings, a house with attached ells (c. 1812), a New England-style barn (1830s), and a poultry house (c. 1880), as well as stone walls, historic orchards, fields, woods, and gardens, and an old well, which taken together constitute the site. Two non-contributing elements are included within the district: a c. 1930 garage and an old family cemetery. 

At the northwest comer of the 12 acre cleared fields lies the family cemetery. Bounded by stone walls, this family cemetery was in use by at least 1838 when Jonathan Freeman died. All of the bodies have been exhumed and re-burled in the Gray Cemetery.

National Register of Historic Places (Ref. #03000621)

43.854632, -70.380672

Rowenda Tearoom

Rowenda Tearoom

photo of a Rowenda Tearoom Sign from the Barn on 26If you are traveling on Route 26 in Gray in the 1920s - perhaps on your way to the Poland Spring House - you would have passed the Rowenda Tearoom where you could enjoy the respite of a Victoria-style tea.

The Woodbury house is across from the Warden's service and state police barracks on Route 26. Alice Welch purchased the property in the 1970s and currently [2021] operates an antique shop named the Barn on 26.

A women's association met at the tearoom during the early 20th century, with Frances Woodbury serving at the honorary president of the Optomystic Club. When she died in 1932, her son Roliston inherited the property and returned to summer in Gray for many years. The property - originally 25 acres - included some camps along the Crystal Lake shoreline.

The restored English barn, where Welch's antique business is today, had an icehouse on the north side. Ice cut from Crystal Lake was stored here and covered with sawdust. 

Additional information about the property is available at the Gray Historical Society in the "Old House Survey" binder.

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Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad Station

Portland-Lewiston Interurban Railroad Station

In 1870, the Maine Central Railroad began to run trains through East Gray. Railroad tables listed the station there as "Perley's (Gray)" until 1878, and indicates that the telegraph station was not opened until 1877; but, within a few years Gray Depot - with sidings, an express office, a freight shed, and a water tower - was established, and for the first time there was a better way to move people and commodities between Gray and cities to the north and south than by horse drawn vehicles over the roads. 

Before the end of July, 1914, the Portland-Lewiston Interurban was running hourly passenger service through Gray Village from 7 a.m. until midnight, and freight service was started in March 1915. By this time there were fewer industries in Gray than formerly, but the superb passenger service provided by the new railroad made commuting to Portland and Lewiston practicable, and this had a marked effect on the lives of the townspeople.

Excerpted from "History, Records, and Recollections of Gray Maine", Volume I, George T. Hill; 1978

43.8858832, -70.3251561

Mayall Mills

Mayall Mills

Beginning a mill in 1791 along Collyer Brook in what is now Gray, Maine, Samuel Mayall's operation became the first successful water-powered woolen mill in North America. Establishing the mills in Gray was not easy. Woolen interests in England had prohibited the production of goods in the colonies and worked diligently to prevent British wool-making technology from being put to use in competition with them. Realizing this, Mayall smuggled plans for his machinery out of England hidden in bales of cloth meant for trade with Indians. When British woolen guilds learned of his deception, they tried at least twice to kill him. Once they sent him a hat in which they had hidden pins laced with poison and another time a box with loaded pistols rigged to fire when the box was opened. Suspicious of both packages, Mayall managed to avoid the untimely death his enemies had planned for him.

Built in 1816 to expand Mayall’s production, the Upper Mill continued to produce woolen cloth until it was destroyed by fire in 1886. This photograph was taken in the 1800s when the mills were in operation. The Lower Mill appears in the right background. Despite the fire and decades of decay one corner of the Upper Mill still stands.

After Samuel Mayall died in 1831, his daughters Mary and Phanela took over the milling operation and built the Lower Mill in 1834. This building continued to produce cloth in all but a few years until 1902. This photograph shows the Lower Mill and the buildings that once surrounded it. These include the original 1791 (left) that was converted to a carpenter shop when the Upper Mill was built, the Picker House(background) where wool was picked, cleaned, and graded before being spun into yarn and the old Picker House (foreground).

Description by the State of Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands

Image
image of Lower Mill from ME Bureau of Parks and Lands
Image of Lower Mill from ME Bureau of Parks and Lands
Image
photo of Upper Mill from ME Bureau of Parks and Lands
Image of Upper Mill from ME Bureau of Parks and Lands
43.910862, -70.312187

William Merrill House

William Merrill House

Once also the home of Dr. Beebe and family, this brick Federal style home is on the north side of Shaker Rd. Town of Gray records date the house to 1834.

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Hillcrest Farm

Hillcrest Farm

Hillcrest Farm, brick Federal c. 1834. East side of Portland Rd., first house south of Long Hill Rd. Previous owners include E. Cobb (1871), Charles Hill, and now, Donald Morse. Similar to #36.

43.858858, -70.321708

Glover's Wig

Glover's Wig

A Strange Freak of Nature

A famous wonder of nature in Gray [sic*] is known by the name of Glover's Wig. This can only be reached by a tramp of more than a mile from the main road thru a jungle of bushes and to a tangled mass of ferns and other vegetation. The Glover's Wig towers in majesty. What a freak of nature! Imagine a solid ledge rising into the air for one hundred feet and then tipping over at the top to a distance that formed an arch or roof beneath which a regiment of men might easily be sheltered. This precipice extends to a distance of fully 400 feet, ragged and sublime in its grandeur.

Perhaps the most marvelous part of this ledge is the character of the rock. It is iron, but not of the kind used by the blacksmith. It is of the chemical kind, given by physicians to strengthen their patients and is easily worked. By clambering up the sides, we could dig out pieces of the soft rock that could dissolve in the mouth leaving a pungent taste. The attrition of the elements has worn away the soft rock in the center, leaving the arched roof above and this has been frescoed by the hand of nature with a hundred brilliant shades of scarlet and green. This disintegration is rapidly going on and it is a question of the stone could not be turned to commercial purposes. It is said that the Rickers have offered to build a road from the main turnpike to this spot at their own expense providing that their guests can have the privilege of going there and enjoying the sight.

by Bea Murray

While there is no date attributed to this piece, our records indicate that Bea Murray wrote regularly for the Portland Press Herald. *The article describes the Glover's Wig location as Gray; however, it is actually just over the Gray line off Egypt Road in Raymond. The rock formation and the trail leading to it is now [2021] part of the Morgan Meadows Wildlife Management Area, owned and managed by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.

 

43.934324, -70.403761

Indian Kettle

Indian Kettle

Totten Road It's filled with water, but if you were to stand in it, it would come to your chest- Local historians speculate the Kettle was used by Native Americans.

As told by Jason Turcotte in his June 26, 2003 article "The Indian Kettle" for The Monument:

Anyone who has seen the Indian kettle in Gray agree on one thing, its ingenuity. In a world of automobiles, internet, and technology, it's difficult to imagine that hundreds of years ago, a more  primitive and resourceful way of living took place at its site on Totten Road, as Native Americans called the land of Gray their home. The Indian kettle is one of eighty-one cultural assets to the town and is protected in Chapter 5, entitled "Natural Historic & Cultural Resources," of Gray's  Comprehensive Plan.

The kettle's age is uncertain,  but the Gray Historical Society  does believe it was there long before Gray became a town 225  years ago.

The perfectly round kettle rests in a large rock, where it descends four or five feet underground. The kettle is often filled with water, but former owner Don Clark, who sold the site as a part of 3-lot subdivision, recalled seeing the bottom after his son would siphon the water from it. He described it as smooth, polished [rock] and speculated that something round was lowered into it. "There's different theories of how it got there," said Clark. The kettle evolving from a glacial formation is the most likely of those theories.

Glacial kettles are deep indentations in the earth. They are formed when smaller blocks of ice separate from the main body of a glacier. Once it melts, it leaves a hole in the earth. It is estimated that glacial kettles are approximately 10,000 years old and research has shown they are common in Maine and other parts of the Northeast.

"If you were to stand in it, it would come up to your chest," reminisced Louise Knapp of the Gray Historical Society. Knapp heard that it was perhaps used for the storage or grinding of food. Others, such as Helen Taylor also believe its purpose was for either food storage or cooking.

From Totten Road exists a short, 10 foot wide public easement leading to the Indian kettle and supposedly another Native American tool nicknamed by residents as the "punch bowl," which hasn't been accounted for in recent years. "This conveyance is subject to a 10-foot path easement, to "Indian Pot" so-called, reserved for the inhabitants of Gray," according to the deed given to residents at 96 Totten Road. Unfortunately, in recent years the path has become unwelcoming to the public and poorly maintained.

'They took advantage of the easement," said Clark of the original owners he sold the lot to. The dirt easement evolved into an unpaved driveway and the former residents constructed old sheds along the public pathway. Helen Davis, of the Historical Society hadn't visited the kettle since Clark sold the lot. She said the owners put their dogs by it, left junk everywhere, and even threatened to charge people to see it. The easement was anything but public.  

Its inclusion within the Comprehensive Plan recognizes the kettle as having historical and cultural relevance to the town, deserving of its utmost protection. "The intent is to flag and point out these resources, show where they are and what they are, in hopes that they can be preserved historically by the town and by developers," said Town Planner Dick Cahill. But the Indian kettle proved that task is easier said than done. 

According to Clark, the lot was sold to new residents four or five years ago. Today the path looks like nothing more than an ordinary driveway, marking a trail compiled of old cars, cinder and other debris scattered from the previous owners. And while the rubbish has tarnished its surroundings and the public easement, the Indian kettle remains untouched, serving as a permanent the town's history and culture.
 

43.869493, -70.3550048

Hilltop Farm Sun Club

Hilltop Farm Sun Club

Hilltop Farm Sun Club was situated on a 15 acre parcel, separated from the neighbors and road. It was operated as a chartered nudist camp from about 1952 until 1969.

As told to Audrey Burns of the Gray Historical Society by Shirley Libby Harriman, daughter of the original owners, the camp was started by Harry Libby whose youngest daughter, was anemic. Dr. Beck advised that she get out in the sun…  that "all of her" should be exposed to a lot of sun! Harry soon met a family from Turner, ME who had a son with a similar disposition, and they began meeting together on weekends - families only.

Later, Harry subscribed to a magazine called Sun Bathers; he soon started receiving calls and others were invited to join them for what were most often one-day visits. He had very strict rules: absolutely no drinking!

Harry first built a clubhouse and then a few cabins. The clubhouse was used for suppers and dancing, piano playing, etc. He also hired Bill Qualey to build a pond which still exists on the property today.

50 YEARS AGO [1957]

Have you ever felt overdressed with just a pair of trunks on? That happened to the reporter who spent an afternoon at Hilltop Farm Sun Club playing volleyball with members of the nudist colony there. Jess, a spokesman, declared, "Nudism, some people call it sunbathing and they rationalize that they're doing it for their health, is really just a back to nature move that helps you forget the pressures of today's high cost of living."

Compiled by Julia McCue; staff researcher.
Portland Press Herald; Portland, Me.
16 Aug 2007: F.3.

25 YEARS AGO [1982]

The bare essentials of a summer of sunshine will be available at Maine's first and only chartered nudist camp in many years when it opens at south Gray this month.

A chartered camp is one with the authorization of the American Sunbathing Association.

The camp, situated on a quiet hilltop on 15 acres separated from neighbors and roads, is called the Hilltop Farm Sun Club. There are 19 members of the colony this year.

Sun Journal; Lewiston, Me. 
06 June 2007: C15.
 

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Beehive House

Beehive House

This multifamily property was said to have had so many people coming and going that it was very much like a bee hive!

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Brick Schoolhouse

Brick Schoolhouse

From Volume V, Number 21 of the Gray News on October 15, 1973, is the following excerpt referencing the Brick Schoolhouse:

The brick part of the building pictured was constructed somewhere around the 1840's. It was known as "The Brick Schoolhouse" and was located almost directly across the street from the brick building housing apparatus of the Pine Tree Telephone Company. Those who attended or remember the school say that its from was close to the sidewalk and that it was less than 20 feet from the white house next to the Post Office. The fence with the two white doors at the right of the picture concealed the toilets near the back of the building. After the wooden extension was added, probably in the late 1870's, the front of the building housed an entry, the woodshed, and the stairs to the second floor which were originally on the outside of the brick front. The entry had a long board with hooks for the children's clothes, a locker for the teachers, and a shelf with a bucket of drinking water and a long-handled dipper.

This schoolhouse was used for the pre-high school pupils of the Gray Corner district (District No. 5 until districts were abolished about 1895). It was torn down in 1902 when classes were moved into the new elementary school, now used for a library and school offices which had just been completed. In general, terms in the old school started in late April, early September, and early December. They averaged about ten weeks in length. The average number of pupils from 1890 to 1895 was 26. Until 1875, The Brick Schoolhouse also housed the Gray High School, when one was conducted. The high school, which used the second floor or the schoolhouse, had only one term of about ten weeks in January, February, and March. In 1876, high school classes were held for a few years in the Town Hall and then the high school was discontinued until the Pennell Institute opened in 1886.

According to a newspaper article written by S.P. Mayberry about 1886, the brick schoolhouse was the second of three schoolhouses that stood near the site of the present library. He describes the first as follows: " this school house was a high, one storied wooden building with a four faced roof; the sides were either clapboarded or shingled. It was on the site of the present brick school house. It stood side to the Shaker road and the entrance was next to the southwest corner."

"Inside on the southern end, was a fireplace which was supplied with a great back log and fore stick. On these the fire was built of some pine kindlings and dry wood which the boys brought with them and when this was sufficiently kindled green wood was piled on and it took considerable part of the forenoon before the house was even warm. Near the master's desk was a cast iron box stove. Originally it was divided inside, the upper part was used to warm the children's dinners and the lower part for the wood. It would take in a three foot stick. On the top was one hole, in which was usually placed a kettle. Tradition says this was the first stove used in the town."

Information: Courtesy of Mrs. Bessie Burns Libby, Willis Goff, and George Hill. Photo from Byron Hanson.

43.887344, -70.331638

Newbegin Gymnasium

Newbegin Gymnasium

Gifted to the town by George Newbegin, the building now serves as the central activity hub for Gray Recreation Department.

22 Main St, Gray

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Pennell Institute

Pennell Institute

Pennell Institute, 1876. Opened to students in 1886, Pennell Institute, with an enrollment of 122 was the gift of Henry Pennell. Built at a cost of $20,000 the institute was willed to the Town of Gray along with a trust fund for its operation and free high school education.

Present home of Gray Town Offices.

National Register of Historic Places (Ref. #82000750)

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Pennell Lab Building

Pennell Lab Building

The Pennell Lab building was a gift of Henry Pennell. Built in 1897 by Silas Foster at a cost of $1,300 from the Henry Pennell trust fund, this building was a laboratory for the Pennell Institute and later housed the Gray News newspaper. It is registered with the national register of historic places. Now empty.

20 Main Street

43.8875, -70.32822

Sawyer House

Sawyer House

Built in 1876 on land purchased from Henry Pennell. for Dr. Rowell, a dentist, the property was sold to Perley & Jennie Sawyer in about  1915. Previous home of Margaret Sawyer, Gray historian and curator of the Gray Historical Society at the Pennell Building.

18 Main Street

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Dr. Beck Home

Dr. Beck Home

Also the home of Mae Beck; brick early Greek Revival, 1832.

23 Main Street

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Soldiers Monument

Soldiers Monument

Originally erected in the Town square across from the Town office and adjacent to the Morrill/Durgin house, this monument was dedicated in 1911 as a memorial to the civil war soldiers of Gray. The funds for the monument were raised in part by the George F. Shepley Post, GAR of Gray, and approved for completion at a special town meeting in 1910. Moved to its current location at the corner Portland and Shaker Roads in December 1997. 

9 Main St, Gray

43.88616, -70.33038

Stimson Memorial Hall

Stimson Memorial Hall

Stimson Memorial Hall is a historic government building at 4 Shaker Road in the center of Gray, Maine. Built in 1900, it served for many years as the town's main public meeting space, and is a prominent landmark in the town center.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and social significance in 1992. It was occupied by a church group and listed for sale as of 2015 as one of its most endangered historic properties, due to its poor condition and lack of preservation plan.

National Register of Historic Places (Ref. #92001296)

Stimson Memorial Hall was built in 1900 at a cost of about $6,000 by Mrs. Abbie Stimson Ingalls, Charles, George, and Martin Stimson and given to the town in memory of their parents. Capt. Theophilus and Mary Lawrence Stimson, together with a trust fund of $5,000. At first it was managed by a board of trustees selected by the Stimsons, consisting of James T. Hancock, Orin S. Higgins, John W. Frank, and George W. Osgood together with three selectmen. Soon after the building was completed, a library association was formed with the following officers: President, Harr L. Libby; George M. Stevens, Treasurer; Rev. Frank Pierson, Secretary; Rev. H.L. McCann, Fred Ramsdell; Jas. T. Hancock and the President and treasurer as directors. George Stimson said he would give them $500 if they would raise an equal amount. This was done. Equipment bought and shelves built. 

Miss Helen I. Merrill was employed as librarian; 632 books were bought and a number give so that 700 volumes were ready at the opening which occurred January 26, 1907. After the library was opened, the State gave the sum of $200 which was a custom at that time. Later the Stimsons and Ingalls all contributed books and the association put on entertainments to raise money to enlarge the library. After the first year, the town raised money to pay running expenses and from time to time raised extra money to buy books. Stimson Fund, give to the Town of Gray in 1921 was $7500

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Gray Primary School

Gray Primary School

The Primary School was built in 1902 to replace the old brick school. Six grades originally attended this two-room schoo, but after 1948 only primary grades attended school here.

Now the home of MSAD #15 administrative offices.

14 Shaker Road

43.88754, -70.33179

Baptist Church

Baptist Church

Built in 1830 by the Universalist Society on land sold by Eliab Latham for thirty-two dollars, half of the church was sold to the Baptist Society for $700. The shared church became known as the Union Church until 1856 when the church was sold at auction to James Small for $300. The church was then given to the Baptist Society. Today, the building is a chapel venue.

16 Shaker Rd, Gray

43.88784, 70.33205

Grange Hall

Grange Hall

Late 1800s. Originally an exhibition hall for the Gray Fairgrounds. Later became the home of Dr. Cushing, a dentist, and the Grange Hall. Now the home of Enercon.

The charter for the Gray Grange was received on November 24, 1874. In June 1875, the Grange moved its meetings to the Town Hall, which they hired for $12 a year and where they met for the next 12 months. 

Gray Grange took a new lease on life in 1888; regular meeting were resumed and Cumberland County Pomona was invited to meet in Gray of that year. The renewed interest continued and in 1903, the Grange Hall - which had been the exhibition hall of the Gray Park Association - was purchased for $400. It was renovated for an additional $600 plus many hours of hard work by members under the direction of Brothers W.A. Chipman and E.P. Foster. The first meeting in the new hall was held on October 1, 1903.

Following this, the hall was used for many years by the Grange and often by other societies including the Odd Fellows, Rebekahs, and Pythian Sisters for meetings and other activities. 

On the 23rd and 24th of October, 1925, the Grange held a fair and exercises in celebration of its fiftieth anniversary. Mrs. Leonora Whitney Sweetser presented a history of the early days of the Grange from which much of this material was derived.

Photo available at https://www.mainememory.net/artifact/73285/zoom

22 Shaker Road

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Wilson Funeral Home

Wilson Funeral Home

Built 1924 and established as a funeral home in 1927, now owned & managed by the third generation in the Wilson family. 

24 Shaker Road

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Gibson House

Gibson House

Built in 1857 per sign over barn door. 

Once the home of Walter Brown  "The Shadow" Gibson. 

Marilyn Weymouth Seguin included a chapter on Walter Gibson in her book Hidden History of the Sebago Lakes Region. Of this property, Seguin includes the following:

But cold weather comes early in Maine, so in the fall of 1936, Gibson and Julia purchased a house in Gray village, about five miles from the cabin. This house still stands on the corner of Shaker Road and Gray Park. When the Gibsons lived there, they became favorites of the Gray citizens, and Gibson and his son, Robert, would reportedly sometimes entertain visitors with card tricks and other magic exchanges. Audrey Burns, a member of the Gray Historical Society, grew up in a house across the street from the Gibson house. She remembers that one of the rooms in the house, the one in which Gibson stored his magic tools, was painted silver. She and some of the other children in the village were a little afraid of Gibson.

26 Shaker Rd

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John T. Merrill House

John T. Merrill House

The John T. Merrill Home was built in 1875. Its original owner built a sawmill, a shingle mill, and a grist mill on the property. In the 1940s it became the Hayes store, where Gray folks went for homemade ice cream. The home is distinguished by a mansard roof. Also previously the home of Rear Admiral Willard Sweetser.

21 Shaker Rd, Gray

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Congregational Parsonage

Congregational Parsonage

Greek Revival style built in the 1840's. The Rev. Lincoln Allen became the Pastor of the Congregational Church in 1844. While in Gray he had purchased and lived in the house across from the Town Office Building, then on Shaker Road. In his will, he left the house to the Congregational Society to be used as a parsonage.

7 Shaker Rd, Gray

43.88673, -70.3317

Clark's Block

Clark's Block

Clark's Block includes several buildings from the late 1700's to 1800's. Included in this block is the Daniel Hall brick store, a busy place in the 19th century, providing dry goods and groceries to townsfolk and travelers. It was built by Daniel Hall, who also constructed the Matthew Morrill House.

3 Main St, Gray

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Lieut. Charles H. Colley

Lieut. Charles H. Colley

Lieutenant Charles H. Colley of Co. B. 10th Me was among the first to rally in defense of his Country and was wounded at Cedar Mountain August 9, 1862. He died of his wounds on September 20, 1862 at the age of 29.

More of his story after death is told at the grave of "The Stranger".

Gray Village Cemetery
Section 2 Ave E Plot 32
Find a Grave: Lieut. Charles H. Colley

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Snow House

Snow House

The Federal style brick home was built in the 1830s by the Mayall family in Gray Village at the corner of Route 202 and the Old Portland Road. The front looks much like it did in the colonial days.

2 Center Rd, Gray

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The Stranger

The Stranger

During the U.S. Civil War, Lt. Charles H. Colley of Gray was mortally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Mountain. His body was sent home for burial. However, when the casket arrived home, it contained the body of an unknown soldier in a gray Confederate uniform. Unable to correct the mistake, and believing that the young man's family would want him to have a proper burial, the soldier was laid to rest in the town cemetery, and a group of local townswomen arranged to have a stone placed on his grave. Shortly after, the body of Lt. Colley arrived in Gray and now lies in the Colley family lot, not far from the Stranger's grave.

Gray Village Cemetery
Section 2 Avenue H Plot 27A
Find a Grave: The Stranger

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Gray Village Cemetery

Gray Village Cemetery

Gray Village Cemetery is the largest in town and the only one in active use. It was opened in 1784, records of town historian George Hill state, when Daniel Libby, a prominent businessman here at the time, deeded to the town three acres of land for the site of the Parish Church house and a cemetery adjacent. With just under 5,500 burials as of 2020, much of the town’s history can be traced to “citizens” of Gray Village Cemetery.

More information including burial reports, maps, and historical data is available on the Gray Cemetery Association website.

 

1 Main Street

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Gray Town Hall 1835

Gray Town Hall 1835

Built by David Carey for the cost of $1300, the Town hall held its first town meeting on March 5, 1838. The upper floor was designed for public meetings and included a small stage used for social events, and also served as the high school before Pennell Institute.

The Selectman’s office occupied the first floor. Three bays took up the rest of the first floor and held many businesses including a wheel wright, a cabinet maker and the first national bank of Gray.

The building now is the home of the Gray Historical Society.

1 Main Street, Gray

43.88532, -70.33098

Baptist Parsonage

Baptist Parsonage

The original Baptist parsonage, built in the 1840s, is where Daniel Green lived. He was active in financial affairs, owned land on the eastern side of Main Street, and operated a store. The parsonage, located on the south side of Greenleaf Street, is currently a residence.

8 Yarmouth Road

43.88519, -70.32933

McLellan House

McLellan House

The former site of Gray's first Post Office (1795) in the McLellan House owned and built by Joseph McLellan in 1793.

In the 1780s, Joseph McLellan came to North Gray and built a two-story house, a sawmill, and a small store on the northeast corner of the intersection of the Megquire Road and the road between East and North Gray. In about 1793, he built the residence now known as the McLellan House and opened a store, said to have been the first at Gray Corner, in one of its front rooms.

It was not unusual in the last century for a merchant to have a store in their home or, as today, to have living quarters in a structure built for a store, since by these arrangements the expense of heating a separate building and the bothersome chore of tending its first late at night and on Sundays was eliminated.

Joseph McLellan was Gray's first postmaster, appointed on March 9, 1795 with the post office located at the McLellan House. Just how many years Mr. McLellan ran his store and post office at the Corner is not known, but there is evidence that he was in North Gray running a saw mill by 1815.

In 1805, Captain McLellan represented Gray at the General Court of Massachusetts, and on October 29, 1819, he represented the town at the signing of the State Constitution. A short time later he move to Bath where he became a successful merchant and prominent citizen.

His home at Gray Corner became the Archie Harris home and survived the fire of 1921. It was torn down in 2010. The site was developed as the Village Green pocket park in 2021.

Read more about Joseph McLellan in our Notable Citizens section.

5 Yarmouth Rd, Gray

43.88543, -70.3298

Hancock Building

Hancock Building

The Hancock & Company building was constructed in 1876 by Henry Goff out of bricks from his brickyard at East Gray. It was the town's largest merchandising store, and had a horse shed and a grain house. The third floor was used by the Odd Fellows organization. Today, it still displays the architectural design it featured after being rebuilt following the fire of 1921.

6 Main St, Gray

43.88577, -70.33011

Matthew Morrill House

Matthew Morrill House

Matthew Morrill House, built in 1840 by Daniel Hall, using bricks kilned in Gray Village. Most of its original woodwork is intact, as are eight fireplaces. A large attached barn was once a harness and carriage house. This is a very find example of a New England brick colonial.

Built in the Federal style, this brick home at the "center of it all" in the heart of Gray Village was later the home of Evelyn Morrill Durgin.

1 Center Rd, Gray

43.88462, -70.33073

Colonial Inn

Colonial Inn

Colonial Inn, 1832. Greek Revival. Built by Thomas O’Brion, a prominent Portland businessman. For three generations it was the home of the Hancock family, who catered to tourists In 1926 it was converted to a two-family house then owned by Jennie B. Sawyer.

8 Portland Rd, Gray

43.88389, -70.33049

Old Alms House

Old Alms House

The Old Alms House, built in brick by Theophilua Stimson in the 1830s has been known as the John W. Frank farm, the Town Farm, and Hansen's farm. The rear of property occupied by ladder company. 

15 Portland Rd

43.88324, -70.32978

Daniel Berry House

Daniel Berry House

Daniel Berry was 57 when he purchased this half-acre lot on “New County Road” in 1868 from Warren H. Vinton (a noted Maine politician). He and his wife Louisa (Haskell) soon built a house and lived here until Louisa died in 1877. Daniel and his father Merrill had been wheelwrights in the center of Gray, with a shop in the western end of the old town hall. Both Berry families had lived together in a large brick house on Shaker Road (now demolished) until Merrill died.

This house does not resemble many other houses in the area: It is taller and narrower than a New England Cape, with Greek Revival features that include decorative trim around the roof line and windows and a wide horizontal space below the eaves (called the “frieze”) to allow for taller walls in the upstairs rooms. The present owner of the Daniel Berry House has identified all of the 30 people who occupied this house over the past 150-plus years and many of the events that took place right at their doorstep.

18 Portland Road

43.88245, -70.33007

Hancock School

Hancock School

The Hancock School was a gift of James T. Hancock in 1930. Stick style trim. Became Gray Public Library. Addition, 1989. Currently the home of Gray Public Library, with additions added in 1989 and 2014.

5 Hancock St, Gray

43.88447, -70.32713

Davis House

Davis House

Built around 1892 by Andrew Antonio on land originally owned by Ebenezer Bean. House occupied for many years by the Davis family.

43.88594, -70.32785

Willard B. Sweetser House

Willard B. Sweetser House

Built by David Cummings in 1879 this house was later owned and occupied by Willard B. Sweetser for many years. Willard Sweetser was a store owner in the brick store on Main street and later the Hancock building. He also served as town treasurer, moderator at town meetings and a trustee of Pennell Institute.

9 Yarmouth Rd, Gray

43.88559, -70.32885

Henry Pennell House

Henry Pennell House

Built in 1876. Henry Pennell was a native of Gray who received very little education. He eventually became a wealthy man and gave the town money to have a building constructed for higher education. During World War II, the Libby family opened part of this home for use as a maternity hospital for Dr. Beck's patients.

14 Main St, Gray

43.8871, -70.32878

Willard Merrill House

Willard Merrill House

Built by Henry Thayer in about 1881, purchased in 1882 by Henry Haskell, and subsequently by Willard Lincoln Merrill in 1901 who lived there until his death in 1931. This Federal style home has been used in more recent years as a gift shop, bakery, and childcare center. 

68 Shaker Rd

43.89442, -70.33784

Weeks Homestead

Weeks Homestead

Weeks' Homestead was built on lot #34 in 1762, before the present-day North Yarmouth Road was built. When the road was built, the barn had to be moved back 14 feet. The house was built by Benjamin Weeks, who tilled the soil, nurtured apple tree, had three children and "minded his own business" as folks reported. Other owners were Oscar Weeks, Frank Hill, Perley Sawyer, and the Stansfield family.

59 Yarmouth Rd

43.88626, -70.31794

Webster House & Tavern

Webster House & Tavern

This brick Federal style early tavern was built between 1810 and 1820. It is now a private residence.

43.85773, -70.32129

Trolley Station

Trolley Station

23 Yarmouth Rd

43.88629, -70.3253

South Gray Cemetery

South Gray Cemetery

From page 323 of Volume I, Gray Cemetery Association Records, as recorded by Florence Libby Hunt:

"The beginnings of this little 'burying ground' are unkown to your recorder. The following deed was found among other papers in the old vault in the Town House and promptly recorded in Cumberland Registry.

Josiah Hill of Gray in consideration of $30.00 paid by the Inhabitants of the Town of Gray through their Treasurer, Jeremiah Pennell, Esq. conveyed a certain piece or parcel of land situate in said Gray and lying on the easterly side of the road leading from Gray Corner to Portland adjoining the South Gray Burying ground and at this time is enclosed by a new post and board fence, and annexed to and become a part of the burial ground at South Gray. Containing 58 sq rods more or less. Intending to include two detached pieces of land recently enclosed with and made a part of said burying grounds.

Reserving a certain apple tree standing near the line of the road within the burying yard fence.

The date of deed is March 4, 1871, acknowledged April 15, 1871. Recorded June 16, 1914 Vol 933 Page 162."

Find a Grave: South Gray Cemetery

43.85535, -70.32055

Skillings Cemetery

Skillings Cemetery

According to the Gray Cemetery Association, many/most burials have been relocated to Gray Village Cemetery.

Although no members of the Skillin/Skillings family are believed to be still buried in this small plot, records maintained by the Cumberland County Registry of deeds (1 Aug 1956; Doc #11463; Book 2305; Pg 182) trace the history of the Skillings burial plot through four Skillin/Skillings generations thus: "The said Josiah Skillin was the great-grandfather, the said Samuel T. Skillings and Susan S. Skillings the grandfather and grandmother, and the said Charles E. Skillings the father of the grantors [Frederic Skillings/Alice G. Smith]. The said Charles E. Skillings died intestate in 1939 and his estate was duly probated and the said grantors [Frederic Skillings/Alice G. Smith] are his only surviving heirs at law." The deed transaction further states, "[This conveyance] ... also excludes any interest or rights anyone might have in and to a burial plot situated in the southwesterly corner of the property."

Find a Grave: Skillings Cemetery

43.87072, -70.39436

Shaw-Cobb House

Shaw-Cobb House

Shaw-Cobb House. This house was built by the Shaw family - most likely Calvin Shaw - in the early 1830s. It stayed in the Shaw family until 1897. After that, the house was not lived in regularly until Hubert & Carole Cobb bought it in 1960, at which time it had no electricity nor plumbing.

66 Cambell Shore Rd

43.86622, -70.38756

Samuel Perley House

Samuel Perley House

Built in the 1770s in the Federal style, this home features original Moses Eaton stencils from the early nineteenth century, although the house was actually built many years earlier. Samuel was born in 1742 in Massachusetts, and came to Gray in 1784 to pastor Gray's first church. One of his closest friends was John Adams, who later became the second President of the United States. At one point, Rev. Perley and his wife lived on one side of the house while his son, wife, and their twelve children lived on the other. Federal style, late 1700's.

290 Yarmouth Rd

43.86842, -70.28375

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village

Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village

Established in 1783, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester is home to the only active Shaker Community in the world today. Situated on 1,800 acres of farm and forest land with seventeen historic structures from the 1780s through the 1950s, the Village continues to be a place where, we, the Shakers, live, work, and worship.

Visit Shaker Village online

707 Shaker Road, New Gloucester

43.98663, -70.36618

Perley Gates House

Perley Gates House

The Perley Gates House was built by Cephus Perley on land give to his grandfather by the Town of Gray in the late eighteenth century. Cephus' daughter, Susan, married T.B.M. Gates and had the house extensively remodelled in 1929. c. 1800's.

311 Yarmouth Rd

43.8684, -70.2818

Nathan Merrill House

Nathan Merrill House

The Nathan Merrill House built in 1766 is considered Gray's earliest house (and first frame house) still in existence. It features the original 25' ceiling beams and a granite block room in the cellars, accessible by trap door.

43.89686, -70.30764

Libby Cemetery

Libby Cemetery

Small family cemetery (approximately 50' x 100') currently maintained by the Gray American Legion Post 86 because of the veteran Robert Cahill.

Photo shows a view of the Libby Cemetery from north to south. Perimeter along three sides is bordered with a chain fence.

Find a Grave: Libby Cemetery

43.85687, -70.33045

George Perley House

George Perley House

The George Perley House was built around 1830. Mr. Perley was a representative to the State Legislature in 1840 and 1841, and was a Gray Selectman for several terms. Now an elegant bed & breakfast, it once sheltered Gray's poor at the Town Farm from 1879 through 1942.

Book a room at The George Perley House

8 George Perley Rd

43.89016, -70.27129

Fogg House

Fogg House

This Cape Cod style home was built in 1789. Now an inn and event venue, The Inn at Fogg Farm.

65 Lewiston Rd

43.90037, -70.32689

Elder Family Cemetery

Elder Family Cemetery

Located at the extreme end of Old Elder Road where a dirt path follows into a wooded area. Final resting place of Morrell & Hannah Elder and their family. Restored in 1964 by the Gray Historical Society. Records available at GHS Museum.

Find a Grave: Elder Family Cemetery

43.88905, -70.39054

Dry Mills Post Office

Dry Mills Post Office

Re-established in 1938 and closed in 1960, was frequently photographed and publicized as the "smallest post office in the state." It was a true local institution where customers could pass the time of day mending, sewing, chatting, and partaking of candy and soda pop. Originally at the corner of North Raymond Road and Route 26, it was moved to its current location beside the Dry Mills Schoolhouse.

Game Farm Road

43.92835, -70.35005

Dry Mills Schoolhouse

Dry Mills Schoolhouse

The Dry Mills one-room school, built in 1858 in District #3, became the largest ungraded school of the town in 1883. In 1959 the last class to attend this school consisted of only first and second graders. The building was restored and moved to its current location on Game Farm Road in 1987. Today, it is a living museum, attesting to the educational environment in the mid 1800’s.

From the application for its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places:

"Constructed about 1857 and used in its original capacity for 102 years, the Dry Mills School is a well maintained example of a mid nineteenth century rural one-room schoolhouse. The one-story, gable roofed frame building exhibits modest Greek Revival style detailing. It is the last example of a one-room school in the Town of Gray that has not been significantly modified for other purposes. Threatened by its proximity to Route 26, the former school was moved to its present location in 1990 where it was subsequently rehabilitated by the Dry Mills School Committee. The building is eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C for its architectural significance. Criteria Consideration B applies to this property because it has been moved."

"First settled by Anglo-Americans during the second quarter of the eighteenth century, the Town of Gray was incorporated on June 19, 1778. By the taking of the census in 1850, the town's population stood at 1,788 persons, a figure that was to decrease over the next three decades, rebound in 1880, and then rapidly decline thereafter. In the 1858 History and Description of New England, farming was listed as the principal business in the town, and there were two factories, two sawmills, and a new steam mill."

"Gray's educational history follows the pattern repeated throughout rural Maine. According to early records the town's first two school districts were formed about 1780, although the first schoolhouse was not erected until 1793. A year later, the town was divided into four school districts, a process that was repeated as the need arose until there were a total of twelve districts, each of which had its own building. The Dry Mills School was located in District No. 3. In addition to the several district schools, which typically provided instruction at the primary and grammar levels, the Town of Gray appropriated fluids for high school education beginning in the early 1800s. Although it is not clear where classes were originally held, after the construction of a two-story brick schoolhouse in 1843 in Gray village, the high school was held in the upper level of this building. In 1876, wealthy local resident Henry Pennell announced that he would give the town a new high school facility which, upon its completion in 1886, was named Pennell Institute (NR 7/12/82)."

"School consolidation beginning in the early twentieth century doomed Gray's one-room schoolhouses to functional obsolescense, and the Dry Mills School was finally closed in 1959. During the 1970s the interior of the building was renovated for use as a preschool. By the late 1980s interest grew in preserving the school as a museum. This plan included the relocation of the building in 1990 to a more protected site than its original one along heavily traveled Route 26. Restoration of the school has been recently completed."

http://www.graymaine.org/dry-mills-schoolhouse-museum

Current Location: Game Farm Road, Gray
Original Location: Shaker Road, Gray 

NOTE: GPS coordinates are approximate to the original location of the schoolhouse on Route 26, Shaker Rd, according to the Dry Mills map inset of the 1871 Atlas of Cumberland County, Maine.

National Register of Historic Places (Ref. #96001495)

43.915947, -70.354412