End of Square

End of Square

Foot of Square looking southerly along Northport Avenue: Just past the watering trough at the entrance to Church St. The Ham-Condon house dominates the center of the photograph. Ham-Condon / Pitcher House: The double tenement of Dr. John Chellis Ham and Alvin T. Condon was built on Northport Avenue in 1896. The house is a double one with a solid partition between the two parts except in the attic. A. T. Condon owns and occupies the north side and Dr. J. C. Ham, the south. The residence was damaged by fire on Sunday night (Sept. 8, 1901)., Dr. Ham was called away from the house about 6 o'clock and returned about midnight, and no one was in his part of the house. Mr. Condon and his family were sitting up reading and about 10 o'clock a neighbor called and told them their house was on fire. The alarm was given and the department was quickly on hand and soon had the fire extinguished. The fire apparently started in Dr. Ham's sleeping room on the second floor, and burned up into the attic, across the to the Condon side and down through the attic floor and into a sleeping room on that side. A considerable portion of the roof and some of the wall on Dr. Ham's side were burned out and there were a few holes through the roof on Mr. Condon's side. The fire was confined to the room in which it started, the attic, one other room and a corridor on Dr. Ham's side; the attic, one room and the corridor on Mr. Condon's. The other parts of the house and much of the contents were damaged by water. The Mayor and the Aldermen met Wednesday to investigate the fire and adjourned to Friday afternoon. Adjusters, representing the insurance companies, are in town to arrange for the settling the losses, which are fully covered by insurance. In 1906 F. S. Holmes, real estate broker, sold the Ham-Condon house on Northport Avenue for the Belfast Savings Bank to Mrs. Elbridge S. (Emma) Pitcher. Elbridge S. (1865-1949) & Emma Belle Pitcher (1865-1949) married since 1889, as well as their daughter Gladys (1890-1995) dedicated themselves to music education in all of its spheres. Their contributions spanned more than a century of musical life in Belfast. Elbridge, a native of Waldoboro settled in Belfast where he made a living repairing pianos but most of all he was a facile teacher and talented musician. He participated in countless community musical endeavors including plays, concerts band recitals and impromptu sing-alongs in their summer home at the Battery. He was a founder and active supporter of the annual Maine Music Festivals which helped popularize fine music throughout the state. Emma, also born a Pitcher, but no relation, was an alto, pianist and the first person to introduce music into the public schools of Maine. She was, also, the supervisor of music for the Belfast public schools, a high office for a woman to hold in those days, eventually becoming a state supervisor for music education. She and her husband were trendsetters, using such modern devices as a Victrola and projected slides in their teaching as early as 1916. Both remained active in vocal, band and choral productions until they both died in 1949. Their daughter, Gladys (1890-1996), a pianist, cellist and music educator, was born in Belfast, Maine to music educators Elbridge and Emma Pitcher. Gladys Pitcher graduated from Belfast High School in1907 and went on to study cello and piano at the New England Conservatory of Boston, from which she graduated in with honors 1910. In 1914 she married James T. Sleeper, the Director of the Music Department at Beloit College in Wisconsin, and replaced him temporarily as Director when he left to serve during World War I. She was also Dean of Women at the college. Following the War, Pitcher settled in New England and taught music in the public school systems in Massachusetts, Vermont and New Jersey. In 1926 she was hired by C.C. Birchard, a music publisher in Boston, where she acted as editor-in-chief until her retirement in 1957 after 31 years with the company. Following her retirement, she continued to write and edit music for the Willis Music Company, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, and continued to edit after settling in Belfast, Maine in 1962. In the 1970s she composed "Reflections of an Old Hymn" that was played at the rededication of the Tracker organ at the First Church. A friend once wrote of her, "She is gracious, unflappable, extremely humble, lavish in her praise of others, supportive to struggling amateur musicians, a ruthless poker player and wonderful company". Gladys Pitcher died on March 24, 1996 at the age of 105 One time home of W. E. Davenport & N. C. Mathews On August 12, 1992, the landmark Pitcher house on Northport Avenue was heavily damaged by a fire which originated in the attached barn with no loss of life. Most residents thought the historic Queen Anne Victorian would be torn down but the owner spent $425,000.00 to restore it. The restoration was performed by Whitecap Builders and was reopened in 1993. On the right one can see the F. M. Lancaster home on Church Street, Belfast. It was built in 1864. It is Italianate in style and reminiscent of an Italian villa. It features a belvedere with finial on roof, pendants on brackets. Francis Merriam Lancaster was born at Northport, November 27, 1817, son of Humphrey and Lucy (Elwell) Lancaster. Mr. Lancaster went west in the California Gold Rush in 1851 where he remained for four years, returning to Belfast in 1855. On his return to Belfast he engaged in the grocery business on Main Street for 52 years, retiring at age 91. He married, January 18, 1844, at Northport, Angelett 0. Brown and had one child, Ella Angelett, born March 27, 1847, who married James Llewellyn Sleeper. Francis Merriam Lancaster died December 14, 1910 at age 93, EATONS This was the home of Lorimer K. Eaton, a prominent Belfast attorney and his wife Ruth M. Eaton for many years in the latter half of the twentieth century. Lorimer was born on April 11, 1912 and died in June 1958 at age 46. Eaton entered into a law partnership with Richard Glass in 1956. The firm later included Francis Marsano and Lee Woodward. Ruth was born on July 9, 1912, in Prospect, the daughter of John and Grace (Clark) Rainy. She was a graduate of Eastern State normal School in Castine and went on to teach school at the one-room schoolhouse in Monroe for many years. She also taught elementary school in Swanville and Searsport. She was interested in civic affairs and was, throughout her life, a very active volunteer for many area organizations.