AUBURN — A pair of fishermen, used to the usual smallmouth bass and sunfish, were not prepared for what they hauled out of the murky Androscoggin River on Monday.

Icaak Hollifield, 16, of Brandon, Fla., and his “Gramps,” Roger Doucette of Auburn, have spent every day of the past two weeks fishing local bodies of water. On Monday, Hollifield saw something out of place.

He said they were fishing behind Great Falls Plaza when he saw a stone with writing and flowers inscribed on it submerged in the water. The polished granite fragment of a headstone appeared to have been in the river some time because the broken edges had all been worn smooth. What little writing was discernible was “Herrick” and a death date of 1988.

“We don’t know where the other piece is,” Hollifield said.

He said they initially passed by the stone and fished for a few hours before coming back and deciding to take it from the river.

Hollifield braved the waters where he had recently been pulling out smallmouth bass and perch and retrieved the stone, which Doucette hauled back to the car.

Doucette said he thought it was “pretty cool” his grandson saw the stone, although the pair can’t imagine where it came from.

dmcintire@sunjournal.com


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: