Abbott School grounds in winter. Submitted photo
Hello again dear readers, and a belated Happy New Year! I am happy to be back to bring you tales of Farmington’s past. As we near George Washington’s birthday on the 22nd, I always love to recall the annual tradition which took place at the Abbott School for Boys around the time of the holiday.
One may think that the boys would don powdered wigs and colonial garments to celebrate the first president of the United States, but this was not the case, as Washington had nothing to do with this celebration. No, this was more of a yearly social event in which the boys could practice their good manners and hosting skills. Let us go back to 1913 and see what is happening…
It is a cold winter’s evening on the twenty-first of February 1913. At the Farmington train station, a crowd of rambunctious young men is gathered in eager anticipation. Around 5 o’clock, a whistle is heard coming around the railroad curve. A steam train from Portland arrives in the station, with the Abbott Boys spelling out the name of their school.
Soon the doors open, and a large group of young ladies exit the train. These girls are from the Waynflete School in Portland (in 1913, Waynflete was girls-only past the fourth grade). As the ladies step onto the platform, some of the more confident boys approach them and escort them to the sleighs. Supper is not scheduled until 6:30, so the boys of Abbott decide to take the girls of Waynflete on a historical tour of Farmington by sleigh.
At 6:30, everyone convenes in the Abbott Dormitory’s dining room for supper. Three girls are sat at each table, and a great time is had by all. Between eating and chatter, the victrola plays Billy Murray’s 1912 hit, “Take Me to the Cabaret”. Around 8:30, the crowd of boys and girls cross Beaver Dam Brook and climb up the hill to the Abbott Gymnasium for an evening of dancing.
The gym is decorated tastefully, and many dances are had. Around 1:30 in the morning, the music ends, and everyone returns to their beds for some well-deserved rest (though it is not mentioned in the source for this story, I believe that the Waynflete Girls would often stay at the Exchange Hotel when they came up to see the boys).
After a hearty breakfast, the annual tradition of co-ed sledding begins. As the slopes of Little Blue are rather tame for the thrill-seeking teenagers, a sleigh takes the group to Morrison Hill in West Farmington. While there, Ordway Furbush (Abbott ’16) takes the helm of one sled and gives a group of Waynfletes a swell ride down the hill. Some of the groups ride down Morrison Hill two or three times before calling it quits. Once everyone is finished with their fun, they walk back to the Abbott Dormitory for dinner.
After everyone finishes their dinner, Thomas Goodall and Bobbie Shaw break out their cameras to take photographs. Tom has a Graflex and Bobbie has a Kodak. With these two cameras, not a single person can refuse a picture.
After photos are taken, the Abbott Boys say farewell to the Waynflete Girls. While the once excited boys are now saddened to say goodbye to their guests, a good time was had by many, and these memories will stay with the young people of these schools forever. (Story sourced from the 1913 Abbott Observer Easter Number, with the account written by Harry E. Cox ‘15 of Winchester, MA)
Layne Nason is a Farmington historian, specializing in the history of the Abbott School for Boys and Farmington during the era of the Great War.
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