There follows a number of short pieces concerning the history of Hope. Most were found in the book, History of Hope Maine by Anna Simpson Hardy. References at the end of each are page numbers with a decimal number that estimates the distance from the top of the page. P45.5 says the item is on page 45 and is near the middle of the page.

1. Why was Barrettstown changed to Hope?

... many stories have circulated on the origin of the name Hope. A logical one could be that just as the Twenty Associates named their ftrst town Cambden after Lord Cambden of England who was always a great friend of the Colonies, so too was Hope named after the Hope family of England, likewise friendly to the Colonies. P2.8

2. First male child born:

A son (of William Hewett) Samuel born in 1787 was the first male child born in the new town. P4.8

3. Conditions for owning a parcel of land in Hope:

As an inducement to attract settlers to the new town Charles Barrett provided 100 acres in exchange for building a cabin and clearing three acres within three years with the option of buying the remaining acres (160-168) of the lot as laid out. P3.2

4. Population of Maine in the 1790 census:

96,540 P12.7

5. When did Hope become a town?

June 23, 1804 P33.7

6. When did Maine become a state?

1820

7. First attempt to evangelize Hope citizens:

From the History of the Baptists in Maine the following reference was found: "Ebenezer Cox, a resident Baptist was the fIrst to make any effort to evangelize the people of Hope. He was among them in 1794. The Rev. E.Hall of St., George came to their aid in 1795 and although there was much opposition to their doctrine, a few received baptism by Rev. Hall." About eleven members were meeting regularly at Deacon Samson Sweetland's home in 1795. P16.7

8. Who first opened a store at Hope Corner?

John Athearn of Lincolnville bought land in Hope near the Lincolnville line on High Street from Simon Barrett, it being 100 acres of the western side of lot 68. He married Polly Prescott also of Lincolnville in 1806. A few years later he opened a store at Hope Corner. P39.3

9. Though Charles Barrett was instrumental in the settlement of Hope, he never lived there. P16.9

10. Original lake and pond names:

Ram = Lermond Pond P25.2
Lower Bogg = Fish Pond P25.2
Upper Bogg = Hobbs Pond P25.7
The Lake = Alford Lake P79.6 (Some time after 1859)

11. Census From the Hope Chronicle 2000 Census (1790 - 2000)

12. Schools

First private school c.1800 in Jacob Mansfield's home with Miss Polly Carter as teacher. P26.9

13. Hope Corner a Growing Community in the 1820's

All within the span of a few short years Hope Corner, in addition to its shoe shops, lime kiln and school, acquired a post office, inn, tavern, a cooper shop, a new general store, Baptist Church and a medical doctor. P65.9

14. Some Hope Businesses in 1860

According to the census figures of 1860 as compiled by Samuel H. Payson, South Hope, Ass't Marshall, the total population for the town of Hope was 1065. The following occupations are listed in that census for those over sixteen years of age: 135 active farmers along with many older part time ones, 21 laborers, 17 coopers, 7 joiners and carpenters, 3 cabinet makers, 1 tanner, 1 ship carpenter [there were six in 1850], 4 millmen, 4 blacksmiths, 8 shoemakers, 1 butcher, 2 merchants, 1 retired merchant, 1 tailor, 1 Baptist clergyman, 1 inn holder, 1 hostler, 1 gentleman, 4 sailors, 2 fishermen, and listed for the first time, women workers including 3 lady teachers, 9 domestics, 1 tailoress, and 1 seamstress. P101.2

15. A Bath to Camden steamboat ride in the early 1820's cost $2. P76.9

16. Most people know that Hope has been in two states, but many may not know that it also resided in two counties, Waldo as well as Knox. P77.5

17. A new townhouse was built in 1842. p113.9

17a. The people of that day (mid 1800's) worked hard, and if they found they could simultaneously do a good deed and derive pleasure from it, it was a worthy project. One of the popular social, yet charitable, affairs occasionally enjoyed was the "tax party" to assist a worthy widow to pay her taxes. Refreshments were carried by the surprise guests and during the evening a collection was "taken up" and unobtrusively left for the widow for her kind hospitality. P159.2

18. True's Hall was in the second story of the Hope Corner store. P179.9

20. In 1904 the Lincolnville Telephone Co. was organized and parts of Hope Corner received service. P188.5

21. In 1918 there were 44.3 miles of road in town as measured using a Willys-Overland automobile. P188.7 (It is interesting to note that the 2006-2007 annual report lists 35.16 miles of roads)

22. In 1921 there were 21 autos in town and in 1929 there were 114. P188.8

23. Route 17 was paved in the late '20s and early '30s. P188.9

24. The State Aid roads were first plowed in 1932 and the town roads in 1934. P197.1

25. Street lights first appeared as a town expense in the report of 1926 when $50 was paid to the Crawford Electric Co. for lights at South Hope. In 1930 Hope Corner received electricity from the Central Maine Power Co., which also was paid $50 for street lights. Many extremities of the town, however, did not yet have electricity at this time. P197.9

Electricity came to South Hope in 1926, to Hope Corner in 1930 and later to outlying parts of town. In 1939, a line came over Howe Hill and up the Barnestown Road to the Ralph C. Pearse farm. (from "Dairying in Hope" in the History section")

26. In 1938 Hatchet Mt. Camps on Hobbs Pond advertised summer cottages for rent at $300 to $400 for the summer season.

27. A new dimension of entertainment was added to rural America with the advent of the radio. Radios were first mentioned in the Hope Town Report of 1927, there being 66 radios and musical instruments taxed. In 1929 there were thirty-one radios valued at $1,210. The early ones were battery operated. 213.9
28. Hope's "dump":
Hope has never had a legal dump in the town. Often in the very early days what little trash the farms generated was dumped "out back of the stonewall behind the barn" or "down behind the far pasture wall." Remnants of very early wagons and sleighs, or early "flivvers" can sometimes still be seen on stone walls out in the woods. There was even a craze some years back of hunting for these old dumps and looking for old bottles that had become collectors' items. Many were unearthed and some even found their way to the "flea markets." 244.2

29. Several large dairy farms operating (in 1946) were Ben Nichols, Ralph Pearse and Sons, James Carver, Frank Morse, Ed Ludwig, Frank Willis and Ray Ludwig. 231.

30. If you have ever visited Morey Hill Cemetery you may have wondered why the Abner Fairbanks stone has a bullet hole. Listen to Wilbur Jacobs explanation by clicking here. A picture of the stone can be found by clicking on Cemetery/Morey Hill. It has a very interesting, but sad epitaph recorded under the picture.

31. Historical Mil Rate 1983-2008

32. Currently (2012) Hope is unofficially divided into two sections: South Hope and Hope. Draw an east-west line across the town such that each division has about the same area to get a rough idea of where the two divisions are. In the past there have been other divisions. The dates of each are rough guesses. South Hope named ~ 1804-1805; Head of the Lake ~1820 became West Hope ~1860-1870; Hope Corner ~1800; North Hope ~1820's