Barnard's station

[Jeff Schumaker]

While looking through old issues of The Bridgton News, I came across the mention of Barnard's station on the B&SRRR. Where would that have been located?

Jeff S.

[Mike Fox]

That is a new one to me Jeff. When was it mentioned?

[Jeff Schumaker]

It was July 22, 1898, in regards to rerouting a road to connect with the new road between Barnard's station and South Bridgton. I also came across a report in the April 22, 1898 issue regarding minor vandalism at the Ingalls road depot.

Jeff S

[Jeff Schumaker]

Came across the following article in the July 9th, 1897, edition of the Bridgton News.

[Mike Fox]

I wonder if it was the original name for Ingalls..

[John McNamara]

Jeff’s July 22 post mentions Barnard and Ingall’s suggesting two separate places. Does anyone have a TT that would help?

[Bruce Wilson]

Jeff, I have been searching for any info on Barnard's station and have found nothing to date. Within my own collection of B& SR RR Excursion Tickets (special) I found two other destinations that may have been flag stops. I have a single ticket (serial no. A41571) and dater canceled June 11, 1930 with rubber stamped "Twin Lakes" to "Lakeside". There are two different sets of two Conductors punch impressions. I wondered if this ticket is something made up by the late 1930's railfans who came to try to save the railroad. All of my other Excursion Tickets are dater stamped for the late 1880's or early 1890's. Lastly, I found five Excursion Tickets with penciled in "Bridgton to Withams" canceled in 1887 and 1888. From my June 25, 1906 B & SR RR timetable, there is a listing of hotels and boarding houses, I found two different "Lakeside" establishments (that may have been flag stops or stage connections). One was in Bridgton with the Proprietor having been Jno. Cobb & Son and another in Harrison, kept by a Mrs. Jo's. McAllister. Can anyone add information as to where the Barnard's, Lakeside and Withams passengers and baggage may have been dropped?

[Dana Deering]

Might that have been an earlier name for South Bridgton station?  Or maybe Kenner’s?  I think there was a station at Ingalls Road and one of the other locations near the hamlet of South Bridgton.

Regarding Witham’s that was my great great great grandfather’s place on Hancock Pond not too far from the first location of the West Sebago station.

[Dana Deering]

I may be way off but some little bell is going off in the back of my mind saying that it was near Barnards that the train hit the moose in the late 1880s. The leg was mounted and is in the Bridgton Historical Society museum with a plaque.  I’m not home at the moment so I can check my reference material.

I also recall that I was told that the train used to stop at Withams during the boarding season to pick up and drop off mail.

[Mike Fox]

I wonder if "Lakeside" was the Station that is in the czmpgtound on the Harrison Branch. It has been converted (or had last time I went through the campground) to a rest room for the campground. It was still located along the grade. It is one of 3 buildings left of the Railroad. The others being North Bridgton Freight House and Bennets Camp on Hancock Pond.

[Bruce Wilson]

I may be way off but some little bell is going off in the back of my mind saying that it was near Barnards that the train hit the moose in the late 1880s. The leg was mounted and is in the Bridgton Historical Society museum with a plaque.  I’m not home at the moment so I can check my reference material.

I also recall that I was told that the train used to stop at Withams during the boarding season to pick up and drop off mail.

  I will check the moose leg and ask Mike Davis at the Bridgton Historical Society for what he might know about it. Great story about "Withams", those old tickets now have so much more meaning. That's sad if "Lakeside" has become a comfort station. Reminds me of the "Provo Privy" in the John Wayne film, "The Green Berets".

[Dana Deering]

Lakeside was Joe Bennett’s cottage on Hancock Pond where the passing siding, watertank, and section house were. There was a little store there in the 60s and we kids would walk down there to buy penny candy and at that time the flag holder for flagging the trains was still attached to the porch post.

[Mike Fox]

Lakeside was Joe Bennett’s cottage on Hancock Pond where the passing siding, watertank, and section house were. There was a little store there in the 60s and we kids would walk down there to buy penny candy and at that time the flag holder for flagging the trains was still attached to the porch post.

Of course.. I forgot about that.

[Bruce Wilson]

Great story about the 1960's use of Joe Bennett's cottage as a penny candy store. Now whenever I look at that Lakeside ticket, it will be in a whole different light. It is the stories of course that keep the past alive. Thank you both Mike and Dana for your thoughts. By the way, that ticket cost me $2 from a dealer in Australia. Best two bucks I've spent in a long time...

[Dana Deering]

So, I recently bought a photograph of Sandy Creek.  It’s big, 16x20 in a nice frame.  It shows the depot with a short passenger train headed by locomotive Number 1, the mills and other buildings that were there after the railroad opened.  I believe it was taken in 1883.  There is a man standing in the depot doorway who I am certain is Seth Berry, owner of the mills and also station agent at Sandy Creek.  I wanted to try and find out more about the activities at Sandy Creek so I started searching the Bridgton News for any reference to Seth Berry.  Among the items I found was a follow up to the article Bruce posted, dated September 17, 1897, which states that Seth Berry completed the new station at Barnard’s Road.   So here we are again.  Where was that?   Seth Berry built both the Sandy Creek and Perley’s Mills depots and their designs were practically identical.  And they were built when the railroad was constructed. So they would’ve already existed in 1897.  So was Barnard’s Road at South Bridgton or Ingalls?  Or was it at Kennet’s?  I guess I should search the Bridgton News for other references to Barnard’s Road.

Something else caught my eye in the Sandy Creek photo.  One of the buildings near the tracks on the Mill side has an apothecary symbol on it.  That caused some head scratching on my part. Then I found a note in the Bridgton News dated 1898 which told of the 14x28 addition Seth Berry was constructing on his Union Store at Sandy Creek.  The building with the apothecary symbol must be the store.

Seth Berry was a very active fellow.  Besides running the mill that produced lumber, shingles, laths, and other wood products, he was Station Agent at Sandy Creek, was later postmaster there, owned the store and a blacksmith shop, ran a farm, and built a number of buildings in the area. He died in 1904 and the Mills gradually shut down but in 1909 Mains & Dolley was using one of the mills to make baseball bats.  These were probably shipped out by rail.

It’s all gone now and that area is Sandy Creek Park.  The old mill foundations are all easy to find as well as the remains of the mill dam.  A nice spot for a picnic.