[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 24 (Thursday, February 12, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     WOODSTOCK, MAINE BICENTENNIAL

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President. I wish to commemorate the 200th 
anniversary of the Town of Woodstock, ME. Known today as a gateway to 
the rugged and beautiful Western Maine Mountains, Woodstock was built 
with a spirit of determination and resiliency that still guides the 
community today.
  Woodstock's incorporation on Feb. 7, 1815, was but one milestone on a 
long journey of progress. For thousands of years, the banks of the 
Androscoggin River and its tributaries were the hunting grounds of the 
Abenaki Tribe. One of the legends that attests to the friendship that 
developed between the Native Americans and the first European settler 
concerns the Abenaki Princess Mollyocket, a woman with great spirit and 
knowledge of healing. A few years before the town was incorporated, she 
was called to the small settlement of Trap Corner to attend to a 
seriously ill infant. She nursed the baby back to health and pronounced 
that he would grow to greatness. Mollyocket's patient was Hannibal 
Hamlin, who became Abraham Lincoln's first Vice President.
  Settlement began in 1787, when 10 lots of 100 acres each were 
surveyed. The early settlers at what was called The Thousand Acre 
Squadron were drawn by fertile soil, vast forests, and fast-moving 
waters, which they turned into productive farms and busy mills. The 
wealth produced by the land and by hard work and determination was 
invested in schools and churches to create a true community. In 1815, 5 
years before Maine statehood, the settlers' petition for incorporation 
to the Governor of Massachusetts was readily signed, although, for 
reasons lost to history, he rejected the proposed name of Sparta and 
chose Woodstock instead.
  The main population center of Woodstock is the Village of Bryant 
Pond, known for its beauty, recreation opportunities, and hospitality. 
Bryant Pond also is home to a 14-foot tall, 3,000-pound statue of an 
old-fashioned, hand-cranked telephone, the kind that had a human 
operator on the other end, to memorialize the town's distinction as the 
last place in the United States to use these devices. The townspeople 
finally gave up their hand-cranked telephones in 1983, but they retain 
their fondness for the personal touch.
  Woodstock is a charming town of involved citizens. The active 
historical society, volunteer fire department, and library are evidence 
of a strong community spirit. That spirit will be on full display this 
June, when Woodstock holds it Great Bicentennial Celebration.
  This 200th anniversary is not just about something that is measured 
in calendar years; it is about human accomplishment, an occasion to 
celebrate the people who for more than two centuries have pulled 
together, cared for one another, and built a community. Thanks to those 
who came before, Woodstock has a wonderful history. Thanks to those who 
are there today, it has a bright future.

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