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PHOTO: Students from Keene’s Corner sit for their school photo on the steps of the Nazarene church across the road from the school in the fall of 1932. The school site and church are features of the April 9 Leeds Historical Society walk. (Leeds Historical Society photo)
LEEDS – The Leeds Historical Society is once again scheduling a slate of spring walks for people who want to get out, get some fresh air and stretch their legs while exploring locations of historical note in Leeds.
The walks are free and open to the public. They are all at 1 p.m. Rain date is 1 p.m. the next day.
Planned walks include:
Saturday, April 9, 1 p.m. — Keene’s Corner. From an early store run by John Keene, who sold spirituous liquors, among other things, to a 130-year-old church that still serves the community, the Keene’s Corner area has interesting stories to tell of a once thriving southern section of town. Highlights are the determination of an inspired group of women – the Ladies Aid Society – and a one-room schoolhouse that once stood there. The walk will also include Keene’s Corner cemetery, where some of the remarkable people who lived in the area will be discussed. Park in the lot by the Nazarene Church on the corner of U.S. Route 202 and Leeds Junction Road.
Saturday, April 23, 1 p.m. — Confluence of the Androscoggin and Dead rivers. This fertile and beautiful area was first inhabited by groups of Abenaki, and Leeds pioneer settlers, the Stinchfield brothers, who arrived in the 1780s. The odd flow pattern of the Dead River, and the location of the largest, at one time, silver maple in the country will all be told. The walk will then go a quarter mile up the road, where we’ll discuss one of the first early hand-hewn built homes in town. Meet at the far end of Campbell road off of Route 219. The 1.5 mile ride should be taken slowly, as the road is rough and potentially wet.
Saturday, May 7, 1 p.m. Fish/Lothrop Cemetery and Poor Farm Walk. A quintessential roadside cemetery containing a number of the early families in town, complete with a beautiful iron-wrought fence, many Revolutionary soldiers, and several mysteries will be the first stop. After noting some of the natural open wetlands near the Androscoggin Lake, the walk will proceed down Ridge Road, which is part of a long esker and offers dramatic views. Though there’s nothing to see anymore, the end of the road was the location of the town’s poor farm. Park at the Fire Station lot across from Fish Cemetery, Route 106. It might be wet, so wear appropriate footwear.
