Recollections of Biddeford Pool, 1955-1962

By Sherwood E. (“Joe”) Bain

Exeter, NH,

Summer 2014

When my family started coming to Biddeford Pool in 1955, it was very different than it is now. Back then, men wore tuxedos to the Abenakee Club dances, cocktails were served at lunch time, and the beach was never crowded. Here are some of my recollections from those years, roughly 1955 to 1962, giving a glimpse of what life was like then.

At first, Carol and I didn’t have any connections to people at the Pool other than Howdy Marshall’s mother. She and Carol’s mother had been classmates at Radcliffe College. That first summer, we rented a small cottage overlooking the Little Beach, on the property that now belongs to Bill Dunlap.

We bought our own cottage, Rosewild, in 1963. It sits on a low rise overlooking the lily pond, with the sand dunes and Marie Joseph Spiritual Center in the distance. We have been very happy there.

Our children were small in 1955, and, like many of the other young mothers, Carol usually took them to the beach around 10 a.m.  There were few cars, or members, for that matter. Access was by Elphis Street or one of two paths: there was a wooden boardwalk starting near Marie Joseph, and the other path wound its way from the Wilby property, opposite the fire barn, and connected with Elphis Street.

The beach club in the 1950s

 At the beach club, Mrs. Goodwin presided at the white, wooden U-shaped bath house. Each family had a private stall for changing. You could shower after bathing and take your bathing suit and towel to Mrs. G. to be washed and dried. Mrs. G. always wore an overcoat to deal with the cool breezes which gathered strength as she sat in her sunless wind tunnel.

In 1955, there were open dunes on the stretch. The first house belonged to Miss Mary Smith, daughter of Joseph W. Smith, author of Gleanings From the Sea.

The first morning that Carol went to the beach, she faced an intimidating sight: there was a line of youngish women in beach chairs, all facing the ocean. It seemed forbidding to us strangers, however, Carol gathered her courage and sat down at the far end of the line. At noon, the fire barn siren sounded as usual and the ladies departed, to be replaced by more casual afternoon bathers.

One morning, Betty Barstow, occupant of Stonecliffe, greeted us and invited Carol to play tennis. That was our introduction to the Abenakee Club, and we soon joined. Membership was easy if you knew the right people!

Most members resided on the north side of Main Street (now Lester B. Orcutt Blvd.) and St. Martin’s Lane; hardly anyone was from South Point. Caddies were available for golfers, there were few organized tournaments, and views from the fourth hole were spectacular. A work shed sat near the ninth tee, but during the winter, equipment was stored in members’ empty garages. A nasty tee shot could ricochet in the shed.

The “second home” people, or cottagers, were in the minority at that time. There were many year-round residents, including a number of lobstermen and several small business owners. Most of the lobstermen were eventually forced to move elsewhere by rising property taxes. Skip Day’s garage and junk yard occupied what is now a public park overlooking the Pool. There were two stores: F. O. Goldthwaite and, across the street near the post office, another market operated by Carlos and Rose Goldthwait. Carlos also operated the bus service to Biddeford, driving the lone bus.

Jordan Goldthwait maintained rude shacks behind what is now the Orcutt house, where several small sailboats spent the winter. Jordy is still remembered for organizing bona fide clambakes on East Point for the Abenakee Club, as well as private affairs. He constructed a vast pyre of four-foot logs on the rocky beach and, after it had burned for a while, it produced high-temperature rocks. They were covered by seaweed and canvas while all the goodies steamed and baked inside. We loved to watch Jordy open the bake. Why doesn’t someone restore that tradition?

“Up for the season?”

Jordy’s standard greeting when the summer people returned: “Have a good winter?” or, “Up for the season?” Sadly, not all the locals were fond of the vacation people. The class distinction was polar, between empty cottages owned by the "rich" and the local residents who were fishermen. It wasn’t just about money: locals were not welcome at the Abenakee Club or the Beach Club. Partly as a result of this bitter divide, there were incidents of vandalism, including twice at our place. We identified the culprit, a local whose father told me he had beaten him.

Back in the 1950s, the landowners, starting with Stonecliffe, did maintain a public path cum boardwalk extending to East Point. All were welcome to enjoy the views and breezes, as well as admire the mansions. Alas, it came to an end when Dr. Harrison Black discovered a group of naked dancers on his lawn. Even so, Abenakee Club members were welcome to borrow the padlock key to open the gate near the end of Orcutt Blvd. and drive out to East Point for picnics.

The Biddeford Pool Improvement Association (BPIA) was the creation of the summer people. The only service provided, as I remember, was to maintain the various paths described above. Residents of South Point were not members of the BPIA at that time; they had their own association.

Having grown up in Maine, I had heard that the Pool was an exclusive place. In the 1930s, the Biddeford newspaper carried a social column with news about afternoon tea parties at the Abenakee. 

Abenakee Club

In the late 1950s, the Abenakee Club dances were the highlight of the summer social season. These were small, semi-formal events, with four-piece bands from Boston such as Ruby Newman or Herbie Sulkin. To celebrate their 50^th birthdays, Joe Russell and Bevo Stevens brought in a big band from New York, Howard Lanin. The music was dominated by Gershwin and Porter tunes, with the Charleston thrown into the mix. One hot, sticky night, Bill Anderson found his tuxedo was soaked. No problem: he kept a spare at his house. He went home and changed and was back in time to bribe the orchestra to play for another hour.

Prior to the Abenakee dance, Margery and Bevo Stevens entertained an intimate group at dinner. To be included at that gathering signified that one had finally made it! At the dance, we could always count on someone, assisted by bourbon, to fall down on the dance floor.

The Overseers

A small group of senior men who called themselves “the Overseers” took responsibility for the financial security of the Pool, accepting donations to provide for that rainy day. Among them were Joe Deering and Richard Deupree, men of substantial means. Deering kept a horse at his house on St. Martin’s Lane. Apparently it was an elderly animal, since one day it dropped dead during Deering’s morning ride on the beach.

Another tradition was the annual Beefeaters Breakfast, then held at private homes. It was an important honor to be invited. Minimum age was around 40, gin and vodka were consumed, and the host’s cook was always instructed to prepare scrambled eggs for Joe Russell, cooked in a double boiler.

Sunday supper picnics on the Little Beach were another Pool tradition, and everyone was expected to attend. There were also picnics on Wednesday evenings, and this time children were included.

Here are a few more random reminiscences:

Frank Handlen, a house painter and self-taught artist who lived in the village, found a ready market for his delightful oils of familiar scenes.

The guests of The Inn were welcome at the Abenakee. The WASP policy at The Inn may have contributed to its downfall and eventual destruction.

The Coast Guard station was in full operation at the Pool at that time. The officers and men lived on Ocean Avenue, and there was a patrol boat in the harbor.

Some families brought their cooks and nannies – most of them African Americans – to the Pool for the summer.

Finally, we were fortunate to know some of the descendants of those who founded Biddeford Pool’s summer community. They included Steve Stackpole, grandson of Gleanings From the Sea author Joseph W. Smith, and Elsa Hemenway, daughter of Harvard Law Professor Joseph Brannan, who wife’s father, a Mr. Gorham, built the first true summer cottage at 122 Mile Stretch.

Elsa and Courtney Hemenway told us they always spent their first night in Maine at The Cascades in Saco. It was a family custom. Some people took the Boston and Maine train to Old Orchard Beach, transferred to the Ferry Beach Railroad and then caught the ferry across Saco Bay to the Pool, but others preferred to stop at The Cascades en route.

I am now one of the last of my generation still living, and I am glad to share these memories of summers in the late 1950s and early 1960s with my children and grandchildren, and with everyone else who loves the Pool. 

(originally published Dec. 17, 2018)

Photo credits:

“Biddeford Pool Beach Club, 1957,” Toby Schoyer album 1057, Biddeford Pool Historical Society, bpoolphotos.com, http://bpoolphotos.com/zenphoto/toby-schoyer-s-historic-biddeford-pool-photos/1057.jpg.php

The “Abenakee” Club, Toby Schoyer album 1067, Biddeford Pool Historical Society, bpoolphotos.com, http://bpoolphotos.com/zenphoto/biddeford-pool/1067.jpg.php