Ron Nowell and I took a walk along Old Bell Marsh Road, yesterday, looking for a Shaw cellar hole that we did not find. Jack Parsons told Ron of another cellar hole near a fresh cut by the York Land Trust. We found this cellar hole, quite small but very characteristic to others in the area. It appears to be on what is known as the Davis-McIntire Property, though a search through the registry of deeds reveals no names. It doesn’t appear on the 1872 cadastral map of York. If you have any information please let us know.
Ron Nowell observing Bell Marsh Reservoir from near Old Bell Marsh RoadUnknown cellar hole revealed along path with partial debris covering
Mount Agamenticus in York, Maine, is rich in history. Not only does it serve as a landmark for mariners past and present but it was once inhabited by York’s early residents. The forefathers of the Town decided to sell parcels of this area to York residents who were over twenty one years of age and willing to pay the cost of administration. The dividing and selling was documented in a book titled the Book of Proprietors that is currently kept at the York Town Hall.
Today, it is difficult to imagine the attraction for early settlers in this area and yet, without a doubt, owning a piece of the Outer Commons elevated a persons social status, among other things. We assume that a lot of these shares were bought and sold for profit. But many of these lots were inhabited by families whose names are significant in York History. Among the families in this area listed on the highway tax maps for 1831 are Ramsdell, Welch, Fitzgerald, Lewis, Thompson, Dixon, Jellison and others.
In the spring of 2022, with Ron serving as a guide, we began extensive hikes in the First (Mount Agamenticus), Second and Third Hill area. Ron’s knowledge of botany, landmarks, monuments and history around the mountain is exceptional. Ron noted numerous points of interest and we discovered some new ones. Eventually we both became guided by curiosity as one discovery led to another. From caves that we walked through, to spring holes, to old foundations, to a mammoth White Pine tree, to burial sites that could have easily been passed by – it all became a wonder and puzzle.
Our curiosity took us to land surveys and old deeds in a mission to find out more about those who lived there and why. Ron pointed out some unusually substantial stonewalls on the Northwest side of Second Hill. We instinctively began to follow them down hill. Ron had a survey plan titled, Plan of Lands of Alex.Thompson’s Lying on the North West Side of the Middle Agamenticus Hill Including Abram Thompson place and other Lands, 1874, in original possession of Carroll Trafton. Initially, regardless of orientation the plan made little sense. One feature on the plan compelled us both to discover more—an unusual shaped stonewall near an “old barn yard.”
In contrast to rough terrain found elsewhere on the mountain, the land was much more flat with a gentle slope. It was uncharacteristic of a first or second growth forest, rather it was smooth, perhaps made so by plowing. There are numerous piles of stones, varying from ten to fifteen feet in diameter and several feet high serving as collection sites when the fields were picked clean of rocks. Some of these piles are very close to the stonewalls. One wonders how it was decided for some of the rocks to have been turned into stonewalls rather than piles.
The area was too vast to be conclusive about how to find the exact location of the barn yard, though we tried during one afternoon of exhaustive hiking. A few days later Kevin hiked out to the area with a GPS trail mapping app on his phone and walked along the stonewalls creating a graphic route that was nearly identical to the stonewalls on the property plan. Ron was called and we met at the Cedar Trail head. After reaching our destination we also discovered a cellar hole for a home, At the deepest point the cellar hole was about 8 feet from top to bottom and made us more curious. Shortly thereafter, we pinpointed the location of a barn and an out building.
According to the survey plans we were at the Thompson homestead. Checking deeds at the York County Registry of Deeds further confirmed our assumption. Book 140, Page 221, dated September 21, 1831, describes brothers Abraham and Isaac Thompson dividing the property previously owned by their father, “Alexander Thompson late of York, deceased, the land lying a little bit to the North of Agamenticus.”
The deed describes marked trees, bearings and rods to secure boundaries. Most curiously the deed states, “said Abraham is to have the old barn and the south room in the house, or one half of the house and the said Isaac to have the new barn and the north part of the house as far as one room extends, and the said Abraham gives Isaac nine months from this date to occupy his part of the house, and take it off from his land; and both parties agree that there shall be a privilege for each party to pass and repass from their premises…”
We spent some time conversing about the significance of such an operation way out here in the woods. Though there were some neighbors on the mountain, unlike the community of York Village, the homes were spread far apart, evoking a feeling of isolation. The paths were steep and rough. Transportation would have been by foot or a springless horse or ox cart with steel rimmed wheels. Sheep farming became a craze with the introduction of Marino sheep in 1802 and at great cost to New England forests. The endless stonewalls that we see today were created to contain the lucrative commodity. We speculated that sheep farming would have provided enough income to support this homestead.
In many families the given names of members are repeated for many generations, Alexander Thompson is no exception. William Thompson was living in Kittery when he died at 43 years of age in 1676. George Ernst wrote that William’s younger children, one being Alexander (1671-1720), were left to the Selectmen of Kittery to provide for. Ernst speculates the children went to various families and their names may have became that of their foster parents, confusing a clear genealogy. None-the-less, we see that the above Alexander had two sons, referred to in the above noted deed as Isaac and Abraham.
We are unclear as to the progression of who owned exactly what but have begun to unravel a web of information that inspires us to look farther. Ron is quite sure there were Abrams as well as Abrahams in this area though a survey report done for Land For Maine’s Future by Titcomb Associates refers to Abraham as “aka Abram.”
We have found at least three recorded tracts of land owned by Thomson family members on the North side of Mount Agamenticus.
York County Registry of Deeds, Book 43, Page 182, February 28, 1775
Joseph Linscot to Joseph and Curtis Thompson for about 55 acres, 13 acres and one
third of an acre.
2. York County Registry of Deeds, Book 42, Page 110, August 1, 1772
James Junkins to Alexander Thompson containing eight shares of lot one in the fourth
range.
3. York County Registry of Deeds, Book 58, Page 30A, November 29, 1781
James Junkins sells remaining shares of lot one in the fourth range to Alexander Thompson.
The plan of the Outer Commons copied by Angevine Gowen from Daniel Sewall, W. Junkins Survey Map of 1874 and a York Town Map are included as attachments to this document.
It may be of interest for the reader to notice the contrast of the rectilinear format of the division of the Outer Commons versus the wandering boundaries in the Junkins Survey.
The exhumation of a gravesite by the Kittery Water District in York, Maine.
by Kevin Freeman
Almost weekly, for the last year, Ron Nowell has invited me out into the woods around the Mount Agamenticus area and southerly towards the York River. I have been an eager beneficiary of Ron’s love of local history and nature, listening with great interest to Ron’s renderings of local lore. Many stories have caught my imagination, leading me to pursue a deeper understanding through additional research. Between hikes, Ron and I will often talk on the phone, exchanging additional information, adding further interest and curiosity.
After we had covered a lot of area east of Mountain Road, our attention turned to the southwest of Mountain Road leading us to the Horse Hills and Bell Marsh. We followed cart paths, streams, bushwhacked and stumbled a few times on the lookout for ancient dwelling sites, dams, natural anomalies and native orchids, especially the illusive Small Whorled Pogonia.
Although the old tote roads we traveled were not marked, Ron guided me on several trips from Mountain Road to Beechwood Road to near Bell Marsh. At some point and after crisscrossing other trails we arrived at Old Bell Marsh Road. I don’t know exactly where these paths become Old Bell Marsh Road. Old Bell Marsh Road was replaced by Bell Marsh Road as recently as the mid 19th Century. Both roads lie parallel to each other, the old road on the eastern side of the reservoir and the newer road on the west. The Old Bell Marsh Road, an early town three rod road, is lined on both sides with stone walls. When followed to Bell Marsh Reservoir it submerges into the reservoir and disappears making it appear to be an ideal boat launch, though boats are not allowed. As one stands on the north shore and looks about 300 yards across the water, the road reemerges on the opposite shoreline and the old road continues to Linscott Road. The newer Bell Marsh Road begins at a point on Mill Lane, ending Mill Lane, off Route 91.
The forest in this area has been cut many times since the first colonizers arrived. There are some large trees in some places though I am quite certain they are not virgin. We have stopped at many and just marveled at them. Solitary and towering above the others, they are a testimony of what happens when nature is left alone for one or two hundred years. Ron and I ponder how these trees were spared the axe or saw. The diversity of terrain between Mountain Road and Bell Marsh is quite spectacular. There are many vernal pools, dramatic ledges including Hedgehog Hills, rolling hills and a forest with a multiplicity of species. I am sad to say the forest is spotted with many Hemlock trees in varying states of disease and decay from the invasion of the woolly adelgid. The old stone walls, often but not always prolific, are a constant reminder that humans occupied this area with the interest of raising sheep.
As I researched the deeds in this area, property owners included the families of Paul, Shaw, Nowell, Junkins, Parsons, Ramsdell, Mitchell, Garey and Hooper who were likely recipients of land divisions when the Town of York began breaking it up for private ownership in the early eighteenth century. Today, a big portion is owned by the Kittery Water District, York Land Trust, and the State of Maine and fortunately it is mostly conserved for the future.
Ron Nowell leans on gravesite rail of John and Mercy Jellison. Cemetery #198
In John Eldridge Frost’s, The Nowells of York and South Berwick, Ron had read about some places that he hadn’t seen before in the Bell Marsh area. Ron was especially interested in a Jellison Cemetery, #198 on the York Cemeteries and Family Burial Grounds Map, and the homestead of Samuel Shaw. Frost also mentioned School House Number 7 that captured my imagination and can be seen on Sanford, Everts, & Co 1872 map of York. But it wasn’t as easy as just walking into the woods and finding these places. A typical hike, with Ron, is from four to eight miles. We would be in the woods walking and resting for about five or six hours. We each carried a back pack with our lunch, desert and coffee. We never knew exactly what to expect and after I once witnessed Ron tumble off a cliff and get pretty roughed up, I began carrying a fifty foot rope that could serve in a dramatic rescue attempt as well as in the many caves we searched for. Whether we found anything or not, I felt a natural kinship to Ron. It was obvious to me, that we both loved being in the woods, enjoying nature — everything else was icing on the cake.
During the summer of 1983, plus or minus a year or two, I worked with my best buddy building a stone foundation for Larry Willey’s home on Garey Mill Lane, off Bell Marsh Road. We also built a large fireplace in his living room that had a cathedral ceiling. We consumed a lot of rocks for both projects. We picked stones from the Garey Mill dam site and from the many stone walls that were at the time on the Willey property. From my first encounter I was impressed seeing the large hewn stones placed in a way that created the skeleton of a mill that would have turned raw materials into economic viability.
Kevin Freeman standing at the Garey Mill site off Garey Mill Lane, circa 1983
More than 40 years later, I returned to this remote area once inhabited by families whose names I listed above. As we walked, Ron’s stories of those who had lived here in the 19th century inspired me. The only evidence of settlement was stonewalls and a few cellar holes that are settling back into the earth and names on a few old maps that listed a few inhabitants. Mostly however, on the old map, staring back at me, I was captivated by School House Number 7. We were fairly certain of its likely general location but not conclusively. None-the-less, I used my imagination to fill in all that I could not see. In my mind the building was modest in size and I painted it white, a bell near the door, children frolicking around the yard, the teacher calling the children back into class, all on a warm sunny fall day. I couldn’t resist this romanticized version though in reality it didn’t exist. In reality there was a road leading from the schoolhouse that disappeared into a reservoir.
Additionally, there was one graveyard that haunted us and it was from another reference by John Frost in his, The Nowells of York and South Berwick. He wrote the graves had been exhumed and the bodies moved. When the Bell Marsh Reservoir was built and flooded, it was likely the gravesite had been submerged. We began examining the property plans that are available online (York County Registry of Deeds). When we weren’t hiking in the woods, Ron would often be hunting down “old timers” and picking their brains about what they knew of the area we were exploring. This would add more interest and clarity to what we were observing on our hikes. Ron made inquiries at the Kittery Water District. After a few months of inquiry and research, we began to piece things together and better understand what had happened at the grave site and the hopeful final resting place of the bodies. Frustrated that we could not locate the burial site we assumed it was underwater and that we would never see it.
This photo was taken when the water had receded exposing more of Old Bell Marsh Road. The old wall can be seen here cresting above the water surface.
Back at the northern submersion site of Old Bell Marsh Road, standing, facing south at the water’s edge, Ron pointed to what appears to be a rock, or two, cresting just above the surface about 150 feet in front of us. He said that is part of the stone wall that lines the road. The idea of submerging a road and all the history it keeps secret becomes extraordinary in my mind. What is implied? School House Number 7 was directly behind us, the old road submerged in front of us. We sit down on the edge of the reservoir, in the shade of a maple tree and we eat the lunch we carried in. We sip coffee and Ron tells me more stories about the Shaw Family and the Nowell family each living here, making a living, generation after generation.
It was a hot summer day as we walked back, towards our vehicles parked on Bell Marsh Road. The road was dusty as our feet scuffed along the gravel surface. Part of the road was resurfaced by the Kittery Water Department to better access a logging yard toward the Horse Hills. This part of the road is wide and packed hard with stone and gravel, enabling it to support large logging trucks coming and going. As we walk out carrying our empty packs, we also carry out our heads full of questions and exchange hypotheticals with each other, reviewing from memory what he have read in old deeds and trying to recreate what this place must have been like when it was inhabited. The bigger question, that I always returned to was, why did people live out here and why did they leave?
Ron called a few days after our hike and said that he had spoken with a local who told him School House Number 7 was at the intersection of Old Bell Marsh Road and Gerry Mill Lane, in the triangular section of the crossroads. I felt satisfaction that the exact location was known. After studying a map by Beatrice Warren Lane, we discovered there were likely three mill sites that were also submerged that would have been on Bell Marsh Stream, also called Smelt Brook. Ron then spoke with the retired Superintendent of the Kittery Water District, who was in charge of the creation of the Reservoir. He had been present at the exhumation of the graveyard and told Ron the bodies had been taken to the First Parish Cemetery in York Village. Ron checked with the Superintendent at the First Parish Cemetery and no records existed for the internment of the bodies.
It is difficult to get a grasp on the size of the Bell Marsh Reservoir project and the reasons for its creation, that is a story unto itself. As Ron and I pursued more information, I was hopeful that we might come across some photos of the construction site in progress. That maybe we could see what the Bell Marsh Brook liked before it was flooded and if indeed the three dams we suspect were present before the flooding would be visible. Our hiking continued and we eventually covered the area around Bell Marsh Reservoir and discovered an absolutely stunning water fall whose sources begin in the Horse Hills. We also found a stone causeway near a very large wetland. As we were making more discoveries our determination persisted to better understand the exhumed gravesite. We talked about waiting for the reservoir to freeze over and if the ice was clear enough and supportive, we could look through it, following the old road below.
Exhumed Gravesite, records of Kittery Water DistrictExhumed gravesite records of Kittery Water DistrictHome of Larry Willey, replaced with new homeAriel View of Bell Marsh Reservoir under constructionAriel View of Bell Marsh Reservoir under constructionAriel View of Bell Marsh Reservoir under constructionAriel View of Bell Marsh Reservoir under construction
Over the end of summer and early fall the mystery of the gravesite, the exhumed bodies and the internment at First Parish Cemetery fueled our research interest. Ron had requested more information from the Kittery Water District but went without a reply until we thought it would be a dead end. That is when Ron received a packet with most, if not all of the information about the research and action taken to exhume the bodies as reported from the Kittery Water District. When Ron shared the packet with me it was quite a revelation. We had nearly given up hope about the many details that we assumed had been recorded for the exhumations but doubted we would ever see. Key, was a plan titled, Condemnation Plan of Kittery Water District Bell Marsh Reservoir, York, Maine, March 5, 1985, Rooney E. Chadbourne, 1125, Registered Land Surveyor. This plan (see above) was not found in the York County Registry of Deeds, by me, after much searching. It was the revelation that we had hoped for. The approximate location of the submerged gravesite is represented in about the center of the plan, though the description is vague. It seemed reasonable to assume that since the gravesite was in the center of the plan it would be in the center of the reservoir, so I thought. By chance, and as the plan didn’t show anticipated water levels, I decided to scan the plan and overlay an arial image of the reservoir into place upon the plan using Photoshop. To my surprise I found that the gravesite may or may not be submerged and it is very close to the Spinney gravesite, lot 6 on the Cemeteries and Family Burial Grounds map for the Town of York’s Comprehensive Plan 2006.
As of today, April 6, 2023, I am not certain if the gravesite, with the exhumed bodies is accessible or submerged below the water’s surface but I am looking forward to hiking out there and looking closely. I feel this story is important due to the fact that the seven persons buried at the gravesite are now unknown. With the small amount of information we do have, we cannot be certain of who they were, when thy were buried or other facts that are critical to a better understanding of the past. Below are a few documents provided by the Kittery Water District.
By the account told to Ron Nowell by Ed Junkins, the Kittery Water District Superintendent at the time of exhumation, the bodies were removed with a tractor and placed into a plastic container and interred in the First Parish Cemetery very near the Pauper Cemetery which is along the gravel road on the Eastern side. A cement liner was used and the body parts were all placed together. The exact location is not known.
Ron Nowell’s determination to find the details presented above have made this paper possible. Without Ron’s relentless pursuit and sharing of York, Maine history, myself and many others would be far less informed. Thanks to Ron, to whom I have dedicated this paper.
Also, the Kittery Water District has been forthcoming and considerate in providing information, documents and photos that have aided our research. We are grateful to them and for their friendly demeanor.
Ron Nowell and I began walking the area of Third Hill, in York, Maine, in the spring of 2022. We had been talking about documenting many of the points of historical interest around the Mount Agamenticus area for a few years. Ron’s knowledge of the area is extensive and rare. My role was to be an observer and recorder. Our first hike led to another and we documented many places, plants and features and we made some new discoveries.
I was particularly interested in the Third, Second and First Hill (Mount Agamenticus) area. I could trace my grandmother, Edna May Perkins, back to the early settlers on Old Mountain Road and beyond. As Ron showed me the remains of dwellings, wells and graveyards and knew their names, I could follow these names in my family tree. I became fascinated. Among the names were Welch, Ramsdell, Lewis, Plaisted, Bracy, Moulton, Fitzgerald. Ron also had many stories to go with each of the places, some first hand and many second or third.
There was a dichotomy that developed in my mind. How could people survive out here and why, and why did they leave? As Ron led the way through countless miles we often stopped, Ron would find a dry stone, sit, twist off the top of his thermos, take a few sips of coffee and we would begin to hypothesize about the circumstances that created this strange place. Never did it occur to Ron to not reach into his backpack, find a Devil Dog or Yodel, withdraw it and bring it into the presence of our conversation. And there we would sit, mesmerized with the names leading back to the past, under the spell nature’s beauty.
These walks eventually led us down to the Horse Hills, Old Bell Marsh Road, Linscott Road, Middle and Folly Pond, Smelt Brook, and the Second Parish Cemetery via Boston Post Road. As we moved our way south from Mount Agamenticus, Ron mentioned his seventh great grandfather, Peter Nowell1 had sold the Garey Mill to the Garey Family on Bell Marsh. We found the Garey graveyard and there were many headstones with no inscriptions. Ron naturally thought these may have been his ancestors.
Garey family cemetery – off Bell Marsh Road
Peter Nowell1 arrived in York in shortly after the Indian Raid in 1692. He purchased land in 1695. My sixth great grandfather, Nathaniel Freeman1 arrived in York, to teach school, in 1702. Ron and I realized we were likely related but my tree has no Nowells and his has no Freemans, otherwise we have many common ancestors that lived in early York.
As we hiked, Ron, would often refer to books that were in the vault at the York Town Hall. Among them the Proprietor’s book, the Constables’ book and the Town Clerk’s book. The Proprietor’s book is an early account of the division of the Stated and Outer Commons. The Constable’s book is a tally of town expenditures in the 18th century among other things and the Town Clerk’s book—I had never seen until recently. Nathaniel Marshall and George Plaisted, during their tenures as town clerk, had both created abstracts of the Clerk’s book. To my delight, a few weeks ago, James Kences, York Town Historian met Ron and I at the Town Clerk’s office and James assisted us with the Clerk’s book and the abstracts. Ron had an agenda, he was looking for roads on the McIntire property but I was there to browse. And browse I did. The handwriting of the early town clerks can be difficult to read quickly yet so compelling I could barely stop.
Ron Nowell, left with James Kences studying the Clerk’s Book at York, Maine Town Hall
It was difficult to choose which to read; the abstract or the original (likely a copy) of the Clerk’s Book. The clock was moving closer to closing time for the Town Hall with each page I turned. It was impossible for me to consume so much information in such a short time. I knew I would be back and thought likely many more times. A few days had passed and I was reviewing some iPhone shots I had taken of the Clerk’s book. I saw a message from Town Clerk, Lynn Osgood. She wrote that her and James had completed uploading the clerk’s book to the Town of York website and included a link. I was enthralled and extremely excited. I called Lynn and James and asked if I could come to the clerk’s office and interview them both on video for York History Group. They were both excited and we proceeded with the interview.
As I pursue many interests in life, it is inevitable to make connections with like minded people. The field of local history is rich in this regard. Many acquaintances have become friends. Ron fits neatly into this category. After all, history is about our connection to something beyond ourself. Since the clerk’s records have been put online I began to browse over 500 of its pages. Soon, I saw that Capt. Peter Nowell had entered into a transaction with Nathaniel Freeman. Oh my! As I read I saw that my 6th great grandfather had sold Ron’s seventh great grandfather 60 acres of property in York that was previously owned by his father-in-law, John Peniwell and uncle, John Puddington. I had not seen this transaction previously documented in town deeds. There was no description of the property in the deed but another connection to Ron was made. Another connection to my community and I felt an even greater gratitude to Lynn Osgood and James Kences for providing the opportunity for me to discover this document with such ease, from my home.
This hike began on Linscott Road off Mill Lane off Cider Hill Road (Route 91) in York, Maine
A perfect fall day! Temps in the low to mid 60’sF. A thermal shirt below a long sleeved shirt, a fleece vest and fall was comfortable. I packed a peanut butter and raspberry jam sandwich and drove up to the intersection of Linscott Road and Mill Lane in York, Maine. In a few minutes after I arrived, Ron Nowell rolled up in his Ford pick up and I followed him to Smelt Brook on Linscott Road. We pulled over near the old dam site that was built by Ron’s 7th great-grandfather, Peter Nowell. Although I have lived in York my entire life I have never been down this road, from this direction, and had no idea of how ambitious the mill site before me was.
As we approached the mill Ron and I admired the huge hewn stones stacked high upon each other, presumably to support a large but long gone mill building. Peter Nowell1 arrived in York in 1694 and by all indications got right to work. He was a blacksmith, carpenter and soldier sent to the frontier of York soon after the 1692 Raid. He helped work on garrisons and built a house on Cider Hill Road. He sold the house and moved to Linscott Road, very close to Mill Lane. Today, the house appears to have been renovated and modernized.
Ron and I proceeded up Smelt Brook in the direction of Bell Marsh Reservoir. We were looking for small cellar holes that Ron believed to be near the mill. They were the home of his ancestors Silas Nowell and Shadrach Nowell. We continued up Smelt Brook without seeing what we imagined to be small holes in the ground or depressions where a root cellar had filled with twiggy litter. Peter Nowell2, Jr., mentions in his will a house he bequeathed to Shadrach that is about 4 rods north of the pole bridge that is where the culvert now passes beneath Linscott Road. We keep moving up the hill, through the woods and come to a chain link fence with barb wire on top. We walk along the fence and connect to Old Bell Marsh Road. It is not exactly clear how we found it but referring to the map on my phone we were on course and our direction should take us to the water’s edge in about a half mile.
Spinney grave site on the east side of Bell Marsh Reservoir
On Wednesday, two days before today, Ron called me with preliminary plans of the area he would like to cover. Included was “Timothy Field” and the Chas. Jellison cellar hole, both, according to our best guess are to the west of Old Bell Marsh Road. Often, on these walks, if we find a cellar hole, we find a gravesite or visa versa. Weather wise, today has been magnificent — the bright fall light was especially warm and saturated with color, the weather was cool and perfect for a long walk. But it is especially difficult to scan the woods for un-natural features as the sunlight becomes mottled as it filters through the foliage. Although the effect is quite stunning the landscape is slightly obscured with harsh contrast and requires extra diligence in discerning possible points of interest. None-the-less we found the Jellison cellar hole by a stroke of luck. Something caught our eye and off the road and into the woods we went. In less than 100 feet, we recognized a foundation for a home and a larger one for a barn. Ron was pretty certain that there would be a gravesite nearby. We split up and Ron headed southwest to the Bell Marsh Reservoir and I walked westerly. After 10 minutes or so, I could hear Ron exclaiming something through the trees. I walked toward his voice and sure enough he had come upon a gravesite. Initially we thought it must be a Jellison gravesite but realized it was the Spinney gravesite listed on the Town of York Cemetery Map as #6. There were two large stones with very eroded inscriptions. These stones were likely sandstone. We could make out Abigail on one but nothing on the second stone. Also, there were 5 or six other graves with nondescript field stone headstones and footstones. We were very close to the reservoir, maybe 100 feet.
As we walked away from the burial ground, through the pathless forest toward Old Bell Marsh Road, I felt a connection to the souls represented by the nondescript stones, if only as a witness to their existence here on earth. Likely a family, a generation or two, existed way out here, laid to rest in a line with no other story to tell. As we walked, Ron and I exchanged stories of our personal lives. I noticed we talked about life’s difficulties, oddities, concerns and celebrations — the kinds of things that I would share with a friend. For years, Ron has been an acquaintance that I have admired and enjoyed listening to. His vast knowledge of many topics has intrigued me. But now, as we were walking to the point where Old Bell Marsh Road submerges below the surface of the water and disappears, reemerging on the opposite shore, I listen closely to our conversation thinking it likely that those who lived and died here once conversed similarly, as Ron and me, walking this road in an exchange of thoughts, like us — an endless recurrence by humans, all the way back to the beginning.
We walked to the point of where the road disappears into the water and then back tracked a bit. We turn east from Old Bell Marsh Road and ascend what we think may be one of the Horse Hills. As our elevation increased so did my heart rate. Ron’s third destination today is Beaver Dam Brook. He is fixated on finding the source of a brook which he has found on a survey plan that shows a stone causeway. The causeway is currently submerged but intuition tells us that the source of the brook is at the far east side of the reservoir. As we walk, I spot a soccer ball sized mushroom off in the distance. Wow, as an avid forager, I have never seen anything like this in the forest. We walk toward it, not certain it is a mushroom. At first it looks like a chicken of the woods but upon closer inspection it becomes a cauliflower mushroom (sparassis). I reach into and pull from my backpack a hunting knife. I slice away a small section of the mushroom and put it in my pack along with the knife. I am quite thrilled to add a new species to my expanding list of things foraged. Ron deliberated on taking a piece but decided not to. We ate our sandwiches, enjoyed warm coffee from our thermoses and basked in the fall sunlight. The woods were radiant and saturated with water from the recent rains after a long dry summer.
Cauliflower Mushroom found along the trail and partially harvested and consumed. Very delicious.
When we did proceed we kept moving easterly and arrived at a brook that Ron declared was Beaver Dam Brook. We were at the very southeastern point of the reservoir. The forest was comprised of many large hemlocks and pines. The hemlocks were in various states of decline. The brook went upward and we were both eager to follow it to the top and discover what may be. As we neared the top Ron asked our elevation. I looked at the map app on my phone and reported 207 feet above sea level. We arrived at a very large wetland on top of the hill. It was truly a wonderland. Carpeted by sphagnum moss we were enveloped by a primal ecosystem that was decorated with fall ferns — loosing their chlorophyll and turning various shades of yellow and gold. Above, there were large white maples trunks in various stages of decay and below pitcher plants and numerous bushes that provided a challenge to make one’s way through. We pushed through and then around, both giddy with what we discovered. But we realized we did not discover this after all. On one of the footpaths we crossed I noticed a long slender stone spanning the book. I jokingly said to Ron, this could the stone causeway referenced on the survey plan. He leaned over to discover drill marks along the edge of the stone. Sure enough, it was cut and placed to serve as a causeway by someone who had been here long before us.
Ron Nowell and Kevin Freeman approaching the old mill site upon return of hike to the Horse Hills
As we begin the hike back, to where we began, I reflect on all that I have just experienced. Ron fills in the spaces with numerous stories of mutual friends and acquaintances, stories of his his time on the Board of Selectman and as a gunner in Vietnam. As we get closer to Linscott Road, Ron reaches down on the gravel road and picks up some shagbark hickory nuts. Many have been split by squirrels but there are so many others he gathers some to take home. He tells me of his grandmother making cinnamon buns using the hickory nuts as a garnish and how sweet they are. I begin to fill up a pocket as well. Cars and trucks begin to pass us on the old gravel road as we get closer to the mill site where we parked. We both instinctively walk over to the mill site. Ron sits on one of the huge hewn stones and reflects on Peter Nowell, Shadrach, Silas and others. We exchange questions with each other…how did they move these huge stones? What did they do with all the material they created? Where did it all end up? It became apparent that much would be unanswered for today although much was learned. I suggest to Ron that it would be appropriate to commemorate the Nowell Mill site with a plaque to recognize its historical value.
Reference: The Nowells of York and South Berwick, Maine by John E. Frost
