Winter in Maine can certainly be treacherous. While walking up Perham Street recently, listening to the 1911 Ada Jones and Billy Murray springtime hit “Come Josephine in My Flying Machine”, I happened to slip on some ice inconspicuously hidden under a blanket of fallen snow. In a twist of irony, I nearly went airborne upon contact with the ice, catching myself before any accident occurred. While the incident was slightly alarming in the moment, it inspired me to share the following two stories this month. “Let’s take a trip in our airship” back 106 years ago, to February of 1915.

Story One – The steam locomotive pulls into Norway station in the late afternoon of Friday, February 05, 1915. As the doors of the train open, Coach Ralph Roberts of the Abbott School for Boys of Farmington emerges. Behind him, a group of young, boisterous athletes follow. This fine group of gentlemen consists of Charles Barton, George Briggs, Robert Eddy, Harold Grover, Charles McDowell, and Rudolph Piedra. The group of boys and coach make their way to the old Norway High School (this building has since been demolished). What the Abbott Boys don’t know is that this basketball game is going to be one of the most unfair, albeit fascinating, games in the school’s history.

Upon arrival to the gymnasium, Coach Roberts and the boys notice something is not right. The floor of the gym is waxed and is as smooth as ice. Not only this, but the Abbott team notices that the Norway boys have some heavy suction shoes on, while they are just wearing standard athletic shoes. At first, Coach Roberts refuses to let the boys play, as Norway has a very clear unfair advantage. Possibly at the persuasion of the athletes, Coach allows the boys to play. During the first period, the Abbott team could not help but slip and fall often, being “practically helpless”. At the break between periods one and two, Coach brings in the team and gives them a new game plan. In order to mitigate the unfair advantage of Norway, Coach instructs the boys that they are going to play without shoes or socks on. The boys comply, and during the second period Abbott plays barefoot. While this plan seems to be working well, disaster strikes. Barton, center for the team, gets a very painful splinter in one of his toes, and must leave the game. By the end of the night, Norway has trimmed and walloped Abbott with a final score of 77 Norway, 18 Abbott (Abbott School did request a fair rematch after the game, but that failed to come to fruition).

Story Two – Let’s move forward three weeks to Friday, February 26, 1915. The Abbott Midgets (Abbott’s youngest sports team) are playing a game against the Model School (the Normal School’s training elementary school) at home, while the senior team is

playing a game at Wilton Academy. The Model School team, comprised of Emery Mallett and his pals Clint and Phil (last names unknown), play a fine game against Abbott, despite being down two players: Clarence Titcomb and Glenn Butler. At the end of the game, Model School has received 9 points, while Abbott has received 4. While this game seems quite uneventful compared to the game seen last week, something quite bizarre happens in the evening.

Upon leaving the game, Emery Mallett, along with many others in Farmington, mention seeing a quite unusual sight: a strange object with a light source hovering over the town of Farmington. Several people initially believe that it is the mysterious airship which paid a visit to the town a week prior. The operator of the aircraft shined a spotlight down on the homes and residents, terrorizing many in the Farmington area and western Maine in general. But, what of the object seen this evening? What is actually occurring is that pranksters have sent up a balloon with a lantern attached to it, messing with the townspeople as many still have the airship on their mind. Could the balloon have been sent up by the Abbott Midgets to have a little fun after losing their game? The answer is lost to time, as the jokesters were never found. (Stories sourced from the Franklin Journal and from Emery Mallett’s Diary – 1915)

Layne Nason is a Farmington historian, specializing in the history of the Abbott School for Boys and Farmington during the era of the Great War.