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Thursday, July 29, 2010
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Serving Maine and Lincoln County for over a century. |
Volume 135 Issue 30 |
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| | Email this article • Print this article | A Loan To The DRA Provides A Glimpse Into The Past
John Maguire
Huston Dodge took the skiff he made back in 1935 for a row in the seaweed colored waters of the Damariscotta River Thursday afternoon just before loaning it to the Damariscotta River Association.
He has loaned it to the non-profit group to use as a symbol in a "preserving the past" initiative. The small boat will be displayed on the front lawn of the DRA Great Salt Bay Heritage Center at 110 Belvedere Rd. in Damariscotta for the Oct. 4 Family Harvest Festival.
"The Damariscotta River Association, as part of its commitment to historic preservation, is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to make this bit of maritime history accessible to the public," said DRA Executive Director Mark DesMueles. "We thank Huston for his generous loan of this skiff. We look forward to documenting the boat's history for the public to enjoy."
Members plan to post a plaque telling the history and significance of the boat. Preserve steward Steve Phillips will work with Dodge to construct a boat shed.
Members of the DRA and area residents gathered at Damariscotta's Town Landing to hear the master craftsman tell the story behind the boat on the afternoon of Sept. 25.
A DRA member, Polly Ulin, is heading up an oral history committee. She was there on the landing to record the craftsman's voice.
"You can tack with it," Dodge said, nodding toward the slat where the four-foot center board would go. "It wouldn't tack awful sharp, but it would tack."
There was a shallow pool of water splashing back and forth over the painted slats of the boat's floor. Some of the DRA members standing on the dock said that they were surprised the boat still floats. It was found in a deteriorating shack near the shore on land Dodge donated to the foundation, what they call, "Huston Landing 1740." The site is currently a DRA preserve. The boat had been out of the water for about four or five years, a few of the DRA members mentioned.
"Having this tangible piece of history will help guide us in our path," said DRA Director of Lands and Stewardship Steven Hufnagel. "When we talk about the land, we're not just talking about its natural history, but about its people."
Sitting barefoot in his stout skiff, Dodge, 91, answered questions from members in the gathering crowd. He named the short, slate-painted skiff "Ava" after Ava Dodge, he said. He and a friend, John Chase, built the boat in 1935 with some help and direction from a Captain Strout.
"We built the boat in about a week," he said.
They sailed the boat to distant shores to camp, to catch fish and traveled as far away as Popham Beach. The boat builders' initials are carved into its wood on each seat.
"It certainly has passed the test of time," said Ulin, standing on the dock and admiring the boat.
Its underbelly was covered with a black, thick-looking layer, which Dodge explained was roofing tar thinned down with lamp oil. Its boards, mostly pine floorboards, came from the boat builders' homes. Pieces of hemlock and oak were placed in the bow and in the stern.
"You've got to keep it under cover, otherwise the wood gets rotten," he said, climbing out of the slim, square-bowed craft.
Dodge apprenticed with furniture maker Wallace Nutting before the famous artist died in 1941. His grandfather owned and operated the Huston Shipyard, once located where Miles Memorial Hospital now sits. He said he acquired his skills growing up around local tradesmen. Just a brief description of his growing up in this area brings to life a time many now only read about and wonder what it must have been like.
Boat building is one of many projects Dodge has mastered. He trailed back to the discussion of house construction and a description of the lives of the people he grew up with in the casual meander up the landing toward shore.
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