What is the “Foreside”?

Recently someone asked me, “What is the Foreside”? I responded by spouting off the streets in this area. They countered, “No, what IS the Foreside”?

Dictionary.com defines “Foreside” as the front or upper side/land extending along the sea. As I pondered the definition, I realized what a forgotten part the Working Waterfront is to Kittery’s Foreside. Fishing, lobstering, trade and travel have all contributed to the economy here for hundreds of years.

Fishing is one of the industries that Kittery was built on. Fish shanties and wharfs still dot the bank just feet from the Foreside. Obvious from the Piscataqua River, they are almost unseen from the street.

In the early days cod, haddock and  mackeral were abundant. My Great Aunt remembers “the Foyes that lived behind the Second Congregational Church. They had a wharf there. They would salt the fish that they caught and sell it.”

Lobstering has been a staple industry here also. Traps can be seen stacked high on boats and piers along the back channel. Warren Wurm ran a wholesale lobster business and in 1941 opened the dining room on his lobster pier, still known today as “Warren’s”.

Trade along the river was a booming enterprise. Boulter Coal was one of the best examples of this. Coal would come by schooner to the dock. It could then be transported to the train that ran through town.   The Foreside was the perfect solution for the transportation of goods.

One hundred years ago, before the Memorial Bridge, the way across the river was the ferry. The ferry landing was on Badger’s Island. From there you could ride the trolly, it ran down Government Street, Wallingford Square on to Wentworth Street then out to the resorts in Kittery Point and York Beach. If you needed to traveled to Portsmouth, perhaps to shop or see a vaudeville show  you could get there by ferry for a nickel.When the Foreside is mentioned most of us think of the restaurants, the old post office, shops or library that has occupied this area over the years. So next time you are here consider beyond the sidewalks and gaze out at the land that extends to the sea.

Kittery stories and songs: A new project turns local history into a living exhibit

Kittery stories and songs: A new project turns local history into a living exhibit

Fabulous story about our project in THE WIRE magazine!

Images from Today’s Public Forum: The Kittery Grange & Foreside Project

On Sunday, thirty people gathered at the Grange to share stories about the Grange and the Foreside.  Some great memories and presentations were bantered back and forth.  Below are some images of the event.

Ursula & Dick dance to the jazz that filled the hall before the start of the meeting.

Kim shares her considerable knowledge of the Foreside’s History at the registration desk.

An enthusiastic public arrives at the Dance Hall, Kittery.

Jackson discusses the project with Foreside residents.

The table of historic photos of Foreside landmarks was a huge success.

 

Drika of the Dance Hall, Kittery opens the forum and explains the project.

 

Kim provides an overview of Foreside landmarks and history.

Cathy provides information on how people can participate in the project.

People’s memories on the map. Guest were invited to share there Foreside memories and place them on a map to show where they happened.

 

Foreside Memories

Depending which decade you grew up in the Foreside  determines what memories that you have. I remember Saturday morning tap & ballet lessons at The Grange. After we would walk down to “The Greeks” for an ice cream cone before lunch. I never realized until years later that wasn’t the actual name of the place just what everyone called it. My Grandfather used to take me to “Johnny’s Store” where he would get his newspaper and I could pick out a small bag of penny candy.

My mother remembers “Ken’s Diner” where her father took her for the best hot turkey sandwiches in town. Walker’s Variety had the penny candy counter back then. The “Academy Spa” was the place to go in High School. Apparently it was worth skipping class for their ice cream sodas and french fries with gravy.

My Grandmother’s memories of the Foreside were slightly different. “Bridges” was one of the variety stores back then but there were no pennies for candy just for necessities.   The “Ice Man” would come around the Foreside. If you needed ice you displayed a card in your front window. “Eating out” back then meant it was too hot inside the house, so you sat on the porch to eat supper.

Over the years, the Foreside has evolved and changed. The memories may be different. But stores, restaurants and pubs still occupy this area so I wonder what those stories will sound like from future generations.

Project is Underway!

The following is the narrative from a Maine Humanities Council planning grant that The Dance Hall received, written by Cathy Wolff, that captures the essence of this project. Here we will share new discoveries as we make progress on this compelling and exciting journey!

Drika Overton

Stories from The Grange and Kittery’s Foreside 

For much of the last century, the Grange was central to the life of many small Maine towns. Kittery was no exception. Its Grange Hall was the site of lectures, meetings, civic projects, celebrations, and dances.  Although the chapter dissolved late in the century (as happened with many subordinate Granges), the building still stands, home of The Dance Hall, a non-profit center for performing arts.  “There’s rarely a week someone doesn’t stop me or come in the building to recall what it was like when they were young and coming to the Grange for dances and other events,” says Drika Overton, Dance Hall founder and director.

They remember not only the Grange, but what Kittery was like. Some even recall stories of their grandparents’ Kittery lives.

They especially remember Kittery’s downtown, the Foreside, home not only to the Grange/Dance Hall, but to the town’s high school, public library, town hall, Back Channel, town dock, Naval Yard, Masonic Temple, and two of the three bridges to Portsmouth.

The Foreside is now the fastest changing area of Kittery, with an influx of artists, young families, art venues, restaurants, and specialty food shops.  While the changes are exciting, there’s a risk — as there always is with rapid change — of forgetting the past; forgetting the roots and memories that shaped Kittery’s character.

A Community Effort

Stories from The Grange and Kittery’s Foreside (working project title) evolved from Dance Hall Director Overton’s desire to capture, preserve, and share those stories.

She convened a meeting of interested residents, including former Yard workers, Kittery museum curators, and professional heritage conservators, journalists, and photographers. The enthusiasm was there for gathering oral histories that could serve as the foundation of a range of multi-media projects. There was also a willingness among people to donate their expertise.

Plans call for the project to actively involve the Kittery Historical and Naval Society, students from Kittery’s high school (Traip Academy), the Rice Public Library, and, of course The Dance Hall.

Multi-Project Plans

The first and most urgent need is to gather on audio and/or videotape the stories.

Many valuable sources are at an age when memories (and lives) begin to fade. From these stories, and based on resource availability, the exact direction and scope of the project would be determined.

At the very least, the videotapes would be shared with Kittery residents and visitors. However, the planning committee has much broader vision. The project also would:

• research and secure photos and written records to illustrate and expand the narrative;

• produce a professionally-edited video based on the interviews and research;

• create a public exhibit of people and artifacts; develop a multi-media, community performance highlighting history in drama, dance, music, narration, etc. note the sites of historically significant buildings in the area and produce a scan-linked walking tour, and;

• create a dynamic website where project interviews, photos and events would be posted, and people not formally interviewed would be invited to share their memories.

The interviews will be recorded and/or videotaped to allow the greatest flexibility of presentation. While some interviews may need to be done remotely, it is anticipated most would be conducted in a designated space of The Dance Hall, where memories may most easily be provoked and where quality-control can be most easily assured.

Some of the interviews may be done along the lines of NPR’s Story Corps, conducted by individuals who know the source well.

The Goal: More than Subs and Shopping Malls

Tell someone from Boston or Portland that you’re from Kittery and they note the outlet malls of Route 1, or an uncle who worked at the Yard.

The subs and malls are part of Kittery. But there’s more. People with strong Kittery roots know this; many newcomers do not. The goal of this project is to bring alive, through people’s stories, the Kittery of the last century.