When you enter Willowbrook, you not only step into the mid-19th century, but you also step into the glorious obsession of one man. Donald King, a Massachusetts native who made his fortune in Texas-based lubricants [oil drilling], came to Newfield, a village tucked against the Maine-New Hampshire border, in the mid-1960s. his intent was to turn an old farmhouse into a hunting camp for his business friends. Soon King became intrigued by the area's history. He found that Newfield was once Maine's most prominent carriage-sleigh-building center, home to at least 13 blacksmiths, seven harness makers, 17 cabinet makers, and several dozen shoemakers. The results of their labors and the tools of their trades languished in barns and fields. King, who once said, "I have a great appreciation for anyone who works with his hands, and the 19th century was the last great era for that," thought he would make a small farm museum from the stuff he saw just lying around. Soon he had filled four buildings. "Nobody in Maine ever throws anything out," he said.
His hobby became a full time occupation. firmly hooked, King poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into his "restoration village" that opened in 1970, and nothing delighted him more than to emerge from the workshop, khaki pants stained with grease, and stick out his hand to a startled tourist and boom, :Hi, I'm Don King. I built this!"
"This," at the time of his death in 1985, was 33 separate exhibits, and the only 19th-century museum of its kind in the country. Visitors are on their own to roam with a detailed self-guiding pamphlet. ("On your right you will see a large iron wheel straightener used by a blacksmith when he was repairing wheels. The rim of the wheel was placed on the hub until the wheel became straight once again...") Since Willowbrook is spread across seven country acres, comfortable walking shoes are advised. "Allow at least three hours," says Georgia Perry, Willowbrook's long time director. "and that's seeing it really fast. That's walking."
Where to begin? There are two homesteads, a school, a carriage house, barns, bicycle shop, barbershop, photography shop, country bank, a room devoted to the evolution of heaters from wood to kerosene, early fire engines [ Update: the fire trucks were de-accessioned in recent years] , cobbler shop, laundry room, cider mill, and shed after shed of lovingly restored farm exhibits. You sit in the shade of the willow trees and listen to the older people who throng past. "When I was a youngster, we had one of those." a pause. "But I threw it away."
In the Amos Straw Country Store there is a barrel where 60 cents will buy a fat juicy pickle. There are cheese wheels, jellies, catnip, rock candy, and, yes, real penny candy. A restaurant, set in a restored barn with paddle fans swirling gently above, looks out upon a bridge across a brook; adjoining is an ice cream parlor with wrought-iron furniture and Tiffany lamps.
Willowbrook is named for the willow trees that shade the brook and millpond. There may be no finer setting for a picnic than by the stone wall that circles the pond, looking out to a scene straight from, say 1875.
Willowbrook has its critics, mostly historical purists, who say that what King created was his idealized version of the past, everything being in sparkling new condition. The critics never fazed King who said, "We like to think of Willowbrook as entertainment, too." His philosophy lives on in the village he created. Every day Willowbrook opens its doors with a drum roll played over the loud speakers, followed by "The Star-Spangled Banner."
To go: Willowbrook is right off Route 11 with signs pointing the way. Take exit 2 off the Maine Turnpike, then 109 west to 11. Open daily May 15-Sept. 30, 10-5. Adults $4.75., ages 6-18 $2.75. The Christmas Etcetera Giftshop, with all items selected by Pam [sic: Pan] King, is considered one of Maine's leading souvenir shops and is the only corner of Willowbrook that remains open until December 23. For details about tours and special group rates call 207-793-2784.
Editor's note: Research for the above was provided by Joyce butler (Old York). Mel Allen (Willowbrook at Newfield), James Dodson ( Owls Head Transportation Museum), and Voscar (Lumberman's Museum).
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