Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Farrington's Hotel Guests Bring in a Corn Harvest |
Accession # |
2010.13.0010 |
Description |
During Labor Day weekend in 1942 a group of guests at Farrington's Hotel volunteered to help local farmers in North Fryeburg gather a crop of corn. The corn was to be canned as a reserve for the Armed Forces. About 40 vacationers picked 40 acres of corn.Taken from Photo CD #5.From left to right: Theona Sargent; Dr. Will Guttman; Marion Sampter; John Farrington (above); Dr. James Veith (wearing hat); Lawrence Sampter; Beverly Sargent (in front); two unknown youngsters (above); Nancy (Bacon) Johnson; two unknown youngsters (above); Sully Veith, Marian Zimmerman. Used in the Fall 2013 Newsletter. The following article appeared in the Portland Press Herald, dated September 7, 1942: The Boston, New York and Washington society folk vacationing at Center Lovell who sacrificed their holiday week-end program to help local farmers gather a crop of corn to be canned as a reserve for Uncle Sam’s Armed Forces are going to stay on the job until it’s done. Several had planned to end their vacations today but they are going to finish out the week, or until the emergency is passed and the corn crop saved. A Philadelphia artist, a New York doctor, a Boston lawyer and a Radcliffe College professor were among the group that went to work in the fields at 6:30am Sunday to plug the gap of labor shortage that threatened to ruin whole harvests. For their trouble and back-breaking work they received $5 a day, which will be donated to the pet project of villagers, the North Fryeburg Fire Department. On Sunday the 20-odd vacationists picked 40 acres of corn and topped this mark today. Farmers explained that because of the unprece-dented weather, lack of rain and extreme heat for this time of year, the corn ripened faster than they could pick it. Many of them were faced with financial disaster. The area is figured at 450 acres of corn sufficient to fill approximately 300,000 cans. Efforts of the group on the first day alone accounted for about 4,000 cans. Marion A. Zimmerman, a Washington, D.C. school teacher, a summer visitor to Maine many years, suggested the idea after hearing a radio plea for harvest help. She was one of 15 or 20 late summer guests at Farrington’s Camps, Kezar Lake. The group was gathered about the fireplace in the hotel lodge Saturday evening when the plea came over the radio. Miss Zimmerman suggested that here was an opportunity for the group to pitch in and help both the local farmers and with the war work. She was quickly joined by Anne M. Erentall, 22, an artist from the Tyler Fine Arts School in Philadelphia; Dr. James H. Veith, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and now a physician in New York City; Nancy Bacon, daughter of Allyn Bacon, Boston publisher; Mrs. Abraham Alper, a teacher at Radcliffe College; Abraham Alper, a Boston attorney; Melvin Bernahim, a student at Andover Academy; Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Rothschild and Mr. and Mrs. Sempter of New York City; Charles LeCasce, son of the president of Fryeburg Academy; and Edwin Sargent of Fryeburg, son of the proprietor of Sargent’s Camps. "Never had my truck filled as quickly as these people did", said one farmer. "The loss to us but for their help would have been tremendous." "My 10 acres of corn came in so fast that the entire field would have been a total loss by the middle of the week", commented another. "I exhausted all my ready cash and was in debt to raise this crop of corn for canning. When I went after men and women to pick corn as I have been for 20 years I found there just wasn’t any help to be hired. I was in debt for my fertilizer and owing the canning factory for seed and the situation was serious." Rising at 7am Sunday one of the vacationists admitted it was the earliest she had ever started a day in her life. They took their lunches, reported to Supt. Erlon Jones at the canning factory and went to work for the day with only a brief time out at noon to eat sitting alongside the corn hills or perched on the back of their automobiles. It was a brand new experience to every one of them. "One day will finish ‘em", a villager declared derisively. But he reckoned without knowing. They were back 100 per cent on this Labor Day. A golf match that had been in the making for two weeks as a finale of the season went into the discard along with the culminating bridge party and social which had been staged for Labor Day evening in the hotel parlors. "Them women", Superintendent Jones of the corn factory declared, "have saved this corn crop. The corn crop came on all of a sudden. We have plenty of workers in the factory where the actual canning is done but picking the corn always has been the farmer’s problem and we have pretty generally allowed the farmer to work out his own salvation in this line. "Up to Sunday there had been such a shortage of pickers that the factory could only operate eight hours a day. During rush season we usually operate on pretty near a 24-hour schedule." Sculptress Erentall had a mild complaint to make tonight. For three months, she said, she has been carefully growing a gorgeous set of long fingernails which up to Sunday morning were delicately tinted in the most fashionable shade. Today they are broken and torn, their glamour lost in the cornfields. But Miss Erentall is happy, nevertheless. Dr. Veith, who has his offices on Madison Avenue in New York City, charges $5 a visit to New Yorkers who have digestive ailments. He earns $5 a day in the North Fryeburg fields. "And for the first time in his life," his sister chided him, "Doc is really earning his money!" The natives here were somewhat disturbed over the efforts of the summer folk. They thought they should have whatever revenue resulted from the corn picking season. In some cases they were outspoken about the "city folks" taking away any part of their $5 a day. Tonight some of them were chagrined when they learned that while some of the workers are using their money for defense stamps and bonds much of the money has gone into a fund to be turned over to the Fire Department. |
People |
Farrington, John Moody (1903-1971) Genaske, Theona (Farrington) Sargent (1900-1986) Guttman, Will (Dr.) Johnson, Nancy (Bacon) (1923-2021) Mayo, Beverly Priscilla (Sargent) (1927-1971) Sampter, Lawrence Sampter, Marion Veith, James H. (Dr.) Veith, Joan "Sully" (O'Sullivan) Zimmerman, Marian (1900-1999) |
Search Terms |
Farrington's "Yesterday's News" Potential Book Photo - 2nd Round |
Subjects |
World War II |
Photographer |
Packard, Harry A. |
Orig/copy |
Original |
Other Number |
3061 |