!"#$!%&#%'#&& ('% ) &&'$# !%#% #% !%!#& "#% # Contents SPONSORS / 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / 5 INTRODUCTION / 7 EDWARD LA SALLE / 11 THE THIRTY VIGNETTES / 14 THE 1940 MAP PAINTING / 46 BIBLIOGRAPHY / 50 3 / THE 1940 MAP PAINTING Sponsors WE APPRECIATE THE MAJOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS THAT MADE THIS PROJECT POSSIBLE. Southworth traces its origins to Reverend Francis Southworth, pastor of the Seamen’s Bethel Church on Fore Street in Portland in the 1870s. Keen to provide The 300th anniversary of Falmouth’s incorporation as a town took place in 2018. his flock with a productive way of passing time while at sea, Southworth developed The Town of Falmouth and community partners organized a variety of events and Bethel library cases—neat, inexpensive cases containing a Bible and an assortment activities to mark this once-in-a-lifetime milestone. This booklet is one of those of general reading materials. Since then, the company has engaged in a great variety activities. of manufacturing activities and expanded its reach worldwide. Headquartered The story of Falmouth is the story of people who, over time, demonstrated in Falmouth, Southworth is currently the number-one leader in the field of resourcefulness and ingenuity in difficult and constantly shifting circumstances to innovative, high-quality, ergonomic lifting, tilting, and positioning equipment for create the community we live and work in today. Rather than a story found far in manufacturing. the past, it is alive and well as Falmouth’s residents continue along the path laid out by their predecessors centuries ago. WWW.SOUTHWORTHPRODUCTS.COM WWW.FALMOUTHME.ORG/FALMOUTH-300 The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust was established in 1988 by Joan Morton Kelly and her mother, Mildred Duncan Morton, to facilitate their philanthropic activities. Joan was instrumental in the creation of the San Diego Children’s Zoo and became its superintendent in 1958. After becoming a full-time Maine resident, Joan became deeply involved in the Greater Portland community and active on the boards of many nonprofits, including the Portland Museum of Art, the Children’s Museum, the Maine College of Art, and the Maine Maritime Academy among others. As the years passed, her philanthropy and that of the Trust extended throughout Maine, funding many Maine-based projects in culture, education, the environment, and preservation. WWW.MORTON-KELLY.ORG Acknowledgements any people in the community contributed their interest, energy, knowledge, Mand insights to this project. We extend a huge thank you to all of them. There were three distinct parts to this effort. First, trying to solve the mystery of who painted the painting (see Introduction, page 7). Second, preserving the painting for future generations. And, third, telling its multi-faceted story. All three aspects were pursued concurrently, weaving in and out as new information sur- faced. Three people most enthusiastically championed its cause from the start in 2014: Marge Merrill Devine, Betsy Jo Whitcomb, and Erin Bishop Cadigan. All three stepped up, taking on whatever tasks arose and giving encouragement along the way. They researched the locations, verified historic facts, provided contacts and clues, wrote multiple chapters, and helped with grant applications. But many others participated in the quest to find out who painted the “mu- ral.” At the Falmouth Memorial Library, Andi Jackson-Darling, Laura Bean, and Jeannie Madden provided historic references and contact suggestions. The Fal- Photograph from the 1944 Crest . The map painting is above the bookcase in the rear of mouth School Department went into its attic to dig up records. We thank the school the Falmouth High School library. department staff, including Barbara Powers, Geoff Bruno, Jessica Duplisea, Susan We then cast an even wider nest by contacting statewide experts in art and his- Smith, Peggy Becksvoort, Topper West, Gretchen McNulty, Thea Cerjanec, and Dan tory, thinking that, surely, these experts had the expertise and the resources to recall O’Shea. Members of the Falmouth Historical Society and Falmouth300 Committee or identify a similar large map painting that might exist elsewhere in Maine. This were strong supporters from the start, several of whom contributed essays for this group included Carl Little of the Maine Community Foundation; Kate McBrien, publication. We also reached out to former Town Manager Doug Harris, former Steve Bromage, and Jamie Rice of the Maine Historical Society; Ian Fowler and librarian Lyn Sudlow, and former school librarian Dianne Barth, although none Matthew Edney of the Osher Map Library; Julie Richard at the Maine Arts Com- could shed light on the painting’s origins. mission; Bob Keyes at the Portland Press Herald; Earle Shettleworth, former Maine We consulted many community members in our quest to learn more about the State Historian; Maine State Librarian James Ritter; the staff at the Portland Room map painting. These included Dave Merrill, Mary and Ellen Honan, Fred Chase, of the Portland Public Library; and Bernard Fishman of the Maine State Museum. Hannah Russell, Ted Vail, David Snow, Beverly Knudsen, Howard Reiche, David While all appreciated the painting, none could provide a clue. Clough, Dorothy Bates, Betsy Jo Whitcomb, Faith Varney, June Andersen Beck, Architectural historian Scott Hanson of Sutherland Conservation and Consult- and Jeaneen Coleman. Despite their vast collective memories, little information ing provided the breakthrough in solving the painting’s mystery. As part of Ocean- emerged. Dave Merrill, remembering his high school years, mischievously noted, “I View’s renovation of the Plummer School, Scott thoroughly researched the history do not remember the painting at all. At that time, I had my eyes on the girls!” of the building. We suspected that the painting had originally hung in the Plum- In an effort to reach others in Falmouth who could potentially shed light on mer building when it was the Falmouth High School; Scott confirmed it when he the painting, we worked with the staff of The Forecaster, which published an article discovered its image in the 1944 Crest, the school’s yearbook. The painting appears on the painting in 2014. For that effort, we thank Colin Ellis, Ben McCanna, Kate in a photo of the high school library, hanging on a library wall. That photo was an Collins, Mo Mehlsak, and Karen Wood; yet, once again, we did not receive any exciting find! new leads. Could more be learned? A hunch that the teacher in the 1944 photo, Maria Phillips, may have something to do with the painting could not be confirmed by Maria’s daughter, Giovanna Hurley from Cumberland. The painting appeared again in the 1960 Crest as the backdrop in the group photos of the four classes. By that time the painting had moved from the Plummer building to the high school on 5 / THE 1940 MAP PAINTING Woodville Road, in what is now the Middle School. How it got to the Falmouth Another team took these stories to their final form. Julie Dumont Rabinowitz Memorial Library and subsequently to Town Hall in the 1990s remains to be dis- provided professional editing of all of our writings, putting the final polish on the covered. text for this publication. Photographer Jeff Scherr took high-resolution photos so When the painting hung in Town Hall in the 1990s, conservator Nancy Lee that the artistry of La Salle and the beauty of our town would shine through in Snow cleaned it, applying varnish and treating several stains. In 2016, conservator the final product. Designer Michael Mahan brought all of it together in an elegant Nina Roth Wells conducted a conservation assessment of the painting and found it presentation. Franklin Printing published the final product. to be in good condition. It was not until 2018, after the painting was transported by Bisson Moving to SPONSORS Fogg Art Restoration in Wiscasset for cleaning and reframing that we would learn It is not enough to have a good idea if you cannot afford to see it through. Much more. When Peter Fogg removed the painting’s frame, he discovered an artist’s appreciation goes to James Cabot and Brian McNamara of Southworth, Michael name and a date, along with additional, unseen parts of the painting. The name: Quinlan and Erik Jorgensen of the Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust, and the “E La Salle 40.” Peter immediately notified Town Hall! Falmouth Town Council for their generous financial support of this project. Each Quick genealogical work by Betsy Whitcomb and Marge Devine pointed to a sponsor has its own story to tell (see page 5). La Salle in Westbrook. We found a phone number, placed a call, and left a message. Others who have assisted along the way include Judy Colby-George, Brian Soon, the 82-year-old son of E. La Salle, Aiden La Salle, returned our call. Aiden, Vanden Brink, Scott Mosher, Kristan Carroll, and Ashley Speckhart. At Falmouth an artist himself, had not known of the Falmouth painting, but corroborated facts Town Hall, Nathan Poore, Rick Mackie, Melissa Tryon, Ellen Planer, Amy about his father Edward. We had found our artist! Lamontagne, and Howard Rice provided additional support. Susie Westly Wren We were contacted another La Salle family member, Robert Kahler—whose offered her extensive knowledge of art, professional connections, and insights into wife is Julie La Salle, Edward’s granddaughter; Robert knew Edward for seven the importance of community. years prior to the artist’s passing in 1992. Robert generously provided biographical information on Edward La Salle for inclusion in this publication (see Biography, THE LA SALLE FAMILY page 11). This project has come full circle, reuniting the La Salle family with their father’s, grandfather’s, and great-grandfather’s work. We especially thank Aiden La Salle and PUBLICATION Robert Kahler for their participation and contributions. We are very glad that this Restoring the painting and identifying its artist has been only one part of this project provides their family with another connection to Edward La Salle.