Raymond C. Cotton owned the general store in Hiram, Maine. He also owned blueberry land and there are extensive shots of the work involved in a segment entitled, “Fields of Blue.” He used his 8mm camera to capture his life in Hiram and glimpses of the surrounding towns of Harrison, Baldwin, Steep Falls, Brownfield, Dry Mills, North Bridgton and Conway, NH. There are activities of the Hiram Fire Department including their work and play. A Memorial Day Parade, muster, their own basketball team and Coon Hound field trials at scenic Tear Cap. See a lovely parade in neighboring Harrison. Scenes of Main Street, Steep Falls.
Many wonderful close-ups of the local people of the time, including many family members of Raymond Cotton. The Carnival in 1938. Milling logs. The spectacle of the latest in heavy equipment brought in to remove a deadly railroad crossing. Clearing snow after the blizzard of 1938. Ice harvesting for a local creamery. One of the last log drives through Hiram village, as well as sluicing logs at Upper Dam for Hiram Lumber Company. A wonderful, colorful operetta done by Mt. Cutler School called, “Over the Garden Wall.” Scenes of wildlife from the State Game Farm in Dry Mills. The Smith -Eastman covered bridge at Conway Center, NH before it was burned as a prank. Scenes along the Saco River. This is a wonderful snapshot of rural life in New England.
Film & Narration by Raymond Cotton
Original engineering for the narration by Ed Pierce.
73 minutes
(From the Hiram Historical Society Collection)