Category: History

How the Jagger Mills Came to Be

Jagger Brothers Mill in South Sanford Photo: Jagger Brothers By Lawrence Furbish One could say it really began when Uriah Barstow Jagger, responding to an invitation in a letter from Tom Goodall, arrived in Sanford from Bradford, England in 1884. He went to work as the superintendent of the Goodall worsted spinning mill. Worsted is wool made from long fibers and is superior for making tougher and longer-lasting cloth. Uriah had two sons, Sam and Fred, who both began working…

How Many Hospitals Did Sanford Have? 

Goodall Hospital and Nurses’ Home in 1938   Photo: Goodall Hospital Decennial Report, 1928-1938   By Lawrence Furbish, Sanford-Springvale Historical Society   Starting in January 1913, the Sanford Board of Trade established the Sanford Hospital Association to build a town hospital. Money was raised, but not enough to fund construction. In 1914, soon after completion of the construction of Springvale National Bank (now an ice cream shop at the corner of Main and Oak streets), Dr. Byron B. Moulton opened a private hospital…

Who Was the Woodbury Building Named For?

Goodall nursing school’s first class. Dot Woodbury is seated in the middle.  Photo: Goodall Hospital  By Lawrence Furbish, Sanford Historical Committee  Who was Dorothy “Dot” Woodbury? The short answer is that she was a dedicated nurse who worked at Goodall Hospital in Sanford for 61 years. But there is much more to the story of the woman whose namesake building is soon to be torn down.   Dot was born in a tenement at 70 School St. (now 86 School St.)…

Historic Woodbury Building Scheduled for Demolition

Woodbury Building Photo: Lawrence Furbish By Lawrence Furbish Southern Maine Health Care (SMHC) will begin demolishing the Woodbury Building at 27 June St., next to the hospital, on Feb. 23. According to SMHC, the building is "prohibitively expensive to maintain, no longer meets current building codes for clinical or administrative space and is not fit for refurbishment or expansion." Demolition is expected to be complete by April 30. The building has had several names over the years. It was built…

More sprucing up at Sweat Morin Homestead

Cemetery at Sweat Morin Homestead, Photos: Lawrence Furbish Bull Pine Tree Service recently removed several trees from the cemetery at Sweat Morin Homestead, the latest step in the ongoing refurbishment of the historic property. The trees were endangering the gravestones and granite walls. In the spring, members of the Friends of Oakdale Cemetery will clean and adjust the stones. A new replica gate will be made to replace the one that is missing. The cemetery contains about 14 graves, including…