Remembering Westbrook: The People of the Paper City

by Andrea M.P. Vasquez

Overview

In this collection of her "History Matters" columns from the American Journal, Andrea Vasquez takes readers back to the early days of Puritans and pioneers, when stately forests, wildlife and the land around Westbrook. Discover the secret burial place of Colonel Thomas Westbrook, the legacies of Westbrook benefactors Joseph Walker and Samuel Dennis Warren and the all-but-forgotten works of master sculptor Benjamin Paul Akers, whose life was tragically cut short at the height of his career. Vasquez preserves the memories and stories of these sons and daughters of Westbrook, from Cornelia Warren, a forward-thinking philanthropist and women's advocate, to Fabius Maximus Ray, one of Westbrook's first local historians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614231905
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/06/2010
Series:	American Chronicles
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Andrea Pacillo Vasquez was raised in South Portland, Maine. A teacher, journalist and novelist, Andrea is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the Stonecoast MFA program in creative writing at the University of Southern Maine. She also attended the Lorenzo De'Medici Instituto d'Arte in Florence, Italy, in 1994, 95. Andrea is a member of the Westbrook Historical Society and the Maine Historical Society, and she lives with her family in Westbrook.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 9

Introduction 11

Mast Agent Who Started War Dies Pauper but Leaves Mark on City of Westbrook 15

Businessman's Generosity Has Lasting Impact 25

Legacy of City's Benefactor 29

Sculptor's Quest for Beauty Cut Short 35

Young Pioneer, Abolitionist Heads to Kansas, Becomes the New State's Thirteenth Governor 41

Historian Told City's Story through Research 47

City Celebrates Warp Mill Founder 51

Former Prisoner of War Becomes One of Westbrook's Most Beloved Citizens 59

City Home to Early Baseball Superstar 65

Philanthropist, Novelist and Advocate of Women, Youth and Immigrants 69

The Man Behind the Building: Businessman, Legislator, Reformer 75

Inventor's Career Began with Broken Window 81

Nurse Didn't Shy from Horrors of World War I 85

"Ginger" Fraser: Respected Soldier, Teacher, Coach 89

A Woman in Two World Wars: Hello Girl Hero to Bizerte Prisoner 95

A Remarkable Life Indeed 101

Maine Swooned at Crooner's Return 109

City-Raised Nun Witnessed Major Change in China 115

Funeral Director Fights Urban Renewal-And Wins 121

Big Dreams Come True for Pioneering Air Hostess 127

Gifted Actress, Mother, Writer 133

Notes 139

Bibliography 147

About the Author 159