Lincoln, Maine

Responses from four students in Mrs. Harris' Social Studies class can be viewed below:

Danielle Macalino
“Research your topic and summarize the ‘who, what, when, and where’ in the form of a few paragraphs”

All current residents of Lincoln know the car dealership on the West side of North Main Street as Cole-Whitney Ford. However, since the 1920s it has changed its name and its owners many times.

In 1922, the business started out as Casino Motors, owned by Mr. Allie Webber. Casino Motors was a large structure with a capacity to sell 100 cars. In the 1930’s, Gateway Motors was opened in Casino’s place by Mr. A.E. Webber, and it was a Chevrolet car dealership. On July 4 1961, Mr. Bradstreet made it Bradstreet Ford Sales. In May 1973, Sherwood Craig became the new owner and he named it Sherwood Ford Sales. Since 1980, the Ford dealership has been owned and operated by Roger Cole and Dan Whitney, the well-known Cole-Whitney Ford we see today.

We know it is the same building that has always been there, as the pictures show us. In this town, car dealerships can mean a lot; by giving many people jobs, making money for the town, and keeping business in the town. Also, it made sure everyone in our town had a car, if you could afford it. This building is a part of our town and it helped keep our town alive back when it was opened. So, the businesses and the building help to make Lincoln, Lincoln.

Holden Kimball
“Compare and contrast your topic with another related topic”

Gateway Motors and Buck Motors were were two rival car companies in Lincoln from about 1939 to 1945. They have few things in common. For example, both of them sold and fixed cars. They were both also located on Main Street.

There are more differences between the two companies than similarities. One difference was, Gateway Motors was built in 1922. Mr. Allie Webber owned Gateway Motors/Casino Motors. Buck Motors was built in 1939 and was owned by Roy Buck and his two sons, Myron and Bryon. Besides those differences, we find that Gateway Motors was a very large structure that could hold about 100 cars in it. Buck Motors decided that they wanted a garage, but they couldn’t build it in the current location because the land was not theirs. Instead, they built it on West Broadway. In 1945 there was a fire in the Buck Motors garage from an unknown cause. The last way these two car dealerships are different is, Gateway Motors changed its name multiple times but Buck Motors never did.

James Washington
"How does this topic connect to you in your life today?"

The Gateway Motors building connects with me in my life in a few ways. The first way is, one time my mom’s car had to be fixed there and it had to stay there a few hours. I had school, so I had to walk that day when I was in elementary school. Another connection I have with this building is every day after school I walk past it.

The building impacted our town in a few ways. The first people in our town had a choice to buy newer cars. They also spent more money. Gateway Motors also provided jobs for people in the town of Lincoln. Gateway Motors repaired cars for people. It helped our town in many ways.

Works Cited

Fellows, Dana. "Buck Motors." History of the Town of Lincoln. Lewiston: Dingley. 21-22. Print.

"Main Street Throughout the Years." The Pictorial History of Lincoln, Maine: a Look at the People, Businesses and Industries That Helped Build a Town on the Banks of the Penobscot. Lincoln, Me.: Lincoln Historical Society, 1995. 48-49. Print.

Murchison, Dottie. "Gateway Motors." Personal interview. 5 Apr. 2010.