Lincoln, Maine

Responses from students in Mr. Koscuiszka's class can be viewed below:

Aaron Mitchell
"Research your topic and summarize the ‘who, what, when, and where’ in the form of a few paragraphs"

This is the history of Osgood’s store on Main Street in Lincoln. Before it was Osgood’s it was a few different things. It was first a horse stable. Then it became Porter Tailor Shop, which was tailoring for men. Then on November 12, 1943, Mr. Bennie F. Osgood bought the location. Women's and children’s clothes were added to the line. On April 28, 1960, Mr. Osgood started a complete renovation; the first floor was completed September 30, 1960. The departments that Osgood’s had were the “Cove” room, the “Little Folks” section, and the shoe department (located in the center of the store), the sportswear section, and the jewelry and handbag department. The “Cove” room carried daytime and evening dresses, coats, jackets, robes, and hats. Osgood’s did 90 percent of their buying at the Boston and New York style shows, having not missed one for eighteen years. Unfortunately, Osgood's closed its doors in the mid 1990s, due to the competition from Wal-Mart. For nearly one hundred years, Osgood’s was a popular store in Lincoln.

Kourtney Hanscom
"Compare and contrast your topic in the past and in the present"

Osgood’s used to be located in the store that is currently Marden’s. It is similar to Marden’s because they are both clothing stores. In Marden’s they have two sections. There is a section where there is clothing and there is a section where there are everyday living things. Back when Osgood’s was there they had a room that was called “The Cove Room” that was for evening gowns, coats, jackets, and robes. Marden’s still has a room that is like “The Cove Room” and that is where they keep all the clothes. After the renovation of Osgood’s they put some of the clothing in the basement. The renovation is still there today because Marden’s is bigger than Osgood’s was. They added the former Newberry’s building to their store. Now in the basement of Marden’s they still put merchandise down there, but it is furniture, mattresses, etc. Osgood’s was a really popular store, and it was right on Main Street. So, all of the tourists loved to stop there. All the tourists still stop in to Marden’s to see what there is in there. But so do people who live right in the town go there all the time.

There are differences between Osgood’s and Marden’s too. First, in the middle of Osgood’s they had a place that was called the “Little Folks and Shoe Department”. They also had a department for almost everything. Now in Marden’s they have everything cluttered together. They are not made up of departments. Another difference is, the former owner of Osgood’s is not the current owner of Marden’s. Mr.Osgood has passed away. Also, it used to get thousands of people a week visiting the store. That is no longer true most of the time. Then, there was always something pretty, like dresses or suits, in the window of Osgood’s. Now they just put whatever they have in there, something that is on sale, or even something that goes with the season. That is how Marden’s and Osgood’s were different.

Kristina Parker
"How does this topic connect to you?"

The Osgood’s topic connects to me. My family is from Lincoln and a lot of us grew up here. I know that store also because my grandfather was alive during the time the store was here and shopped right in this town. He died before I was born so I have no idea what he was like at all. But, I think he would have told me a whole bunch of stories about his life if I had known him when he was alive. Now that he is gone, my dad will tell me anything that I need to know about him. And my dad would tell me how fun it was to shop at Osgood’s for him and his dad. I think my grandfather would be so clueless about how everything has changed on Main Street now. I think this affects my life right now because my grandfather is not here today. But, I do think he would have wanted to be here to see me going to school and growing up in Lincoln right now. Personally, I think he actually is here to see me go to school because I know he is in heaven watching over me right now. He is seeing what I am doing right now in the class. He probably is happy that I’m talking about him in this project that I’m doing.

Works Cited

Fellows, Dana Willis. "Early View from Main Street, Looking North," History of the Town of Lincoln, Penobscot County Maine, 1872- 1928. Lewiston, Maine: Dingley, 1929, 747-43, Print,

Flint, Warren, Joe Contoni, Robert A. Lemire, Sarah Cannon. Holden, Kenneth W Bergen, and Henry Morgan. "Lincoln Department Store," Lincoln Historical Society: the 1997-1998 Lecture Programs. Lincoln, ME: Lincoln Historical Society, 1998, 63-64, Print.