Lincoln, Maine

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

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

A mail service is when you can send letters to other people quickly. The Lincoln postal service has served the people of Lincoln for 185 years, since March 3, 1825. The mail route was established from Bangor. It went from Bangor to Birch Stream Settlement (Argyle), Kelmarnock (Medford), Maxfield, Lincoln, Sebois (Seboeis), Piscataquis (Howland-Enfield), Passamaduco (Passadumkeag), Sunkhaze (Milford), Eddington, Orono, back to Bangor. Mail came from the North the same way, except it didn’t go to Bangor, and it came from Houlton. People complained that it took too long to send mail and to get mail. Finally the mail route was established, and Lincoln got its own mailman.

The first mail carrier went by the last name of Moor. He drowned in the Mattawamkeag River. The body was found in Babcock’s Boom in what now is called Winn. Among the carrier bag were sixteen silver dollars. It is said that the body is buried in the cemetery in South Winn, but the grave is unmarked.

Marissa Martin
"Compare and contrast your topic in the past and in the present"

On March 3, 1825, Lincoln, Maine’s postal service was established. It has changed quite a bit in the past 185 years. In the 1800s, mail coming from the north came from Houlton, Maine. Mail coming from the south came from Bangor, Maine. Residents of Lincoln would only get their mail once a week, which they complained about a lot. Now, in 2010, we can receive and send mail any day of the week, except Sunday. Another way the postal service has changed is the price of the stamp. In 1825, the price of a stamp was only three cents. Today, it’s 44 cents. I’ve heard a lot of people complaining about the shooting price of stamps in the past couple of years, and it keeps going up.

Andrew Rideout
"Create a statement and prove/disprove it with research"

Statement: Lincoln always had its own mailman.

The basic mailing route in Lincoln, Maine, started on March 3, 1825. The basic mail route for the surrounding towns of Maine started on March 3, 1825. Mail came from different places. These places included Bangor, Birch Stream Settlement (Argyle), Kelmarnock (Medford), Maxfield, Lincoln, Sebois (Seboeis), Piscataquis (Howland-Enfield), Passamaduco (Passadumkeag), Sunkhaze (Milford), Eddington, and Orono. The Lincoln townspeople complained about the long process it took to receive mail and to send out mail. After enough complaining the town hired its first mailman; his name was Mr. Moor. Mr. Moor died in the Mattawamkeag River trying to cross the river to give the north part of Mattawamkaeg its mail.

Kayla-Rae Oliver
"Connect this topic with your own life"

The mailing and postal service connects to my life in three ways. The first way it connects to my life is that I have a lot of family out of state. If Lincoln had never gotten their own postal office, then I would have to go all the way to Bangor or Howland to get my letters and cards from them. That is one reason why I think it is very important that we have the postal office.

The second reason is that if someone was to do a crime and not show up to court then they will get something in the mail telling them that they have a fine or that they have to go to court. If we didn’t have the mail we would have to hire a bunch of people to go to a bunch of different states, cities, towns, and houses to notify people. Mailing saves a lot of money and time.

The last reason I think the postal service connects to me is that we get our bills in the mail. If there were no mail, then you wouldn’t know when you have to pay them. If you don’t know when to pay them, then your lights might get shut off or your water might stop working. That would be a bad thing because you need these types of things. The research I have done in Social Studies class has made me realize that mail and postal services are really important to our little town of Lincoln, Maine.

Josh Shaw
"What if the post office never existed?"

The postal service refers to the post offices and mailing. Here are some things that may have happened if the postal service had never existed. We would have had to pass notes to other people. And if we needed a part for a truck, then they couldn’t send it in the mail. Plus, it would take a long time if it were far away. With the mail we can send stuff in no time at all. Now think, how would people from far away pay bills without the mail? Before the 1850s when the telegraph came to Lincoln, they would have had to walk to the place they wanted to go and do their bills there. Those are some of the many things that would have happened if we did not have a post office.

Works Cited

Fellows M.D, Dana W. "Mail and Postal Routes." History of the Town of Lincoln Penobscot County Maine 1822 - 1928. Lewiston Maine: Dingley Inc. 236-43.

Lincoln Maine Historical Society, ed. "Lincoln's Early Mail Service." The Lincoln Historical Society. Print.