An unknown photographer captured the spontaneous image of  marchers in Whitefield's Centennial parade - returning  from Clary's Mill  to Turners Corner and then back to the centennial grounds where they had begun their carefully planned and much anticipated parade, on that sunny 25th day of August in 1909. The procession was lead by the celebrated St. Cecile Boys Band, all the way from Lewiston -  followed closely by about 40 veterans of the Civil War - members of  Whitefield's own  Erskine post of GAR  ( The Grand Army of the Republic Hall had been built earlier at the top of Grand Army Hill ) . Behind that hall there were several tents - including one huge tent for the many speakers scheduled for this glorious celebration - these included the Governor .  The dusty streets and wood sidewalks of the village were crowed that Wednesday. In the background of the top image one can see the Chadwick House, a popular lodging and boarding house for train travelers that was completely booked well in advance of the celebration. Out of town  celebrants were arriving on both the southbound train from Albion at 8:00 and the northbound train from Wiscasset at 10:15, all by special excursion rates. It appears from the candid photo that there was an open platform car made available for that summer occasion . The spontaneity of the image helps to recreate the high spirit of the event. Without these wonderful pictures our imagination would be challenged to recreate those times. - There were virtually no cars. Alden Boynton's 1904  auto that his father got in a crate via the railroad from Sears Roebuck was still just a toy in 1909. Two years earlier there was an article in the warrant:  Article 21 “ To see what restrictions the town will make upon the running of automobiles on the roads in town.” These roads were filled with either dust, mud holes or snow. Indeed, Fr Nelligan at St. Denis, just 4 years earlier had  reported in a letter of Jan 8, “:……….I learned today that I must be at home for a funeral Tuesday morning …….The person, an elderly lady, died Friday, I should say Saturday and they cannot get the casket until Monday evening. We have been practically cut off from the world since Tuesday. I was to have another funeral Saturday forenoon but the people actually could not get to the church on account of the impassable conditions of the roads. Oh, there are some places in the state a little more comfortable than Whitefield in the winter.” Nevertheless, these were heady times. The nation, the state and the town was booming . Just 14 years before, Whitefield was an isolated hamlet with outside communication limited to the daily mail stage - now the WW&F arrived over 12 times a day at the three stations in town. Whitefield was connected to the world by rail. In the picture above the young men in their finest attire watch in awe as the big brass band from the city marches through their little village - there was change in the air . There was a sense of history and a sense of a very bright and exciting future . These were times to be celebrated !