Friday night provided perfect summer weather for the annual Strawberry Festival at the Hawthorne House on Raymond Cape Road in South Casco.
About 80 people gathered at Nathaniel Hawthorne’s boyhood home to partake in fresh strawberries and homemade biscuits, covered with dollops of real whipped cream. Chocolate covered strawberries (courtesy of Migis Lodge), lemonade, and plenty of good conversation rounded out the feast. As best as Frank Chambers, president of the Hawthorne Community Association, could tell, this yearly event has been held since the early 1960’s.
Most of Friday’s crowd remained indoors, in the open hall, but a number of guests preferred to assemble at the tables set up on the front lawn, taking advantage of the gentle summer breezes and comfortable temperatures.
The house, built in the early 1800’s, was home to Hawthorne, his mother, and his two sisters for much of 1812 to 1825. His childhood diaries revealed a happy boy who enjoyed the freedom he had to wander through the woods, skate on Sebago Lake, and fish from a rock in Dingley Brook.
After the family returned to Salem, Massachusetts, the house fell into disrepair. For a time, it served as a stopping place for stagecoaches. In the last quarter of the 19th century, its chimneys, interior walls, and second story floor were removed, creating a place of worship for the Radoux Union Meeting House.
But the group eventually moved on, allowing the condition of the house to decline once again.
In 1922, needing attention and extensive repair, the house was given by court order to its present owner, the Hawthorne Community Association.
Over the years, though often a struggle, the structure was refurbished to be a community meeting place. Though most of the interior features have been forever lost, it does boast an original staircase and many original window sashes complete with imported Belgian glass. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969.
Today, the Hawthorne Community Association continues to maintain the building with contributions of money as well as labor and materials from its members and the public. In addition to the strawberry festival, the group holds a Christmas party every December in the festively decorated hall. The party features a bring-your-own-beverage cocktail hour and potluck dinner, followed by gifts and a carol sing.
In mid-August they offer a chicken barbecue at Little Wohelo Camp on Sebago Lake. This year’s barbecue is scheduled for August 21. For more information on this event or how to become involved with the Hawthorne Community Association, call Frank Chambers at 655-8833.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
