What is the Memorial Fountain in Buxton All About?
by Jan Hill
At the intersection of Main and Fountain Streets in Bar Mills sits a very impressive stone fountain. Have you ever wondered as you traveled Main St. in Bar Mills what that stone structure is all about? Have you ever taken a moment to stop to read the inscription mounted on its center? If you haven’t, or even if you have, there will soon be an opportunity to recognize and ponder the lives of the people it was built to memorialize on October 15 at 11 A.M. at the site.
The Memorial Fountain was completed and donated in 1894 by the Woodman family to honor the Rev. Paul Coffin, who in 1763 was Buxton's first settled minister, and his grandson, Cyrus Woodman. Originally used for watering horses in the early days before cars, it was designed by John Calvin Stevens, Portland's most famous architect.
Coffin ministered at Tory Hill until his death in 1822. He was postmaster and farmed the large ministerial lot in Bar Mills and was credited with naming the town “Buxton” at its incorporation for unknown, but often incorrectly speculated reasons. One of his daughters, Dorcas, married Dr. Royal Brewster who commissioned the construction of what is now the National Register Royal Brewster Mansion in 1805.
Cyrus Woodman was born and raised in Buxton. He was the partner of the famous real estate developer, congressman and Civil War general, Cadwallader Washburn, in Galena, Illinois; he sponsored the publication of Goodwin’s Records of the Proprietors of Narraganset Township No. 1, now Buxton, Maine, both the 1800 and 1852 Dennett maps of Buxton, a publication of Paul Coffin's sermons and a genealogy of the Woodman family. He established the Buxton Scholarship Fund at Bowdoin College and was a sponsor of the Buxton Centennial in 1872.
In 2015, through the initiative and generous support of Richard and Beverly Atkinson of Bar Mills, the Memorial Fountain, a significant and artfully designed reminder of Buxton’s thriving history, has been restored. Their awareness of the need to preserve this unique structure, which reflects the rich heritage of Bar Mills, and their willingness to pursue that end are deeply appreciated.
We hope you will attend this re-dedication ceremony being sponsored by the Buxton-Hollis Historical Society (complete with music and lunch, as well as a horse and carriage) being held to recognize the 2015 restoration of this beautifully designed historic memorial. For many years, it served the citizens of Buxton (and their horses) and has now graced Bar Mills Village for 122 years! Hopefully, it will now go on in restored form well into the future!
At the intersection of Main and Fountain Streets in Bar Mills sits a very impressive stone fountain. Have you ever wondered as you traveled Main St. in Bar Mills what that stone structure is all about? Have you ever taken a moment to stop to read the inscription mounted on its center? If you haven’t, or even if you have, there will soon be an opportunity to recognize and ponder the lives of the people it was built to memorialize on October 15 at 11 A.M. at the site.
The Memorial Fountain was completed and donated in 1894 by the Woodman family to honor the Rev. Paul Coffin, who in 1763 was Buxton's first settled minister, and his grandson, Cyrus Woodman. Originally used for watering horses in the early days before cars, it was designed by John Calvin Stevens, Portland's most famous architect.
Coffin ministered at Tory Hill until his death in 1822. He was postmaster and farmed the large ministerial lot in Bar Mills and was credited with naming the town “Buxton” at its incorporation for unknown, but often incorrectly speculated reasons. One of his daughters, Dorcas, married Dr. Royal Brewster who commissioned the construction of what is now the National Register Royal Brewster Mansion in 1805.
Cyrus Woodman was born and raised in Buxton. He was the partner of the famous real estate developer, congressman and Civil War general, Cadwallader Washburn, in Galena, Illinois; he sponsored the publication of Goodwin’s Records of the Proprietors of Narraganset Township No. 1, now Buxton, Maine, both the 1800 and 1852 Dennett maps of Buxton, a publication of Paul Coffin's sermons and a genealogy of the Woodman family. He established the Buxton Scholarship Fund at Bowdoin College and was a sponsor of the Buxton Centennial in 1872.
In 2015, through the initiative and generous support of Richard and Beverly Atkinson of Bar Mills, the Memorial Fountain, a significant and artfully designed reminder of Buxton’s thriving history, has been restored. Their awareness of the need to preserve this unique structure, which reflects the rich heritage of Bar Mills, and their willingness to pursue that end are deeply appreciated.
We hope you will attend this re-dedication ceremony being sponsored by the Buxton-Hollis Historical Society (complete with music and lunch, as well as a horse and carriage) being held to recognize the 2015 restoration of this beautifully designed historic memorial. For many years, it served the citizens of Buxton (and their horses) and has now graced Bar Mills Village for 122 years! Hopefully, it will now go on in restored form well into the future!