Lubec, Maine

by Ronald Pesha, Lubec Historical Society

“The new bronze souvenirs have arrived and may be secured from C. H. Clark (Department Store) at 25 cents each.” So advertised the Lubec Herald newspaper in its June 21, 1911 issue, the 100th birthday of the Town of Lubec. But however proud a Lubecker of the Town’s Centennial Celebration, that quarter was ten to twenty percent of an average day’s wages.

Festooned with electric lights, Lubec prepared Water Street, below, for the July 4th parade which simultaneously honored the Town's 100th birthday

Two days of bunting-clad celebration, on Monday and Tuesday, July 3 and 4, culminated with the pageantry of a Grand Parade at 1:30 on Independence Day, “to be formed at junction of School, Main and Church Sts.” according to the official program. However these streets, atop the hill, do not all meet at a common junction. The otherwise unidentified photo below was taken at Church and Main, and appears to be a float and car posed for the parade

Leading the parade were marshalls and the Carleton Band, followed by a Knights of Pythias Battalion U.R.K.P., "Uniform Rank Knights of Pythias," a militaristic branch of the Pythian Order. Fashioned after the Army in every respect, their titles were military, their lodges had military names and they wore special uniforms. (The U.R.K.P. was disbanded in the early 1950s). The Third Battalion was located in Calais with its Company #11 in Eastport. These were most likely the men who were in the parade in Lubec. Following the U.R.K.P. marchers were the Knights of Pythias float, Lubec Lodge Knights of Pythias, and the Pythian Sisters float.
The floats shown below remain unidentified. Click on a photo then zoom in to examine it. To add or correct information, scroll down to “Share What You Know.”

The St. Andrews Band, Frontier National Guards, Capt. Bradish were followed by the Knights of Columbus float and P. Gillis Council K. of C. The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic fraternal benefit society.
The U.S.S. Lifesaving Service came next, then rolled the Lubec firefighters proudly riding the horsedrawn pumper “Torrent,” which still exists in the Peacock Firefighting Museum as of 2010.

The I.O.R.M (Improved Order of Red Men) Band marched, followed by the Eastport High School Cadets, and as listed in the program “Float of Cobscook Tribe.”

The large Lubec crowds next enjoyed the Pocahontas float

And the Eastern Star Women on this float are identified. Click on the photo, zoom in, and read Info for their names.

Here's another view of the Eastern Star float, one of the rare Centennial photos which has surfaced taken by a person other than the professional photographer A. B. Jessaman

Historical floats were followed by the G.A.R. members who rode in carriages. The G.A.R., Grand Army of the Republican, was a fraternal organization of union Civil War veterans. The youngest would have been 60 in 1911, assuming a 14 year old fighting in 1865. Probably most in the carriages were 70 and older.
The parade ended with the Grange and “Am. Benefit” Float.
A spectator attending the parade wearing a more modestly priced lapel pin, probably sported this stickpin:

Or the least expensive, this stamped lithographed steel button with the safety pin on the rear, like those still manufactured a century later.

But whatever the economic status, it seems that everyone experienced a grand time as Lubec celebrated in Centennial.