A View of the Town: Episode 12 -- Oak Leaf House

Welcome to A View of the Town, the adventures of Dr. Willis Fletcher in a small coastal town in Maine. Offering tidbits of local color and the lay of the land, we now return to Dr. Fletcher and the sleepy seaport of Misty Cove.

This episode of A View of the Town is brought to you by Larry. Hairy Larry isn't scary but he also picks the bestest berries.  Larry lived in Misty Cove, Maine, but now he's totally insane. Larry.

Many of the stories I heard about Misty Cove came from the locals. Legends, lore, mysteries, and simple tales.  I learned much about my new home during my first years in town.  No one has ever written a history of Misty Cove which is too bad since it could fill volumes.  Thus came the beginnings of these episodes.

I remember a brisk November morning walking around town.  The leaves lingered for just an extra day it seemed and they had yet to fall.  Mrs. Maguire's house always had the best leaves.  Burnt orange, flaming red, and brilliant yellow.  All from her oaks and maples.  In fact, Mrs. Maguire's house had been named Oak Leaf House by its original builder.  A shipbuilder named Ephraim Fitzribbons had the Greek-revival style house built in 1853 for his family -- his wife, two sons, and two daughters.  Hw donated his previous house to the local charity to use for orphans, widows, and retired sailors.

No one else in Misty Cove was more blessed with luck than the Fitzribbons family.  In fact, the most sweetest but saddest story I ever heard about them took place at Christmas in 1867.  The youngest daughter, Betsy, was bright for a twelve year old.  She was known for her generosity, kindness and her bright eyes.  That Christmas of 1867, the local orphanage housed six children, ages 3 to 10.  Two were there because their mother had died and their father was at sea.  The other four came another town with no orphanage.  

Betsy begged her parents to bring the orphans to their house for Christmas.  Her parents agreed and within the hour the children found themselves in the front parlor of  Oak Leaf House.  Betsy insisted that she entertain them.  Puppet shows, singing, short plays, and games filled the evening.  Then as the old poem goes, "they all settled down for a long winter's nap." The next morning, Betsy has surprised the children with presents of old toys from her and her siblings.  That was the sweet part.

Now the sad part of the story was scarlet fever.  After Christmas, Betsy developed a serious case of it.  The orphans were immediately sent away.  Only one of the children also developed the sickness and sadly died as a result. Dr. Marsh, my predecessor in town, did not know if she would survive. Hours passed as the reddish rash and fever took their toll on her little body.  The whole town prayed for her to get well and like a miracle it happened.  On New Year's Eve.  At the final stroke of twelve, little Betsy Fitzribbons' fever broke and she awoke.  It was not a Christmas miracle, but a bright and shiny New Year's miracle.

Betsy Fitzribbons would go onto marry Milo Maguire, local minster, and proceeded to take care of any orphans in Misty Cove.  She inherited Oak Leaf House and turned it into an orphanage. In 1922, she just celebrated her 55th birthday with the biggest party that Misty Cove had ever seen. That was also the same year the Oak Leaf House found itself with a visitor.  A ghostly visitor.  But that's another story...

Join us again next time, when Dr. Fletcher spins another tale about Mystic Cove, a small port in Maine, and it residents.

This episode of A View of the Town is brought to you by Larry.  He once said that blueberries are best, but that was before someone shot his wooden chest just to get his best vest that he wore to pick the bestest blueberries.  Larry.

CSM