Every so often, I make it a point to circle back to subjects appearing in earlier Salt ’n Spar columns sharing comments from readers. Kevin Burnham, managing editor of the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper, recently passed along two interesting ones, unique in that they concerned columns I’d written 10 years ago.

One came from a reader in Aiken, South Carolina, a small college town in the southwestern part of the state. The community has something in common with Wiscasset in that U.S. Route One runs through it, and likewise it serves as the county seat.

“My wife and I are planning a visit to your area in mid-August,” wrote Larry Hutto in his email. “I sent this first to Phil Di Vece's (old) address from a story he did 10 years ago about the Wiscasset Powder House. My ancestor Nehemiah Somes was the mason who built the powder house.”

According to his research, Mr. Hutto continued, Nehemiah Somes and his wife Hannah were interred at Evergreen Cemetery in Wiscasset. He said he hoped to visit the Powder House and the Somes grave site on his way to Boothbay Harbor in mid-August. “Do you know of any map of the cemetery that would help me locate their graves?” he concluded.

I remembered including a reference to Nehemiah Somes when I’d written the story about Wiscasset’s Powder House. It appeared on the newspaper website Aug. 9, 2016. Later, I’d included the story within “The Wiscasset Town Crier," a collection of my columns I published. Nehemiah Somes was a master mason whose craftsmanship can be found in a number of the area’s historic homes. I knew Steve Christensen of Wiscasset would know exactly where the Somes cemetery plot was located and so I telephoned him. Steve, a member of the town’s public works department, has spent many summers taking care of Wiscasset’s cemeteries, work that’s included repairing many of the older memorial stones. Steve was kind enough to pass along directions to me that I could pass along to Mr. Hutto.

The Powder House was built during the War of 1812 for the storage of gunpowder and ammunition the town fathers had purchased for the militia. It’s one of Maine’s three surviving powder magazines from that era; the others are in the communities of Hallowell and Buxton. Wiscasset’s powder magazine is the most unique of them because it’s the only one that’s round – the others are simply square brick buildings. (No, I don’t know why the builders of Wiscasset’s Powder House chose to make it circular; I’m sure they must have had a good reason.) Following Steve’s directions I found the weathered gravestone that Nehemiah Somes shares with his wife Hannah. I took a picture of it and sent it to Mr. Hutto. “Graves of Nehemiah Somes and his wife Hannah are located at Green Lawn Cemetery off Hodge Street, Wiscasset,” I wrote back. “Both died at the age 80. The grave can be found in Row 1 on the western most side of the grounds, next to Judge Bailey’s gravestone. The stone is pretty worn, but readable; granite I believe. The husband outlived his wife by about 5 months.”

Wiscasset’s Powder House can be found on a small hill overlooking Churchill Street. Eight thousand bricks were used to build it. The bricks were made locally in Alna at Henry Cargill’s brickworks. Cargill was paid $48 for the bricks that sold for $6 a thousand! Along with the brickwork, Nehemiah Somes was also hired to do the interior plaster work. The Powder House has no windows and its heavy plank door is kept locked to keep out curiosity seekers. If you could look inside you’d see a small wooden loft, accessible by ladder.  The loft provided additional storage. As I recall the original deed states the building may be accessed from anywhere along Churchill Street. The granite header with the 1813 date inscribed in it was added when the Wiscasset Fire Society restored the building in 1905.

Next is a bit of unfinished business related to my recent column about the former Dodge Inn Restaurant on Davis Island in North Edgecomb. The story struck a nostalgic chord with many our readers, bringing back fond memories of the “good ol’ days."  After the column was published, I came across another vintage postcard featuring the restaurant's dining room where diners could enjoy a lobster dinner — complete with corn on the cob, coleslaw and a buttered roll for $3. Just the other day Mrs. Di Vece and I thought we'd gotten a bargain when we shared a similar lobster dinner and paid $45. 

In April an email arrived from Scot H. Dahms of Kokomo, Indiana. Mr. Dahms as I learned is a noted author of non-fiction books and historical articles on fur trapping, famous mountain men and trappers. According to his website he “grew up trapping, hunting and fishing near Rudd, Iowa, population of 500.” After graduating from Iowa State University at Ames with a bachelor’s degree in fisheries and wildlife biology, Mr. Dahms later earned a master’s of science in earth science at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. He had been doing some research for a book and emailed the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper seeking permission to use information on a story I’d written featuring Oscar Cronk of Wiscasset titled: “Oscar Cronk still learning and loving the outdoor life – Celebrating 50 years of making deer hunting and trapping scents”.

I wasn’t surprised by the email; Oscar Cronk’s skill at manufacturing wildlife scents and lures had gained him recognition far beyond Maine and New England. This story had been published in the newspaper in May, 2015 and featured a picture of Oscar Cronk in his shop, Cronk’s Outdoor Supplies located in a cabin alongside his Route 27 home. As I recall, Oscar was nearing his 85th birthday when I interviewed him. A deeply religious man, Oscar loved and respected the outdoors. He departed this earthly life a little over a year ago on May 21, 2025. He was 94.

I'll close by saying, it's always a pleasure for me to hear from our readers from near and far away.

Phil Di Vece earned a B.A. in Journalism studies from Colorado State University and a M.A. in journalism at the University of South Florida. He is the author of three Wiscasset books and is a frequent news contributor to the Boothbay Register-Wiscasset Newspaper. He can be contacted by contacting the newspaper.

Phil Di Vece earned a B.A. in Journalism studies from Colorado State University and a M.A. in journalism at the University of South Florida. He is the author of three Wiscasset books and is a frequent news contributor to the Boothbay Register-Wiscasset Newspaper. He can be contacted by contacting the newspaper.