The H.B. Emery, Jr. Memorial Elementary School is turning fifty this year! Students and teachers throughout our school have gone back to the past to see what life was like 50 years ago. Our fourth grade class wanted to know more about H. B. Emery, Jr. Who was he? Why was our school named after him? What does the B. stand for? Why was this person so famous? Who knew Harold B. Emery Jr.? We needed to find sources of information. We talked to some people who were classmates of H.B. Emery Jr. We talked to people who knew and admired him. We talked to some of his relatives. We toured Limington Village to see where he lived and played. We looked at photographs and newspaper articles. We talked to one of his best friends.

We have come to know this young man very well. Everyone called him "Junior" or "Bub." Junior was such a friendly person! He got along with everyone and everyone who knew him liked him. Junior had a serious side, but was also full of fun and laughter. He was a hard working child and student who did well in school. He was athletic and enjoyed different sports. He was honest and admired by everyone. Junior was a truly superior person throughout his life. We wrote about what we learned and published it all in a book. Now we will share our learning with you on these web pages.

       

The Emery family was an interesting Limington family. To begin with, Junior's grandparents were Charles and Addie Emery. They had a son and named him Harold Benjamin Emery. Everyone called him "Had." Harold had a girlfriend named Gladys who grew up in Limington. He would go to her house and throw pebbles at her window to get her attention. He would sit on a bench beneath her window and talk to her. When Gladys and Harold became of age they got married.

Had and Gladys had two boys. Edwin Black Emery was the oldest. He was born in 1921. Three years later in 1924 they had their second son and named him Harold Benjamin Emery, Jr. As they grew up they looked very different from each other. Edwin was shorter, square-built, with dark hair. Junior was taller, thin, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was very handsome! Harold was called "Junior" or "Bub."

They were different in other ways, too. Had Emery would say with a grin, "Those two boys are no more alike than chalk and cheese!" Edwin was very direct. Junior would think things through. Had would then tell the "cookie" story to show the differences between his sons. One day the family cook was baking molasses cookies. Edwin went into the kitchen and tried to take a cookie.

The cook slapped him on the wrist and sent him out! When Junior went in he sniffed the air and said, "Oooo, those molasses cookies sure smell good!" Then he did the work that he had come in for. On the way out the cook gave him three cookies! Junior didn't grab - he complimented, and got what he wanted!

Bub's father Had took over running the Emery Store. He was a respected citizen in town. He even ran for Congress but did not win. Had became the Chairman of the Maine State Liquor Commission. Bub's mother was a language teacher at Limington Academy. The whole family was well-known and liked.

The Emery family lived in the big house next to the Davis Memorial Library on Route 11 in Limington Village. Everything they needed was nearby: the Congregational Church, the doctor, Town Hall, the Grange, the store and post office, and the schools. Huge elm trees grew all around. The McArthur apple orchard was right across the street. Junior and his best friend Ginny Sawyer could shout to each other from their front steps! Junior and his friends had many fun days together in and around their beautiful village.

Junior was a very down-to-earth boy. He was honest and hard working. He was also full of fun! People looked up

       

Near the corner of Limington Village is a library. Next to the library is the Emery family's home. Next to that home was the Emery Store. It was started by Charles Emery who was Junior's grandfather. Junior's father Had ran the store while Junior was growing up. The post office was in the store! People could buy things while they got their mail! The store served ice cream and soda. Ice cream cost only one nickel and was sold only in the summer. Kids would beg for a nickel from their moms to buy an ice cream! The store sold cigars. There was food and medicine for both people and animals. You didn't help yourself to the things you wanted to buy. You would tell the storekeeper what you wanted and he or she would get it for you! You would have to bring jars or containers to fill with some of your foods. For example, vinegar, molasses, salt pork, sugar, and sometimes crackers were in barrels. There was a big wheel of "rat trap" cheese. If you wanted some you would slice off a piece! A big jar filled with sour pickles stood on the counter. Bread, desserts, and cereal were sold. Coca Cola was kept in a cooler with other sodas like orange, root beer, Moxie, birch beer, grape, lemon-lime and strawberry. There were lots of flavors to choose from! Candy was not wrapped. It was in bushel baskets tilted forward so customers could reach in and pick out what they wanted. Lollipops, Tootsie Rolls, and Squirrel Bars (full of nuts!) were favorite candy treats. School kids used to walk to the Emery Store during lunchtime or after school to buy treats! What a way to end a day of school! There were gasoline pumps out in front of the store for automobiles. The Emerys sold the store when they moved to Augusta. Later, the store burned down. The home and library are still standing right there in Limington Village!

       

Junior was full of fun! He and his friends liked to do many things with their free time. The boys had fun with school sports like track, basketball, and baseball. The kids liked to watch movies in Cornish and Limerick. They were small theaters, though! Sometimes Junior and his friends would have picnics. They played games like marbles, jumprope, hide-and-seek, and tag. Those are games that kids play now, too! Fishing was a fun thing to do. There was good fishing in Horne Pond and the Saco River. Swimming at Horne Pond was popular, too. On a hot day you could do both!

Some people formed a Community Club for Limington. They organized fun things to do in town. A fun thing that they did was play Bingo. You could choose prizes like a cookie jar or other things. They also held dances. Musicians would play or they would play records. There might be a music recital for people who played instruments. Most of these events were held at the Town Hall.

There were many farms in the community. Kids had to do chores on their farms, which took a lot of their time! That's why many young people who started high school dropped out - to work on their farms or become mechanics. Junior helped out in his father's store. Kids were very hard working in those days. To get from one place to another in Limington folks would usually walk or get a car ride. One day Junior had an appendicitis attack. (That's when something goes haywire with your appendix and gives you lots of pain!) There were not many cars around at that time. Ned Lord's dad had a Studebaker (old-fashioned car). He rushed Junior to the Maine General Hospital (now called Maine Medical Center). It took only thirty-five minutes to get there from Limington! Today it would take about an hour!

                       

       

This story is written on 4 web pages. Continue on to Page 2