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LockedOutOfElfland OP t1_j9cse4p wrote

Reply to comment by freeski919 in Historical question: commuting and town layouts pre-automobile? by LockedOutOfElfland

What about social spaces in town, like theatres or pubs?

Also, what would commuting between towns or cities have been like pre-railroad?

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freeski919 t1_j9cuxai wrote

Theaters were usually in larger towns and cities, like Ellsworth, Bangor, etc. So they were magnets that drew people from in and out of town.

Pubs relied on a mix of village residents, outlying folks on their occasional visit to the village, and travelers. Many pubs were inside, or near inns or boarding houses... Which in turn would be near the train station.

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Alternative-Crab-663 t1_j9f02i5 wrote

Not sure that’s entirely accurate. Small towns like Dexter and Dover-Foxcroft as well as Bucksport had, and some still have, theaters to this day.

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freeski919 t1_j9f13rq wrote

As I said, usually. There are exceptions to every statement.

That being said, Dover-Foxcroft is the county seat in Piscataquis, which draws people there.

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arclight222 t1_j9d2oot wrote

Pubs? Remember Maine had prolonged Prohibition. From 1851 to 1934 the manufacture and sale of alcohol in the state was completely banned. Either you made hard cider or distilled on your farm or you were friends with a Canadian, but no one was riding down to the pub for pints.

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LockedOutOfElfland OP t1_j9d6kwo wrote

What were other social spaces in Maine towns (not counting churches) at the time? Were there cafes and bakeries that people used as gathering spaces, for example?

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derpingandlurking t1_j9diuz6 wrote

Grange halls, mason halls, K of P/C, all sorts of social places, church, lots of town festivals etc

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200Dachshunds t1_j9ezpkp wrote

frankly, it was mostly churches. They were often the largest building with the largest comfortable enclosed gathering space in town, so not only would they be used for church services but also dances, dinners, voting, town meetings, private parties, etc. Church wasn't the 'statement' then that it is today. You went to church because everybody else went to church, and church served an incredibly important social bonding function.

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LockedOutOfElfland OP t1_j9ezxwf wrote

So there was nowhere else a person would have stopped at during non-work hours for a beverage, a prepared meal, or a snack plus conversation with whatever neighbors or out of town visitors they ran into?

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200Dachshunds t1_j9f5pjf wrote

Depends on how small a town you’re talking. For many people up to the age of attainable automobiles, the only place close enough to go to hang out during the very few hours you weren’t working on your land was the neighbor’s. Once a week you’d hook up your horse, put on your Sunday best, and go the three-five miles to church. Every couple weeks or once a month you’d hook up your horse and wagon and ride the 10-20 miles to a bigger town to buy the things you couldn’t grow/make/mend. Once a year you might take a train to the ‘big city’ of Bangor or Portland.

It would be different if you lived IN one of the middling or larger towns, but my dad grew up near Machias in the 50s and this was his schedule until he left for college. Most farming families would have it the same.

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BracedRhombus t1_j9goxmt wrote

Social spaces included the church, and most towns had at least one church. You knew you'd see everyone then, and could socialize a bit before going home. There would be Saturday night dances held in the <insert men's club here> Hall. The Grange was especially important, in those agrarian times.

In the summer, a Chautauqua might come to town. You could attend lectures, see clean vaudeville acts, listen to music.

Or, a traveling circus could set up.

Commuting pre-railroad meant walking, or horses, over rough roads. Towns that bordered lakes and rivers would have steam boats. Coastal towns would have sailing ships.

But there were no social spaces as you envision them today in small towns. Men would hang out at the general store, perhaps.

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