Bright Dreams of Electrically operated Homes Soon To Become Reality
BRIEF HISTORY OF NEW PATTEN CO-OP
Original 12 Signers Has Grown to Include 164 Stock-
holders; Several Bangor Contractors Now Wiring Homes
The Farm-Home Electric Cooperative, Incorporated, was incorporated by a representative body of men and women in the following communi- ties: Patten, Island Falls, Silver Ridge Plantation, Stacyville, Moro, Hersey, Merrill, Crystal, and Sherman, for the purpose of bringing elec-trical energy to the rural communities mentioned above. The first meet- ing of the signers of the articles of agreement of Farm-Home Electric Cooperative, Incorporated, was held Nov. 29, 1938, at the town hall in Patten.
he original signers were Howard Wood, Zenas L. Harvey, John A. Elliott, Colby Estabrook, Irvin Bates, Thomas B. Drew, Orlando J. Patterson, Joseph L. Bushey, Her- bert L. Campbell, George W. Morse, Raymond C. Morgan, and Frederick L. Quint.
At this meeting John A. Elliott was elected president; Irvin I. Bates, vice president; Frederick L. Quint, clerk, and Thomas B. Drew, treasurer.
On May 10, 1939, the following people were taken into the co-operative and were issued one share of stock: Robert L. Anderson, Gordon E. Astle, Irvin Bates, William F. Blake, Roy E. Bouchard, Nellie F. Boynton, E. M. Bradstreet, Joseph Burke, Joseph L. Bushey, Basil Campbell, Herbert Campbell, William A. Conroy, Daniel A. Cox, E. Ray Cummings, John J. Cummings, Scott F. Davis, Claud D. Desmond, Samuel Dickinson, Thomas B. Drew, John A. Elliott, Colby Estabrook, Ruth Estabrook, Sandy Giggey, Leland F. Glidden, Henry H. Gormley, George A. Guptill, Harry Hall, J. R. Harvey, Zenas L. Harvey, Freeland Humphrey, John Horsman, Benjamin E. Ingalls, Arthur Ingraham, Henry L. Kelly, Warren C. Kennedy, Harry A. Little. Lionel B. Lord. Havelock H. Lyndo, Isaac J. Mahon, David Monteith
Raymond Morgan, George Morse, John A. McDonald, Levi E. McDonald, J. Bernard McEvoy, Wallace H. McKenney, Lloyd L. Mc- Kinney, Frank T. McNally, Harvey H. McNally, John McNally, Halbert Clay Noyes, J. Fred Noyes, Orville Frederick Noyes, Ivan O'Hara, John. A. Osnoe, James T. Palmer, Orlando J. Patterson, Charles Peavey, George A. Peavey, Paul Perkins, Roy Prescott, Lewis H. Qualey, Fred L. Quint, Henry Erwin Rigby, Judson H. Rigby, William A. Rickards, Cecil Robinson, Jackman L. Sleeper, Jennie Shonfeld, Amos H. Steen, Gertrude M. Steen, George W. Ter- rio, Alfred M. Violette, Everett B. Waters, Calvin M. and Clarence J. Webb, Mrs. Mary Welton, Ensley P. Wheaton, James M. Whelan, Avon R. Willett, Charles L. Winship, How- ard Wood, and Rubenia M. Young.
LOAN AUTHORIZED
Nov. 21, 1939, a meeting of the stockholders was held in Patten to authorize the board of directors to borrow from the United States of America from time to time, not exceeding in the aggregate one million and a half dollars in such amounts and upon such terms as the board of directors shall deem advisable to finance the construction, acquisi- tion and operation of such electric generating, transmission, distribu- tion, and service facilities as the board of directors shall from time to time determine, and the board of directors is, further, authorized to choose the proper officers on behalf of the cooperative from time to time to execute, seal, and deliver any and all notes, bonds, or other evidence of indebtedness to evidence indebtedness created thereby and to refund notes, bonds, or other evidences of indebtedness upon such terms as the board of directors shall determine.
The board of directors executed their first note for $127,000 for the starting of construction and authorized an additional loan of $5,000 for installation purposes available to rural homeowners to finance wiring and plumbing. John T. Quinn. of Bangor was named as counsel for the project; J. Norman Mullen. of Houlton, project engineer, and James G. McLeod, as superintendent.
CONTRACT AWARDED
On Nov. 28 the bids were open for Che construction of the line. The low bid of $69,236.18 by Day and Zimmerman of Philadelphia was accepted. This was approximately 5660 per mile, which is one of the