County Ag Report - Life on an Easton Farm in the ‘40s and ‘50s

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) -

Clifton Hammond Senior of Easton started documenting video footage of the family farm and surrounding Aroostook County farming community back in the ‘40s. His son Clif Eugene Hammond played a large part in compiling and preserving his father’s passion.

“Somewhere around 1949, it was before the end of the War -- he bought a Keystone Camera, 16mm. It was used when he bought it. And he began to take all kinds of videos.”

Clif remembers his dad always having the camera on hand, to capture everyday life on the farm and in the County.

“He kept the camera in the car -- kept the camera at all times in the car, and was quick to jump out when there was something to see. One of the video segments has a farm, a potato house fire. And so he jumped out and shot the fire. He was always there with the camera. You didn’t carry them in your pocket. It’s a pretty good size.”

The film clips span two hours in length and are a testament to the labor of love shared by both Clif and his father.

“If you can imagine having 40, 50 rolls of film that he cut individual strips of segments -- maybe only 5-foot of film. And then he would tape a note on the end of it, as to what it was -- stretch it across the card table, and try to organize these and then put them back together. He just got confused. By the time I got them, they were in no order whatsoever. Fortunately, you know you get it on video -- you get it on digital, now you can move things around and keep track of them a lot easier. Which is what I did here I a few years ago.”

The film footage speaks to the life and values of County folks, and thanks to the Hammond family are images and memories we can all cherish for years to come!

Brian Bouchard, NEWSSOURCE 8.

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