Father Jim Clark, a Roman Catholic minister from Rockland, Massachusetts had originally intended to bring his Youth Ministry group to Rockland, Maine, planning to stay, however, out on quieter, more remote, Vinalhaven. After calling several congregations and agencies throughout the coastal area, he could not find an organization or project that could put his 21 teens to good use. With the trip already planned, he placed a call to the Vinalhaven Land Trust who informed him that Bodine Ames always had a community project up her sleeve.
Coincidentally, at the time of Father Clark’s call, Ames had a huge project going: nothing less than the total restoration of the town’s Old Fire Hall. Originally built in 1888 to house the town’s first steam fire engine, known as the “Reuben Carver,” the building (which is under consideration for listing in the National Register of Historic Places) was now falling into grave disrepair. According to Ames, the building is one of the most loved and photographed in town due to its location in the heart of Main Street, and the fact that it still houses “Old Rueben” and its original firefighting ladders and equipment. The building is also storage for the tents, awnings, cotton candy machine, etc., for Vinalhaven’s traditional Fourth of July celebration, as well as being home to the town’s food pantry program and the site for community classes and meetings.
Explained Ames, “I looked at the Old Fire Hall in early spring and thought, ‘Oh God, it’s going downhill fast.’ The furnace had died and the pipes had broken. There was no heat, no water or plumbing, and the veterinarian who comes to the island and works out of the Fire Hall would be homeless. I went to Town Meeting and asked the voters for a new furnace. After that, I went to the town manager and asked if the proceeds from the Fourth of July white elephant booth could be used to repair the broken pipes. That whole process, from gathering and pricing items for the booth, to rounding up a plumber and workers from the town water district, took weeks and weeks…. After I had it all in motion I thought, ‘now what am I going to do?’ When Father Clark called, I thought, ‘this is either a very bad joke, or a gift from God.'”
Father Clark’s group is part of a national youth ministry program established in 1985. Every summer for one week, high school teens, using their own personal funds, do outreach and community service in remote locations. For their six days of service on Vinalhaven, with socked-in fog interspersed with drizzling rain, the youth cleared debris from around the Fire Hall foundation, replaced rotten sills and clapboards, scraped and painted all but one quarter of the building. Heavy rains on Saturday prevented the group from finishing portions of the second floor, the cupola, and painting the trim work around doors and windows.
As in any small town, not much goes unnoticed, especially a group of young people up ladders, on the roof, in the rain, on Main Street. It was not long after the youth group arrived that community members were asking how they could help. Island carpenters and craftsmen were soon donating ladders and equipment, helping with the more difficult carpentry, and refurbishing the “Engine House” sign. More work still needs to be done, and Father Clark’s group is talking of returning next summer to help with the Fire House and other town projects.
According to Clark, Vinalhaven was “a great experience for these kids – this kind of life is not what occurs to an average teenager. They are still telling stories about the quarries, the lady at the Pizza Pit who sent out a raft of pizza, the thank yous they received from so many people passing by, the donated t-shirts… They are especially witnessing about Bodine, how she lives her life for others, her activism on behalf of the town she loves so much. According to the kids, Bodine is ‘the bomb!'”
“The Little Beauty”
Reprinted for the Vinalhaven Historical Society from Fish Scales and Stone Chips by Sidney L. Winslow, is an account of Old Reuben’s inauguration day and subsequent career:
“The day on which the new engine gave an exhibition of her prowess was one of such moment, that all business was halted during the grand display and once again the whole town turned out to watch ‘the little beauty’ do her stuff. In this they were not disappointed, for she certainly did herself proud, as she continued to do during her entire career.
“She was stationed at the wharf, near where Creed’s Garage now stands, with a line of hose stretched up over Carver’s Hill as far as the town hall. How the people cheered as the stream of water projected up over town hall and all felt that she had justified all the claims made by her sponsors.
“A suitable engine house to accommodate both the engine and fire company had also been erected just prior to the engine’s arrival, a building which serves the same purpose today.
“Vinalhaven’s fire fighting equipment has undergone many changes in passing years. Our good old friend and formidable warrior the “Reuben Carver” has been placed in the discard, but with high honors. She had to be abandoned because of our inability to obtain the necessary parts for repairing. However, she will always be retained in the Engine House in memory of her past and brilliant performances.”
Thanks to the efforts of Ames, Father Clark and his youth group, and the Vinalhaven community, it looks as if that promise will hold true for a good while longer.