Dunstan, Scarborough Town, Cumberland County
By Don Taylor
All of us who drive through the Dunstan area in Scarborough have seen it. The big, yellow, monster of a building at the corner of US Route One and Broadturn Road. Looking at it today it is difficult to determine what it originally was. Certainly, the Old Dunstan School building next door looks like it once was a school and the Old Southgate House a block further down the road looks like it was a large elegant house, but the big yellow building is really difficult to determine just from looking.
The Wayland – Before it burned in 1911
Back in 1888, Annie H Moulton purchased 30 acres of the property from John W. Leavitt. On that property Annie ran a restaurant named The Wayland. It was a “Scarborough Shore Dinner House.” In 1902 an adjoining lot of 27 ½ acres was purchased from Daniel Snow, making the two lots together 57 ½ acres. That original Wayland building burned to the ground in 1911.
A new Wayland was built in 1912 and began operations once again. With the new Wayland a small building was added in front which served as a waiting room for the trolley that ran along Route 1.[ii]
The Wayland – Between 1912 & 1920
In 1920, Annie H Moulton & and her husband, Alvin F. Moulton, sold those two lots and all the buildings on them to John Flaherty of Portland, who in turn sold the property to the “Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland, Inc.” (Louis S. Walsh was Bishop at the time.) The Church converted the property and on June 21, 1921, the building opened as the St. Louis Home and School for Boys. The Maine State Legislature provided $1,000 in maintenance costs to support the school in 1921, and more in later years.
The 1930 Census provides great insight into the facility. In 1930, the Saint Louis Home for Boys was run by Sister Genevieve Hayes. She was supported by two sisters, Sister Agenita Gaudette and Sister Calbanus Ridge. Although owned by the “Bishop of Portland” the facility was administered by the Sisters of Mercy. There were 55 boys living at the home during the 1930 Census[iii]. They were:
St. Louis Home and School for Boys – Note the addition on the right side of the building.
- Clyde Andrews Age 11
- Andrew Andrews Age 9
- Robert Andrews Age 7
- John Burke Age 10
- William Burke Age 7
- Arnold Barter Age 14
- Arnold Bouthellette Age 6
- Donald Cameron Age 12
- Henry Cameron Age 13
- Leo Coffee Age 10
- William Coffee Age 10
- Francis Depalma Age 8
- Chester Doyle Age 8
- Edward Doyle Age 14
- Roger Duby Age 13
- Arthur Duby Age 12
- Ernest Dumas Age 13
- Leslie Dumas Age 12
- Francis Dumas Age 7
- John Donahue Age 9
- Ernest Donahue Age 10
- Walter Donahue Age 6
- Loin Ducette Age 8
- Herbert Flynn Age 13
- Bernard Flynn Age 12
- Albert Gallant Age 11
- Albert Garneau Age 13
- Gerald Hannigan Age 5
- Patrick Lahey Age 12
- Frederick Lahey Age 9
- Timothy Lahey Age 6
- Lucian Ladrette Age 8
- Ferrand Lanrivand Age 12
- Raymond Laimey Age 10
- Francis Legasse Age 7
- Michael Marotte Age 7
- Edward Mcgahey Age 10
- Linwood Mcgahey Age 9
- Raymond Melanson Age 8
- Norman Mcleod Age 10
- Charles Mcleod Age 13
- Lawrence Mitchell Age 12
- Robert Mclaughlin Age 7
- Raymond Mclaughlin Age 6
- Edward Noonan Age 10
- Norbert Nedeau Age 9
- Howard Miner Age 7
- Robert O’Brien Age 8
- Everett Russel Age 6
- Rennie Thereanld Age 10
- John Thompson Age 8
- Richard Towle Age 10
- William Towle Age 10
- Nelson Veiga Age 10
- David Barlett Age 5
In 1935, at the request of Bishop Joseph McCarthy, the St Louis Home and School was sold by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland to the Sisters of Charity (Grey Nuns) of Lewiston.
During the ten years between 1930 and 1940, the staff went from 3 to 17 and the number of boys went from 55 to 68 in 1940. Although it was now owned by the Sisters of Charity there was a Catholic Priest there who led the Chaplain work. There were twelve reverend sisters who cared for the children. The sisters ranged from 56-year old Mother-Superior Tanerede, to the youngest sister, 23-year-old Sister Carignon. It is interesting to note that the priest was from Maine, but none of the sisters were. Nine of the sisters were from French Canada and three were from New Hampshire.
Four other adults (all women) also lived at the home. The oldest was Miss Aime Levesque, age 78 who worked for her board. There was one retired woman, Mrs. Ina Perrin, and there were two women who lived there and worked in the kitchen.
The 1940 census indicates there were 68 children living there. The oldest of the boys was 12-year-old Camille Paulin; the youngest was Donald Briseboos. All the children were born in Maine except for Two born in Italy (Matthew and Michael Troiano), two born in Vermont (Robert and Antonio Valeriani), one born in Massachusetts, and one born in Pennsylvania. The children were:
- Camille Paulin 12
- Paul Rowe 12
- James Mastro 12
- John Ross 11
- Charles Wardwell 11
- Matthew Troiano 11
- Henri Champagne 11
- Gerard Grenier 11
- Valmore Berube 11
- Bertrand Pepin 11
- Louis Levasseur 10
- Norman Ovellette 10
- Normand Lagueux 10
- Francis Brennan 10
- David Plutt 10
- Robert Valeriani 10
- Robert Champagne 10
- Normand Pinette 9
- Robert Conley 9
- Leo Marston 9
- Montfort Duellette 9
- Arthur Wardwell 9
- Antonio Valeriani 9
- Louis Baudone 9
- Russell Heath 9
- Romeo Comeau 9
- Rene Paradis 9
- William Hellbergh 9
- Resinald Adam 9
- Philip Roy 8
- Joseph Jieaney 8
- Robert Wheeler 8
- Robert Methot 8
- Raymund Duellette 8
- Emery Berube 8
- William Thibodeau 8
- Thomas Carey 7
- Francis Troiano 7
- Osila Plutt 7
- Arthur Poulin 7
- Raymond Hubert 7
- Maurice Thibodeau 7
- Leonard Cassiday 7
- David Laplante 7
- Walter Powers 7
- William Morin 7
- Vincent Lapomardo 6
- John Lewis Foley 6
- Anthony Henry 6
- Roger Poolin 6
- Maurice Methot 6
- Albert Beaudoin 6
- Richard Loveitt 6
- James Shaw 6
- William Mains 6
- Michael Troiano 5
- Richard Tierney 5
- Lewis Augustus Heath 5
- Robert Fletcher 5
- James Hannewell 5
- Roger Peyin 5
- Norman Shaw 5
- David Mains 5
- Raymond Desrosiers 4
- Richard Farnham 3
- Donald Brisebors 3
- Wayne Mains 3
The Sisters of Mercy began to accept girls as well as boys and the facility changed its name to the Saint Louis Home for Boys and Girls.
In 1971 the Sisters shifted their services to childcare and shortly after the facility became a part of Catholic Charities Maine[iv].
The Sisters of Charity (Grey Nuns) of Lewiston eventually sold the land and buildings to another organization called “The Bible Speaks” who provided the headquarters for a radio evangelist.[v] They in turn had to sell the property when they were involved in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit.[vi]
Today, the building it is “Dunstan Corner” A shopping and office complex. It includes businesses such as:
-
Dunstan Corner Today
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Eric Krantz, LCSW – Children, Individual, Marriage & Family Counseling Services
- Gail Ann Fabric – Bosal Foam
- Jack Burke, LMFT – Marriage & Family Therapy
- Jackson Hewitt – Tax Service
- Mary Menard, L.A.D.C – A Satellite of Recovery Associates, Inc.
- MEND – Health & Wellness of Maine
- Nail Pro
- Progress Sharing Company – Personal, Business, Live, Health & Group Plans
- Scarborough Hollow Clock Works – Clock Repair
- The Abby – Catholic Books, Gifts, Cards, Music
- VitaminSea – Maine Sea Vegetables
- We’re Styling – Family Salon
Now I know, the Dunstan Corner building was once a restaurant, The Wayland, then became a Catholic Home for Boys, later a Home and School for Boys and Girls, the headquarters for “Bible Speaks.” Since its reconstruction in 1912, it had many additions that has made it the multi-purpose building it is today.
ENDNOTES
[ii] Maine Memory Network | Wayland House, Scarborough, ca. 1912 Accessed 10/2/2017 – https://www.mainememory.net/artifact/29400.
[iii] “United States Census, 1930,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XM85-J9W : accessed 21 November 2017), The household of Sister Genevieve Hayes, Scarborough, Cumberland, , United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 89, sheet 7A, line 4, family 127, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 831; FHL microfilm 2,340,566.
[iv] Internet: Catholic Charities – /about/history – “History of Catholic Charities Maine” https://www.ccmaine.org/about/history Accessed 10/2/2017.
[v] Scarborough Leader July 23,1999 – Page 18.
[vi] “The Current” February 6, 2003
[vii] Scarborough Leader July 16, 1999 Page 15
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