Charles Moulton was born in 1801, the eldest son of Captain Joshua Moulton (1775–1855) and Lydia Stone (1780–1872). Charles married Hannah Meserve (b. 1806), and together they raised a large family of eight children:
John B. (b. between 1831-1832)*,
Lydia M. (b. 1833),
Esther J. (1835–1908),
Mathias M. (1839–between 1903-1920)*,
Olive (1842–1926),
Charles (1844–1932),
Liberty (1848–1923), and
Fanny (b. 1851).
His son Mathias M. Moulton married Rose Ann Bean, and their son Willis Bean Moulton (1877–1934) married Jean S. Moulton. This cabinet card portrait, photographed by Conaut, was taken sometime between 1876 and 1891, capturing Charles in his later years. He lived to the remarkable age of 90, passing away in 1891.
Students and teacher at Coal Kiln Corners School, Scarborough, Maine, circa 1920. Note the early touring automobile at left.
I recently reviewed a photo of the North Scarborough School (Coal Kiln Corners School) from about 1920. It was quite a plain building; it had two entrances, one for boys and one for girls. Today, I am reviewing a photo of the same school from 1922. It is quite different. It has a single entrance with a portico. The windows along the side of the building changed from three separate to five adjoining windows. Also, Superintendent F. H. B. Heald is in the photo. I had never seen Superintendent Heald in an outside class photo before, so I wondered what was going on with the school that it would have so many changes, and Mr. Heald would be there.
Town reports are often a goldmine of information. Sure enough, in the 1920 Town Report, Superintendent Heald reported that the State Department of Education established a new program for the “Standardization and Beautification of Elementary Buildings.” None of the Scarborough schools met the new standards. Being the smallest of the schools, North Scarborough would be the first brought up to the new standards “in the matters of heating, lighting, ventilation, and toilet facilities. The 1922 report stated that standardization work at the North Scarborough school was completed, and the expenditures totaled $640.58 (about $12,585 in today’s dollars).
North Scarborough School students and Superintendent F. H. B. Heald, 1922. The recently renovated schoolhouse, now featuring a single entrance with portico and new bank of windows.
I’m sure that Superintendent Heald was at this photo event because North Scarborough was the first school to undergo the standardization.
In October 1995, Lena (Dow) Bachelder provided the identifications for most of the individuals.
I was recently asked, “When did Scarborough made the transition from local solar time to mean time?“
When the Eastern Railroad reached Scarborough in 1842, it did more than connect the town to Portland and Boston—it quietly introduced a new way of thinking about time.
Before the Railroad: Scarborough Kept Its Own Time
Prior to rail service, Scarborough—like most Maine communities—operated on local solar time. Noon was when the sun stood highest over the town. Because Scarborough lies slightly east of Portland and west of towns further down the coast, its “true noon” differed by a few minutes from its neighbors.
For farmers, merchants, and schoolchildren, this variation posed little difficulty. Life followed daylight, not the clock.
The Railroad Arrives: A Different Kind of Precision
Railroads required something Scarborough had never needed before – exact, uniform timekeeping.
The Eastern Railroad operated on a standardized schedule tied to a central reference time — Typically Boston time in its early years. This created an immediate disconnect:
Train crews—conductors, engineers, and station agents—carried railroad-regulated watches, often checked against a master clock at major terminals.
Stations displayed time that matched the railroad schedule, not necessarily the sun overhead.
Local residents, however, still lived by solar time—at least initially.
How Railroad Crews Kept Time
Railroad personnel followed strict protocols to maintain accuracy:
Conductors used precision pocket watches, regularly inspected and synchronized.
Telegraph systems allowed dispatchers to communicate time signals along the line.
Schedules were written in a single, consistent time standard, eliminating ambiguity for train movements.
This system ensured that trains passing through Scarborough did so safely and predictably, even if the town’s clock disagreed by several minutes.
A Town Between Two Times
For decades after 1842, Scarborough effectively lived with two parallel time systems:
Activity
Time Standard Used
Farming, household routines
Local solar time
Church services, schools (initially)
Local solar time
Train departures and arrivals
Railroad (standardized) time
Commerce tied to rail shipments
Increasingly railroad time
This dual system could be confusing. A resident might be told a train departed at “10:15,” but unless they knew whether that meant local or railroad time, they could easily miss it.
Gradually, however, the influence of the railroad began to dominate. Businesses, post offices, and eventually schools aligned their clocks with train schedules for practicality.
The Turning Point: Standard Time in 1883
The confusion persisted across the country until November 18, 1883, when railroads collectively adopted standardized time zones. Scarborough fell into the Eastern Time Zone, aligning its clocks with a regional standard rather than purely local solar time.
Newspapers helped explain the transition, as towns reset their clocks. Sometimes towns experienced “two noons” in a single day.
What It Meant for Scarborough Residents
By the late 19th century, the change had fully reshaped daily life:
Train travel became reliable, with clear, consistent schedules.
Local institutions synchronized, reducing confusion.
Personal timekeeping shifted, as residents adopted standardized clocks and watches.
What began in 1842 as a practical necessity for railroad crews gradually transformed how every resident of Scarborough experienced time.
Why It Matters
The arrival of the Eastern Railroad did not immediately change how Scarborough told time—but it introduced the need for change. Over the following decades, the discipline of railroad scheduling replaced the flexibility of solar time, linking the town to a broader regional and national system.
In this way, the railroad did more than move people and goods—it synchronized Scarborough with the modern world. Today, as you walk along the Eastern Trail, the path the Portland, Saco and Portsmouth Railroad followed in 1842, (and was bought by the Eastern Railroad in 1872) think about how our relationship with time has changed, all because of the railroads.
Note: an abbreviated form of this article was first published in the May/June 2026 issue of Owascoag Notes.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly for editorial review and copyediting.
Scarborough, Maine – Circa 1920 SHS Photo Collection #2014.17.02 By Don Taylor
The Scarborough Historical Society holds many photographs of Scarborough’s early schools. These images preserve not only the buildings but also the students and teachers who formed the heart of those rural communities. This photograph, taken of the “Coal Kiln Corners School,”[i] provides a valuable glimpse into education in early 20th-century Scarborough.
The Photograph
This image shows a group of approximately twenty students posed with their teacher in front of the Coal Kiln Corners Schoolhouse. The building is a modest one-room structure set among tall pine trees.
To the left of the school stands an early automobile, likely an open touring car.
Description
Image Type: Group photograph (students and teacher), outdoor setting
Location: Coal Kiln Corners School[i], Scarborough, Maine
Composition:
Teacher and older students standing in the rear
Younger students seated and kneeling in front
Notable Feature: Early automobile parked to the left of the schoolhouse
Dating the Photograph
Careful analysis of both clothing and the automobile provides a reliable date estimate.
Automobile Evidence
The vehicle appears to be an open touring car, consistent with cars between 1915 and the early 1920s.
Clothing Evidence – Teacher and Older Girls
High-necked blouses and modest dresses
Natural waistlines (not dropped)
Hair worn up or pinned back
Younger Children
Knee-length dresses, pinafores, and long stockings
Boys wearing knickers and collared shirts
Interpretation
Absence of bobbed hairstyles (common after ~1923)
Prevalence of traditional, high-waisted garments
Touring automobile typical of the late 1910s to early 1920s
Conclusion
The photograph most likely dates to circa 1918–1922, with a strong probability around 1920.
Identification Effort
At present, the individuals in this photograph have not been identified.
Do you recognize any of these students or the teacher? Do you have family members who attended Coal Kiln Corners School? Do you have other photos of Coal Kiln Corners School or its students you would like to share?
Please share your knowledge to help us preserve Scarborough’s history.
[1] The donor of this photo called it the “Coal Kiln Corners School,” and I used this name in this article. This photo appears to be the same school building as is known as the North Scarboro School. This appears to be an earlier version of the school before it was either rebuilt at the same location or had a major renovation that included a change from two front doors to a single front door with a portico. Also, a change to the windows on the side of the building and electrification in the area.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid; Grammarly was used for editorial review and copyediting.
