Celebrating40Years in the Outdoor Classroom - The Chewonki ...

Returning to Chewonki Neck
30 / Chewonki Chronicle
LUCY HULL
On a bright day in late July, Ellen Gould-Silcott (Maine Reach ’78–’79) returned to
Chewonki Neck with her family. Ellen and her brother, David, have a long connection to
the land here: they remember with obvious love the days they spent as children visiting
their family’s farm. The details are still vivid: there was a hand pump just outside the house;
David was tucked into bed under a thick layer of “horse blankets” in that little upstairs
bedroom. It was Ellen and David’s parents, Donald and Josephine Gould, who sold what is
now Saltmarsh Farm and approximately 150 acres to the Chewonki Foundation in 1974. This property comprises
much of the eastern side of Chewonki Neck.
Years later, Ellen returned to Chewonki Neck to participate in Maine Reach. On this July morning, she was
delighted to reminisce about that experience too. It was a “wonderful, formative time” for her, she said, and she
fondly remembers her faculty and fellow students, including Craig Kesselheim and Beth Dilley, Mark and Deborah
Altemus, Kate McClain, Scott Andrews and Sue West, and Tim Ellis. Together we looked around campus, stopped
in to see Doc Fred at the Nature Museum, paused for Julian (age three) to ring the bell, and enjoyed lunch together
in the Wallace Center.
On the day of their visit, the family’s mission was a poignant one. Donald and Josephine had always requested that
their ashes be spread on Chewonki Neck when the time came; this was the time. The mission was buoyed by the
lovely summer weather, the possibility of finding old haunts along Chewonki Creek, and especially by the ebullience
of Ellen and her husband Tom’s children. Harris (12), mature and responsible, asked to carry his grandfather’s ashes;
Naamah (5) and Julian bounced between their parents, their uncle David, and their aunt Sandra.
We set out along the Back River Trail, dodging wet areas along the way. Harris, Sandra, and I came out on a
lovely, narrow point that juts north into Chewonki Creek. The tide was high, and the lush grass and green trees
made a vibrant contrast to the blue sky and water. I doubled back to find Ellen and David, who were standing
motionless on the shore, just south of the point.
Ellen breathed, “This is the place!” David pointed to a flat rock. “We used to swim right here! I didn’t know if we
would recognize it.” The memories came thick and fast, tumbling out of both of them, the return to this spot a deep
pleasure for which they had distantly hoped. I was privileged to witness this family “coming home” to an iconic
place, and I left them to their family rite of passage.
Being with the Gould descendants reminded me that there are countless stories rooted on this saltwater
peninsula. Some are known, some we will never know, but all are part of Chewonki’s history. I like knowing that
Donald and Josephine Gould are back for good. ■
Lucy Hull is director of development at Chewonki.
JOCK MONTGOMERY