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The Community of Pemberton Ridge

Pemberton Ridge, situated 3 miles north of Forest City on a hill overlooking Grand Lakeand Spednic Lake, is of unknown origin. In the early 1860’s it was called"Skedaddle Ridge" because of settlers who fled there to avoid draft into the USCivil War. Some of the settlers include Leeman and MacKenney, of which descendants arestill living there. In its heyday, Pemberton Ridge probably had a population of 15 - 20families; around 75-100 people. The community never had a Post Office, relying on theservices in Forest City, N.B. and Maine, as well as letter delivery to a driveway mailbox.Neither did it have a church or any industry other than farming. It did have a schoolhouse and occasionally church services were held therein. While the larger centers ofCanterbury, twenty-five miles distant, or Danforth, Maine, some twenty miles across GrandLake in the winter or thirty miles by road, provided access to train, grain, andcondiments, Forest City was the "convenience store" of the area.

Church and Sunday School was usually held in the school house, although residents wouldoccasionally attend a meeting at Green Mountain or Forest City. Predominantly Baptist byfaith, meetings, or services, as they were sometimes called, contained an aura of quiettranquillity and not given to emotional renditions, testimonial or otherwise.

Some of the teachers mentioned in diaries included: Beatrice Briggs,Lois Boone, Miss McNerlin. Bertha Higgs taught here in 1946. Lois Graham, Gladys Graham,and Irva Higgs also taught here. The school was located directly across the road from JohnHiggs home, now owned by Susan O’ Connor. It has been long since demolished withtrees and bush occupying the lot.


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