The Pittston Farm area, they learned, was purchased by the Great Northern Paper Company in 1906 and opened in 1907 as a working farm to accomodate workers and guests of the company. Pittston Farm flourished as a GNP layover camp until 1971, when the end of the log drives led to its closure.

As the Mills settled in at their new endeavor, they realized the 100th anniversary of the founding of Pittston Farm lay just over. the horizon. "My husband and I said, you know it would be great to honor the former employees of Great Northern in some small way," said Jenny Mills.

Soon, planning was underway. And this weekend, on Saturday, July 14, the Mills family will host former Great Northern workers, their families and the general public for a day-long event celebrating 100 years of Pittston Farm.

The event, which runs 1-9:30 p.m. and ends with a fireworks display, will feature demostrations of logging techniques, as well as old fashioned ice cream and basket making and butter churning. There will also be tours of Pittston Farm and its barn and logging museum. Maine Humorist Gary Cracker and balladeer Clum Spencer will entertain, and there will be a barn dance featuring country music by Fiddlin' Tim Farrell and Danny Breau. There will be an all-you-can-eat buffet with hot dogs, beanhole beans, salads and casseroles, topped off with strawberry shortcake and ice cream.

Pittston Farm is surrounded by over 300,000 acres of land open to all kinds of recreation. "There is nothing that recreational enthusiasts can't do," said Mills. "Or they can just sit on the porch and read a book.

"This would be an excellant opportunity for them to come up, introduce themselves, and see what we've changed."

Plenty has changed since the Mills family moved to Pittston Farm in late 2005. They have completed over $170,000 in renovations, bringing wireless internet and satelitte television to the Maine north woods. They have installed a fire suppression system, and each of the farm's cabins features a full bathroom. They have 30 rooms in all, plus a restaurant that can accomodate 75 people.

The Mills family, which fell in love with Pittston Farm while snowmobiling in the area in 2004, are continuing the legacy left by its previous owners, Ken and Sonja Twitchell. The Twitchells purchased Pittston Farm in 1992, and opened Pittston Farm Lodge after 15 months of heavy renovation and restoration.

Pittston Farm is one of six such sites established by Great Northern Paper during a time when they were the largest lumber company in the country. Five of those sites have been lost to time. "This one would have been except for Ken Twitchell and the vision he had," said Mills.

GNP and its workers were far from the first people to visit the land around Pittston Farm. It lies at the congruence of the north and south branches of the Penobscot River, creating a natural waterway used as far back as 5,000 years ago. "We know the Native Americans met here for years and years," said Mills.

All that history deserves an audience, Mills said. They hope to one day establish a non-profit organization to help restore the Pittston Farm buildings back to their original state. "That is going to take a while," said Mills. "That is a long-term vision."

For more information on the event or Pittston Farm, go to www.pittstonfarm.com or call 280-0000.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Tuesday, July 10, 2007 edition of the Moosehead Messenger and is used here with permission."