A matter of historic record: Revisiting Tattleville, and Windham’s other neighborhoods of the 19th century – ‘many and marvelous’

By Walter Lunt

One hundred eighty-five years ago, a traveler seeking directions in Windham might have been told, “A-yuh, that’s located ovah in Tattleville.” In olden times, Windham had many named sections of town, or neighborhoods. Some remain with us today; many have long been abandoned. Most were named for families living in the area (Popeville, Dolley’s Corner), for prominent geographic features (Duck Pond, Pike’s Hill), or even unusual and memorable events (Horsebeef Falls).

A view of the Land of Nod in Yorkshire, England with a 
poppy field in the foreground is shown. COURTESY PHOTO

The origins of nearly all these place names are obvious or easily traceable through Windham history books or records kept at the Windham Historical Society. But the one called Tattleville remains a mystery. A deeper dive into the unusual name may reveal an answer that would take us slightly beyond conjecture.

At the historical society, a photocopy of a newspaper article in the Portland Sunday Telegram, dated 1908, was headlined ‘Nicknames for different sections of Windham – many and marvelous.’ It appeared to be one of a series of installments on greater Portland communities. The article discussed long abandoned names for the various villages around Windham and identified Tattleville as the nickname for Windham Center, an area surrounding the intersection of Gray Road (Route 202) and Windham Center Road but failed to say why it was given that name.

The internet can sometimes be instructive when researching questions like this. An article dated Dec. 7, 1837 in a Hamilton County, Indiana newspaper titled ‘Scenes at Tattleville Inn’ observed, “…being situated…a considerable distance from any of the principal towns, and with no water privileges beyond a small stream sufficient for a grist-mill, its growth has been gradual. Consequently, the worthy inhabitants had a much better opportunity of prying into the concerns of their neighbors, and of gratifying their curiosity (about) respected strangers.” The article further stated that with little else to do in the tiny hamlet, the local sewing circle often engaged in gossip and rumors. Window curtains were frequently pulled aside to observe the comings and goings of neighbors and of visitors arriving on the stage. “The moment the steps were let down,” the titillation and the conjectures would begin regarding any new arrivals – “he looked handsome! Is that his wife? Where are they from? What did the stage driver say?” If a new couple moved into town, “…a new piece of scandal was broached.”

There were similar occurrences right here in Windham. An amusing story that’s been passed down through the generations about Windham Center concerned a barn that was inconveniently located close to the roadway. At one time, the barn sat between where today’s Corsetti’s store is and the white farmhouse next door on Windham Center Road. Long ago the dwelling was owned by the Fred Hawkes family; the barn used to sit just a few feet off the road, and it blocked Mrs. Hawkes’ view of the four corners, which was a stage stop and a very busy intersection. Tradition says that Mrs. Hawkes had the barn moved back (where it sits today) so she could view activity on the corner.

Another curious neighborhood nickname is an area located near Highland Cliff – Land of Nod. Today, it’s the name of a road; but in the past it identified a whole section of town. What was its origin? Was it named from the Bible? Or, as some local historians suggest, farmers in the area were Quakers and when passing each other in their buggies did not speak, only nodded. There may be another explanation, however, as many of Maine’s early settlers brought place names over from England. Land of Nod is the name of a picturesque 3,000-acre hamlet in East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Perhaps that is a more likely origin of the name.

Windham’s boundary villages were not always known as North, South or East Windham. And what about the part of town named for dead horses? They’re all part of the historical record, and we’ll examine those…next time. <