Helen Hamlin (1917-2004) was an American author who is known for her two books on life in northern Maine.
Helen Hamlin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Helen Leidy June 26, 1917 [1] |
| Other names | Helen Leidy Hamlin Mrs. Willis Hamlin Helen Lennon Helen Hamlin Lennon Mrs. Robert Earl Lennon |
Biography
editHelen Austin Leidy was born in Fort Kent, Maine[2] and grew up in Aroostook County, Maine.[1] In 1937 she graduated from the Madawaska Training School, later a part of the University of Maine at Fort Kent.[3][4] Her father and grandfather were Maine fish and game wardens.[5] She met her first husband Willis ('Curly') Hamlin, also a game warden, at a dance while she was teaching at Churchill Lake.[5] Being a speaker of both french and English helped in her teaching job since she had students in Churchill Lake who only spoke French.[1]
Her first book, Nine Mile Bridge: Three Years in the Maine Woods, described her first years living in the woods with Curly Hamlin in the area known as St. John Valley.[6] The book became a best seller in 1945[7] and was reprinted in 1973 and 2005.[8] The book also became the basis for later discussions about living in the Maine woods.[9] Hamlin's second book was about tales from Aroostook county and the news covered the process she used to gather information for this book.[10] The book was titled Pine, Potatoes, and People and was published in 1948.[11]
In 1947 she married Robert Lennon, who worked at the United States' Department of Fish and Wildlife.[12] She moved to Michigan in the 1950s, where she painted portraits that appeared in shows in Washington, D.C.[2] She later moved to Wisconsin where she obtained a teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse in 1961.[13] In Wisconsin she taught French at Central High School in La Crosse.[14] She also traveled, and worked for the United States' State Department as a translator in Africa.[2] She died in Minnesota in 2004.[15]
Books
edit- Hamlin, Helen (2005). Nine Mile Bridge : three years in the Maine woods (3rd ed.). Yarmouth, Me.: Islandport Press, Inc. ISBN 0-9671662-5-X. OCLC 61677740.
- Hamlin, Helen (1948-01-01). Pine, Potatoes and People: The Story of Aroostook (1st ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.
Awards and honors
editIn 1946, Hamlin was named to the Pen and Brush Club, a group founded in 1863 to recognize women writers and artists.[16] In 1988 she was named an outstanding alumnus of the University of Maine at Fort Kent.[15]
References
edit- ^ a b c Hamlin, Helen; Hamlen, Helen; Lennon, Mrs Robert; Jacob, Hilda (2014-10-31). "Helen Leidy Hamlin Correspondence". Maine Writers Correspondence.
- ^ a b c "Hamlin, Helen | Maine: An Encyclopedia". December 13, 2011.
- ^ Cooper, Marion (May 26, 1945). Maine wilderness goes to print again. Lewiston Evening Journal.
- ^ "Outstanding Alumni Award Past Recipients". www.umfk.edu. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ a b "Life in the Maine wilderness as a game warden's wife". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1945-06-03. p. 43. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Northern Maine story due for '45. Lewiston Evening Journal. June 17, 1944.
- ^ Best Sellers 1945-07-15: Vol 5 Iss 8. University of Scranton. 1945-07-15. pp. 75–76.
- ^ Reviews for Nine Mile Bridge:
- Ellis, Milton (1946). "Review of Nine Mile Bridge: Three Years in the Maine Woods". The New England Quarterly. 19 (3): 422–424. doi:10.2307/361984. ISSN 0028-4866. JSTOR 361984.
- Reynolds, V. Paul; Columnist, Outdoors (2017-11-04). "Outdoors in Maine: A visit to Nine Mile Bridge". Lewiston Sun Journal. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
- Hesler, T.A. (1945-06-24). "Nine Mile Bridge Maine Woods Tale". The Commercial Appeal. p. 34. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Tanner, Ogden; Time-Life Books (1974). New England wilds. New York: Time-Life Books.
- ^ "Helen Hamlin toured Maine for material for new book". Sun-Journal. 1948-05-26. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ Reviews for Pine, Potatoes, and People:
- "Aroostook like no other place in N.E. Helen Hamlin proves". The Boston Globe. 1948-05-27. p. 29. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- Gould, John (1948-06-06). "In Aroostook County; PINE, POTATOES AND PEOPLE. By Helen Hamlin. Decorations by the author. 238 pp. New York: Y'. W. Norton & Co. 53". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ""Pines, Potatoes and People" new volume by Helen Hamlin". Sun-Journal. 1948-05-22. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- Cooper, Marion (1944-11-11). "St. John River Valley is scene of book by new Maine author". Sun-Journal. p. 16. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- Prescott, Orville (1945-05-30). "Books of the Times; A Strenuous and Exciting Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "Clipped From The Winona Daily News". The Winona Daily News. 2004-08-06. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "Clipped From The La Crosse Tribune". The La Crosse Tribune. 1965-10-10. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ "Students hear experiences of authors". The La Crosse Tribune. 1965-11-05. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
- ^ a b "A Maine Writer: Maine State Library". www.maine.gov. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
- ^ Stone, Eleanor B. (1946-01-05). "Helen Hamlin new Maine member voted into exclusive Pen and Brush Club". Sun-Journal. p. 12. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
External links
edit- Helen Hamlin collection, University of New England library