HOULTON, Maine — For decades, countless children and adults have turned to the Gentle Memorial Building for recreation and entertainment.
But there is a tragic story behind the establishment of the beloved building.
The facility, built in 1952, was established as a result of George S. Gentle’s love of youth and his daughter’s acknowledgement of it.
Edna B. Gentle, was the daughter of George S. Gentle, who came to Houlton from North Hampton, New Brunswick, in 1871, according to Cora Putnam, author of “The Story of Houlton.” He helped establish the first insurance business in Aroostook County and was a charter member of a number of clubs and organizations.
George S. Gentle (Courtesy of Cora Putnam)
Gentle outlived both of his wives and one of his two children, 13-year-old Spery H. Gentle, who died in 1902 at age 13. He is buried with his father in the family crypt at Evergreen Cemetery in Houlton.
Edna Gentle cared for her father until his death from complications of a stroke in 1929. Putnam noted that it had always been George Gentle’s intention to help the youth of the community, and his daughter aimed to see his wishes carried out. Prior to her death, she wrote in her will that it had “been a long cherished purpose of my father, George S. Gentle, to make provision for the building of a community or gymnasium building in said town of Houlton for the purpose and enjoyment of its citizens…” and she arranged to have a trust fund established for its construction and maintenance.
Her death came just six years after her father’s passing, in 1935, when the S.S. Mohawk crashed off the coast of New Jersey. Putnam wrote that Edna Gentle, 55, was reluctant to make the voyage on the ship from Havana to South America, telling a friend, “It would be just my luck to have that ship sink before we get out of the harbor.”
Edna B. Gentle (Courtesy of Cora Putnam)
According to reports from The Army Corps of Engineers and several newspapers from that period, the S.S. Mohawk left New York under the command of Capt. Joseph Wood on Jan. 24, 1935, with 110 crew members and 53 passengers aboard. Four hours after leaving port, it spotted the Norwegian freighter Talisman and due to confusion between orders from the bridge to the engine room and also steering problems, the Mohawk accidentally made a hard turn to port. It veered off course and crashed full speed into the Talisman.
More than 100 survivors were recovered, but Gentle was not one of them. Her body was one of six that was never found, according to Putnam and news reports.
