Pursuing a dream of living a simpler life, Diane Hines and her husband Glenn moved to northern Maine back in 1974 and have proudly called The County home ever since.
Hines, 67, was born in Springfield, Mass., to Charles and Beth Terry, but the family moved to Marlton, New Jersey, when she was very young. Her father worked at Boeing and later at RCA as a mechanical engineer.
Hines met the man who would become her husband back in high school, when they both attended Haddonfield Memorial High School in Haddonfield, New Jersey. However, the two did not immediately hit it off romantically, despite Glenn’s attempts to foster a relationship, she said.
It was not until their college years that their romance finally flourished. Glenn was attending Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania, while Diane was at the Philadelphia College of Textile and Science in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (now known as Thomas Jefferson University).
“I thought he was kind of a nerd in high school,” she said. “But we started taking walks in the park and we fell in love.”
Hines said she knew he was serious about a relationship when he started running 13 miles from his campus to her university while training for the Boston Marathon. “I just thought that was so cool,” she said. “I would be sitting in the library studying and he would jog in and say hi. He was certainly dedicated for sure.”
The two also shared a love for music and had a common goal of wanting to live in a quiet rural setting. They eloped in 1970, when she was just 19, and Glenn was 20. Their first child, Derek, followed shortly thereafter in 1971, while a second son, Ryan, arrived two years later.
Diane Hines graduated with a degree in textile management and marketing, while Glenn transferred to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he quickly discovered he had an artistic flair that would serve him well throughout his life.
While he was studying at the Pennsylvania Academy, Glenn read a book titled, “The Good Life,” by Helen and Scott Nearing, that changed both their lives.
“We wanted to bring up our children in a quiet, farming community,” she said. “I had gone to summer camps in Maine as a child, so I was drawn to the state.”
The couple came to Maine in 1972 and began searching for a place to build a new home. They eventually found a 200-acre piece of secluded farm land in Hammond that perfectly fit their needs of having both farm land and lots of trees.
“We started building, not knowing much, but Glenn just had an instinct and knack for working with his hands,” she said.
The family lived in a tent throughout the summer and fall until it became too cold. Diane and her two small boys then went to live with her family in New Jersey for a few weeks, while Glenn stayed behind in Maine to finish the home.
By Christmas of 1974, their new home was finished enough so that the family could be reunited.
“I had doubts, but Glenn was determined,” she said. “He had it all planned out. We’ve been blessed. Being adaptable and flexible, moving to a place and embracing it, and not trying to change it … that has been our approach.”
Diane Hines served as the town manager for Hammond for a few years, while Glenn was a selectman. She is currently the town manager for Ludlow and Reed Plantation
Their son Ryan has since built a home on the family property, while their other son Derek purchased a 500-acre parcel of land in Bradford.
“What I find truly remarkable is that both our boys modeled their lives after us,” Diane said. “I think that means we did something right and that feels good.”
