For those who feel connected to their land and a deep sense of place, it is easy to wonder how future generations will live their lives on a place that was built and cared for — a home that was nourished and in return, provided nourishment to those generations gone before.
I’ve thought about this more as of late, especially when I think of Steve Hopkins and his place in Hodgdon. His homestead appears just as you crest the top of a hill, the view settling over an 1850’s Colonial home and barn with several outbuildings and sawmill behind.
The homestead’s layout flows along the adjacent Meduxnekeag South Branch, the water source that once provided the energy needed to run the on-site waterwheel for the historical sawmill where Wilbur Harding sawed logs specifically to make wooden barrels. The land and buildings, along with pockets of large trees, are a reminder of the generations before who nourished this place.
Steve, a naturalist, avid birder, sawyer, logger, and curious about all things related to the forest, including cataloging flora on his woodlot, carried the history of his place along as he made a home and active sawmill once again on this land.
In fact, over the years, Hopkins’ Sawmill became a kind of informal gathering place for those interested in all things wood. Steve had his favorites like butternut (he was a self-proclaimed “Butternut King”) and tamarack, but really he was fascinated by all tree species.
A wall of his shop is built with examples of native hardwood and softwood boards. He became known as the go-to guy when someone needed specialty sawn lumber, whether it was tamarack for raised beds or a live edge board for a countertop. And if that board was spalted or had a few worm holes? It’s possible Steve valued it even more as it reflected part of that tree’s own history.
My husband Ryan worked at Steve’s on different projects over the years, adding on and shoring up various outbuildings as his sawmill practice grew. Oftentimes, as Ryan worked, he would hear the sawmill power down followed by a shout from Steve, “You’ve got to come here and see this wood. It’s really cool.”
As he recounted these kinds of “Steve stories” to me at the end of the day, he would marvel aloud how Steve was able to so often find something in each log to appreciate. But what a beautiful thing to take the time, even the briefest of moments, to appreciate the beauty in front of you.
The last time we saw him Ryan asked him if he had been working much. Steve just grinned and said, “I never work. I’m out there having fun every day.” The relationships he forged with people across Maine had wood as the foundation. His enthusiasm for the woods and his work was infectious. At the beginning of the new year, Steve passed away suddenly and in the shock of the news, his wife Sue said to me, “I am so sorry for everyone who knew him.” We are too.
Angela Wotton works at the SASWCD, providing conservation education to all landowners. She lives with her husband in Hammond and can be reached via email at angela.wotton@me.nacdnet.net
