...At the Pine Tree State Arboretum in Augusta, Maine. This yellow flower - no idea what it is - was one of my favorites from today. Hmmm. Maybe a daffodil?
Today we took a little field trip to the Arboretum. It was hot, but still a nice walk through the fields and woods. The Arboretum has 224 acres of fields and woods with almost 5 miles of trails along with more than 300 species of trees and shrubs and more than 150 species of birds that have been spotted.
Naturally, what was of even more interest to me than the nature, was the history. The Arboretum is in a somewhat (in)famous spot in the Capital City known as the "Piggery". I grew up "going to the Piggery" to skulk about with friends in the very secluded woods and fields or to play Little League baseball on the nearby diamonds. I never gave a thought to why the large area was called the "Piggery".
Now I know.
The whole complex was a working farm, including pig raising and slaughtering, for the state mental health hospital across the street. Of course, for most of its history that hospital was called the state "insane asylum". Clearly less politically correct times back then.
In high school my friends and I would sneak onto the asylum grounds every Halloween and dare each other to get as close as possible to the high security building where they had kept the criminally insane. Of course, by that point, the building was abandoned, but it was still very creepy. We were always certain we saw someone stirring on the top floor through the barred windows.
There was not a lot to do in Augusta in the early 1980s, so you had to be a bit creative. :-)
Back to the history lesson - the hospital even sold the slaughtered pig bits and products across the state to make some profit. The "Piggery" was in use from 1840 to 1972. You can still see some of the "Piggery" building foundation and pipework as you walk along the Arboretum trails.
Today you would hardly know its history by walking the grounds. it is just beautiful. Pics below...
