Peirce's Block, where meetings of the Ladies' Aid Society were held.
Item Contributed by
Belfast Free Library
On the home front, the citizens of Belfast, especially the Ladies' Aid Society, worked diligently to provide support for the soldiers and their families. Local merchants, not wishing to see a decline in business, became creative in attracting buyers.
Before the first volunteers left Belfast, the Ladies' Aid Society had made over 300 wool flannel shirts, each with a small "testament" tucked inside a pocket. During the war years, they held dances, amateur theatrical productions, concerts and a strawberry festival to raise money. These efforts were in addition to the many shirts, pants, socks, quilts, and bandages for binding wounds the ladies were making and sending on a regular basis to the soldiers at the front.
An article in one newspaper made an appeal to the patriotic women to not only provide lint for dressing wounds but to send themselves. Strong, robust and healthy women, not afraid of the sight of gunshot wounds, with strong nervous systems were called upon to accompany the Maine regiments.
At the end of the war, one woman who was involved with the Ladies' Aid Society expressed regret that meetings were to be discontinued. She felt that "women differing widely in temperament and in circumstances, were, for the time being, sisters."
The Store of Hiram Chase and Son, located on Main Street
Item Contributed by
Belfast Historical Society
Some businesses used the war to draw attention to their newspaper advertisements. Merchant H. H. Johnson advertised "War Commenced!! First Great Arrival of New Spring Goods!" and S. Sleeper and Co. proclaimed "ATTENTION! One Thousand Recruits Wanted to Purchase Ten Thousand Dollars Worth of Dry Goods!"
A boot and shoe seller made the claim that if a soldier wore his Union Boots, "the most rabid secessionist will fall into the ranks."
Prices for goods rose, and hard currency became so scarce that barter became a common practice, and the issuing of checks for as little as ten cents became a common practice.
Everyone complained about high prices for goods and one woman commented: "If one went shopping and spent $10.00 it did not take a delivery wagon to carry his purchases home; you could bring them in your glove."
In 1861, the C. P. Carter shipyard built the gunboat USS Penobscot to government specifications in the record time of 90 days. She was launched on November 19 and it was reported that she "glided from her ways like a thing of life and sat upon the water with swan-like gracefulness."
The Penobscot was first assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and later served in the Gulf of Mexico where she was most successful in either destroying or capturing ships trying to run the blockades.
In 1863, Batteries were erected on both sides of the outer harbor to protect against Rebel raiders plying Maine waters. They each were 150-feet long, and faced with granite on which five large cannons were placed. Volunteers from the Home Guard and the Invalid Corps manned the batteries.
