LEEDS — Almost 40 people took a break from winter recently to join the West Leeds Neighborhood Conversation. This was the second in a series of gatherings organized by the Leeds Historical Society to give people from Leeds the opportunity to share memories and ask questions about life in their part of town. It was held at the Leeds Community Church.

One of the first questions asked was just where is West Leeds? It turns out it depends on whom you ask, but it certainly includes the River Road, and people who went to the V.A. Deane school also felt a connection to West Leeds. One former student remembers the well-dressed teacher, Mrs. Rose, being carried across the muddy school yard by a gallant lad, so she wouldn’t get her shoes dirty.

The Androscoggin River played a major role in many of the stories shared by the group. They ranged from swimming, fishing and boating on the river, to taking barrels of potatoes to market in Lewiston, hauling them down the frozen river with a horse and sled. The advent of chicken barns, first for layers and then for broilers, brought opportunities for work to the neighborhood. A number of people remembered when fire destroyed some of the barns.

During a break from the conversation, people enjoyed refreshments and looked at the photographs and memorabilia of West Leeds which the Historical Society had gathered and displayed. These prompted even more memories among the group. Some brought their own photographs and other material which the Historical Society scanned.

“People were still telling stories as they left the church,” said Leeds Historical Society member Pam Bell. “I think they would have been happy to stay and talk all day.”

The Neighborhood Conversations will continue with a gathering focusing on North Leeds in April.

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