How Entrepreneur Arthur P. Libby Challenged a Monopoly

A portion of Fort Fairfield in 1893.

Arthur Preston Libby of Fort Fairfield, known for his warm humor and quick deal-making, was a livestock trader, carriage and sleigh dealer, town selectman, and creamery owner. As if that wasn’t enough, he decided to teamed up with grocer Miles F. Dorsey in 1896 to form the Fort Fairfield Water Company—in direct competition with Frontier Water, the only business in town that was supplying water to businesses and residents.

On the Center Limestone Road—across the Aroostook River about 1.5 miles from downtown—Dorsey and Libby legally obtained the right to build and maintain a dam on Charles Knight's farm, located on the lefthand side of the road. They also receive permission to excavate and construct a reservoir on Hacker Brook (also known as Weston Brook), which ran through Knight’s property, and to flood up to two acres of the farmland.

They also obtained permission to build a fence around the reservoir and to lay water pipes across several other properties including the Calvin S. Rich farm, across the road towards town, and the William Fisher farm, which bordered the river.

The Aroostook River today.

In February 16, 1899, the Northern Leader broke with the news that “a movement is on foot” to give the town an additional water supply. A company had been formed, the water supply “fixed,” and the rights to build a dam and lay pipes had been obtained. The only thing in the way was getting state approval for a charter.

Frontier, not surprisingly, opposed the new venture.

The Leader explained that the resources of Frontier were not adequate. “Across the Aroostook River there is no water furnished either for household or fire and yet these people are taxed and are within the corporation limits.” Frontier serviced the more populated portion of the township, separated by the river from the more sparsely settled area near Hacker Brook.

Some citizens felt that the town should own its own water system, which eventually did happen some years later. But not in the 1890s or early 1900s. “Next to public ownership comes the advantage of competition and this should be encouraged,” the newspaper stated. “The charter would allow a private corporation to tax people.”

A few days later, the state’s Committee on Legal Affairs in Augusta concluded that “An Act to Incorporate the Fort Fairfield Water Company” should not and would not pass. No reasons for the denial were published. Were Frontier partners more influential with politicians than Libby? We may never know.

The relationship between Libby and Hacker Brook, however, did not end there. The following year, Charles Knight sold Libby 22 acres of his lot on the south end where Hacker ran along and then flowed under Center Limestone Road and beyond. Forever the businessman, Libby no doubt had some indication that the land and Hacker Brook might yet turn into a profit.

Hacker Brook.

He didn’t have long to wait.

During the summer of 1903 there was a severe drought in northern Maine, and Frontier’s system was examined by civil engineer W.H. Whitcomb of Philadelphia, the firm’s then primary owner. Under contract with the town to furnish water for both domestic and fire use, Frontier’s supply was “hardly sufficient and water has been pumped into the main from one of the mill ponds to help out,” according to the Fort Fairfield Review. The mill water was thought by some to be “impure.”

By Aug. 26 of that year, Whitcomb decided to enlarge the water system by pumping in water from Hacker Brook, with pipe to be installed across the river to near the railroad station. The pipe would be ordered for the following spring, after the ground had thawed.

“With this proposed extension…there will be all the water necessary for all purposes for many years to come,” the Review promised.

Libby stood to gain from his land purchase from Knight. But did he already have the reservoir dug—the reservoir intended for his first venture?

Even today, a sharp dip in Libby’s former land on the southeast corner, to the left of the Center Limestone Road, can be easily seen. Whether this formation was made naturally or from human hands, no one knows, and no mention of a reservoir for the Frontier proposal was mentioned in the Review. It is, though, a very steep, bowl-like formation.

The following year, the extension plans abruptly changed. The owners of Frontier Water decided, instead, to acquire additional water from Pattee Brook, located on the same side of the river as the business district. Perhaps the shorter distance from Pattee to Main Street was cheaper to complete, or maybe something didn’t turn out right with their dealings with Libby.

Five years later, after no new plans were suggested for Hacker Brook, Libby sold his 22 acres to Jarvis Parks, the town veterinary. Soon after that, Jarvis sold the piece to the farmer across the road at the former Calvin Rich farm. Part of the steep, oddly shaped lot is still under cultivation today, while the lower section nearest the brook is partially filled with trees and wild roses.

From time to time, the lower end is also inhabited by beavers. A dam is built, a mud and stick lodge constructed, and a lovely, wild pond is maintained for the equally wild trout.

In a way, the beavers with their construction feats seem to indicate that Arthur Libby’s adventurous water plans for that part of Hacker Brook may not have been all that far off.