In the Little Falls section of South Windham, known to some of us as the DMZ, there is a grocery store that’s seen more history than any person alive today. In 1988, the owner of the store, Hall C. Sawyer (the elder) talked about some of his youthful days in the early 1920s.

There was no transportation in the early 1900s to take young people to Windham High School, so some of those who lived in the Little Falls area (Gorham-Windham line) of South Windham village, went to Westbrook High School – they could go by trolley from Windham.

A basketball team was made up of boys from this area of Windham, even though they went to different schools. It was called the Windham Wanderers. Hall Sawyer was on the team and he told of a game they played against Bridgton High School.

One winter night, the Windham Wanderers took the 5 p.m. train from South Windham to Bridgton and switched at the Bridgton Crossing, taking the Narrow Gauge, which involved turning the engine around and backing the passenger car on a sideline. The passenger car went off the track so the team ended up standing up in the unheated baggage car for the rest of the trip.

When they got to the Bridgton Town Hall where the game was played, it was 9 p.m. – they were an hour late but the hall was packed with all the residents who wanted to see the game. They did play, but Sawyer couldn’t recall who won! All he could remember was how cold his socks and sneakers were on already-chilled feet.

It was very cold outside, about 20 degrees below, and the team had to stay all night and return home the following day.

Apparently, they didn’t have to travel by train all the time. Sawyer recalled that Maurice Rogers had a car and later that same winter, Rogers took the Windham Wanderers to their next Bridgton game. The roads weren’t plowed too well and Sawyer said when they reached a “grade,” or hill, they all had to get out and push the car up the hill. By the time they finally got to Bridgton to play the basketball game, they were all tired out!

Hall Sawyer was born in 1899 and died in 1992. He (and his mother before him) ran Sawyer’s Variety Store, across the bridge in the Little Falls section of Gorham-Windham where once there was a public transportation connection – the store was formerly called the Waiting Room and was on the trolley line.