The Gully

It was quite a ways up from the Gully where I was!

 November 9, 2013 around 2pm

Initial Notes: I have known about the gully with the oven shaped cavern on my road since practically my birth. I mean, how could I not? My road is named after it in Maine's quirky tradition of being super creative and original when it comes to naming things. My whole life I have received the same quizzical look when they hear I live on Gully Oven Road. 

"Gully Oven? What is that?"
"...There's a gully....shaped like an oven..." Is usually my tired, bored response, "We're real creative where I'm from."

But there is more to it than that now that I have done a little research. But before I go into my detailed reaction of the Gully Oven, I first want to mention I am happy it is in good condition. I had been done to it many times growing up since it is literally a ten minute walk from my house, but it was nice to see it hadn't been trashed. There were obvious signs that people have gatherings down there with a campfire pit, but it wasn't horrendous. The wooden path that leads down to it is actually still intact, along with the stone tables at the top of the "park".

Reaction: My road and its crowning glory, the Gully Oven, have been dubbed Lebanon, Maine's chief curiosity. Glamorous, I know. But in all seriousness, it is a really cool piece of natural history with an equally fascinating story. 

Gully Oven was a long kept secret of New England geologists because of how beautiful and unique it is. It is part of the Gully Oven Formation. As the article on Fosters.com I found says, "Deeply gouged thousands of years ago into a steep bedrock cliff by swirling glacial melt water, Gully Oven was likely used for centuries as a Native American meeting place. It was the site of a 18th century Indian captivity episode." Gully Oven is beloved by geologists because it contains so many rare and unique properties, it is no wonder they tried to keep it a secret! 

Gully Oven is full of graffiti. When Zack and I went we thought it might have just been local teenagers who had carved their names into the walls, but in fact it wasn't. We thought to ourselves, "This graffiti looks too elegant. Too clean." Turns out it was local Victorian era people who lived in Lebanon who had left the graffiti. So, as it turns out, Gully Oven is actually a place where there are surviving examples of 19th century graffiti. (Pictures of these can be seen on Zack's blog)

Gully Oven has many other interesting stories, one of which includes a 19th century Norwegian virtuoso violinist by the name of Ole Bull. Bull was a performer and composer. He was internationally famous for his work. He was also a leading philanthropist of the Kingdom of Norway. In the summer of 1871 he came to West Lebanon, Maine to spend his summer. His daughter and heiress, Olea Bull Vaughan, was born that summer and lived her life there. Where Bull and Gully Oven connect is the story of one summer night in 1871 he gave an outdoor concert for the local townspeople in Gully Oven. I had heard stories and rumors of a violinist who played in the Gully Oven because the acoustics and echo were really great there, but never really thought much of it until now. 

A story that dates back far before the story of Ole Bull, is the story of Phillip Door. During the Old French/Indian War, Phillip was only eleven years old. He was captured by Indians six miles from Gully Oven, but on the their way back to Canada, they spent the succeeding night in the Oven. Door was detained for many years by the Indians that originally captured him, but he was finally returned. Door said when he was captured he had been sitting on a fence singing "As sure as eggs are bacon/I'll go to Canada and won't return/Till Canada is taken." It is kind of ironic he was then captured and brought to Canada. Phillip Door actually ended up being one of the founders of my town, Lebanon, after his return. Also, fun fact, Lebanon was originally called "Towow" or "Towwoh". 

There is so much history surrounding this natural phenomenon on my road! It was kind of hard to believe so much had happened there and that it is actually this really rare piece of history and I live right next to it!

To give you an idea of how high up I was and how big the Gully is!

This stone at the top of the "park" had a memorial etched into it, but it was hard to read.