Vintage Fence Added to Merithew Square

This past August, following the road construction, a rustic cedar fence was installed on Broadway. This fence has been designed to replicate the fence seen surrounding Merithew Square in many early Bayside postcards, such as the one below.

 Vintage (circa 1900) photograph taken from Merithew Square ,

looking up Clinton Street , features the rustic cedar fence and its varied patterns.

Whether one refers to the style as “Twig Art” or “Branch and Twig Construction” or as “Adirondack Style,” this form of decorative construction was very common in the Victorian years, and a number of examples can be seen in early photographs of Bayside. Some examples exist today, such as on the gazebo in Bayview Park and at private residences on Shore Road , Clinton Street, and other locations within the Village.

In typical Bayside fashion, the fence was designed and constructed with volunteer labor. Harold Hede was the force behind the project, gaining approval for the project from the Merithew Square residents, the Historical Society, and the Board of Overseers. After laying out the design of the fence, Harold solicited the Garden Club for funds to purchase materials, collected decorative cedar branches on a trip up to northern Maine , and rounded up a crew of workers to fabricate the project. In addition to Harold, the major contributors to the construction of the fence were Larry Gibbs and Ed Williams. In the quintessential Bayside manner, many people offered advice.

The new “old” fence and arbor along Broadway brings a taste of early Bayside to Merithew Square

 Larry Gibbs (L) and Harold Hede (R) pause during the construction of the rustic fence