Or they come here to retire in homes along the winding banks of the Saco River, in the foothills of the White Mountains.
Hiram is a place steeped in history - a former haunt of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and a town known historically for its tall white pines that were lumbered to build masts for the British Navy in pre-Revolutionary times.
Hiram's heyday was at the turn of the century, as a haven for weary travelers along the Pequawket Trail, one of Maine's oldest thoroughfares. It was also a regular stop for the Portland to Conway, N.H., stagecoach.
"When I was a boy, we had four general stores," said Clemons, 75. "Now we have one."
But newcomers here - seeking rural living a short distance from Portland - are thinking less of the past and more of the future.
The town is now home to more than 1,400 people, nearly as many as Hiram's busiest period during the 1880s. There's an elementary school in South Hiram, and in the village center, a well-maintained library and a new fire station.
And while life in Hiram is quieter than it used to be, folks seem to like it that way.
"We let life go along," said Howard Allen, a longtime resident. "We don't get too upset over things."
Allen has seen the decline of Hiram's social clubs, such as the Grange and the Knights of Pythias. But there is an increase in development on Hiram Hill, a residential neighborhood. New homes now dot Hiram Hill, coveted for its expansive views.
"There were eight places up there, now there's probably 80," he said.
Beth Lovering and her partner, Joseph Nunes, moved to a 140-acre farm here three months ago from southern New Hampshire. The couple are both self-employed, and have three horses.
"We wanted more open space," said Lovering. "Our place in New Hampshire was getting too built-up for our taste."
When Lovering and Nunes first looked at the Hiram farmhouse and barn built around 1800, Lovering wondered if the place was too remote.
"I thought it was a little too rural at first," she said. "The quiet overwhelmed me. But to stand outside and hear nothing but the wind and the birds is an amazing thing."
Lovering said she has also been amazed by the friendliness of her neighbors, who recently came to her rescue when one of her horses became ill.
"None of the (veterinarians) were calling me back," she said. "I told my neighbors and they drove to another neighbor with horses to see if they could help. They found a trainer in the area who brought medication and the horse pulled through. . . . I haven't experienced that kind of neighborhood kinship before."
On nice days, Lovering goes riding along former narrow gauge railroad tracks, although the black flies are a bit bothersome this time of year.
Come summer, Hiram swells with visitors who flock to cottages and camps along the Saco River and area ponds.
"I would call Hiram a summer recreation place," said Clemons. "We have good climbing, canoeing and fishing."
Allen, who moved to Hiram 43 years ago from Bridgton, is busy helping plan Hiram's Ossipee Valley Fair, held on fairgrounds on South Hiram Road from July 8-11.
In addition to livestock events and exhibits, Ossipee Valley Fair also offers novelty events such as an egg toss, pie eating, watermelon-seed spitting, pig calling and a horseshoe-pitching tournament. Allen is in charge of booking musical acts for the event.
"We're just one of those little country towns," said Allen, who is retired and lives across from the village green and Hiram's remaining general store.
"We have nice neighbors. My wife and I really enjoy it. We raised two boys here."
It is the small town flavor and simple way of life that draw a new generation of families raising their own children.
Clemons, whose ancestors settled Clemons Pond among American Indian tribes in 1780, is a retired teacher and Hiram's official historian. He has lived here all his life.
He runs the Great Ossipee Museum out of his former elementary school in Hiram Village, and is available by appointment to show off a collection of colonial documents, soldiers' uniforms and items related to Hiram's most famous resident, Gen. Peleg Wadsworth.
For his service in the Revolutionary War, Wadsworth, grandfather of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was allowed to purchase 7,800 acres in Hiram, then known as the Great Ossipee, from Massachusetts for 12 1/2 cents an acre.
After giving his Portland home to his daughter, Longfellow's mother, Wadsworth moved to his Hiram summer estate in 1806 and helped incorporate the town as part of Oxford County in 1814.
Much of Wadsworth's land was divvied up and sold to other Revolutionary War veterans.
Wadsworth and Timothy Cutler, another early settler for whom Mount Cutler is named, were both staunch Freemasons. They felt that the abundance of timber in their town resembled the biblical description of a land called Tyre, and they decided to name the town after Hiram, King of Tyre.
Wadsworth Hall, built in 1800 at the foot of Mount Cutler, is owned by a direct descendant of Wadsworth who has preserved the home where school, court and church were once held. And it's well known among residents that Longfellow spent many summers in Hiram visiting his grandfather.
For decades, lumbering was a thriving business in Hiram, and there were several mills. After all, the river valley was where the King of England once sent his agents to mark the magnificent specimens of white pine found here for masts for the British navy.
Today, only one lumber mill remains, the Thomas Hammond & Son Lumber Co.
As a teenager in the 1940s, Clemons would take the train to Cornish to go to the movies, and community gatherings were held at the local Grange hall, now long gone. While the bustling times seem to have passed for Hiram village, Clemons sees a bright future for the town as a tourist destination.
These days, Hiram is best known for Hiram Falls, a 75-foot-high dam located off Route 117. For canoeists and kayakers traveling the Saco River, Hiram Falls is a takeout or entry point. It's also a popular spot for swimming. Nearby is the Hiram Nature Study Area, which offers a pleasant walk with scenic views and a picnic area.
Lovering says she hasn't had a chance to visit most of the local attractions yet, but she plans to get out more once she and Nunes finish renovating their home. And when she does go exploring, she knows to fill up her gas tank first.
"It seems like distance is not an issue here," said Lovering. "Someone will say, 'It's only down the street,' but that could be two miles. You don't want to run out of gas or milk in this area."
Originally published Sunday, May 30, 2004
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