This is SEA FOAM, designed by Everett Barlow, but built by James Backett of New Harbor.
Betsy thought that the family moved up from Alabama in the 1870s. Luther Barlow married Mary Webber and they were living in Mobile, where she gave birth to her first two children. Luther sent her back to her parents where she had her third child Harvey. Luther was killed in a sawmill accident in Alabama when he fell against a saw. She then moved to East Boothbay with her mother and three children. Betsy added, “I know that Everett’s father (Harvey) married a Hyson (Mabel) and the Webber family owned that house across the street. They bought that house in 1898, and Grandpa (Everett) was born in June 1899. He was the oldest of eight siblings (Thelma, Edith, Robert, Albert, Clint, Carlton, and Preston). His father was a fisherman, herring, cod, and lobster, and they had a farm over there and raised sheep and other farm animals.”
Everett left school his junior year and went fishing to support the family. He worked with his father and uncles herring seining at Clark’s Cove on the Damariscotta River or fishing for other ground fish and lobsters when he was not working at the Rice Brothers yard in East Boothbay.
In 1918 or 1919 Everett was over in South Bristol at a dance when he met his future wife (Rosamond Grover), whom he married on his birthday in 1922. She was born in Chelsea and had lived in Alna, Bethel, and Wiscasset, likely those were the places her father could find work at a logger. After they were married, they purchased the house right across the street from Luther Barlow. There children were Earle, Roslind, Betty, and Brenda. Many know of Earle as he became a well-known marine artist.
Everett worked for Hodgdon Brothers, Goudy & Stevens, while still fishing. Betsy said, “He would come home from work, have supper, and then go with his father, herring fishing up the Damariscotta. They wouldn’t get back until really late at night. Everett, Robert, Albert, and Clint I think owned the fish house at the bottom of the hill, which Harvey built in 1935. The wood came from a house that was torn down on Lincoln Street. They did that during the winter. Then he started building his own boats in 1924.”
The first boat was the 20-foot ROSMOND I, named for his wife, which was launched in 1925. Betsy said he may have also built a smaller boat before this so he could go back and forth to South Bristol visiting.
During World War II he went to work at Maine Shipyard Corp. in Portland, building eastern rigged draggers. When the war concluded he moved right back to East Boothbay and went fishing and built boats when he could.
There were several other boatbuilder, who would borrow the moulds and build a boat for either themselves or a customer. In 1954 he charged $35 to borrow the moulds. Some were built by a Brackett in New Harbor; and J. Ervin Jones built on Everett’s moulds.
The last boat he built was the 28-foot ROSMOND IV, which he built for himself and was launched in 1959. The names of some of the others were: ALTAIR (1973); BARB SUE; CAROL B.; CELAENO, DISSENTER; EXODUS (1960); ROSMOND III (1943); SEA FOAM (1964); SEA SMOKE: and YOU & I.
Most of those that have been going to the lobster boat races for a long time remember Doug Carter’s BABE, which was a Barlow boat built in 1962. She was powered with a 455 Oldsmobile and did well in the races.
Everett passed away 24 January 1982.
