Oscar Goes To Cuba

Oscar Sidney Maxell was born in Orient, Maine on June 1, 1879. He was one of six children born to Deacon Sidney P Maxell and Alice Brown.

He married Susie May Whitmore on November 7, 1903. Oscar had one daughter, Beatrice Wyman, that he and his wife adopted.. He and Susie had no children together.

He was schooled to become a confectioner and eventually owned a candy store at 251 Congress Street, in Portland, Maine; that he operated from 1907-1915. He was listed in the city directory as selling ice cream and confections. Then in 1915 he returned to Orient, his beloved Maxell Hill and built his forever home. Sleeping in a tent until completed. 

Oscar was elected to the House of Representative  for the years 1937-1938 and 1949-1950. During the 94th legislature he served on the Indian Affairs and Temperance Committees.  Of personal importance to him was the Temperance Committee, for he alone managed to keep the state of Maine dry for many years. He was proud of the fact he held the position of Deacon in his church longer than his father.

On March 3, 1931, Oscar sailed aboard the SS Governor Cobb out of Tampa, FL for a five-day trip to Cuba. In his diary, "Impressions of a visit to Gay Havana, The Paris of the Western Hemisphere" he summed up his visit to the island this way: "the Cubans ae a friendly people and hold U.S. of America and its' people in high esteem".

The Cubans its (sic) all America, both North and South, but they always emphasize the United States of America to which they belong. On every hand, the names of General Wood and Teddy Roosevelt, and others, are to the sacred and they avoid being connected with Spain., even say 'we speak the Cuban and English language, not Spanish, where as a matter of fact, it is Spanish'.

Oscar toured the country via taxi or walking. Havana, he reported had 58 cigar factories, 2500 policemen, a population of 500,000 and 7000 bars. Oscar was impressed by the beauty of Havana and its magnificent buildings.

He visited cemeteries and learned how they buried their own. Went to many churches and spoke of Lady Lourdes her statue and a small metal box that held her ashes. He spoke of Columbus Temple, here Christopher Columbus held the first mass under a "Free Sabor" tree, meaning cotton and Silk. He spoke of beautiful paintings of the first mass, the first Congress and the first inauguration.

He tells of the square that was used to sell slaves and where slaves were put to death, often times, for trifling matters. In the old city the slaves built a wall to defend and protect against pirates. The slaves carried the stones on bare shoulders and worked under the lash at all times.

Oscar, a strong prohibitionist, firmly believed that "with the Cubans taking the U.S. as their example someday will adopt prohibition". He truly believed in the words of Gifford Gordon, "Hold on, America! The son follows in the footsteps of the father and one day, Cuba will follow their father in prohibition".

Oscar died December 31, 1961.

(Cuba was founded on October 10, 1868. The island was inhabited by various cultures prior to the arrival of the Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492. After Columbus' arrival, Cuba became a Spanish colony, ruled by a Spanish governor in Havana. In 1762, Havana was briefly occupied by Great Britain, before being returned to Spain in exchange for Florida. A series of rebellions during the 19th century failed to end Spanish rule. However, the Spanish-American War resulted in a Spanish withdrawal from the island in 1898, and following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba gained formal independence in 1902.)