Cecil — Robert Mitchell Images

It’s been 30 years since Cecil Pierce handed and 120 years since his delivery, but a lot of his accomplishments linger. The tales about Cecil’s accomplishments and actions are too quite a few to say, particularly since my contact with him was fairly restricted. I knew about Cecil and have seen merchandise of his creation, however I believe there are numerous different individuals, particularly right here on Southport, who could be way more educated than I. Needless to say, Cecil Pierce was a fairly distinctive particular person … emphasis on particular person! He constructed his personal roads and traveled them with out hesitation.

I made the {photograph} of Cecil shared this week after just a few visits and conversations relating to a tilt high desk he had constructed by hand with instruments he’d made. He wanted a photograph of the desk and an writer photograph. Uncle Ralph Spinney, famous Southport electrician and outdoorsman, knew Cecil nicely and figured we’d get alongside OK. Cecil wasn’t wild concerning the thought of a “portrait” however gave me a quick alternative at his house store for just a few pictures. I additionally did get the decision to {photograph} his desk as soon as I had handed the congeniality check.

I recall making the {photograph} fairly vividly. At the time we nonetheless have been residing within the Harbor and I didn’t have a lot of a “studio” house. So I threw collectively a makeshift setup within the alleyway subsequent to our home with some supplies I may dig up. It labored out however most likely may have been higher managed with a extra skilled setting. Cecil favored the pictures nicely sufficient or not less than he was OK with the outcomes and didn’t say something.

My go to to his home/store was like strolling right into a museum of instruments, wooden, ongoing initiatives and an area clearly private. I used to be amazed however Cecil was fairly matter of truth about all of the initiatives he had underway on the time. There have been planks of lovely wooden, bamboo for fishing rods and instruments all over the place. I had not realized the vary of abilities this man possessed.

And this was solely a glimpse. Prior to our go to within the early ’90s, Cecil had not been asleep on the wheel. He constructed boats, very well-known fly rods, magnificent and wood planes, nonetheless discovering time to journey far and vast on fishing journeys with pals.

Cecil at his workbench made a fairly attention-grabbing composition. I didn’t have a lot to say about the place his portrait would occur. He sat on a stool at his bench and that was it. Not an entire lot of messing round; he had issues to do. One of these issues occurred to be the establishing of what’s now Southport’s Hendricks Hill Museum. The constructing was given by one Perry Luke offered it may very well be moved to its current location. Cecil was an instrumental contributor to this course of which finally landed the constructing proper subsequent door to the place Cecil finally lived. One factor I did learn on the Historical Society webpage is that Cecil and Maurice Sherman hand-built the basic museum home windows utilizing an outdated window present in the home attic, giving them a sample for the muntins used to border salvaged outdated glass. 

I may go on, however I gained’t. Except I do want to say Cecil’s distinctive fly rods. I suppose he was fairly well-known for his bamboo/graphite designs. I don’t know a lot about fly fishing however I’ve discovered that those that do have nice respect for and curiosity within the rods that Cecil created. I do recall throughout a go to tremendous strips of bamboo which I couldn’t think about able to catching something not to mention the massive salmon prize!

I used to be happy to go to with Cecil infrequently and was fully amazed by his talents. He was an attention-grabbing individual and a loyal Southporter.