Landmark Patten barn hit by fire

By Karen Donato
Staff Writer
    PATTEN — If you are from the Patten area, you are most likely familiar with the twin Hood barns on the Robert Guptill farm located on the Happy Corner Road. The barns were built in 1974 on property owned by the Guptill family since 1866 and are home to approximately 150 head of cattle.
    The farm is rarely left without someone on the premises, but on Friday, Oct. 16 after milking at 4 a.m. Guptill headed to his second job at Richardson’s Hardware Store; his wife, Louise went to her job at Katahdin Elementary School; their son, Ben had gone to get a load of sawdust and only the hired man, Jeremy McNutt, was left. Not long after Ben was on his way, his truck broke down, so he called for McNutt to come and help him.
    About mid-morning, neighbor Kerry McNally drove toward the Guptill Farm and noticed the smoke. He tried calling 911 on his cell phone, but couldn’t get through. He was able to call his wife at home and she relayed the information to emergency services.
    Louise Guptill said, “If it weren’t for the quick action of the Patten Fire Department we would have lost the whole thing, both barns.”
    The Patten department was assisted by crews from Island Falls, Sherman, Stacyville and Mt. Chase. They were able to prevent the fire from destroying the entire barn and spreading to other buildings or it could have been much worse.
    Fortunately since the cows had been milked earlier in the day they had been let out to pasture. There were, however, five calves and one cow lost. There was major fire and water damage to the milk room, milk tank and furnace room.
Contributed  photo
BARN FIRE — Firefighters work on Robert Guptill’s milk barn in Patten Oct. 16, after a fire broke out. Five calves and one cow perished in the fire. The cause was undertermined.
    “Some of the walls are okay, but about three-quarters of the roof will need to come down and be replaced,” said Louise Guptill.
    “My husband and I are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our community. Friends and neighbors have brought in meals, helped with the milking, washed dishes, brought coffee to the workers and are planning a ‘wood-bee’. They are also planning to help us rebuild,” she added.
     In the meantime, the Maine Livestock Association has provided the Guptills with the Maine Moo-bile unit to assist the Guptill’s with the milking. Since all of their equipment was lost in the fire, this unit provides everything needed to do the milking and keep it cooled and ready to market.
    At this time, according to Louise Guptill neither a monetary loss figure or the origin of the fire has been determined. The building was insured.