Our history begins with introducing the Hall Family…Tassel Top wouldn’t be called Tassel Top,
nor would it be a place for all to enjoy the day or a few short hours if it weren’t for the
foresight and appreciation for the property that this family shared for nearly 60 years.
Dr. Earl S. Hall, originally from New York, was fortunate to find such a gem of a piece of
property in what was a very small town of Raymond, Maine. He graduated from Maine
Medical School in 1920 after serving in the military in World War I. He further studied to
become an orthopedic surgeon, settled in Westbrook, Maine with his wife Margaret and
practiced in Westbrook and Portland. In 1931, Earl and Margaret
purchased this 35 acre property on Sebago Lake from Charles and Fred Crockett of
Raymond for $6000. Over the years the family would clear some of the property to build a
small cabin with living space and sleeping quarters, sauna, boathouse and outhouse.
Members of the Hall family came from all over the United States to spend time at camp and
enjoy the beauty of Maine and Sebago Lake.
Earl & Maggie’s only child, James W. Hall was born on October 31, 1931. Jim grew up in Westbrook, graduating from Westbrook High and then the University of Maine, where he received a degree in teaching. He taught for a year or two, but decided teaching in a formal setting was not for him. After returning from a 2 year stint in the Army primarily stationed in Germany, he then spent his entire working years at Saunders Brothers in Westbrook. During these years, Jim would house-sit for a friend in Westbrook in the winter and spend as much of his time at Tassel Top as the seasons would allow. There would be beautiful foliage in the fall, sliding and ice skating in the winter, and anxiously awaiting the ice to melt in the spring for swimming in the summer.
In 1989, with both Earl and Maggie deceased and sitting on the shoreline of Tassel Top, Jim would see all the development taking place. He would wonder about the possibility of getting Tassel Top designated as some sort of park. Two years earlier, the State of Maine created the Land of Maine’s Future Program. Jim applied to this program and the property was accepted. The State would purchase Tassel Top and lease the property to the Town of Raymond. The Town of Raymond, by a vote of a town meeting, would agree to develop, manage and maintain Tassel Top as a state owned municipal park. In the summer of 1993, with some capital improvements, including a snack bar (once the boathouse), grills, picnic tables, paths, gates, improved plumbing and a gatehouse, Tassel Top would be open to the public. For 30 years and counting, the park has been solely able to operate with the revenue taken
in from its patrons.
Old Boathouse, Now Snack Shack
So now you know how we got here but what about our name?
The name Tassel Top, we believe, refers to the pine trees in the park and the needles look like “tassels”.
Whether the Canadian loggers gave Maggie the idea to call it Tassel Top or Maggie gave the
property the name on her own is unclear. We do know that the only request that Jim asked
for when transferring the property, was that the name be kept in honor of his mother.
The Town of Raymond and Tassel Top Staff would like to thank Judy Hall for her interview in
helping to write this story. Sadly, after a period of declining health Jim passed away on
May 14, 2015. Thankfully his love of teaching, learning, wisdom and love for the outdoors
is still with Tassel Top through the many visitors that we have year after year.
