The manger built by Edward Baribault of Lewiston in 1931 is adorned with nativity figures. Paul Baribault photo

LEWISTON — This year marks nine decades a Lewiston man has continued a tradition that began with a homemade Christmas gift.

In 1931, 13-year-old Edward Baribault became the envy of amateur carpenters. Using 1.5-inch wood slats as a base and birch saplings for the posts and structure, he constructed a manger and presented it to his mother at Christmas. 

As sturdy as it was beautiful, it has lasted the test of time, long enough for Edward’s children to enjoy it. 

“It’s still in wonderful condition; all I replaced was the cotton batting on the roof,” Edward’s son, Paul, said. “That got a little dry and stuff over the years, but everything else is original construction.”

There is no denying its quality. If value can be determined by how long something lasts, the way art or fine jewelry does to a certain extent, then the manger is a true rarity. Its sentimental value alone makes it priceless. 

The attention to detail is not lost on Baribault, who recognizes in it the meticulousness his father was known for.

“There are compound cuts — angular cuts — at the top of each beam, which is pretty sophisticated for a 13-year-old to accomplish,” he said.

Edward, who died in 1996, was a Lewiston native, born to parents from Connecticut. His father, a Yale educated pharmacist, died when Edward was 10. Three years later, Edward sensed that his mother needed something that fateful Christmas.

Edward Baribault of Lewiston built this manger as a Christmas gift for his mother in 1931.  Paul Baribault photo

“They had a rugged time of it financially,” Paul Baribault said of Edward’s mother and siblings. “My grandfather, when he passed, had a store in debt because he could not bring himself to collect from people who could not afford to pay. He would give out medicine and hope to be paid but he wasn’t and he didn’t press.”

As the eldest son, Edward began to contribute financially to support his mother and six siblings. He dropped out of school and took a custodial job at Holy Cross School, eventually receiving his high school diploma when he joined the Army.  

Just before his discharge from the service, Edward was hitchhiking through Peoria, Illinois, on his way back to Maine when he was picked up by a traveling salesman who asked him about his plans for the future. The second World War was ending and Edward, like thousands of other veterans, was returning home to find work.

The salesman advised Edward to consider watchmaking, saying it was a wonderful field and very secure.

Taking the stranger’s advice to heart, Edward enrolled in watchmaking school and after working for Henry Nolan Jewelers in Lewiston, opened up his own shop, E. Baribault Jeweler, on Lisbon Street. He stayed in business for over 30 years.

His choice of a profession was a perfect fit, having worked in the medical field during the Army and driven by an insatiable curiosity about how things worked. 

Edward Baribault works in his Lewiston jewelry store. Submitted photo

“(Watchmaking) requires a lot of precision and I think he had that kind of aptitude early on in life,” his son said.

Edward eventually gave his son a Bulova Accutron watch when he graduated from high school, a piece his son would come to love for its precision as well as its meaning. 

Paul Baribault, a poet, playwright and children’s author has used his art to reflect on the meaningful things in his life. As an adult, he gifted his parents a poem he wrote called “Angelus,” which his father hung on the wall of their home where Baribault lives today.

Baribault’s earliest memory of the manger was at 2 years old when he moved into the family home, appreciating it with each passing year. “Years later, I did realize that this was an antique, and I wrote on the foundational slat ‘Dad built at age 13.’”