Manchester Historical Society Newsletter

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Winifred Payne
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Some meetings have been held at 6:00 pm, at the historic Manchester Grange, to better allow more people to attend.

1 Newsletter P.O. Box 121 Manchester, Maine Volume I, Number 3 August 2018 MHS MEETINGS The Historical Society holds its meetings on the FIRST THURSDAY of each month. Traditionally, meetings are held at 1:00, at the North Manchester Meeting House. Lately, we ve been changed things up. Some meetings have been held at 6:00 pm, at the historic Manchester Grange, to better allow more people to attend. So, if you are contemplating coming to one of our meetings, please call a member first to confirm the location. Or, just pay membership dues with the enclosed registration form, and you ll get an reminder with the time, location and agenda! Next meeting is Thursday, September 6 th. MHS AUGUST MEETING READFIELD HISTORICAL MUSEUM At our August meeting, the Readfield Historical Society welcomed the Manchester Historical Society. President Bob Harris and his wife Jeanne gave us a tour through their historic building. The building was given to the town in 1985, after being bought by local businessman Nelson Gordon. Built back in 1853, this was originally the Readfield Depot schoolhouse. Upon entering, you are in the old schoolroom. The first row of desks is original to the old schoolroom. The back of the room holds the original stove that heated the building; up front is a bell that rang in another Readfield schoolhouse. On display are schoolbooks, inkwells, slates, and a few old toys. Also, there is a cabinet where the children s tin cups were held, and a bench that held the water jug. Class photos from the 1800 s are on display. The left wall houses over 100 notebooks full of information for research. The top floor now houses an amazing Museum. Well-marked exhibits depict the Church, the Home, the Grange, the Farm, Businesses, and a room dedicated to Veterans, dating from the Civil war. Worth a visit, the Museum is located at 759 Main St. Hours are 10 2, on Thursdays and Saturdays. For more info Members 2018 Cobb, Linda Daggett-Nichols, Stephanie Dawes, Valerie Dudley, Carol & Lendall Flanagan, David & Kaye Gagnon, Arlene Gilbert, Cindy & Mike Peters Hartung, Honkie Hayes, Chuck & Marie Hill, Nancy Jaynes, Laureleen Whitney Johnston, Mark & Judy Kanozak, Charles & Nancy Kozak, Vicki & Joe Marston, Christopher McCarthy, Charles & Lucie Munier, Charles Oliver, Vicki & Tom Pelton, Fred Schrader, Jack Smith, Don Stackpole, Judith Thomas, Kyle & Paula Timm, Mary & Jeff Van Horn, Carolyn Whitlock, Miles & Tammy Johnson Whitman, Michael & Lauren Whitman, Carroll & Peggy Whitney, Roger Worthing, David & Diana MHS Officers 2018/2019 President Carolyn Van Horn Vice President Vicki Oliver Secretary Diana Worthing Treasurer Vicki Kozak Board of Directors: Nancy Hill Carol Dudley Valerie Dawes Miles Whitlock Lendall Dudley Manchester Historical Society P.O. Box 121 Manchester Me

2 MHS JUNE MEETING PATCH ROAD STORIES Member Vicki Oliver invited a guest to the meeting, and what a lively trip down memory lane we had! Mary Mitton Martinelli shared information on the area surrounding the Patch Road, off the Pond Road near the old Quaker Meeting House. Her paternal grandfather, Bliss Mitton, lived in the house now owned by Jim Nevins. He had an 80-acre farm in that area. The Friends Cemetery is on the Patch Road. When a funeral was held at the Quaker Meeting House, the body and procession would be transported to the cemetery by carriage on a path behind the Meeting House, instead of by road. Walter Mitton built on the Patch road in 1979 or 80; his house is now owned by Peter Mendall. Mary shared tales of visiting her grandfather s farm and growing up in that area. Don Smith piped up - he worked for Bliss Mitton (Mary s grandfather) on the roads. Don was working for the town, spreading sand in preparation for tarring. Bliss was working for DOT at the time. (Don Smith is a wealth of information and it is our goal to get him talking and record him!) Thank you to Vicki Oliver for inviting Mary and thanks to Mary for the information she shared IS YOUR HOUSE 100 YEARS OLD? Manchester has many old homes the first settlers coming in If you house was built in 1918 or earlier, and you would like to know more about it, we may have information on early owners, deeds, additional land owned, etc. We d love to hear from you. meflorist@roadrunner.com or call Valerie at we ll see what we can do! Manchester Village 1952 Details from a photo at vintagemaineimages.com 2

Thank You to the Family of Betty Gilbert The MHS would like to thank the family of Betty K. Gilbert for their generosity. Betty passed away peacefully at home, April 11, 2018.

3 Thank You to the Family of Betty Gilbert The MHS would like to thank the family of Betty K. Gilbert for their generosity. Betty passed away peacefully at home, April 11, The family s thoughtful gesture raised nearly $600 for the Historical Society. They asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to The Manchester Historical. These funds will be used toward educational programs, mailings, and advancement of the Society. Betty served the Town of Manchester as Town Clerk for over 30 years, and at the Polls for more than 50 years. MANCHESTER DEATHS Over the past year, Manchester has lost several of its longtime, irreplaceable citizens. Surely, we have missed other names, but here are several we d like to call your attention to. Gloria Mae Hamblen Kenney Sylvester Lillian M. Ballard Robert Buddy Trask Carroll G. Whitten Betty K. Gilbert Phyllis Waddell Wing Margaret Peggy Griffin Wilson Manchester Historical Society Membership Application 2018 Dues Year Jan. 1 Dec. 31 MHS is a 501(c)3 Corporation please print Name Address City State Zip Phone (h) Phone (c) How do you prefer to be contacted? (circle one or more) Cell Text Home Phone Dues: $15 Individual $20 Family $10 Senior (individual - 65+) Patron (Membership + Donation) Make Checks Payable to Mail Application & Check to Manchester Historical Society PO Box 121 Manchester ME

Teach your kids to say Thanks to the men & women who serve our community. Recognize the service of and meet your volunteer firefighters! Sept. 22, Sat. - Manchester Grange, 11 a.m., is hosting the family of Elias Taylor, Revolutionary War Patriot, for a Dedication Ceremony.

4 UPCOMING EVENTS Sept. 22, Sat. - Manchester Lions Club is hosting The Amazing Race, a fundraiser to support Homeless Veterans in Central Maine. Not your average race, teams of two participate in fun challenges. Call for details! Sept. 22, Sat. - Manchester Fire Department Open House Grown-ups and children welcome! See the trucks! Teach your kids to say Thanks to the men & women who serve our community. Recognize the service of and meet your volunteer firefighters! Sept. 22, Sat. - Manchester Grange, 11 a.m., is hosting the family of Elias Taylor, Revolutionary War Patriot, for a Dedication Ceremony. The public is invited to attend. Opening remarks by Timothy Lunney; Benediction by Pastor Cataldo, First Congregational Church, Winthrop. Sons of the American Revolution Color Guard will march through the Grange. Later, an Historic Marker will be placed near the location of the Taylor Homestead, near the end of Prescott Road. Sept. 29, Sat. - Manchester Community Church; Baked Bean & Casserole Supper; 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Manchester Apple Festival 2018 The Apple Festival regrettably, has been canceled this year. A difficult decision; visit Manchester Apple Festival on Facebook for further details. Indians of Cobbossee October 4 th Program The next Historical Society meeting is Thursday, October 4 th, 6 pm, North Manchester Church. The program will be Indians of Cobbossee. The Abenaki tribe, from the 1500 s to the late 1800 s, frequented the area around the Outlet and Cobbossee Stream, this area being tribal hunting and fishing grounds. Artifacts are relatively plentiful in the area. The Red Paint People Perhaps more importantly to archeologists, there is local evidence of a pre-historic tribe, dating back 4,000 years ago, the Late Archaic period. This culture is known as The Red Paint People, because of the red ochre used in their burial ceremonies. After 4,000 years, even their bones have mostly disintegrated, but some clear evidence remains, mostly stone tools and stones used at burial sites. Join us for this most interesting presentation; Call Valerie, for more information. Elias Taylor Plaque, Sept. 22 Dedication Early Drawing, circa 1750, artist unknown An Indian Campsite at the Rips on Cobbossee Stream vintageaerial.com Be warned what we are about to suggest is highly addictive. Visit the above website; it has vintage aerial photographs taken in the 1960 s. These look like to photos that they would shoot from a plane of your home, and then try to sell them to you. Navigate through the states, counties, and towns until you get to Manchester and you will see rolls of film with100 s of pictures of local properties. (the film rolls numbered LKE 21 through 27 have local shots.) 4

5 Suspended Scenery at Manchester Grange Very few people alive today have seen the treasure that the Manchester Grange houses. (Actually, there are 5 treasures). Up on the second floor, rolled up and stashed away under the stage, are curtain backdrops. These are painted scenes used in stage productions held over 100 years ago. These were painted by famous artists of their time. Manchester has 5 of these curtains A Street Scene Rustic Interior (Country Kitchen) Rustic Exterior (Country Scene with Cabin) Parlor Scene An Advertising Curtain (ads from local merchants of the time) These back-drops are over a century old and need TLC. Christine Hadsel of Vermont, director of Curtains Without Borders recently spent time advising on how best to conserve and restore these valuable assets. Which leads us to our next segment: Strong-Bodies to Volunteer for a Few Hours The first steps in conserving the back-drop curtains is getting rid of stuff that has accumulated around the stage at the Grange over the last hundred years. We are looking for volunteers to help dismantle, cut-up, lug off and dispose of old stage foot-lights, huge old velvet drapery, and whatever other rubble piled up. Date to be determined Either an early evening, or a week-end morning. Please, if you can help, (or have strong kids or grandchildren) call Carolyn at For more information on historic theater scenery, look on the computer for Christine Hadsel s pictorial book, Suspended Worlds 4 Reasons You Are Getting This Newsletter Wondering why we re sending you this newsletter? It might be one of the following reasons: 1. You re a Member of the MHS. 2. You re not a member, but we thought you d enjoy reading the newsletter. 3. You might decide to contribute old family pictures, diaries, journals, old receipts. We ll copy and return them to you! 4. We want your support and membership! Historical Society Wish List Currently, we are looking for the following: Use of Rolling Scaffolding Gently Used Projector Person to Help Build Website Individual with Experience in Grant Writing Book Cases / Cabinets to Display Collections Empty 3-ring Binders Contact Valerie or meflorist@roadrunner.com Historic Building Designation The MHS is exploring the process to have the North Manchester Meeting House placed on the Federal Register of Historic Buildings. Additionally, the Historic Preservation Commission will visit the Manchester Grange to see if that might qualify as well. There are many misconceptions about what results when a property is listed in the National Register. At a date to be determined, a representative of the Preservation Commission will meet with interested parties to answer questions and concerns. If you would like to attend, please contact Valerie Dawes or meflorist@roadrunner.com 5

6 MANCHESTER CLASS REUNION Sunday October 14, pm 3pm At the Manchester Grange The Manchester Historical Society is hosting its 2 nd Class Reunion All who attended any of Manchester Schools are Welcome Drop by with your families; Reminisce, tell stories, see old friends Light Refreshments Old Class Photos No Registration/Admission fee Donations gratefully accepted Visit our Facebook Page Manchester Elementary School Class Reunion Questions? Call David Worthing MANCHESTER ELEMENTARY LINCOLN SNOW HEWITT WASHINGTON Please share this invitation! Manchester Historical Society PO Box 121 Manchester ME

STONE LAKE AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PO BOX 35 STONE LAKE, WI 54876

STONE LAKE AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY PO BOX 35 STONE LAKE, WI 54876 2016 2017 OFFICERS: PRESIDENT: Connie Schield (715)-865-4940 VICE PRES: Christine Maestri (715)-558-5452 TREASURER: Joan Rainville (715)-558-8013