HOLT HOUSE NEWS ADDITIONS & CHANGES BLUE HILL HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Transcription

1 BLUE HILL HISTORICAL SOCIETY HOLT HOUSE NEWS VOLUME 14, ISSUE 2 FALL EDITION, 2011 ADDITIONS & CHANGES DIRECTORS: AS OF 10/18/11 This spring, the board decided to replace our old sign and have a new one made. We chose board member, Linda Elder to spearhead the project and Jay Peterson as the Painter. Jay used a sketch of the Holt House that Linda had made and painted it under the arch at the top. They did a beautiful job. While the sign was being made, it was also decided to get a couple of stones to use as steps into the side yard. The picket fence was removed to allow access for the machinery. Michael Astbury of M.E. Astbury & Son, Inc. donated the stones and we had his talented crew install them. Once the sign was ready, we had a work day and installed the sign posts, sign, and refitted the fence to work around the new stone steps. We still need to finish off the end posts at the opening. The fence has been primed and will be painted next spring. Linda also wanted to have a bench in the side yard to sit on. Two people offered to pay for a bench, so now we have two benches with plaques on the back for whom they were given to memorialize. Jan Crofoot donated a bench in memory of her sister, Sandra Woods Marriner and Juanita Blumberg donated a bench in memory of her husband, Lewis Blumberg. They are lovely additions and much appreciated. PRESIDENT Courtenay Haight VICE PRESIDENT Tim Thomas TREASURER Susan Gurin SECRETARY Jan Snow MEMBERSHIP Lynne Clark CURATOR Lynne Clark Janice Crofoot Ann Durgin Linda Elder William McHenry Bob Myers Rick Sawyer Rick Seeger Cordell Snow INSIDE THIS ISSUE: PHOTO GALLERY PROGRAMS 3 ACCESSIONS 3 FACEBOOK 4 CALENDAR OF EVENTS 4 BEQUEST 4 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE 5 DINING FOR HISTORY 6

2 PAGE 2 HOLT HOUSE NEWS PHOTO GALLERY This is a wonderful picture that we hadn t seen before. It is from the top of Tenney Hill looking toward town. Both churches are seen in this photo as well as Greene s Hill, Union Street and Tucker s Lane. This photograph was donated by Jim and Shirley Lay. It came down through Shirley s family. This photo was donated by Anita Wessel. It came from Jerry and Diana Hinckley s estate. It is a picture of the Dr. Raymond Bliss house, now owned by Peter and Carol Blyberg. You can see Union Street in the background. The barn in the back is now moved to the town side of the house closer to the road. If you enjoy these pictures, we have lots more!

3 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 2 PAGE PROGRAMS The 150th anniversary of the Civil War provided BHHS the theme for our speaker series this past summer focused on aspects of that period. Presentations by Earle Shettleworth, Tom Desardin, Bob Slaven and Sandy Oliver provided photos and stories of great interest. Also, Amos (Tappy) Wilder, who has summered in Blue Hill since childhood, entertained us with photos and stories of his famous family, particularly his Uncle, Thorton Wilder. Jody and George Blagden graciously hosted a Ladies Social Tea Party for ladies of all ages. Their home was a lovely setting for this popular fundraiser. This fall, we h a v e t h r e e gourmet dinners wit h m usic hosted by board members in their homes. We hope to make these affairs our major fundraiser. On December 10th, we will host our annual wine tasting and hearty hors d oeuvre event. This is a fun way to welcome in the holiday season. Members, including board members, volunteers, and those attending make these affairs p o s s i b l e a n d successful. Many thanks to all. For additional information, contact Jan Crofoot at ACCESSIONS We are blessed to live in an area rich in history where people care about keeping that history alive and available to future generations. The selection of items we received in the last few months speaks volumes about how that desire is still strong. Notebook binder titled Treworgy-True-Trueworthy Family from Cornwall by Mabel Gould Demers Hinckley donated by Paul Townsend Photos, scrapbook, diary belonging to Rena Johnson, autograph book, pamphlets, Merrill & Hinckley memorabilia, marriage certificate from Diana & Jerry Hinckley s house donated by Anita Wessel Blue Hill Times, GSA ephemera, Ellsworth, Surry and Blue Hill Register 1908, handwritten genealogy notes of the Candage and Carter families from the Edith Candage house donated by Jill Knowles Board meeting minutes from Peninsula Health Development, Inc. donated by Duncan Neuhauser Framed copy of Homestead given by Roland Howard donated by Bill Petry Gale Hinckley photos from Marjorie & Paul Woodward s house donated by Sue Fenders Pictures of the Eastward School, parade, Civil War veterans donated by Jan Cleveland Floor easel that belonged to Frank Hamabe donated by the Ladies Public Improvement Society of South Blue Hill Blue Hill memorabilia that belonged to her parents, Doc and Hilda Wood donated by Jan Crofoot

4 PAGE 4 HOLT HOUSE NEWS VISIT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ON FACEBOOK Did you miss the Photo Exhibit this summer on The People of Blue Hill? Do you wonder where the Historic District is in Blue Hill? We are now on Facebook, so all you have to do is go to our page and see what we ve been doing. We have a listing of our books for sale, pictures of our events including the Ladies Social Tea. We have pictures of houses that used to be in town but are now gone, pictures of prominent people in Blue Hill s history and a copy of the article Bill Hinckley wrote on the Civil War Soldiers Monument at Seaside Cemetery. CALENDAR OF EVENTS Monday, December 5th Visit from Blue Hill Consolidated School students (snow date - December 6th) Saturday, December 10th at 5:00pm Annual Wine Tasting and Hearty Hors d oeuvres fundraiser. $30 per person. RSVP to Jan Crofoot at BEQUEST We are grateful to those donors who have remembered the Blue Hill Historical Society in their estate planning. Bequests to the Historical Society contribute significantly to our long-term financial well-being and help us ensure the success of our mission of preserving Blue Hill s history. Naming the Blue Hill Historical Society in your will is not difficult, and you can designate any amount or remainder interest you wish. As you make plans for your estate, we hope that you will consider a bequest to us. For more information about bequests, please contact us at info@bluehillhistory.org.

5 VOLUME 14, ISSUE 2 PAGE 5 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE: A YEAR S WORTH OF PRESERVING AND CELEBRATING BLUE HILL S HERITAGE Society President Tom Bjorkman The Blue Hill Historical Society carries out its mission through many different activities while partnering with other community organizations. Here s a snapshot of our work over the past year. Caring for the Holt House is a top priority. This year, in addition to the normal maintenance, we installed new wallpaper in the parlor, a reproduction of an early 19th century paper found in another Blue Hill Home. This bold new paper brightens the feel of the parlor and draws many positive comments from our guests. The Society s Directors also approved a long-range plan for transforming the space between the Holt and Bar Harbor Bank & Trust into an inviting garden space and began the initial work to implement this plan. Collecting and preserving important records and artifacts of Blue Hill s history are at the core of our mission. Among our new accessions this year are important additions to our collection of Rowantrees pottery. We work to make our history accessible to town residents and historians. We completed another highly successful summer speaker series, this year focused on the role of Maine and the Blue Hill region in the Civil War, in honor of the 150th anniversary of the start of this transformative event in American history. Our curator, Lynne Clark, also prepared a major exhibit in the Carriage House, featuring photographs and stories honoring some of Blue Hill s long time citizens who died over the last 30 years. Blue Hill s architectural heritage helps define the special character of the village that draws new residents and visitors to town. We have worked over the past year with the Duffy-Wescott Post of the American Legion and other members of the community to help identify a toward stabilizing and renovating the Legion Hall on Main Street, which started its life in the 19th century as the town s high school. We could not carry out our mission without collaborating with other community organizations. This year we helped the Consolidated School s 8th grade class to build an online exhibit on Blue Hill in the Civil War. The Holt House hosted George Stevens Academy s receptions for candidates for the new Head of School. And we collaborated with the Jonathan Fisher Memorial and other peninsula historical societies on activities such as the Civil War Encampment on Deer Isle in early August. While we operate on a shoestring budget, fulfilling our mission requires time and money, and fundraising events are an important part of our work. This year we again organized a successful wine tasting at the Holt House in December and a sold-out Tea Party for ladies of all ages and George and Jody Blagden s historic home, Kalmia Knoll, in July promises to be another busy year for the Society as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of Blue Hill s European settlement. I hope you will help us organize a celebration worthy of our history.

6 Blue Hill Historical Society Post Office Box 710 Blue Hill, Maine DINING FOR HISTORY Join us for dinner three Saturdays in November to help us fundraise for the Historical Society. Each will be held at a different home and will feature both dinner and music. There are a limited number of spaces available at each location, so make your reservations early! Saturday, November 5th at 6:00pm Our Favorite Things featuring homegrown vegetables and pork loin with folk music by Ross Greenlaw and Gary Mitchell Hosted by Jan and Mike Snow, Field House Lane $50 per person Saturday, November 12th at 6:00pm A Quartet (of gourmet dishes) and a Trio (Kennebec Trio) Hosted by Roxanne Donahey and Tom Bjorkman, Parker Point Road $60 per person Saturday, November 19th at 6:00pm Vive la France dinner and music with Rich and Susie, prepared by Diane Bianco Hosted by Rich and Susie Gurin, Parker Point $75 per person