75th Anniversary! River`s Edge

75 Anniversary!
th
By The
River’s Edge
Skowhegan History House Society Newsletter
Fall 2012 Edition
skowheganhistoryhouse.org
Lee Granville
Long time Curator, Lee Granville, is retiring as full time Curator at
the Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center after
eleven years of service. We thank him for his dedication and welcome
Lee as a volunteer Associate Curator when his busy schedule allows.
Guiding Star of the History House
Each of us gives of ourselves
In our own special way,
Some through what we do Others through what we say.
Lee is a giver...both doing and saying
He does what he gives so well.
It's beyond our understanding No rhythm nor rhyme can tell.
What makes Lee Granville so special?
We think it's because he cares
For each little nook in the History House
And he really just loves being there.
He's more of a History House presence.
Seems there's nothing he doesn't know.
He tells it as if he belongs there
Takes us with him - to days long ago.
When he's there with beloved treasures
And collections of unknown wealth,
With the past of Civil War soldiers He’s the teacher, the student...himself.
History's described as a lantern
Which shines only behind the stern.
But Lee’s been a lantern for many
Shining ahead of the bow to learn.
Gratitude left unexpressed
Is like keeping a gift you've wrapped
So here's our "Thank you, Lee"
With a thousand ribbons and bows
attached.
Dot Cleaver October 2012
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
Page 1
Ringing the Bell Seventy-Five Years Later
By Melvin Burnham
A number of dedicated volunteers have helped to move our museum into the 21st century. Veteran
volunteers Verna Lister, Joan Farnsworth, Ron LaFratta, Sam Horine, Pat Burdick, K Hartsgrove, Delores
Mowatt and Nathan Cook were joined by Kay Marsh, Bonnie Magoon, Gabrielle Foster, Richard Tessier, and
Edna Marshall, who are also interested in our mission of preserving and promoting our community’s legacy.
Often times when volunteers come to the May
Volunteer Open House, it is the first time that they have been
in History House even though they have driven by many times.
However, Edna Marshall had been to History House several
times with her children and even as a young girl herself, and
her story helps us to understand what life was like in this
community when our museum was founded in 1937.
Edna Bosworth’s name appears in the original guest
book on October 17th, 1941, when her teacher, Bertha Paul,
took her twenty-eight eighth grade pupils on a field trip to
Skowhegan History House ca. 1940
History House. She also recalls visiting when she was ten
years old in 1937 when the Skowhegan History House opened. Edna remembers that the lady showing guests
around was very tall and may have been Louise Helen Coburn,
the founder of History House. A doll in a wooden cradle, the
fireplace, the spinning wheel, and all the cooking items stick in
her memory of her first visit. She also remembers the lady’s
stern voice, “You can look at the doll, but do not touch!”
That eighth grade field trip was interesting as well. It
seems Mrs. Paul had a difficult group that year in the school on
the Island. Two boys in her class decided that they did not
want to make the trek to History House and instead stole away
to the swinging bridge, where Edna says the boys often went to
Skowhegan History House Museum ca. 1937
smoke. She related that the girls were really irritated because
the boys acted so badly. The hostess that October morning was Bertha Williams Holt, the widow of Carlton
Holt. It was the first time Edna had seen a canopy bed so that stuck in her memory along with the kitchen and
that same untouchable doll and cradle.
For a lady approaching her eighty-fifth birthday, Edna has a keen memory of her
childhood and those that she grew up with on Summer Street. The family home was
actually on upper Summer Street next to the home formerly owned by the Lord family
and more recently George and Elaine Cannell. The Bosworths lived on the first floor and
grandmother on the second. The Philbricks, Carpenters, and the Derbyshires lived
nearby. Her neighborhood friends included Martha Roullard, Elizabeth Day, and Edna’s
brother often played with Billy Philbrick when they were youngsters. Richard “Dickie”
Buxton, whose father owned a floral shop off Madison Avenue, was also a good friend.
Dickie was Edna’s first boyfriend at four years old. They ran off together one morning
because all the big kids had gone to school and they wanted to go too. Their adventure
Louise Helen Coburn’s
Doll & Cradle
took them to Madison Avenue, but Edna’s father’s voice rang clear in her mind, “Don’t
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
Page 2
ever cross the avenue,” but they did anyway. They proceeded up the avenue,
crossed Jewett Street and found themselves sitting on the front steps of Lessard’s
store on North Avenue across from the cemetery, crying and lost. Victor Lessard
came out inquiring as to why they were there. He knew their families and he
offered them ice cream cones and that seemed to soothe their souls. The family had
no phone so the proprietor called the fire department, and the lost ones were
delivered home in the big fire truck with Edna ringing the big bell. As they pulled
up to the Bosworth home, frantic family members and neighbors were searching
everywhere for the little wanderers. Other recollections include the flood of 1936
when Edna was nine years old. She tells of her father using a boat to go to the
grocery store for some Cloverdale Bread and her grandmother developing diphtheria
from the water and having to be quarantined for a time upstairs in her home. And
during the Great Depression the kids would go over to the train tracks to collect coal
Volunteer Edna Marshall
that had fallen off the railroad cars and cart it home in a wagon.
Mr. Bosworth worked at Wendell Thompson’s Manufacturing making croquet sets, and her mother
worked at the Shoddy Mill on Dodge Street. Edna remembers her mother coming home all bitten up because
there were no screens to keep the insects out and in the winter frozen because there was no heat. The family
often visited father at work on Saturday and they always had croquet sets at home. Later her parents worked at
the Anderson Woolen Mill, father in the card mill and mother in the upper mill “sewing in.”
Now as a valued volunteer, Edna rings the doorbell promptly at 1:00 on Thursdays all smiles eager to
volunteer at the History House, the same History House she had visited some seventy-five years earlier. As she
works with the collection, she often finds artifacts that have been donated by folks that she knew and even grew
up with here in Skowhegan. Along with assisting with preservation and clerical activities, one of Edna’s
projects has been to create a scrapbook for History House that chronicles the seventy-fifth anniversary of our
founding. Being an avid scrapbooker, Edna rose to the challenge and has produced a very interesting and
professional book.
When asked about her volunteering at History House, Edna was quick to reply, “I enjoy it, it’s peaceful
and the people here are pleasant to work with. I know just about everybody; I’ve learned a lot especially about
things that I had not made the connection with in our history.”
Edna Bosworth Marshall is looking forward to returning next season and even to volunteer this winter as
the need arises. Edna’s late husband was Richard Marshall. They had three children, Richard, Jr., Pam
McDermott, and Jane Fortier. She prizes her two grandchildren and is anxiously awaiting her second great
grandchild. Interestingly, both of her grandchildren were recipients of the Buxton Scholarship established by
her first boyfriend, Dickie Buxton, the same Dickie that she ran away with when she was just four years old.
Board of Trustees
Melvin Burnham, President
Patricia Horine, Treasurer
Bonnie Chamberlain, Secretary
Bonnie Magoon, Receipts Manager
Ruth Blood
Ronda Ducret
Joyce Foley
Lee Granville
James Hastings
Kay Marsh
Reg Strout
Our Mission
“Preserving an increasingly valuable
historic collection representing Skowhegan’s legacy and
promoting Skowhegan’s cultural heritage.”
By The River’s Edge, Skowhegan History House Society Newsletter- Published twice annually
Editor & Graphics Designer- Melvin Burnham, Director /President Board of Trustees
Assistant Editor/Researcher- Ruth Blood, Trustee
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
Page 3
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
Page 4
THE DAY THE PRESIDENT ROLLED THROUGH TOWN
June 27, 1955
Submitted by Susan Provencal
“Susan! Susan! Come down to the front lawn, now! The President’s coming!” exclaimed my mother,
as she rushed out of my bedroom and back down our front stairs.
It had been a typical summer day in Skowhegan, when my mother, Betty Provencal, called to her sixyear- old daughter to come see something that was unique in our small town life. I was non-plussed by my
mother’s words and continued with my doll play there in my room under the eaves of our apartment at 137
West Front Street.
‘President? What was that?’ I wondered? ‘Was it bird, beast or fish? Or, perhaps, it was a person?’
As a young child, I had no concept of the institution of a national leader. It could have been nothing important
or maybe something special to a child who in about six weeks would enter Mrs. Maitland’s first grade class.
‘Maybe, at Academy School, I’d find out what a president is,’ I thought.
Within minutes of my continued absence in the
gathering crowd on our front lawn, my mother
frantically returned to my bedroom and demanded,
“Come now, Susan! It’s the president!” I obediently
followed, since Ma was not going to ignore my
deference to remain in the house. With doll in hand, I
reluctantly moseyed downstairs and out to an oddly
large gathering of neighborhood friends and guests who
were gazing intently up the street toward Staples’ farm.
Much to my surprise, a sense of excitement also
hung in the air. Anticipation of something BIG was
Susan Provencal stands between her parents, (center) Norman & Betty.
about to happen. Oddly, our kitchen radio was resting
Martha Witham Smart is standing to the far right. (Lorna Dill photo)
on a blanket on the lawn, linked to its energy source by a series of extension cords. The local announcer was
enthusiastically declaring accolades and facts about the approaching president and parade. Catching onto the
heightening anticipation of the crowd, I decided to hang around and find out what the commotion was all about.
Within minutes, every onlooker was searching the street for something unique and special to our lives in
our modest, small town life. Exclamations of, “There they are! See, it’s President Eisenhower and Margaret
Chase Smith! Wow, that’s some Cadillac! Where’s the camera!” I, too, scanned the street for the mysterious
president.
To my surprise and awe, a gigantic automobile, which later would be defined as a Cadillac convertible,
was rolling slowly down West Front Street. The driver was attired in a Sunday-go-to-church suit, another
oddity on a hot weekday afternoon. In the rear seat someone’s grandparents, sporting white hair and similarly
dressed in their Sunday best, were waving back at us bystanders. The whole neighborhood had raised their
hands in welcome and were shouting greetings to the old couple. Not to be outdone by my neighbors and
friends, I too waved frantically at the passengers, really not understanding who or what they were about,
especially in Skowhegan, where such events were few and far - between.
As people applauded the receding vehicle, I asked my mom, “Can I go back upstairs now?” She
grinned and softly laughed at my request, “Yes, dear, Mr. Eisenhower’s gone now. You can go back to your
dolls.”
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
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Later, at dinner tables all around town, all the
talk was about the motorcade of Dwight Eisenhower
and Senators Muskie and Smith, including their
campaign speeches at the fairgrounds. I also had no
notion of speech or senator, since those were realms of
the adult world. But I listened, sensing that history
had been made in my hometown that day.
Over our own meatloaf, wax beans and baked
potatoes, my mother and father explained to my sister
President Eisenhower & Senator Margaret Chase Smith passing by the
Mary and me that after the motorcade through town
Provencal home at intersection of McClellan & W. Front Street in a
motorcade. (Lorna Dill Photo)
had happened and the speech at the fairgrounds had
been delivered, Eisenhower and his entourage were now dinner guests of Mrs. Smith. Word had it that she had
thrown a traditional Maine lobster bake and steak dinner in honor of her esteemed colleagues. However,
Dwight Eisenhower was rumored to have to eat sparingly of the famous Maine crustacean, in deference to his
high cholesterol and heart problems. Not much else was discussed about the president in that conversation at
our dinner table, since neither of my parents had been party to the
speeches or lobster and steak dinner.
Still sitting at my dining chair and after some careful thought, I
asked, “Ma, what’s a President.” My mother looked askance and with an
enlightening look on her face, she replied, “Well, dear, a president is the
big, important boss of our country, the United States of America. When
the United States, or sometimes Maine, has problems, he helps us solve
them, so we can live more safely and happily.” Alas, my mom had
forgotten that a young child had no understanding of the office of
president. ‘Oh,’ I thought. ‘So, a president is a person who tells us what
Photo courtesy of University of Maine Margaret
to do. Sort of like parents or a teacher.’
Chase Smith Library
After being excused from the dinner table, my older sister Mary
and I ran back into our bedroom and peered intently out the window that faced the other side of the Kennebec
River, where Mrs. Margaret Chase Smith lived. Knowing that our nation’s boss was probably still there having
his own dinner, we anxiously scanned the trees on the far riverbank, hoping to catch a glimpse of our president.
My sister says that we actually could see the people of that presidential party over on Neil Hill. But that fact
was too long ago and I was maybe too young to recognize that depiction.
As the years passed and I traveled our nation and the world, I sometimes, by accident or appointment,
got to see my country’s famous leaders. But no presidential event was as awe-inspiring and special to me as the
day that Dwight Eisenhower had made Skowhegan famous, just by rolling by my house, in his big Cadillac car.
Weston Dam
Construction 1919
Left Photo: Looking to the
south side- Casket Factory,
Anderson/Coburn Woolen
Mills, currently the Southside
Tavern, iron bridge, and on the
right a machine shop located
on Skowhegan Island
Right Photo: Looking down
into the foundation hole for the
power station
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
Page 6
Visit the Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center Online!
www.skowheganhistoryhouse.org
Skowhegan History House is now online. The website offers visitors extensive
information concerning: Association, Photo Gallery, Heirloom Gardens, Research,
Exhibits, Heritage Shop, Giving Opportunities, Hours/Location, Volunteer
Information, Contact Us/ Links, Newsletters/ Articles, as well as information under
Before You Visit.
Visitors are also offered the choice of making donations using the “Donate” button
which uses a secure credit card service and PayPal. The website also offers visitors an
introduction to the DVD entitled History House Tour with Lee Granville.
Summer Intern Sam Wheeler
Sam Wheeler, a Skowhegan High School senior, served as a summer
intern at the Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center again this
season. Sam is highly involved in school sports and theater. He volunteered in
2010 and served as an intern in 2011. His intern duties include cataloguing
collections, serving as a docent, and assisting in all facets of operating a small
museum.
Under this program an area student entering sophomore, junior or senior
high school or college can be employed for twenty-five hours per week for eight
weeks. Interns need be interested in local history, have experience and training
with computer technology, be able to communicate well with the public, follow
directions, be a dependable self-starter needing minimal supervision, and present
her/himself in a professional manner.
The Summer Internship Program is made possible this year through
generous donations from Mrs. Dorothy Cleaver, Mr. Chuck Carpenter, and the
Redington-Fairview General Hospital.
Intern Sam Wheeler
Weston & Brainard Lumber Mill located on Skowhegan Island on the natural sluiceway ca. 1875. Wyman Collection Photo
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
Page 7
Historic Home Registry Program
Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center is now offering an opportunity for residents of
Skowhegan with homes at least 100 years old to participate in its Historic Home Registry Program. The
program provides an opportunity for the owner of a home that is at least one hundred years old to document the
home’s age, register it in the Historic Home Registry, and to display an
approved house marker indicating the original homesteader, the year of
construction, and the owner’s affiliation with the Skowhegan History House
Historic Home Registry Program.
The process includes providing evidence of the deeds of the various
owners of the property dating back to the original construction date and
original homesteader. Participants may do the research themselves, or a
representative of History House will conduct the research for a minimal fee.
Skowhegan History House Museum &
Once the “Chain of Deeds” is certified, a copy of the original deed, the
Research Center Historic Home Marker
“Chain of Deeds,” and all other related photos and documents provided by
the participant will be filed at the Museum & Research Center.
Certified owners will be offered the opportunity to
order an approved house marker to affix to the historic
property. The markers are hand
painted by a Farmington artisan who
works with similar programs across
New England.
Skowhegan has numerous old
Recent Historic Home RegistrantsHenry & Mary Lou Holden Mollerus
homes dating well before 1900 that
have interesting histories and are of importance and significance to our community’s
history. It is the hope of the Trustees of the Skowhegan History House Museum &
Research Center that owners of properties dating back 100 years or more will share
their historic record with other community members so we all will have a better sense
of our town’s architectural heritage.
Further information can be found under “Programs” on our website:
Recent Historic Home
Registrants- Norman & Patricia
www.skowheganhistoryhouse.org.
Dickey
Skowhegan Panoramic Maps
Skowhegan History House Museum & Research
Center is taking orders for 20” X 30” or 16” X
24” prints of this panoramic map of Skowhegan
(1892) with Hotel Heselton advertisements. This
beautiful, professional print is crisp, clean and
ready for framing. It would look wonderful in
any place of prominence. Select the Heritage
Shop
tab
on
our
website
www.skowheganhistoryhouse.org for
more
information about this detailed panorama and
one other historic map ca. 1883
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
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Heirloom Gardens at History House
Patricia Horine, Master Gardener
The lovely History House Heirloom Gardens had a busy and
productive season. As usual volunteers really were the story behind
our success. John Lynch (Lynch Landscaping) again donated lawn
care services and a dozen other volunteers worked diligently
throughout the 2012 season to help maintain the gardens and
landscape. Guests and visitors from near and far enjoyed our
beautiful gardens.
This spring we added professional signage along with a reference guide (housed in our kiosk) that
offered additional information on each plant’s background. Master Gardener volunteer, Pat Burdick continued
her weekly History House Facebook journal
entry featuring gardening tips as well as a
photograph of a selected heirloom plant with
a brief and interesting write-up about that
plant. We held both a spring and a fall plant
sale this season, successfully raising funds to
support future projects in our gardens.
Even though we’ve put the gardens to bed for the year, we’re already planning out new projects for next
year. We plan to enhance our riverside view and introduce some interesting heirloom plant materials into the
garden. Join us at the Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center Heirloom gardens in the spring.
F
R
I
E
N
D
S
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
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Results of the Conservation Assessment
Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center was awarded a Heritage Preservation CAP
Grant in 2012. Heritage Preservation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural
heritage of the United States. The Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) is a technical assistance program
that provides eligible museums with general conservation assessments.
Ronald Harvey of Tuckerbrook Conservation, and John Leeke, a preservation consultant, did a two day
site visit in June and then provided extensive written reports. Assessment suggestions include:
Collections: Mr. Harvey





Decrease the light levels in the museum and house.
Locate and develop offsite storage to allow for the rotation of exhibits and displays.
Establish rehousing programs for textiles, linens, leather-bound journals, etc. to better protect the collections.
Complete the cataloging program using the Past Perfect 5.0
Establish protocols for labeling, handling, storing the collection, emergency and disaster management, pest
control, maintenance, and routine cleaning.
Historic Structure: Mr. Leeke






Address moisture problems in the basement with mechanisms designed for that purpose.
Grade some exterior lawn and garden spaces so that water flows away from the foundation.
Repair/replace the metal shutters on the museum ell.
Perform “spot” painting on the windows and frames to provide immediate protection of surfaces.
Assess air currents within the structure overtime, and adjust the flow to prevent moisture from rising through to
the second floor.
Restore each of the 14 windows in the house section- remove all paint from sash, frame, and shutters; reglaze
panes, repair damaged surfaces and reglaze all glass; reinstall so that every piece is in the original state and
working as designed.
<North Channel looking toward Skowhegan
Island ca. 1900
Description: Building on left is Skowhegan Pulp
Co., North Channel Bridge with arch supports for
the trolley, white building at end of bridge is the
first fire house with hall on the second floor,
Methodist Church with tall spire, Steward Grist
Mill, Federated Church center back, fulling and
carding mills over by natural sluiceway on left.
Wyman Collection #112.039.5
North Channel Dam ca. 1890 >
This early wooden rick-rack dam helped to divert the
water through the natural sluiceway and through
power channels which powered the surrounding
industries. Notice the homes on Elm Street in the
background along the ridge and the men on the dam.
Wyman Collection #108.105.5
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
Page 10

Membership Benefits…
 Recognition as an interested supporter of the
preservation and promotion of our heritage
 Spring & Fall Newsletters
 Access to historical research
 Opportunity to submit articles for publication in
the Society Newsletter
 Consultation with the Curator and Master
Gardener
 Notification of events and activities
Society Membership
 New
 Renewal
 Gift Membership
Please Print Member Information:
Name:
________________________________
Mailing Address:
________________________________
City/Town:
________________________________
Giving Opportunities…
State:
The History House Association, Inc. welcomes financial
support to further its goals and mission, programming,
general operations, and endowment activities. History
House is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization
and donations are tax deductible within the limits of the
IRS Code.
For information on any of the following giving
opportunities please contact the Skowhegan History House
Museum & Research Center, P.O. Box 832, Skowhegan,
Maine 04976, or online at skowheganhistoryhouse.org.
E-mail Address:
Society Membership Members of the Skowhegan History House
Society represent patrons, families, and friends of the History
House who wish to support financially the mission of preserving
Skowhegan’s legacy and promoting its heritage.
Major Partner This level of support allows the Association to
fast track projects that dramatically affect programming that
preserves, protects, and promotes our heritage.
In Memoriam Families, family members, or friends may make
memorial donations in honor of their loved one.
Remembrance Donations may be arranged through the
deceased’s obituary notice as a remembrance.
Annual Appeal Contributions to the Annual Appeal advance the
goals and mission, programming, and general operations.
Stocks, Bonds, or Tangible Property Donation of stocks, bonds,
or securities is an important and useful way of supporting the
History House Association Inc.
Bequests and Trusts Charitable donations in the form of a
bequest in a will, the establishment of a trust, or other financial
arrangements to support our mission are welcome.
Historic Items Donations that have relevance to the historic
period of the museum and existing collections are appreciated.
__________________ Zip Code: ______
________________________________
Check relevant Annual Membership
Category, Lifetime, and/or Donation:
 Student/Senior (65+) $15
 Individual (1 Person) $25
 Family $50
 Business $100
 Benefactor $150
 Lifetime (2 Individuals) $300
 Donation of $_____________
Gift Membership
Please Print Purchaser’s Information
Name:
________________________________
Mailing Address:
________________________________
City/Town:
________________________________
State:
__________________ Zip Code: ______
E-mail Address:
________________________________
Checks payable to: Skowhegan History House
Museum & Research Center,
P.O. Box 832, Skowhegan, Maine 04976
Credit cards may be used online at:
skowheganhistoryhouse.org Use the donate
button and include explanation.
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
Page 11
Looking down Dodge Street which was formerly considered Lower Water Street ca. 1907
Dodge Street was a bustling
area just to the west of what
was more recently the
Candlelight Restaurant on the
north side of the Kennebec.
The buildings to the left in the
photo were built out over the
river’s edge and the remains of
the foundations can now be
seen on the ledges along the
river.
The building at the head of
the street was the Skowhegan
Pulp Mill and the other
establishments included grist,
worsted woolen and shoddy
mills and various other
businesses of the time.
Notice the two bear and a
fox on the wagon.
Thank you for supporting the Skowhegan History House
Museum & Research Center.
Skowhegan History House Museum & Research Center
P. O. Box 832
Skowhegan, Maine 04976
75th Anniversary
“Preserving and Promoting Our Community’s Cultural Heritage”
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