For those of you who have followed me for a while, you know that in addition to writing about preparedness, survival and history, I also dabble in poetry as well. I came up with a poem that talks about the sport of fishing, and addresses the question of “just exactly what is fishing all about, anyways?” For you preppers and survivalists out there, it is a way to harvest protein for your families table. For those of you who do not care about preparing for the coming times, it is a way to recreate in a special way.

Fishing holds a lot of different meaning for a lot of different people, but unless you have really been in a situation where you have that ultimate catch, you really cannot get the full depth of what fishing is really all about.

Imagine yourself fly-fishing on a little mountain stream, if you will. It is a warmish late spring day. The flies are buzzing lazily in the air around you, and there is just enough of a breeze coming down the mountain to temper the suns strength. You cast your favorite fly over that hole where you just know a big one is lurking, and start to reel the line back.

Suddenly, you feel the tug as a fish tastes the delicacy you have so skillfully presented, and then the bite, the hook sinking deep into the trout’s lips. He reacts, diving deep into the pool for the safety of his home. But you have different plans, and the fight begins between the man and fin. You play out line and the fish tries to flee, and then you reel some line back in, a little more each time. And each time the fish weakens just a little, until suddenly, after what seems like hours, but is really only a few minutes, the fish, in a sudden burst of adrenaline bursts from the surface of the stream.

Water sprays and splashes, revealing the sparkling color of its scales, reflected in the midday sun. the Rainbow flips his tail in an audible slap, sending a spray of water across the deep blue sky, each drop of water glistening, appearing as a hundred diamonds sprayed across the air, each one reflecting the colors of the sun in a glittering rainbow spread across the scene before you.

Until you have actually been in a position similar to this picture painted here in words, you really have not been fishing, and until you have, you really cannot fathom what fishing really is. For some, fishing is about accumulating equipment, buying the latest surefire lure and the latest technological advance in poles and reels and maybe that pro class bass boat. However, that is like going to church every Sunday and not knowing God. It just does not give you the true sense of what life is really all about.

Here for your enjoyment is the video-poem that I put together. There is some archive video showing some fishing during the ’40s and early 50′s time frame, as well as an entertaining newsreel piece at the beginning. I hope you like the poem, as well as the video, and feel free to share.

Bass Harbor lighthouse, Acadia to appear on new quarter

BASS HARBOR, Maine — For the second time in a decade, an iconic Maine lighthouse will soon start appearing in the pockets and pocketbooks of people across the country. Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse on Mount Desert Island will be featured on the back of a U.S. quarter to be issued…

Appraisers’ Roadmap: Navigating the World of Marks
Many might wonder, when watching appraisers on the “Antiques Roadshow,” just how they can determine so much information by simply flipping a porcelain cup, silver platter or glass vase upside down? They are looking for a mark—the appraiser’s seemingly arcane language that is a mystery to the budding collector. Worthologist Mike Wilcox says that once understood, marks can save hours of time and frustration trying to figure out exactly what you are holding in your hands. Need a primer? Mike just happens to have one that gives an overview of what you can find painted or impressed on the underside of most pottery, glass or metal items that can be used to decipher vintage, authenticity and origins of your antiques and collectibles…

Curtains Without Borders finds 130 antique stage curtains in Maine

NORWAY — A stage curtain in Norway Grange 45 on Whitman Street is being documented as part of a regionwide effort by the Vermont organization Curtains Without Borders to conserve and protect stage curtains throughout New England and beyond. Curtains Without Borders Director Christine…

The Virtues of Virtual

As the world becomes more virtual (but not necessarily more virtuous), many museums and historical societies are moving their collections online. The Maine Memory Network, launched by the Maine Historical Society in 2001…

Picturing Portland in the digital age
Oldham, a volunteer with the Maine Historical Society, takes a photo in Portland Friday. The historic block of buildings along Fore Street at Boothby Square, with 340 Fore St. at the far right in the 1924 archival image. The three-year project…

Troy church among most recent additions to National Register of … ‎

The Troy Union Meeting House, built in 1840, has made it to the National Register of Historic Places. The Maine Historic Preservation Commission singled it…

Hines speaks on art restoration

Camden — The historic Conway House’s Maine Living series will host a talk by art restorer Blaikie Hines Sunday, Jan. 8 at 2 pm at the Conway House complex…

Historic photographs at Camden library

Research for the exhibit was conducted by individuals and historical societies … The exhibit was funded by a grant from the Maine Community Foundation and…

Libraries collaborate on Civil War book group

The discussions will be facilitated by Candace Kanes, a historian at the Maine Historical Society, who is provided by the Maine Humanities Council. …

If you have any questions or additional information you may contact Terri Weed Cormier at 667-8235 or Linda Grindle at 667-5716. Membership to the Ellsworth Historical Society is welcome to all and we are always in need of new members, please consider joining today and help support the preservation of Ellsworth’s History. Yearly membership is 20.00 and may be sent to: Ellsworth Historical Society PO Box 355 Ellsworth, Me 04605.

Civil Wars 150th stirs trove of memories

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A diary with a lifesaving bullet hole from Gettysburg. An intricate valentine crafted by a Confederate soldier for the wife he would never see again. A slave’s desperate escape to freedom. From New England to the South, state archivists are using the sesquicente…

Maine Maritime Museum to shore up oldest building with help of grant

BATH, Maine — The century-old Paint and Treenail Building at Maine Maritime Museum has been through a lot since it was built 104 years ago. It survived a fire in 1913, a move across the former Percy and Small Shipyard and being sold on a real estate market hungry for…

A Forgotten Maine Industry
Working Waterfront
Jørgen supplemented his research with other materials, including those found at the Maine Historical Society. Today the remnants of the brickmaking industry can still be seen along the river—indeed the bricks themselves can be found along the…

Monument dedicated to “All Maine Fishermen who lost their lives to the sea”

Located at Lands End, Bailey Island, Maine

To see this monument, travel East on State Route 24 until you run out of road!

One of them, the Poland Spring Inn, as shown in this postcard of mine boasted of its miraculous spring water. The water was so popular it was bottled for distribution in the old familiar green bottles with the green labeling.

Most of the older mega hotels, if you want to call them that have disappeared, but you can still find remnants of many by way of old advertising, postcards and various publications describing their offerings. Things have changed over the course of the years, so we now see a differing sort of entertainment to keep visitors happy.

It used to be common to find people boating, or taking hikes through the woods or along a shoreline, enjoying the sights to be found in the world of nature. Those same sights are still there, however, and can be found again by those of an adventurous nature.

Another world famous resort was the Kineo House, which could be found on Moosehead Lake in the Greenville area. This ca. 1850 picture to the right shows the hotel before its latter additions. The Kineo House was a grand destination for those sportsmen who wanted to get back into the big woods for fishing and hunting, and there are many stories of the successful hunts that could be had with the right guide. Fishermen were able to catch overflowing strings of various species that could be found not only in Moosehead Lake itself, but from the many streams and brooks running into the lake.

Along the coastline, dozens of old hotels lined the beaches, and southern Maine offered miles of sandy beaches for the travelers enjoyment. At one time, Old Orchard Beach recorded more visitors than the famed beaches of Atlantic City in New Jersey, and surpassed by far the then newly marketed California shoreline.

Bar Harbor has become a locale enticing the rich and famous from around the world, and many of the one time visitors have become seasonal residents here in Maine, all due to our climate and abundant resources. In those days, coming to Maine for a vacation was referred to as ‘rusticating’. It was a combination of roughing it in the woods while living elegantly, so to speak.

It amazes me today to read of the accoutrements carried into the woods by folks in those days, setting up a rough camp with all the comforts of home. It makes me wonder at times where all the people came from to tote all of the equipment into the woods. Hotels were generally advertised as having all of the amenities one could wish for on their vacation, some even boasting of hot baths.

Classy restaurants could be found in most of the better hotels, with some of them gaining quite a reputation for their culinary flare and style. No matter how you slice the pie, Maine was the place to go when you wanted to get away. In spite of the changing times, you can still get away in Maine today, whether you want to get out into the deep woods, or relax by the seaside in a comfortable resort. And while you’re visiting, there are many museums and historical societies you see to enhance your vacation if you are indeed a history buff.

We are coming into a new year, and with every new year comes a new set of hoops to jump through. It is no different for these organizations, and every one of them, from the Maine State Historical Society down to the smallest village historical society you can find, needs your help to survive. Please visit them, and see if you can help them out by either a donation of cash, or maybe even volunteering some time in this new year. You might be surprised at what you can learn about our past!

Even the more recent Santa Claus fable has become to be erased from our memories, with a shallow attitude of just a simple “happy holidays” replacing the once loved and jovial “Merry Christmas” that we grew up with. It just goes to show how easy it is to have our history replaced with a false story to change the meaning of our past.

This time of year, many of our historical societies have closed the barn door, or are soon about to, for the frigid winter season. Keep them in your thoughts and try to support them, not only financially but by offering your time by helping out with the many tasks required to maintain an organization that in many communities is relegated to just a small position of importance. Joyeux Noël mes amis!

This post card from my collection depicts the Navy’s coaling station built at East Lamoine in down east Maine. This station was a vital link in the Naval operations for the northern Atlantic region as it was the closest coaling station on the route to the European waters. Its construction was begun in the year 1900, and finished in 1902.

The station was only in operation for a short while due to the fact that oil was already replacing coal as the major fuel used by the Navy. During World War I, the station became a nitrate storage facility for nitrates used in the manufacture of explosives. Shortly thereafter the facility was largely dismantled and sold for scrap metal. In the 1930′s the University of Maine acquired some of the buildings for a biological laboratory and then, it was acquired by the state for use as a state park facility during the 1950′s.

The following is an excerpt from the 1900 Report of the Secretary of the Navy to the House of Representatives, 56^th Congress, 2^nd session, Document #3.

Frenchman’s Bay.—During the past year a site for a naval coal depot has been acquired in the town of East Lamoine, Frenchmans Bay, coast of Maine. The site consists of about 60 acres, and cost, including two frame houses, $24,650. It has a water front of 2,425 feet and is admirably situated in every respect for a coaling station. At the point where the pier will be erected a depth of 30 feet is found within 100 feet of low-water mark. There is ample room off the station for an entire fleet to anchor in a well-protected harbor with good holding ground. The site is being fenced and graded and bids nave been asked for the construction of a steel pier, steel house capable of storing 10,000 tons of coal, and the necessary conveying appliances for rapidly handling the same.

~~~

Lewiston’s Museum L-A gets grant to preserve textile designs

AUGUSTA — Museum L-A will receive a grant of $2,418 to help it preserve and store historical collections, including textile designs. The grant comes from the Historical Records Collections Grant Program administered by the Maine Historical Records Advisory Board. It was announced Fri…

Students study history by acting out Middle Ages battle

Edward Little High School world history students Caleb Gray, left, and Patrick Cowan engage in a mock sword fight during a re-enactment of the medieval Battle of Agincourt, part of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France. The idea and script for the re-enactment in Auburn on Tuesday cam…

Gray Historical Society
Independent Publishing Group
There are many pictures in the book written by George Hill, History, Records and Recollections of Gray, Maine, that show its original appearance. There are others housed at the Historical Society. The Gray Historical Society has been meticulous in its…

Historical society mugs celebrate Farmington
Lewiston Sun Journal
A closeup of the latest mug in a series released by Farmington Historical Society celebrating Farmington’s history. Allan Smith and Karl Holschuh are shown with the latest mug in a series released by Farmington Historical Society celebrating…

Town House gathers support
Kennebec Journal
The historical society has sought advice of three consultants, including Les Fossel of Old House Restoration in Alna, and a representative from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. She said all three consultants agreed that the building should…

Family Ties: 1881 diary details shopping trip in Eastport
Bangor Daily News
29, Maine Old Cemetery Association meeting, Hiram. New or renewal memberships to MOCA are $5 for one year, $20 five years or $100 life membership, sent to MOCA, PO Box 641, Augusta, ME 04432-0641. For more information on researching family history in…

Scuttlebutt
knox.VillageSoup.com
The untold story of Maine Maritime Academy’s historic schooner Bowdoin will be illuminated in an upcoming exhibit at the Castine Historical Society scheduled for the summer of 2012. The exhibit, titled Schooner Bowdoin on the Greenland Patrol…

Grant to help revamp history hike
Seacoastonline.com
“This program is an all-school walking tour for elementary students that seeks to teach history through local historical sites,” said Nina Mauer, consulting curator of the Old Berwick Historical Society in South Berwick, which is working with the…

February events at the Museums of Old York

2 Author Talk at York Public Library: Maine’s Museums: Art, Oddities & Artifacts. Author Janet Mendelsohn will present “On the road to Maine’s Museums,” a talk, slide show and book signing at the York Public Library, 15 Long Sands Road, York, on Thursday, Feb. 2 from 12–1 p.m. Explore Maine through its art, history, maritime, children’s and quirky museums. Mendelsohn, a freelance writer for the Boston Globe travel section and other publications, will offer ideas for day trips, mini-vacations and armchair traveling. Books will be available for purchase. The event is co-sponsored by Museums of Old York. Free and open to the public. For information about the author, visit www.janetmendelsohn.com

17 Tavern Dinner. Traditional hearth cooked meal in a cozy, colonial tavern environment. Menu to be announced. 6-8 p.m. at Jefferds Tavern, 3 Lindsay Road, York. Cost: $30 members / $35 non-members. Reservations are required. Please email early to reserve your space.

19 Blue Grass Jam with Kevin Dyer and Friends. Join this lively bunch on the third Sunday of (almost) every month from 1-4 p.m. at The Parsons Center at Museums of Old York, 3 Lindsay Road, York. $4 donation appreciated. FMI, email or call 207-363-4974 ext 13.

21, 22, 23 Vacation Camp: Indian Raids and Pioneer Trades. Become a 16th century York settler! See what a settler’s house looked like, try on their clothes and experience 17th century food by cooking some historic recipes over the fire. Embark on a snow shoe trek through the snow to “Canada” deciding your fate along the way, just like captured settlers in 1692. Dip candles and make tin lanterns to take home. 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at The Parsons Center, 3 Lindsay Road, York. Preregistration Required. $65 ($60 members) Ages 6-12.

Bell rings at Farmington’s Old South Church again

FARMINGTON — A 3,000-pound bronze bell is back in the tower of Old South Congregational Church on Main Street. The bell was removed in August and shipped to Ohio for repairs. Steeplejacks put the bell back Tuesday, and after making adjustments, tested it Wednesday afternoon…

Greenbush man finds Declaration of Independence copies in roadside garbage

GREENBUSH, Maine — Roger Sanborn likes to make treasure of trash. More than 20 years ago, he pulled over on a Maine road and saved a couple of old picture frames from a junk pile with the intent of making a gift for his cousin. Inside the tossed-away picture frames were a painting of a sailboat and a photo of a military aircraft. When Sanborn removed the old images, he uncovered two copies of the Declaration of Independence…

Harrison considers moving tower clock

HARRISON — The town’s tower clock, installed nearly 90 years ago, could run another 700 years, plus or minus. But that likely won’t happen if it’s left where it is, Rick and Linda Balzer told town officials Wednesday. Seven hundred years for a clock to stay running is no exaggeration, according to Rick Balzer…

Scuttlebutt

knox.VillageSoup.com. The untold story of Maine Maritime Academy’s historic schooner Bowdoin will be … The Castine Historical Society has joined with faculty from Maine…

Memorial Bridge contract approved, but without cables

Foster’s Daily Democrat/ New Hampshire and Maine, which jointly own the Memorial Bridge, will share the cost of … Officials said the historical nature of the bridge was taken into…

Penobscot Marine Museum’s new virtual museum places collections online

Bangor Daily News/ one way of marking the nonprofit institution’s 75th year and getting more eyes to see the second-largest collection of historical photographs in Maine…

Fort Kent historian looking for everyone’s story, not just tales …

Bangor Daily News/ “Les Belles Histoires de Fort Kent, Maine” will be published as a 300-page, hardcover book by the Fort Kent Historical Society. “I’m looking for stories on…

As you may have noticed, this site is undergoing some changes. In the New Year, I will be changing the way we operate somewhat by offering more articles as opposed to just headlines news and announcements. I hope to be able to put more time into this project and be able to travel around and do some interviews and attend more functions than I have been able to do in the past. Unfortunately, to find the time to do this means that I will have to give up some of my income producing time, so let’s all hope this works.

One of the things I will be adding is a Maine history book page or pages where I will be posting book reviews on new and old books dealing with Maine history. If you have a book to promote, or know of someone who does, please email me at editor@touringmaineshistory.com with the details. Please include a relevant but brief description in the subject line as I no longer open emails without a valid subject description. Thanks, and have a very merry Christmas, and enjoy your time with the family!

The ranks of our veterans who served during WWII are dwindling, and even more are those that served at Pearl Harbor during the attack. A few years ago I watched a news/documentary piece relating this fact to the audience. One short piece out of that entire episode centered upon one veteran who had become the sole remaining member of his unit he had served with at that base. I do not recall the man’s name, or what his duties encompassed while in the service, but I do remember a vision that formed in my mind over this man’s lasting legacy as a part of the efforts to maintain the life of democracy around the world during those years.

According to the piece, after the war was over he and his fellow comrades in arms from that unit gathered in memory every December 7^th and toasted first those who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor, and then raised their glasses in memory of those comrades who had died as the years passed after the wars end.

There was finally just two men left, and as one of the men was too ill to travel very far, it was agreed that the reunion of the two would be held in this man’s hometown, rather than at the usual restaurant in another town where they had always met before. As the first man boarded a plan in early December to travel to his friends town, his wife had received an urgent call saying that his friend had been rushed to the hospital. Having no family, the man died alone in the hospital before his friend could get there.

The remaining vet mourned for his friend, arranged for his interment, and on the 7^th, went to the bar the two were supposed to meet at. The TV piece did not elaborate on this last evening of remembrance, but I had a vision of this man at the bar. I could see him sitting alone at the bar, gazing at his reflection of the mirror at the back of the bar. His image blurred by the film from the smoke filled air in the bar, he could see his graying hair, the lines of age etched upon his face as he remembered every one of the toasts he and his comrades gave to those who had departed.

He raised his glass for one last toast, first for those who had died at Pearl Harbor, then for those who had passed beyond life since then, and one last time for his dear departed friend, knowing full well that there would be no one to raise their glass in remembrance of himself, the last of the heros.

I wrote a poem in tribute to these men that I call “Tipping My Last Beer,” and this year I put together a video in tribute to the 70^th anniversary of this insidious attack. An attack that began even while the Japanese ambassador met with officials in Washington to negotiate a treaty.

Enjoy the video, and please share it if you would like to.

History buried at Fort Williams Park

The park’s charitable foundation plans to explore the possibility of uncovering a buried gun battery.

CAPE ELIZABETH – Large interpretive signs help explain Battery Blair to visitors at the town’s Fort Williams ParkJoe Edgar says much more interesting things are under those visitors’ feet. Edgar is a director of the Fort Williams Charitable Foundation, which has raised more than $36,000 for an engineering study to determine whether a buried section of the gun battery — which includes the ammunition magazines, plotting rooms, and space for tool storage, generators and latrines — can stand the stress of being uncovered.

“Spend Christmas in Jail!”

The Ellsworth Historical Society will again be having their annual open house and “Old Fashioned Christmas” with free admission to the museum on December 3, 11:00-3:00 at the home of the Society” The Old Hancock County Jail”, 40 State Street Ellsworth next to the Ellsworth Library.

The 1886 home of the Sherriff will decorated for the holidays with hot mulled cider and cookies. Guests will be welcome to tour the 1886 home of the Hancock County Sherriff’s of the past and see how they spent their day-to-day lives and tending the prisoners in the jail. Guests will also be allowed to tour the Sherriff’s office and the cellblock of so many of our notorious Ellsworth prisoners!

A special exhibit will also be on display “A Soldiers Christmas” that will display military items from the archives of the society as well as items on loan. One very special exhibit we will have this year is a recent donation to the society of a 12 lb British Canon Ball that was shot at a Ellsworth Barn on the Union River believed from the Revolutionary War period. So many Ellsworth boys were not home for the holidays so we felt it was important to show our support and remember the soldiers of Ellsworth at this special time of year.

The society continues its goal of preserving the artifacts of Ellsworth History and as always needs your support. Donations are welcome and may be sent to The Ellsworth Historical Society PO Box 355 Ellsworth, Me 04605. If you have items to donate or any questions, please contact Terri Weed Cormier at 667-8235 or Linda Grindle at 667-5716. The society is currently looking for glass locking display cabinets to display items securely, if you have one to donate please contact us. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you all at the Open House for some cider and cookies and lots of reminiscing about Ellsworth’s past.

Museums of Old York

Upcoming Programs
For a complete and up-to-date calendar please see our website.

December

3^rd Join us this Saturday for A Christmas Tea at Jefferds Tavern.

As a part of the annual Festival of Lights celebration in York Village, Museums of Old York hosts a favorite holiday tradition at historic Jefferds Tavern from noon until 4 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 3. This yuletide fest, managed by volunteer Michele LaBranche, offers traditional Victorian-style holiday cheer to the whole family. Candlelight, a cozy fire, shining silver, delicate teacups and holiday greens set the stage in the Tavern. But the desserts are really the highlight of the afternoon!

Created by local bakers and talented volunteers, this year’s menue of tasty treats includeds: Apple Crisp, Harvest Pumpkin Pie, Cheesecake, Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Almond Pie, Lemon Pie, Fluffy Peanut Butter Pie, and Indian Pudding. Enjoy the ambiance, company of friends and delicious desserts as you warm yourself by the fire. The last sitting will be at 3:30 p.m. Admission is $6 and includes a choice of two desserts and tea. No charge for children under age 5 and no reservation required.

14^th Candle Dipping and Holiday Decor. Without electricity how did people light their homes at night? With candles of course! Dip your own candles for when the power goes out this winter or as a centerpiece for a holiday dinner. Create colorful curled candles, string cranberries and make a decoration for your window or Christmas tree. 3-5 p.m. at The Parsons Center. Registration required, ages 8 and up, $10 ($8 members).

Stories from Maine Memory Network

Bringing in the Swedes

30th Anniversary Celebration, New Sweden, 1900

The settlement of the Swedish colony in Aroostook County in the 1870s is a remarkable story. Political leaders, spurred by the Homestead Act and led by W.W. Thomas, actively recruited Swedish immigrants to northern Maine, both to encourage economic development and to secure the northern border with Canada. By the 1890s, nearly 1,500 Swedish immigrants had settled in Aroostook County and established a vibrant community that remains strong to this day.

View the exhibit from Maine History Online for an overview. To explore the story further, visit the website a local team from New Sweden developed through the Maine Community Heritage Project.

TRAVELIN’ MAINE(RS): Head to New Gloucester and have yourself a Merry Shaker …
Kennebec Journal
Shaker Village includes a store with many interesting products, a fascinating museum, a craft store with locally made crafts from lamps to baskets to cheese balls, a farm with sheep and goats and several historical buildings…

Farmington Historical Society to sell wreaths
Lewiston Sun Journal
Along with a parade and other activities, the Titcomb House Museum is open from 9:30 am to 3 pm All proceeds support the Farmington Historical Society’s mission of preserving Farmington’s history and maintenance of the Titcomb House and North Church…

Schooner Bowdoin’s Untold Story Subject of Upcoming Castine Exhibit
The Maritime Executive (press release)
The untold story of Maine Maritime Academy’s (MMA) historic schooner Bowdoin will be illuminated in an upcoming exhibit at the Castine Historical Society scheduled for the summer of 2012. The exhibit, entitled “Schooner Bowdoin on the Greenland Patrol”…

Leeds Historical Society views Harry Cochrane Murals
Lewiston Sun Journal
LEEDS — Members of the Leeds Historical Society met recently at the old Methodist Church on Quaker Ridge with artisan Tony Castro from New Gloucester. Castro has worked for more than 25 years in the field of decorative painting, and some of Maine’s…

Maine fish passage restoration effort get $92K grant
The Republic
Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe says the $92505 grant is going to the Nobleboro Historical Society. Through the years, the towns have undertaken several…

As a note for future interest, I am interested in receiving guest posts from historical society fans covering meeting and events around the state of Maine. It will be a good way to share news of what you are doing with a greater audience than you might get otherwise.

If I do not get time to do another post before Thanksgiving, have a happy holiday, and enjoy the day!

Joe Steinberger: Rockland History, in Context
Freepress Online
by Joe Steinberger This Saturday at 12:30 pm at the Rockland Public Library, there will be a presentation by members of the Rockland Historical Society about the Lime Rock Railroad that once linked Rockland’s limestone quarries to the shore side kilns…

All aboard for history of Rockland’s industrial railroad
knox.VillageSoup.com
The Rockland Historical Society and the Rockland Public Library will present a multi-media program about Rockland’s Lime Rock Railroad on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1:30 pm The program at the library will be preceded by the historical society’s annual…

Official issued proclamation against Penobscot Indians in 1755
Bangor Daily News
The page refers to “Documentary History of Maine,” Baxter Manuscripts, Vol. 24 Page 63, and also the Androscoggin Historical Society at http://www.rootsweb.com/~meandrhs. So in addition to taking land and spreading disease and paying Native Americans…

Belfast women sewed a patriotic legacy in 1864
Bangor Daily News
Discovering the phrase “Belfast, Maine, June 17, 1864″ printed on a white stripe, the woman contacted the Belfast Historical Society. According to Pinette, after the Armory Square Hospital closed in 1865, the Belfast quilt “was most likely given to Dr…

Town histories a great source for veterans lists
Bangor Daily News
They are among the Abbot World War I veterans listed in “A Centeseptquinary History of Abbot, Maine 1827-2002,” a book that continues to be available through the Abbot Historical Society. Gerrish, Morse and Orff served in places such as St. Mihiel and…

UMaine ‘national treasure’ of folklore to get new home at Library of Congress

ORONO, Maine — Legend has it that the Maine Folklife Center hatched from a shoebox under the desk of University of Maine professor Edward “Sandy” Ives. Half a century ago, that box held just a few audio recordings of Mainers describing their way of life and way of making a…

Museums of Old York schedule of events;

November

19 Visual Language and Constructed Views: New Exhibits at George Marshall Store Gallery. Opening reception on Saturday Nov. 19, 5-7 p.m. This exhibition runs through December 18. Gallery Hours are Wed. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Sunday 1-4 p.m. and by appointment.

21 The Art of Wreathmaking
Join MOY staff as we prepare wreaths to decorate our historic properties for the holiday season.
Meet at 2 p.m. at Remick Barn in The Parsons Center, 3 Lindsay Road in York Village.

30 Gingerbread House Competition. Help the Museums of Old York decorate a gingerbread rendition of the John Hancock Warehouse. Use frosting and candy to add windows, shingles, a ramp and the ocean so the house can be entered in York Library’s gingerbread house contest! After helping with our gingerbread house, decorate your very own house in true Victorian holiday style to take home. 3-5 p.m. at The Parsons Center. Registration required, ages 5 and up, $25 ($20 members).

December
3 A Christmas Tea at Jefferds Tavern. The Museums of Old York will once again host a favorite local holiday tradition at the historic Jefferds Tavern from noon until 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 3 as a part of the annual Festival of Lights celebration in York Village. This yuletide happening, managed again this year by volunteer Michele LaBranche, brings traditional Victorian-style holiday cheer to the entire family. Candlelight, a cozy fire, shining silverware, delicate teacups and Christmas greens set the stage at Jefferds Tavern. But the desserts are really the highlight created by local bakers and talented volunteers.

This year’s menu of tasty treats includes Apple Crisp, Harvest Pumpkin Pie, Cheesecake, Chocolate Cake, Raspberry Almond Pie, Lemon Pie, Fluffy Peanut Butter Pie, and Indian Pudding. Enjoy the ambiance, company of friends and delicious desserts as you warm yourself by the fire. The last sitting will be at 3:30 p.m. Admission is $6 and includes a choice of two desserts and tea. There is no charge for children under age 5. FMI, please email or call 207-363-4974.

14 Candle Dipping and Holiday Decor. Without electricity how did people light their homes at night? With candles of course! Dip your own candles for when the power goes out this winter or as a centerpiece for a holiday dinner. Create colorful curled candles, string cranberries and make a decoration for your window or Christmas tree. 3-5 p.m. at The Parsons Center. Registration required, ages 8 and up, $10 ($8 members).

PHOTO: Museum L-A site work begins

“It’s starting!” exclaimed an excited Rachel Desgrosseilliers, Museum L-A’s executive director, as she watched workers at the future site of the museum Thursday in Lewiston. Benjamin Construction’s Richard Lee, left, and Ed Benjamin, in the skid steer, were demolishing damaged sections of t…

Textile industry heritage celebrated
SOUTH BERWICK, Maine — A special fund-raising event that gives a nod to the thriving textile industry of the past will benefit the Old Berwick Historical Society this weekend. The Lighting Up Ball and second annual silent auction will be…

Presentation to feature Maine Indians
LISBON FALLS — The Lisbon Historical Society will host guest speaker and author, Nicholas Smith of Brunswick, at 7 pm Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the MTM Center. Smith will give a presentation on his recently published book, “Three Hundred years in Thirty,”…

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Logging with Tractors in the Maine Woods

Popular Science Monthly, 1916

LOGGING has remained for generations the most primitive of all modern operations. The logging railroad is a comparatively recent development, but even that falls far short’of being an active agent in reducing the vast waste necessitated by the fact that only such timbers can be moved out as will pay for expensive transportation. In the tropics a mahogany log worth hundreds of dollars in New York is valued at only a few demonetized dollars as it stands in its forest, and almost priceless hardwoods are left to rot or burned up in the clearing of ground simply because they cannot be “squared” to the formal size, about one foot on each side.

To a lesser degree the same problem faces the timber cutter in the forests of our own country. The long hauls through the woods to streams or roads, even to the roughest sort of logging roads, is discouragingly expensive, and from there to the railroad or mill entails another long haul with primitive means, either oxen or horses.

Modern power appliances are, however, slowly coming into use as they prove their worth. In certain sections of the Maine woods, where logging is the winter occupation of fanners from nearby sections, tractors are now in use. The drive on these engines is by caterpillar wheels, broad enough to keep from sinking into the snow, and the forward part of the tractor is mounted on sleigh runners, which are turned by hand to guide the tractor and its train of logging sleds.

The tractor is crude in a way, but it can reach sections of forest country to which even the ordinary logging railroad, with its clumsy engine, cannot readily penetrate.

In the tractor shown here, the runners at the front make steering easy and accurate. The unwieldy front wheels of the ordinary tractor would hardly serve in the forest.