Historical society holds annual meeting
BROWNVILLE — The Brownville-Brownville Junction Historical Society held its annual meeting May 3. Officers elected for 2016 are Susan Worcester, president/secretary/curator; George Dean, vice president; and Marilyn Kindamo, treasurer. Board members are Paul Foulkes, Jeff Larson, Lana Washburn, Kay Sinclair and Lynn Weston. These officers and board members were all re-elected.
For some years now the museum and the society have been struggling to remain viable but with the assistance of some new and dedicated volunteers things are moving forward but there is much to be done. Thanks to the dedication of Carol Horne and Marilyn Kindamo who maintained the museum for a number of years with limited assistance, the collection has been well preserved and maintained.
The historical society was founded in 1979 by a group of citizens who recognized the need to preserve the amazing history of this area. The museum has operated in three locations. The current location at 72 Church Street was built in 1839 as the Methodist Episcopal Church and was located near the Crocker Quarry. In 1850 it was moved on to logs and rolled to its present location. It was acquired by the society in 1996.
One major project for the organization this year is to complete the application process to attain non-profit status. Christopher Washburn of Old Town is assisting with this process which he explained at the meeting can be lengthy. He said the advantages and disadvantages of this status. One major advantage s to be eligible for a variety of grants that will help further its mission of documenting and sharing the history of the two villages.
Ken Hatchette, a former resident of Brownville Jct, is going to be working on the task of identifying all properties owned by the Canadian Pacific Railroad in the Junction and also to explore the many benefits and modernizations that the railroad brought to the community during the years it was in operation.
Worcester continues to work on histories for the town’s churches. She welcomes any assistance with this project from those with information — personal history, photographs, news items — about any of the churches.
The group has applied for a Maine Community Foundation grant to help further its work. Weston has taken on the task of writing this grant.
Gerrish is copying VHS tapes that have been donated to or made by members of the society in the past to DVDs so that they will be more easily accessible for those wishing to view them.
Over the winter thousands of articles from the Piscataquis Observer dating from 1892 to 1967 were received. These have all been organized by date and provide a great deal of information about the goings on in Brownville and the Junction (formerly called Henderson) through the years.
At the meeting Heidi Thomas shared a variety of photographs taken by her uncle many years ago. Thomas has acquired hundreds of photographs of the town and its citizens and is working to identify the who, what, and where of each.
Bill Sawtell has donated a copy of his newest book “The Merrill Slate Quarry of Brownville” to the museum. Many of Sawtell’s books are available for viewing at the museum. He will also be available for historical tours of the two communities this summer.
Items have been received over the winter months from Betty Ellis Cassidy and Milton Smith. The museum is always interested in receiving items relevant to the two communities. Due to space restrictions, donated items must have a connection with the town’s history.
The group plans to produce three newsletters this year.
With the purchase of the PastPerfect program, volunteers are beginning to catalog the more than 3,000 items so that access to specific items and documents will be easier for those looking to learn more about a specific person, family, business or organization. This is a long term project. Washburn, Gerrish, Weston and Worcester are working on this task.
Future projects include providing heat for the building so that accessibility can be expanded to more than the summer months. Making better use of the available space will be an ongoing project. It is hoped that over the next year or so programs will be developed for presentation to school students and other organizations.
The Parish House Museum will be open this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. If people wish to visit at other times, they may contact Worcester at 965-8070. The museum will also be open during Brownville Old Home Days and on the afternoon of the Brownville Junction High School reunion in August.
The group is always looking for more volunteers to work on a variety of tasks. People to be available to greet visitors when the museum is open are needed; people who may be interested in a specific project are welcome.
Membership dues are $5 annually. To join the organization, drop in whenever the museum is open or contact Worcester or Kindamo.
The next meeting of the society will take place on June 28 at 4 p.m. at the museum on Church Street. The museum will be open for the season in early June — weather permitting.