Open House this Sunday at the Porter Old Meeting House....

Come enjoy an afternoon of music

at the

OLD PORTER MEETING HOUSE

Sunday, Aug. 31, 2013     1 – 3 pm

Pianist Frank Baxter will be playing a variety of music on the Meeting House organ accompanied by vocalist Kathleen Ford.

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This is also an opportunity to tour this local gem and learn about its history

Rain or Shine!

Located on Old Meeting House Road, Porter, ME

Directions: from Kezar Falls Village: take Rt. 25 West to Colcord Pond Rd., then right on Old Meeting House Rd. From Porter Village: take First County Rd., bear left at Colcord Pond Rd. then right on Old Meeting House Rd.

FMI call– 625 7019

Sponsored by

Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society

(Sorry, no “facilities” available)

Open House at the Parsonsfield Old Town House

  

Old cemeteries can be found along many of our roads in this part of Maine. Parsonsfield, for instance, has nearly 200 of them. Some are the final resting places of the original settlers of the area.

   This past Saturday, the Old Parsonsfield Town House was open to the public and many people took advantage of the rare opportunity to see the inside of the building that once was the center of community life in this town and to find out more about the adjacent Town House Cemetery.

    The open house, sponsored by the Parsonsfield Porter Historical Society, featured an array of exhibits focusing on the once bustling Middle Road Village and who used to live there.  

     Special guest speaker, Jessica Davis (formerly Jessica Felix), spoke about old New England cemeteries and gravestones and how to best preserve them. Her talk was filled with fascinating historical details about burials and how stones and their design changed over time. Even more interesting, she led a walk through the Town House Cemetery and demonstrated the proper method of cleaning stones and a simple (and non-damaging) method for setting a tilted or downed stone upright.  Everyone paid rapt attention. 

     If anyone would like a copy of Jessica’s handout on cemetery restoration and the do’s and don’ts of caring for the stones,, please contact Lyn Sudlow (Lynda.sudlow@gmail.com) with “Gravestones” in the subject line.

            The next meeting of the Parsonsfield Porter Historical Society will take place at the Porter Old Meeting House on (appropriately enough) the Old Meetinghouse Road in Porter.  To find out more about another gem of an historic meetinghouse, come to the open house on Sunday, August 31 between 1 and 3pm.  This building is on the National Register of Historic Places (as is the Parsonsfield Old Meeting House) and well worth a visit. Besides the opportunity to tour the building, pianist Frank Baxter will be playing the Meeting House organ accompanied by vocalist Kathleen Ford.  To find out more, visit the historical society’s blog: localhistorymatters.blogspot.com/ or call Jan @ 625-7019.

Special Event at the Parsonsfield Town House - Middle Road Village

Curious about Parsonsfield’s Old Town House or the Union Church?  Do you know who is buried in the Old Town House cemetery?  Want to know more about Middle Road Village in days past?  How can we preserve what remains?

Come to our

Open House!

Saturday,

 August 16

 from 1 to 3 pm

Old Town House

Merrill Hill Road

Parsonsfield

            Both the old Town House and the Union Church across the road will be open.  The Town House will feature displays and information about Middle Road Village, its buildings and its people. You can get a peak at renovations to the interior of the Union Church.

Special guest speaker: Jessica Felix

(You can check out the website, Save a Grave, for more information.)

            Parsonsfield has nearly 200 cemeteries; many are small family plots hidden along back roads and in the woods. Gravestone specialist Jessica Felix, will talk about the do’s and don’ts of gravestone care and cleaning and lead a walk through the Town House Cemetery beginning around 1:30 at the Town House.

            If you care about the past, if you have photos or more information about Parsonsfield’s buildings or people in days past, we’d love to talk with you. If you have ideas for how we can preserve and utilize these buildings, please come share.

FMI: Lyn Sudlow: lynda.sudlow@gmail.com or 625-8189.

Sponsored by the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society