A GLIMPSE INSIDE HISTORY HOUSE – PART 3

 

The front room is referred to as the “Longfellow Room” in honor of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who was a well-known American poet and educator.  He was born in 1807 in Portland, when Maine was still part of Massachusetts.  His works include “Paul Revere’s Ride”, “The Song of Hiawatha” and “Evangeline”.

Although Longfellow never lived in Parsonsfield or Porter, he frequently visited his grandparents’ home in Hiram.  There were Wadsworth relatives who did live in Porter so he was probably familiar with this area.  Our founder, Ina Emery, received many donations of Longfellow items from the Longfellow Society when his birth place in Portland was razed in 1955.  The piano, bookcase, ladder back chairs,
magazine rack and several of the larger pictures in this room were among the donations.   Therefore, we have adopted him for our History House exhibit. Many of the other items, including books of his poems were donated by the late

Barbara Korn who was an avid collector and once a docent at the Portland Longfellow House.

Also in this room is a parlor organ that came from the Ray Garland house in 

Porter, Maine.  The mirror between the front windows came from Miss Perkins Millinery Shop, once located on the corner of Main and Bridge St. in Porter next to the movie theater. 

Our first open house at History House is on Saturday June 4, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.  

The new exhibit “Antique and Vintage Toys” will be ready for viewing.  

We look forward to seeing you there.

A GLIMPSE INSIDE HISTORY HOUSE – PART 2

 

The next room in History House is referred to as the “Middle Room” and it contains several different displays throughout the room.

As you enter on the right is an antique postmaster’s desk that was in Porter’s first Post Office located in Porter Village that was built in 1806. It also housed the Blazo store.  It was used by Postmasters Ebenezer Blazo and Sam Blazo.  The building no longer exists.  

There is an exhibit of Civil War memorabilia in the large display case and the area around it including pictures and artifacts, etc. all connected with Civil War veterans of Porter and Parsonsfield.

There is another display case with an exhibit about the Kezar Falls Woolen Company.  And another small exhibit of antique medical devices, etc.  

On the walls are many pictures of various former residents including descendants of the early Libby family – first to settle in Porter, Thomas Moulton who wrote the 1879 “History of Porter” and who was important in town affairs, a picture of Dr. Edwin Chellis who was responsible for building several public buildings in Kezar Falls in the late 1800’s, and a very old painting of Parsonsfield Seminary. 

Several pieces of antique furniture are scattered throughout including an antique schoolmaster’s desk, a Parlor organ and other antique items such as a Stereo-Optic Viewer, a clock from the North Parsonsfield Library, and wedding dishes from several local families. On a table in the middle of the room is a large scrapbook with clippings from 1946 to 1987 that you can peruse at your leisure.

Come to an open house and discover for yourself all the interesting things there are to see here.