DOUBLE OPEN HOUSE!

 Saturday, August 21, 1-3 pm

at Merrill Hill Road just off Middle Road in Parsonsfield

Come visit what was once the thriving heart of Parsonsfield, Maine.

Both the Old Parsonsfield Town House & the Union Church 

will be open to the public.

Exhibits, information & photos from past times in the village will be on display in the Town House.

Take the Self-guided Cemetery Walk

Learn about some of the illustrious inhabitants who were former residents of Middle Road Village.  (Be prepared of rough terrain.)

Sponsored by the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society & the Parsonsfield Union Church Society.

FMI: 625-8189

Note: no restroom facilities available.

Directions:

From Route 160 (North Road) in Parsonsfield turn onto Merrill Hill Road just east of North Parsonsfield. Both buildings are on Merrill Hill Road near the intersection with Middle Road.

INDEGIONUS PEOPLE OF THIS AREA IN 1820 By Dianne Sinclair

 The following is a small part of the exhibit at History House – 

1820 Maine Statehood, a Local View.  

Come see the whole exhibit at our

next open house  Sept. 11th

First Nation peoples living in our area were Abenaki.  The name refers to their location “toward the dawn.”  The Abenaki are one of the five members of the Wabanaki Confederacy (Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Mi’kmaq (Micmac).  These other tribes have received Federal recognition and are currently active Downeast and in northern parts of Maine.

The Pequawket, were a local tribe of the Abenaki Confederacy, living on the headwaters of Saco River and about Lovell’s Pond, in Carroll County, New Hampshire, and Oxford County, Maine.  Their principal village, called Pequawket, was near the present Fryeburg, Maine.

 

The Haith – Porter Maine

“In Porter, The Heath (pronounced locally as The Hathe, as in old English) has historical significance as an Abenaki tribal gathering ground.  This information comes from one of the last members of the tribe who lived in this area. Curtis Chick wanted his friends and neighbors to understand the importance of this land to his ancestors, and to care for it accordingly.  During the 1950s and 1960s Curt was well-known to some residents living nearby, and some who were children at that time remember walking with him to The Heath, and his sharing of its importance to the local tribal members.” (Dan Hester, Hiram, ME)

Traditional Abenaki lived by hunting, fishing, trapping, berry picking and growing corn, beans, squash, potatoes and tobacco.  They lived in scattered bands of extended families for most of the year. The typical Abenaki dwelling was the birch-bark-covered wickiup occupied by several families. 

Each man had different hunting territories inherited through his father. Bands came together during the spring and summer at temporary villages on or near fertile river plains.  The Haith may have been one of those places.

(Sources: Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Brittanica online, accessgenealogy.com/maine/pequawket-tribe)

INTERESTING PROGRAM SCHEDULED FOR THE JULY 24TH MEETING

 Don’t miss the next meeting of the Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society to be held at Porter Town Hall.

Meeting at 2:00 p.m. – program to follow at about 2:30 p.m.

Former French teacher and local author, Janet Carper will talk about her recent book:

“THE WEIDNERS IN WARTIME:

 Letters of Daily Survival and Heroism Under Nazi Rule”

This is the compelling true story of a close-knit family, told through the numerous letters they wrote to each other under harrowing conditions. Devout Seventh Day Adventists originally from the Netherlands, they were scattered through Europe as the Nazis invaded and cut off normal avenues of correspondence, commerce, and travel.

They wrote hundreds of letters (mostly in French) to each other, filled with details of conditions they faced, worries about family members and friends they had not heard from for a while, searches for much needed food and clothing and seeking trusted friends and acquaintances who might be traveling and could carry letters for them.  Some of their news was in code to avoid the suspicions of Nazi censors.  Through it all they struggled to assess their best options as they faced unprecedented challenges and danger of arrest.

By the end of the war, family members were involved in the resistance movement and found ways to shepherd those in danger of Nazi arrest to safe havens – putting their own lives in jeopardy.  Jean Henry Weidner is now known as the hero of the Dutch Resistance.  After the war he moved to the U.S. and created a foundation to preserve this amazing collection of all he family letters he saved.  What better way to share this incredible story than through the publication of a book?

Although many of us know Janet Carper as the French teacher at Sacopee Valley High School for many years, Janet was selected to translate and prepare the letters for publication.  She was chosen not because of her teaching career, but for her superb knowledge of the French language, French culture and her interest in history.  Janet has done a marvelous job of selecting, translating, and annotating the letters so that the book becomes cohesive whole.  Greatly adding to the story are the additional explanatory materials included.  A must read!

This promises to be a fascinating talk as Janet will describe her role in bringing the book into being. Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase.

Don't for get the yard sale this Saturday at History House from 9 - 1 pm!

It's Back!

 AFTER NEARY TWO YEARS, IT IS TIME FOR OUR ANNUAL

YARD SALE  AT HISTORY HOUSE !

Hopefully you have been gathering items all this time to donate to the sale. Gently used items that you no longer need but think others may find a use for would be appreciated.  (Please no clothes or computers.)  They can be left on the porch at History House anytime through Friday, July 16^th.  Someone will be checking every day and move what is there inside.  If you need someone to pick up your items call 625-7019 or 625-8712 and leave a message.  We also look forward to you coming to buy items, too.           

The Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society will hold their annual

YARD AND BAKED GOOD SALE 

SAT. JULY 17^th, 9am – 1pm

at History House, 92 Main Street, Porter (Kezar Falls Village).

Rain or Shine.

Something for everyone.  Come find your treasure!

FMI  625-7019

Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society continues with it’s 2021 schedule...

                                       A Meeting and Program will be held

June 26, 2021

at

History House,

92 Maine Street 

Kezar Falls Village

The meeting will start at 2:00 pm, with a program to follow at about 2:30 pm.

Lyn Sudlow will present:

“The Lincoln Connection:

How Amos Tuck of Parsonsfield shaped the politics of the Civil War.”

Honorable Amos Tuck, M.C.

Come learn about this Parsonsfield native we seldom hear about.

As not everyone has been vaccinated, please wear a mask.

History House is Open!

 The Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society is ready to start a full season of scheduled meetings and events once again with:

OPEN HOUSE 

Saturday, June 5, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

and a New Exhibit

1820 – MAINE STATEHOOD

A Local View

This exhibit commemorates Maine’s Bicentennial 

and takes a look at Parsonsfield and Porter 

and what life was like here 200 years ago.

Come tour the house and view all the exhibits

at

 History House

92 Main Street

Kezar Falls Village (Rt. 160)

As not everyone is vaccinated,

please wear a mask.

THE OLD PARSONSFIELD TOWN HOUSE

The Old Parsonsfield Town House is located on the east side of Merrill Hill Road just before it intersects with Middle Road.  It was built in 1832 across from what was then the Congregational Church.  The Church had built a new building closer to the road and they would no longer agree to share the building for town meetings as they had been doing since 1790.   

The 1832 Town House was built by town resident William E. Moulton Jr. – a south-facing Greek Revival structure.  A unique feature of the building is a slanted floor with fixed bench seats which gave everyone a good view of the podium.  It was the town’s first civic building.

The Town House as it looked in 1938.

Parsonsfield’s municipal offices relocated at Kezar Falls Village in 1988, but all residents south of North Road continued to vote at this location until 2012.   In 2012 the Town Offices were moved to the former Fred Morrill School building on North Road and the Old Town House ceased to be used for any Town purposes.

This picture, taken in 2005, looks much the same today but with a small flower garden on the side.  

In 2001 a group of interested citizens called “ROOT” (Restore Our Old Town House), worked to restore the building to its original design and placed it on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.  They were also instrumental in having Historic Preservationist Steven Mallory come out and do a comprehensive assessment of the building. This group has since disbanded and many of the issues identified as a problem at that time have not been addressed.

Today there is concern that this historic building has been unmaintained for 8 – 10 years and that it continues to deteriorate.

The Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society holds an open house here annually the second Saturday in August hosted by Lyn Sudlow.  Anyone interested in the preservation of the Old Parsonsfield Town House and its history can tour the building. Watch for the ad in Your Weekly Shopping Guide at the end of July.