HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PARSONSFIELD-PORTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY!

 2021 has been a pretty good year and we have been able to resume most of our usual activities after a very quiet year in 2020.  Although the threat of COVID 19 still exists, most of us are vaccinated and wearing masks has become routine for most people in crowded situations.  But 2021 is also our 75th anniversary.

Seventy-five years ago on August 27, 1946, a group of interested local residents met at Norton Hall in Kezar Falls and, under the direction of Mrs. Ina Stanley Emery, on left, the organization of PPHS was founded.  She was elected as the first President and remained in office until 1979.  With Mrs. Emery as a driving force at the head of an enthusiastic group of members, the organization flourished.  The Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society was incorporated in 1953.  

The Society worked for several years to raise money to buy a house for a museum and meeting place and several buildings were considered.  In 1955 Mrs. Emery succeeded in convincing the Society to purchase the house built in 1888 by her father, Preston J. Stanley – now known as “History House” at 92 Main Street, Porter.  The Society finally had their own meeting place and a home for their growing collection of records and relics of the early days of the towns of Parsonsfield, Porter and South Hiram.  They quickly set about renovating and setting it up in time for the 1957 Sesquicentennial of Porter.  History House in 1957 below.

In 2000 a group of dedicated members formed the “Millennium Committee” and set about the task of bringing the society up to date.  The task of cataloging all the collection items was undertaken, plans for refurbishing the building, doing much needed maintenance and building a new addition was undertaken and most was completed over the next few years.  It was important that we renew interest in the history of our towns through attracting new members, educating our youth through outreach to the local schools, holding meetings and programs that anyone could attend and being more accessible.  Much of this work is ongoing today.  

The Historical Society continues to preserve the history of the area for future generations.  This is accomplished through acquisition of and careful preservation of documents, records, photographs, and artifacts related to the history of our towns.  These are then made available to the public through the mounting of both temporary and permanent exhibits throughout History House, assisting individuals and groups seeking specific information about genealogy and other aspects of local history.  A great deal of work goes on behind the scenes at History House and members are encouraged to participate in supporting our goals. Current photo of History House below.

The activities of the Society include regular meetings from April through October, usually with interesting programs, open house dates at History House, The Old Porter Meeting House, The Old Parsonsfield Town House and various fundraising events throughout the year. We also encourage recognizing and supporting other historic sites in our towns.

Over the last 20 years many of our working members have passed away and we look to new residents and young people who have an interest in our history to join and help us continue this important work of...

Preserving the Past, Embracing the

Present & Anticipating the Future

Our website is parsonsfieldporterhistorical.org

e-mail is pphs@parsonsfieldporterhistorical.org

Happy Halloween from History House!

 

 The public is invited to the last meeting and program of the year

of the

PARSONSFIELD-PORTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY

At History House, 92 Main St., Porter.

on

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23

MEETING – 2:00 pm

The quilt raffle drawing will be held.

PROGRAM – 2:30 pm

Author, Anne Gass will present her progam:

"We Demand - The Suffrage Road Trip"

 America’s First Cross-country Automobile Trip for a Cause.

"In September 1915 four women embarked in an open car from San Francisco's Panama Pacific International Exposition on the country's first cross-country road trip for a cause.  They were carrying a petition to Congress and President Wilson demanding an amendment to the United States constitution enfranchising women.  Over primitive, poorly signed roads and through blazing heat, rain, snow and mud, they battled their way across the country, stopping along the way to collect more signatures and to raise awareness that most women in the country were prohibited from voting.  I retraced their route in 2015 and blogged about it at www.suffrageroadtrip.com." This is a lively talk accompanied by historic slides.

Please wear a mask for this presentation.

Last Open House at History House

            Welcome to Our Fall        

Open House

Sunday, September 12, 2021         1:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society     

                                    Last formal showing of  the 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.

                                                                      Maine State Seal

Come tour the house, view all the exhibits and browse our scrapbook collection and albums.

at 

History House 

92 Main Street in 

Kezar Falls Village (Rt. 160)

FMI call 625-7019

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You are also invited to our next meeting & program

Sept. 18, 2021 at 2 pm.

It will be held at Garner Island

off Elm St. in Kezar Falls Village.

After a brief meeting 

Linda Griffin will give us a tour and history of 

the island and bungalow.

Watch for our ad in Your Weekly Shopping Guide.

Park nearby and walk to the island bridge.

No Parking on the island.

As not everyone is vaccinated, please wear a mask.

Old Porter Meetinghouse Open House

 

Have you ever visited the Old Porter Meeting House?

Here is your chance!

-----

ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE AT OLD PORTER MEETING HOUSE

September 5, 2021   1 – 3 pm

--FEATURING--

KATHERINE RHODA,

popular local musician, folk singer & multi-instrumentalist.

Katherine will entertain us with vintage music as we belatedly celebrate Maine’s Bicentennial.  

In addition to wonderful music, this is your opportunity to tour this local gem.  Step back in history to 1824 and imagine attending a Bullockite quarterly service or participating in a Porter Town Meeting here.  This unique building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the very few meeting houses left in the state.

-------------------

Masks will be required inside the building.

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)

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)