COMING UP LABOR DAY SUNDAY

SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 - 1 – 3 pm

The Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society 

will hold the

ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE

at the

OLD PORTER MEETING HOUSE

Rain or Shine!

Have you ever visited the Old Porter Meeting House?

Don’t miss this opportunity.

Visitors are welcome to tour the building.

Historical Society members will present the history of this unique old building starting at 1:30 pm so that visitors can learn about its past and the role the Meeting House played in the history of the Town of Porter.

An exhibit and pictures will also be on display.

This building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of the very few meeting houses of its kind still standing.

This view from the balcony shows the box pews.

The raised pulpit that was original to the building was restored in 1969.

  -------------------

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 or 625-3020

 (Sorry, no “facilities” available)

                    The Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society and the Parsonsfield Union Church Society

will co-sponsor the annual event at Middle Road Village, Parsonsfield again this year.  The public is welcome. Come visit what was once the thriving heart of Parsonsfield, Maine.

DOUBLE OPEN HOUSE!

THE HISTORIC PARSONSFIELD 

TOWN HOUSE & 

THE PARSONSFIELD UNION CHURCH

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20

1 – 3pm

Exhibits, self-guided cemetery walk, and a short talk about a few of Parsonsfield’s many cemeteries at 2pm.

Located at the bottom of Merrill Hill Road near Middle Road.

 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.

FMI: 329-1349

 “REMEMBERING THE ELM ROW MILK FARM”

Presented by Rhonda Sanborn and Sylvia Pease.

The Elm Row Milk farm has had a long history in the town of Parsonsfield. Albion Peleg Benton came to Kezar Falls in 1865 to build and operate a sawmill located on the site of the future Kezar Falls Woolen Mill.  He became prosperous and in 1868 he purchased the Thomas Edgecomb farm located on Elm Street just beyond the Village of Kezar Falls and erected this large set of buildings that still stand on the Stacy property.  He lived here until his death in 1886.  His son, Peleg W. Benton ran a dairy farm here until 1923.

In 1923 the Benton farm was purchased by Lawrence and Belle Stacey.  It became known as the Elm Row Milk Farm for the large elms that stood along the driveway.  Come to the program to hear the rest of the story of the farm and the Stacey family, many of whom still live on this property.  

July 23, 2022, at Porter Town Hall

Meeting begins at 2:00 pm

Followed by the

Program about 2:30 pm

Elm Row Milk Farm – Clarence Stacey on the wagon & Manuel Stacey on the ground.

                                                 IT IS TIME FOR OUR ANNUAL

YARD SALE

AT HISTORY HOUSE

Have you been gathering items for a yard sale? Parsonsfield-Porter Historical Society could take them off your hands.  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 15th.

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 16th, 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 or 625-8712

Notice:

Don’t forget – the Research Room at History House will be open 10am – noon on July 11.  If you are interested in local history or genealogy, check it out.  Park and enter in the rear of 92 Main St. Porter.

**********

Early Schools of Porter and Kezar Falls Village

 At one time there were 14 district schools in the town of Porter, 18 in the Town of Parsonsfield and 1 in South Hiram (three of which were located in the village of Kezar Falls).  Gradually the outlying one-room school buildings were closed, and students were bussed to the village schools.  When consolidated district schools were established in the 1980s and the elementary, middle and high school buildings were built in South Hiram, all the other schools were eventually closed.  Today, there are no active schools in Porter or Parsonsfield.  Most of the old school buildings that still exist have been repurposed in various ways.

Porter Elementary and High School - 1919.  Now a dentist's office.

On Saturday June 25th Becky Carpenter will present a program about the early schools of Porter and Kezar Falls at 2:30pm following a meeting at 2:00pm at History House, 92 Main Street, Kezar Falls Village. Masks are optional.

NOTICE – NEW THIS SEASON

The History House Reseach Room will be open 

on Mondays from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. 

on the following dates:

6/27, 7/11, 7/25, 8/8, & 8/22.

You are welcome to come see what we have to help you in your research of genealogy or local history. 

Park in the rear and come in the back entrance. 

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.