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!

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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.

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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)

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.