These updates were originally published on the society’s membership page. They describe work and activities in 2014 and 2015; visiting arrangements mentioned below are historical. For current visiting information, see Archives.
Well And Bathroom Replace Privy And Port-A-Potty
In the first months of 2015, just in time for the crowd that flocked in for Strawberry Shortcake on July 5, we had created a parking area and lawn, drilled a well, installed a bathroom, finished the carpentry work in the upstairs addition, painted, installed lights and carpets. Ken Bartow’s clever carpentry transformed the old voting booths in the Town House into an aisle between the old and new parts of the Town House. And so the $180,000 restoration project came to a triumphant close.
2014: a Quieter Year with Important Progress
The year 2014 proved a quieter year than the previous two, with no new construction taking place. It was a year the Historical Society caught its breath, started building a Web site, opened its archives to the public one afternoon a week, treated the public to strawberry shortcake, and, as always, recorded and broadcast some Otisfield history in four public programs. The first program, held in April, titled “Food from the Fifties,” included not only a luncheon with food from the Fifties but also an informative talk about food trends by Polly Bartow. In June and August Ethel Turner and Jean Hankins presented a power point presentation summarizing their research on the summer camps on Pleasant Pond. In September Celeste Hyer and Quentin Henderson remembered Orrell Linnell, the Otisfield Centenarian who lived most of his long life in the Gore section of town. And in November, Jean Pottle and Jean Hankins explained how Santa Claus has changed his appearance over the years. We also served strawberry shortcake to over 100 folks in July, and a good number enjoyed our August picnic at the Bartow Camp on Thompson Lake.
Archives Open Weekly
With the Sybil Lamb Archival Room completely furbished with good lighting, climate controls, stacks of document boxes, and even a work table, we opened that room for public use on Wednesday afternoons from May to November. The public’s interest has been unexpectedly high, and we’ve had a number of folks—from Otisfield and beyond—poring over maps, photographs, and old papers just about every time we’ve been open.
Gifts Great and Small
During 2014 a number of historically-minded folks gave us a wide variety of manuscripts, photos, and artifacts, all with an Otisfield connection. Among them: a large box of memorabilia, yearbooks, and photos from Great Oaks; the letters and papers of Dr. Beryl Moore; a piece of cloth woven from flax grown in Otisfield; Wight family legal papers; and the genealogy of the McAuliffe family. Thank you! Now cataloged, these are ready for public inspection.