About
Our Organization
The
Harpswell Historical Society was created in 1979 by citizens who were
concerned about preserving the Old Harpswell Meeting House and its
contents. The group, headed by Harpswell resident and first president,
Thurlow Alexander, met in the spring of '79 and by fall had a group of 16
charter members dedicated to the preservation of Harpswell's heritage.
In the following years the Society oversaw repairs and stabilization of
the Old Harpswell Meeting House [a Registered National Historic Landmark],
was instrumental in relocating the Hearse House, [which still houses one
of two horse drawn hearses which were available to Harpswell residents] at
Harpswell Center, and assisted in the discovery and reconstruction of the
1759 vintage Harpswell Center Cattle Pound.
In 1993 the Society received the deed to one of Harpswell's few public
community buildings, Centennial Hall. This building was constructed in
1876 by town residents, to celebrate the centennial this countries
independence from England. The building served the public as a meeting
place for suppers, plays, dances and recitals well into the 1940's and
50's. For many years it was the home of the Harpswell Garden Club and many
of their functions were held there. Centennial Hall gradually fell into
disuse and ill repair but when Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Thompson, made the
building available the Historical Society in partnership with the
Harpswell Garden Club, arranged to have the building cut into three pieces
and moved to Harpswell Center and onto land owned by the Garden Club and
designated as the Ann Francis Hodgkins Memorial Park. This then created
the Harpswell Historic Park In the following years the Historic Park
Committee, made up of members of both the Historical Society and the
Garden Club, has overseen the reconstruction of the building and
landscaping of the grounds. This effort is continuing and is about 85%
complete.
As a second addition to the newly created Historic Park, the North
Harpswell District # 2 one room schoolhouse was given to the Historical
Society by the Wilson Family as an example of one of the nineteen school
buildings which once existed in Harpswell. Restoration of this building
continues with the school scheduled to be moved onto a foundation soon and
reproduction desks to be installed soon.
In the past few years the Society has taken responsibility for the care
and upkeep of two of Harpswell's twenty cemeteries. The Thomas Cemetery
and the Wilson Cemetery both on Harpswell Neck. A joint project with the
Society and Harpswell Boy Scout troop 634 at Bailey Island is underway to
restore the Doughty Cemetery on Great Island which is now abandoned and in
a sad state of disrepair.
In 1998 the Committee for the conservation of old records began one of
the original objectives of the Society. Filing cabinets and flat file
drawers were purchased, Acid free files, envelopes were ordered and
members attended several workshops at the Maine State Archives in
preparation of cataloging and indexing old town records and the growing
collection of Society memorabilia and documents.
Each year the Historical Society sponsors three public meetings with a
guest speaker, which presents a program dealing in some fashion with
either Harpswell History or Casco Bay Regional History. (we are always
looking for suggestions for speakers or subjects). The programs have
traditionally been held at Cundy's Harbor, Orr's Island and Harpswell
Center.
The Harpswell Historical Society consists of a nine member Board Of
Directors, which includes the four officers of the Society [President,
Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer]. We presently have a membership
of nearly one hundred and seventy five.
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