Bangor Historical Society alive with activities

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The summer will be a busy one at the Bangor Historical Society’s Thomas A. Hill House and Civil War Museum as some folks take tours while others are painting the exterior of the facility at 159 Union St. in Bangor.

Assistant Curator Dana Lippitt reports that the museum opens for tours from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 2, and will remain open for tours during those hours Tuesday through Saturday during the summer.

If you want to take a tour, however, it is best to arrive before 3 p.m. since, Lippitt said, “the tour takes about one hour.”

This year’s exhibit is “Patchwork of our Past: A Collection Sampler.”

The exhibit consists of samplings of pieces of the BHS collection including textiles, farm tools, lumbering tools, American Indian artifacts, paintings, clocks, Revolutionary War period items and more.

True to its title, the exhibit also includes a lovely patchwork quilt and several old samplers.

“We also want to let the public know that we are having the Thomas A. Hill House’s exterior painted this summer, and not to let that stop them from coming in for a tour or asking us research questions,” Lippitt indicated.

“We are very excited to finally get this project of the ground,” she added.

For that effort, the board and staff extend their thanks to organizations and members of the community who are making this work possible.

The exterior of the building will be painted with the help of the Penobscot County sheriff’s community service crews.

Benjamin Moore paint has been donated by Linda Horton of Color Concepts; tools and equipment are being provided by Martha Eastman and students from the University of Maine; and advice and assistance for the project is coming from Bob Kelly of House Revivers.

Lippitt said the popular “Candlelight Ghost Walks” through downtown Bangor, conducted by Ryan King, begin at 7 p.m. each Tuesday, rain or shine, on the front lawn of the BHS facility.

The tour is free to BHS members, $5 for nonmembers, free for children and young people through grade 12.

If you plan to take the ghost tour, however, you are asked to call ahead and make a reservation.

The tours were a little slow in April, Lippitt said, “but last week we had nine people.”

For information, to make a facility or Candlelight tour reservation, or if you are interested in volunteering at the museum, call the BHS at 942-5766 during regular office hours, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

A benefit supper sponsored by the Monson Finnish Farmers is from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, June 1, at the Finn Hall on Route 15 in Monson.

The supper is being held to help defray the medical expenses of Joan Pulkkinen Frink, who has cancer.

The menu includes barbecue chicken, pasta, potato salad, rolls and dessert.

Door prizes will be awarded during the benefit and, here’s something a bit unusual: This supper is available for takeout.

Barb Bowler of Bradford hopes gardeners will stop by the Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center seventh annual Bud ‘n Blooms Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at the Brewer Shopping Center near the Shop ‘n Save store.

The sale will include annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables, and all proceeds support the educational and women’s health services of MWWHC.

If you have questions, or want to make a last-minute plant donation, call the center at 947-5337.

Pauline Sodermark, secretary of the Corinth Historical Society, wrote recently with two pieces of good news.

The first is that the CHS Museum “opened for the first time last summer, and many enthusiastic people have visited throughout the fall and remarked about the quality of the displays.”

You can see those displays yourself, as the museum opens for the season 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 2, at its facility on Main Street in Corinth.

Sodermark reports the museum will be open 1 to 4 p.m. each Wednesday and Saturday during the summer months.

The second piece of good news is that during the Corinth town meeting in March, “voters accepted an article for matching funds up to $1,000 for the benefit of the Historical Society,” Sodermark wrote, adding that “the time is right to make donations really count!”

“All donations are tax deductible, and receipts will be sent to those who wish to make a contribution.”

Sodermark wants potential donors to know that the CHS has until March 2002 to raise the $1,000 it needs to match the town’s commitment.

Donations can be mailed to the Corinth Historical Society Inc., P.O. Box 541, Corinth 04427.

Dolls Day will be celebrated with a tea at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 2, at the Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St. in Bangor.

Young people are invited to bring their favorite doll and best manners, and to dress for the occasion if they wish.

For more information, call the BPL Children’s Department at 947-8336, Ext. 111.

Staff and volunteers of The Curran Homestead, a living history farm museum in Orrington, are trying to complete the Homestead’s barn and ell roof restoration.

Working with professionals such as Walter Musson, C&N Custom Builders of Hudson and Bangor Slate Co., people will begin stripping, repairing, replacing and reshingling the 3,000 square feet of barn roof.

Volunteers are desperately needed, especially experienced roofers who are willing to work on the top of the barn.

Crews to help with carpentry, painting, cleanup, hoisting and food are needed as well.

If you can donate some time this weekend, call Dick Stockford, 947-3701, or Irv Marsters, 945-9311.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.