Visit to Old Town Museum a step back in time

Time travel has never been easier. Take a few steps inside the Old Town Museum and be instantly transported back to the days of horse-drawn carriages and birch bark canoes.

The elaborate displays demonstrate how vastly different our lives are from our ancestors’, and tell a visual tale of the history of Old Town and the surrounding communities.

“Old Town was the lumbering capital of the world,” said Virginia Fortier, museum co-director, volunteer, and history buff. “Old Town and Orono prepared the lumber and Bangor shipped it.”

The museum, located in the old St. Mary’s Catholic Church on South Main Street, was established in 1976 to coincide with the American Bicentennial. The goal was to foster interest in the heritage of the area. The mission is the same today and involves encouraging the preservation of all things relating to the cultural, religious, educational, social, agricultural and industrial society of the day.

“I love historical things. I have found my niche here,” said Fortier. “My husband’s and my families go back five generations in this town. The museum is near and dear to my heart.”

So dear that she volunteers several hours a week at the museum, giving tours and helping with fund raising, as well as sitting on the board.

There are approximately 30 seniors who also donate their time. With only one paid, part-time staff person, there is plenty to do.

“We are always looking for more volunteers,” said Fortier. “We have different programs on Sunday afternoons, and a variety show coming up in September that we are doing as a fund raiser – and we could always use some extra help.”

Most of the items on display date from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s and come to the museum through donations by area residents, she added. In fact, about a month ago, an elderly woman donated a few pieces of cut lead crystal. The heavy glassware, with gold-colored designs, is at least 200 hundred years old.

If you ever wondered what life would be like without a dishwasher and microwave oven, this is a good place to find out. A small partitioned section of the museum replicates an early 1900s kitchen.

Period dishes are set on a vintage tablecloth alongside a Sears Roebuck catalog. A wrought-iron sink perches atop wainscot cupboards with a rusty water pump at its edge.

Positioned behind protective glass in the Native American Exhibit is a 100-year-old pack basket and stone bowl, carefully nestled among other assorted Indian artifacts.

And what museum would be complete without samples from the Bickmore Co. at 119 South Main St.? Though no longer in business, the “proprietary medicine manufacturers” had something for everyone, including Bickmore Gall Cure for horse sores and Bickmore Fly Salve insect repellant.

Given the picture on the can of a man swatting at pests, and the slogan “Keeps ’em away,” I think it is safe to assume the salve is for humans.

“History is so important, and it is important for young people to know where they came from,” said Fortier. “I’ve always talked a lot to my children and grandchildren about history because I think understanding your history can give you a sense of belonging.”

And when life came to a close for residents of Old Town, they were taken to their final resting place in style. An 1866 hearse, lined with windows, resting on sleigh runners and equipped with black and white plumes that – depending on their position – indicated whether the vehicle was in use, sits unassumingly near the front door. It serves as a gentle reminder that the past will never die as long as dedicated history lovers work to preserve it.

The museum hours are 1-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Admittance is free and the museum is handicap accessible. For information, call 827-7256.

Carol Higgins is director of communications at Eastern Agency on Aging in Bangor. For information on EAA services or programs, call Chuck or Marilyn in the Resource and Referral department at 941-2865 or log on www.eaaa.org.