Belfast Museum opens Saturday Society hails new exhibits

BELFAST – With a new look and some new exhibits, the Belfast Museum is poised for its grand reopening Saturday.

The museum is housed in a red brick Federal-style structure built by James Langworthy in 1835. Langworthy operated a store on the ground floor and lived on the upper floors. The Belfast Historical Society obtained the property in 1975 and has steadily made improvements.

The structure was refitted this winter with hardwood floors, and partitions were removed to provide greater space for exhibits. The ground floor, which used to house the historical society, is being converted into a small office area and storage space. The renovations were supported by a $5,000 grant from the Maine State Archives and Maine State Museum and the MBNA Foundation.

“We have much more exhibit space,” said historical society President Megan Pinette. “It’s a major improvement. It is nice to finally be able to display these exhibits. The people will find them very interesting. … We finally have better flow, better lighting, better flooring. It really feels like a museum.”

One of the centerpieces of this season’s displays is the “Made in Belfast” exhibit. The exhibit features products such as the Yankee Screw Driver, a spiral driver invented by local watchmaker Isaac Allard in 1868. Allard’s screwdriver was manufactured in the city by F.A. Hood Manufacturing for many years and the same basic design is still in use today, though it is now a Craftsman product.

There is even a bottle of currant wine corked in 1859 by Hiram Chase. Belfast also had a number of cigar makers, including the I.L. Perry Co., which distributed more than 1 million cigars in 1902. The cigars were hand rolled by women.

Another new exhibit this year is “Notable Women of Belfast.” The museum has an area set aside with photographs, histories and the fashions of many of the city’s historical female figures. Visitors will learn that Essie P. Carle was the first woman to register to vote in 1920. Carle was one of 352 women who registered that year, the oldest being Sarah E. Stewart at age 94, and that area resident Emma Pitcher was the first woman to introduce music instruction to the state’s public schools.

Pinette said the historical society has started to attract attention in the museum community. She said a number of communities have turned to the museum for advice about strengthening their programs and exhibits.

“We’re quite proud of ourselves,” she said. “We’ve become quite credible, especially in the eyes of the state. We’re filling this wonderful little niche here. We’re definitely ahead of the curve with a lot of the smaller historical societies.”

Care of the grounds has been turned over to the Belfast Garden Club, whose members have planted a number of flowers and landscaped the entrance.

The Belfast Museum is located at the corner of Church and Market streets. It has exhibits on the city’s marine history, notable people, historic photographs, maps and other memorabilia. The seasonal reopening will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday and will feature Mayor Michael Hurley cutting the ribbon with a Civil War sword. For more information, contact the museum at 338-9229.