THANK YOU to all MHS members and donors for making this a remarkable year! You made “Treasure in Our Own Backyard” a great success!
Every year, we work hard to create a fresh, fun, and informative exchange about the stories of the Moosehead Lake region and our people, past and present. This year was super busy and a high success, both in the number of programs we offered and for the number of visitors who saw them. This year the docents’ theme was “Treasure in Our Own Back Yard.” All our tours and programs endeavored to show that.
Toward that end, a first in our region’s history — and to rave reviews — The Moosehead Outdoor Heritage Museum was unveiled in June. Very sincere thanks go to the wonderful financial support from Bob Hirshberg, Telford Allen III, Jock Moore and Cathy Sweetser, and Charlie and Barbara Adams, without whom this year-long project in the making could not have been created. It is a testament to the commitment to our culture and heritage, and speaks volumes about the good all of our members. Special thanks, too, to all of our volunteers and to members and trustees who helped bring programs alive, including Bob Cowan, Eric Ward, Bruce Marsh, and Rocky Rockwell.
In addition to the professionally guided tours at the Eveleth-Crafts-Sheridan Historical House, the Moosehead Lumbermen’s and Outdoor Heritage museums, we offered 14 programs, seven of them off grounds, within our greater community. We partnered with many local organizations, including the Natural Resource Education Center, Shaw Public Library, the Moosehead Marine Museum, The Depot, Dean Hospital & Nursing Home, and Forest Heritage Days.
In keeping with our mission, we also partnered with the Penobscot Nation, the Abbe Museum, Maine Archives & Museums, Maine Woods Forever, the University of Maine, and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. Also for the first time, the historical society hosted a professional workshop as part of the annual Thoreau-Wabanaki Festival, which found wide appeal and great interest for next year.
Here are a few photographs in a glance back over the summer.
Retired Forester Rocky Rockwell tells a logging story during Forest Heritage Days at the Moosehead Lumbermen’s Museum.
Colleen Moureux of Chewonki’s Traveling Natural History Program educates children and adults during the Live Owls! afternoon at The Center for Moosehead History.
Called “truly treasures in our backyard,” women from the Knights of Columbus group tour said they were fascinated by all of the exhibits. Here, MHS President Bob Cowan tells the story behind brick tea used in lumber camps.
James E. Francis, Penobscot Nation Tribal Historian, presents “Penobscot Sense of Place” in the professional workshop offered during the Thoreau Wabanaki Festival in July.
Trustee Eric Ward demonstrates moose calling during the popular All About Moose program, with moose expert Lee Kantar of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife.
During the Games of Logging competition, a logger shaves the tension off a spring pole, Forest Heritage Days.