04/16/2008
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Morning Sentinel staff photofrom the Kennebec Journal
Rep. Pingree hears varied proposals for health-care solutions
HALLOWELL Fire that cut communications labeled arson
MONMOUTH Police defended after slim budget rejection
State's schools chief to parley
Wasser will lead newsrooms at KJ, Sentinel and in Portland
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Hockey still in picture for Harrington
Portland boxer to face legend's son
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
$1.3 MILLION FOR HEALTHREACH
Families Matter grows to meet special needs
Chellie Pingree listens to ideas on health care reform
FARMINGTON Rain alters plans for 4th of July
District regroups after budget failure
Vote on county budget hits snag
Burnham driver wins checkered flag at 2 tracks on same day
Maine boxer gets unique opportunity
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
At the May 27, 1927 Senior Hop, ladies held a dance card deciding their partners for the fox trot, the contra dance and the good night waltz.
On a Saturday afternoon in the late 1890s, spectators paid 10 cents apiece to watch Little Dorine dance for Effie Carlton Co.'s children's matinee at the Skowhegan Opera House. In 1925, membership to the Skowhegan Fair was available for Sept. 15-18.
The cards or tickets for these events that give the onlooker a glimpse back into a bygone era are assembled beneath the glass dome of the Skowhegan History House Association's traveling exhibit, 19th Century "Paper Ephemera," currently on display at the public library.
An official inaugural unveiling of the exhibit will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Skowhegan Public Library, according to directors Melvin Burnham and Bonnie Chamberlain.
"This will be the initial showing," Chamberlain said of the display of ephemera, which in its broadest sense is a word adopted to indicate handwritten or printed items of a transitory nature not meant to be of lasting significance, usually considered to be two-dimensional material on paper.
Burnham, who built the cherry wood display case, said the exhibit will be circulated to public areas around town, including the Municipal Building and bank lobbies, to showcase the town's history.
"The History House on Elm Street is only open from June to September and we want to make sure such historical treasures are available for many people to enjoy," Burnham said.
Burnham said TNT Auto Glass supplied the glass and dome work for a minimum fee. He said the contents of the case, assembled by Skowhegan History House Curator Lee Granville, will be changed periodically and continue to travel.
The current display offers a fascinating glimpse into the busy life that once kept residents active and involved in the 19th century. There are tickets to the Skowhegan-Norridgewock Electric Railway that ran between the two communities from 1896 to 1904. Another ticket is for a Jan. 1, 1883 day of entertainment at the Skowhegan Roller Skating Rink.
Promotional pieces include an advertisement for Charles F. Ward, a "clothier, hatter and furnisher" in Skowhegan in 1896 and a December 1890 calendar touting Hood's Sarsaparilla.
Mourning cards from the late 1800s show touching verses: "Give me the eloquent cheek, where blushes burn and die, Like thine, its changes speak The spirit's purity."
Burnham said the display captures the imagination of an era gone by
"We just hope the people who see this become more aware of our historic culture."
Darla L. Pickett -- 474-9534,
Ext. 341
dpickett@centralmaine.com
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