03/29/2009
enlarge
Photo by Jeff Poulandfrom the Kennebec Journal
FAIRPOINT PLAN TARGETS DEBT
Wind project off Mass. meets strong resistance
Three bills seek tougher rules for petitioners
New rules for special education debated
Happy apples
AUGUSTA: Cuts to French curriculum run into opposition
HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL: Hall-Dale drops MVC title game to Mountain Valley
HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY NOTEBOOK: Different stakes in Gardiner-Winslow rivalry
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Kennebec Journal
from the Morning Sentinel
'At the time ... he was psychotic'
Man answers door, is attacked with Mace and then robbed
FairPoint reorganization plan aims to slash company's debt
Concerns over special-education changes aired
FAIRFIELD: Clinton man, 21, arrested on rape, assault charges
Stun gun, arrest of suspect end high-speed, 2-town chase
HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY NOTEBOOK: Gardiner, Winslow take to ice again
GIRLS BASKETBALL: Skowhegan wins KVAC A title game
All of today's:
News | Sports
from the Morning Sentinel
As a teenager, he raised chickens. In 1939, Goodhue took over the family farm, increasing the herd of cattle and buying more land. As he approached retirement, Goodhue began saving old varieties of apples.
In January, members of the newly formed Sidney Historical Society conducted a taped interview with him, collecting Goodhue's stories and recollections of life in Sidney.
A few weeks after the interview, on Feb. 8, Goodhue died. The society published a story about him in its February newsletter.
"We decided this was the priority," Joan D. Blethen, the society's chairwoman, said of the taped interviews.
The group, which formed last fall, is getting up and running as the town's first historical society. Its members have been assembling historical documents and artifacts and gathering oral histories from the town's longtime residents.
Residents at town meeting on March 21 approved $5,000 in seed money toward the society -- the organization's first cash infusion. The society recently approved organization bylaws and is filing to become a nonprofit.
Jamie Rice, public services librarian for the Maine Historical Society in Portland, said the formation of Sidney's historical society is a rare occurrence. According to the statewide society's records, some groups formed in the 1980s, but none has incorporated officially in the last two decades, Rice said.
Some historical organizations have formed in Maine in recent times as more informal social groups, while others have joined together at the county level, she said.
"As far as incorporation, Sidney is a bit unique," Rice said.
The Sidney Historical Society's mission statement says, in part, that the society exists to "identify, collect, interpret, preserve and exhibit significant history materials related to town of Sidney, including its exploration, settlement, municipal development, education, agriculture, everyday life, social activities and family histories."
The society's mission is also to have public outreach programs, establish a database, encourage greater awareness of the town's heritage and publish materials and sponsor events. For instance, the society will host a lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Second Baptist Church, with restoration expert Dan Mitchell explaining how to identify old homes.
Residents began talking about the need for a historical society in May 2008, when Blethen and others were involved with the celebration of James Bean School's 50th anniversary. They didn't want to lose all the research on the school, she said.
Several residents gathered during the summer at the Second Baptist Church. The society now has 35 members, has a board of directors and several subcommittees.
"We've just had some wonderful people join us: educators, historians, librarians," Blethen said. "We have very creative people involved in making crafts and setting up craft shows."
The group visited other historical societies, Blethen said. Donna-Mae Bean, who has worked as a paralegal, spent about 100 hours researching what to include in the society's bylaws; while her husband, Orland, has produced four newsletters, which have been sent by e-mail because the group has not had any money to send them by regular mail.
Aside from the preserving town history, the Beans say the society also is serving an important function in town.
"We've lived here 30 years in this small agricultural town ... and we don't really have an organization in town that brings people together; and I have stated and others have said that they have found it difficult to get acquainted with people in town," Donna-Mae Bean said. "This allows us to meet with each another and have a common focus. This is seems to be catalyst for bringing that about."
Bill and Charlotte Sawtelle agree. They own a 1760s homestead on West River Road -- the only home in Sidney that's on the state and national historic registers.
"It's been a great way to meet people. All these people are interested in Sidney's heritage," Bill Sawtelle said.
Larry Tibbetts, who served for 38 years on various town committees and as a selectman, spoke in favor of allocating $5,000 to the society at Sidney's town meeting. He said he had planned to avoid involvement with town organizations, but he was so "impressed with the caliber of the people" involved with the historical society, "I fell right into that trap and I'm back in the harness again."
The group also is sparking new interest in town history. A book on Sidney's history was written in 1992 to celebrate the town's bicentennial, but "I think there's still a lot more history" Donna-Mae Bean said, especially from the town records vault and residents' oral stories.
The society has been acquiring historical materials in some interesting ways. Society members recently purchased five circa-1911 photographs of the "Woodward family" on the Internet auction site eBay.
The society hopes to move into the basement of the Grange hall soon, and its members are researching possible grants to pay for the space's renovation.
"Our collection is very small to start, but we can see it growing and growing," Blethen said. "We encourage Sidney residents who have any materials -- photos, journals, diaries, legal documents, wills, deeds, newspaper clippings and actual artifacts -- to contact us. We have a very enthusiastic, well educated group of people that will handle these things responsibly."
Scott Monroe -- 861-9253
smonroe@centralmaine.com
Reader comments
Click here to view or add reader comments