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Lincoln, Maine

A Town of Hearty, Resilient Souls

Lincoln Historical Society

Responses from four students in Mr. Koscuiszka's class can be viewed below:

The Lincoln Historical Society
The Lincoln Historical Societylocated at the Corro House, the oldest house in Lincoln

Nick Garfield
“Research your topic and summarize the ‘who, what, when, and where’ in the form of a few paragraphs”

The very first meeting of the Lincoln Historical Society was February 11, 1935. The idea for the group was thought up by Mary Buzzell. Even though this was not the first official meeting, this was the first actual meeting. The first official meeting of the Lincoln Historical Society was July 8, 1935. At the time, Gertrude Mills was the secretary and Addie Pinkham was the Treasurer. Some of the charter members are as follows: Sadie Adams, Mary Buzzell, Angie Lindsay, Edith McKenney, Laura Plumy, Lottie Weatherbee, May Bailey, Kate Edwards, Mildred Mackenzie, Gertrude Mills, Harriett Weatherbee, and Villa Whitter.

The reason that they started the historical society was so that they could discover unknown facts of early Lincoln and to preserve artifacts and documents from early Lincoln. The building that they used for the historical society was the primary school on School Street. The museum later opened on July 3, 1974.

One of the things that has changed is the museum has been moved. It was later located on West Broadway, next to the Lincoln News office, then it moved into the Corro House. The Corro House is one of the oldest houses in town, located on West Broadway, next to Region III. The newest president is Jeannette King. As you can see, not so many things have changed but one of the things that has remained the same is the goal, to preserve old artifacts and documents and to investigate the history of the town.

Joshua Phillips
"Compare/contrast your topic in the past and in the present"

The Historical Society started out only meeting in the library, and not having anything besides documents and artifacts. Now, they meet at the Corro house (the oldest house still standing in Lincoln), which is beside the library and across the street from the Little Red Schoolhouse, which they also own. They started with 14 lady members and now they have more people, plus some guys. They also have more documents and artifacts and more support and interest from the town. The new president is Jeannette King, not Gertrude Pinkham, like it was in the past. This is the second time the president has changed. The Historical Society has been open for about 36 years. More of my family is in it than when it started, and my Nana is President.

Blair Murphy
"How would you respond if Mattanawcook Junior High was saved from demolition by the Lincoln Historical Society, like the Little Red Schoohouse was?"

Little Red School House
Little Red School Housepart of the Lincoln Historical Society Museum

The Little Red Schoolhouse in Lincoln was used as one room schoolhouse early in Lincoln’s history. There was a point in time when the schoolhouse was going to be demolished, but instead it was given to the Lincoln Historical Society. They moved it to its current location across from the historical society and a big part of our history was saved.

If Mattanawcook Junior High School (MJHS) were at a point where demolition was a possibility, I would hope that the building would be given to the Trustees of the Lincoln Historical Society. That way they could save the school and use it to keep information and artifacts in so the school would always be here. If it was demolished the memories and everything that has happened here would be gone and people would be devastated, or at least I know I would be devastated.

The Lincoln Historical Society opened the Little Red Schoolhouse, now turned into a museum, on July 3, 1974. MJHS couldn't be moved and put back together if it was being closed due to new school’s being built, but it could definitely become a museum. People would rather see a school be preserved and turned into a museum than see it demolished.

I would hope that in any situation where a school was being demolished in Lincoln that the Lincoln Historical Society would get ownership because I don’t think I could stand to see our school torn down. I think I would have to petition so that the Lincoln Historical Society could get the school. The school would need to be saved. Memories like the ones that are made here are too hard to find for them to just be destroyed.

The Lincoln Historical Society does a lot for Lincoln and our history, this was just one way they helped, and how I would feel if they helped take the present MJHS and make it history instead of allowing it to be demolished.

Little Red School House
Little Red School Housedrawing by Sara Twombly

Trysten Pelkey
“Using your new found knowledge of this topic, write a creative piece (haiku, cinquain, story, song) about it”

Historical Society
Interactive, informative
Learning, documenting, compiling
Teaching about the past
Museum

Studying about the past
Of Lincoln and its customs
Its effect in Maine.

Works Cited

Achorn, Bessie. "Historical Society/Mary Buzzell." 1961. Lincoln Historical Society. Black Binder ed. Vol. 1&2.

Hawkins, Alan H. "Lincoln Society Saves School." Lincoln Historical Society. Black Binder ed. Vol. 1&2. Lincoln: Historical Society. 245-46. Print. Lincoln History.

Lincoln News, 1961. Lincoln. 40-41. Print. Lincoln History.

Challenges of the Lincoln Historical Society
by Jeannette King & Dottie Murchison

The Lincoln Historical Society has seen its own trials and tribulations in its struggle to keep and organize the history of the town. Before the creation of a historical society, the historic documents of the town were left to deteriorate wherever they might be. It took the dedication of a Lincoln woman to bring the town together and create an organization to preserve its history.

Mary Buzzell was the librarian when the Lincoln Memorial Library opened its doors in 1925. A few years later, she took a position at the Bangor Public Library. Due to ill health, Mary returned to Lincoln and pursued her devotion to local history and genealogy. Over the course of a few months interest grew; and, on July 8, 1935, the Lincoln Historical Society (LHS) was founded.

LHS meetings were held in various homes and at the town library until the former Primary School building was obtained for meetings and displays. The museum opened in 1974 in a schoolroom organized with artifacts collected by Lincoln resident, John Weatherbee. Eventually, the museum expanded to four rooms of exhibits; but, a few years later, the town decided to demolish the building to make way for a senior housing complex. As a result, the Society was forced to store artifacts in the former Ballard Hill School, and LHS meetings had to be held in the library once again.

Attendance at LHS meetings declined over the next twenty years until only a handful of citizens turned out; but then the Society started to gain new members. As membership grew, LHS moved to Ballard Hill School to conduct meetings and to display artifacts. When the Society needed money to support its growth, the members decided to write and publish The Pictorial History of Lincoln.

In 1996 the historic Little Red Schoolhouse was offered to the LHS if it could be moved from its location at the high school to land across from the library that had been donated by Eastern Fine Paper Company in 1947. This move proved to be an invaluable step in the preservation of Lincoln’s history.

When the Ballard Hill School became a community center, the LHS was asked to find a new location. A building on West Broadway became available and profits from the sale of The Pictorial History of Lincoln had given the LHS enough money to make a down payment. After massive renovations, the building was ready to house the new museum. The LHS created an apartment upstairs to help supplement their income. There was a 10-year mortgage on the building that could be paid off in four years, thanks to sales from the book, a paper-recycling center, rent from the apartment, and various endowments. Ten years after the acquisition of this building, however, the LHS outgrew the facility. Consideration was given to putting on an addition until one day LHS president, Jeannette King, had an epiphany while driving by the Corro house, also located on West Broadway. “What a fitting place to preserve Lincoln’s history!” she thought. “After all, the Corro house is one of the most historic buildings in town.”

The town had purchased the Corro house with plans to expand the library next door. Eventually, the town decided the building needed to be torn down; but Jeannette King talked to the town manager about her interest in the building. A trove of LHS members attended a town meeting and showed their support for the historic building, and Mrs. King went before the town council to speak of the value of the town’s history. The members of the council decided to table the decision to tear down the building; and, after a petition was submitted, the council decided to lease the building to the LHS for a dollar a year for 10 years.