Take a Selfie with Henry!

"February 16th  is Henry Wilson's 103rd Birthday"

The Farmington Historical Society is celebrating Henry Wilson's birthday with a fun contest and birthday party.  The Society invites you to get in on the fun.

Take a “Selfie” with Henry!

Take a selfie with a portrait, picture, statue, or namesake of Henry Wilson and post it on the Farmington Historical Society's Facebook page. You can be as crazy and creative as you like! Just take a picture of yourself with Henry Wilson and post it for everyone to see.

Historical Society PR Co-Chair, Stan with Vice President Henry Wilson

Then look at some of the other posted selfies and “like” your favorites. At Henry's Birthday Party, the selfie with the most likes will win a $10 gift certificate to Siobhan's Table, Farmington's new restaurant on Charles Street.  The Birthday party will be held on Saturday, February 14th, at noon in the Henry Wilson Museum.  The Museum will be open on February 14th from 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM, as part of our new museum hours of operation.  The Historical Society will open the Henry Wilson Museum for visitors on the second Saturday of each month, from 10:30 - 1:00 PM.

On February 14th, we will celebrate Henry Wilson's birthday in the Museum with a birthday party celebration. Come on down and have some cake! And join in on the fun by taking a selfie with Henry.

Henry Wilson 103rd Birthday Celebration

in the Henry Wilson Museum 
Goodwin Library lower level

Saturday

February 14th

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Learn More

Farmington Historical Society on Facebook   www.facebook.com/FarmingtonNHHistory

Henry Wilson on Wikipedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Wilson

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Puddledock Press Editor JoAnn Doke Passes Baton To Stan Freeda

“I saw Stan’s work with the Farmington Woman’s Club brochure and the Farmington Historical Society’s website, and I asked him if he wanted the opportunity of a lifetime. I was thrilled when he said he would do it, and I will work with him for a couple of months. It will look different — and neater! I think he will do a good job, and I hope everyone supports him in the way they did me.” Joann Doke

http://bit.ly/1xO8jQ7

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Time Capsule Gives Glimpse Of Colonial Massachusetts

Wikimedia Commons

The  time capsule was placed in the cornerstone of the Massachusetts Statehouse when construction for the statehouse began in 1795. It was paced by Paul Revere and Samuel Adams, among other notable Revolutionary era figures. Some artifacts were in great condition, others didn't fair so well with time. Items in the box included currency, newspapers, and tools. Items will be on display at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts for a period of time, but eventually the items will be returned to the foundation.

Read the Article

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From the Curator-The Henry Wilson Museum Online

At the Farmington Historical Society and the Henry Wilson Museum we have a large, diverse collection of thousands of documents, photos, and artifacts that span many eras and disciplines in North American history and encompass treasures of local, regional, and national value. Not many people know about our collection, but that is going to change.

As curator of the Farmington Historical Society and the Henry Wilson Museum it is my mission not to simply preserve stories and artifacts for future generations, but to make our history accessible to our citizens. I think it is important to get them excited about our town’s future by learning about our rich past, the determined people of our town, and the many narratives woven into the art, photographs, costumes, tools, and scientific representations in our collection.

For history to be relevant in the 21st century the people who learn about history need to connect to it and I think one of the best ways is to bring history to life is by broadening exposure to it in both the physical realm and via various forms of digital recreation . That is one of the reasons I felt it important to develop office hours for the curator, redevelop the Farmington Historical Society website for the social media age, and build an online museum for cataloging and displaying our collections. The number of items you can see online now is limited, but that number will only grow as we have time to add items to the online collection.

I look forward to taking care of your submissions and future donations and as a proud community member I look forward to hearing and recording your stories. I hope you find inspiration, solace, and perspective from the activities of the Farmington Historical Society and the Henry Wilson Museum. I am honored to hold this post and I’ll do my best to respect our past, while helping us focus forward as we move further into the next century.

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From the Curator-The Spirit of Giving

During the Holiday Season we are reminded of the gift of giving and how important traditions, family, and history are to the fabric of humanity.

Over the years the Farmington Historical Society received many gifts, great and small. As the Curator for the Farmington Historical Society and of the Henry Wilson Museum. I'm delighted that those gifts, collected carefully over the years, have provided us with a rich, varied, museum collection that accounts not only for the happenings of our town over time, but testifies to the creativity, perseverance, and heart of our town. 

The photo above is a group of items given to us this month by Carol Richards of Farmington. The items range from very old school report cards to a New Hampshire speech pamphlet favoring national prohibition of alcohol. I am deeply appreciative of these items and want to extend gratitude to her generosity and the spirit of giving shown by all that donated to the Farmington Historical Society or Museum this year. I also want to thank all of the volunteers who have helped me begin the process of sorting and cataloging the physical collection for online consumption.
 

I wish everyone a holiday season full of happiness and a new year full of joy.

Kyle

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Lorraine Meyer of Farmington is Recipient of Cornerstone Award

Lorraine Meyer

Lorraine Meyer of Farmington was honored at the recent Annual Dinner for Cornerstone VNA at the Oaks Grand Ballroom in Somersworth. She was awarded the Cornerstone Award for her commitment to the community and for her dedication and hard work advancing the mission of the VNA. Lorraine Meyer is a champion of philanthropy. For more than 50 years she has been inspiring philanthropy and investing in the community, passionately working for the greater good of others to improve the quality of life for all. Contributions of her time, talent and treasures are remarkable. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors at Cornerstone VNA for 12 years and is a Hospice Volunteer providing comfort and support to patients as well as their families and caregivers. She has also served on the Frisbie Memorial Hospital Ladies Auxiliary and for many years participated in the Frisbie Follies. She is a past president of the Farmington’s Woman’s Club and the Farmington’s Historical Society, serving both organizations for many years. 

Her volunteerism began early in life. She was born and raised in Saranac Lake, NY. As a young woman she had enormous respect for nurses and volunteered for the “Gray Ladies”, a volunteer group of the American Red Cross which was founded in 1918 at Walter Reed Army Hospital. In 1954, Lorraine married her husband, George, an officer in the United States Air Force and together they traveled the world. When it came time to put down roots they decided to settle in Farmington to become part of a community and raise their four children.

It was here that her entrepreneurial spirit and passion for philanthropy took hold. She had a vision for this place she now called home. With the support and assistance from her husband she embarked upon a journey to paint, repair and rebuild old buildings in her community and turn them into prosperous establishments and companies. Her goal was to capture the historic essence of the buildings but make them new. The revitalization resulted in a new shoe factory providing employment for 100 people and offices for a dentist, an attorney, a barbershop, and apartments for the elderly.

She also became a widely renowned antique dealer and proprietor of the Olde Brush Factory and later Ye Olde Shoe Shoppe, collecting a wide variety of artifacts throughout New England and the world. An active Mom, Lorraine volunteered for the Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts when her children were young, and was a substitute teacher in Farmington schools. For many years was an active member of the Farmington Ambulance Corps-responding to emergencies day and night driving the ambulance, taking blood pressures, performing CPR and even delivering babies.

“When you speak with Lorraine you can hear the passion in her voice when she talks about the community”, states Susan Paquette, the Director of Advancement at Cornerstone VNA. “She has always felt compelled to make a difference with the hope of making things better. And you can see her good work and the impact she has had when you look at all those buildings. But what you can’t see is how she inspired so many as a mentor, or the moments that she directly touched someone’s life as a “Gray Lady”, an ambulance attendant and a Hospice Volunteer.”

Lorraine Meyer was honored, not for a year of giving, but for a long history and sustained effort of exceptional generosity and passionately working for the greater good of others. She continues to leave her mark on the community through her charitable work, leadership and inspirational philanthropy.


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Read the entire article in the December 4 Edition of the Rochester Times at http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20141204/GJCOMMUNITY04/141209820/-1/ROCTIMES

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December 5 Presentation: Travels Through Africa with Ray Turmelle

"Travels through Africa"

Mt. Kilimanjaro looms above the clouds in Tanzania.

Friday, December 5th

7:00 pm

in the Henry Wilson Museum 
Goodwin Library lower level

presented by 

Ray Turmelle

Photographer

An opportunity to see Mt. Kilimanjaro, whose elevation of 19,000 feet is the highest mountain in Africa.  Though at the equator, the peak is snow covered and glaciated as a result of the last ice age.

Following the climb, we traveled to the various game reserves in Tanzania to photograph and observe the wild animals in their natural habitats.  Lake Manyara is one of the most famous parks in Tanzania and home to thousands of species and varieties of birds who share the lake with a large herd of hippos.

Lake Manyara

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the natural wonders of the works where over 25,000 animals, from the bat-eared fox to the big tusked elephant, inhabit this caldera, an extinct volcano.  Lions there are a most rewarding animal to watch and photograph.

En route to the famous Serengeti Plains, we visited the Olduvai Gorge where archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey discovered skull fragments believed to be over 600,000 years old, which they named "East African Man".

Olduvai Gorge

Ray Turmelle is well known for his years leading the Graniteer Drum and Bugle Corps. An experienced hiker and photographer, he has hiked on five continents and taken wonderful photographs of beautiful scenery that he has gladly shown to those who only dream of such adventure.  Ray became intrigued with hiking in the mountains while in high school and this interest continues to this day.  He has climbed extensively in the White Mountains and prefers the cold and windy winter days rather than the hear and bugs of the summer months.

It wasn't until he was in his early 40s that he was enticed into doing rock and ice climbing.  Acquiring experience and confidence doing various routes on Cathedral and Whitehorse Ledges in North Conway, and eventually on the Cannon Cliffs in Franconia Notch.  His first major climb was the Matterhorn in Switzerland followed by Mt. Rainier in Washington and various peaks in British Columbia.

He celebrated his 49th birthday and achieved his highest altitude on a 45 day trek and climb in the Himalayas of Nepal, climbing to 22,000 feet.  He also climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and the Andes in Peru.  An old adage in mountaineering states that there are a lot of old, bold climbers and not many bold, old climbers.  So, even though he continues to hike, he has left the rock, ice, and high altitude climbing to the younger generation and now shares his experiences through presentations.


Learn More

Mt. Kilimanjaro Travel Guide  
http://www.mtkilimanjarologue.com/

Lake Manyara National Park

http://www.sanctuaryretreats.com/tanzania-lake-manyara-national-park-holidays

Ngorongoro Crater

http://www.ngorongorocrater.org/

Olduvai Gorge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olduvai_Gorge

Image Credits

http://sevennaturalwonders.org/africa/mount-kilimanjaro/

http://www.enjoytanzania.info/pure-nature/national-parks-in-tanzania/lake-manyara-national-park/

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ngorongoro_Crater.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olduvai_Gorge

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