Category Archive

Mother Nature at Work The statement: “Nature abhors a vacuum” was clearly in evidence in the woodlands at the Pownalborough Court House. Trees, either sickly or dead are under attack by natural processes. Some, like gale force or hurricane winds can result in massive damage from fallen trees but other less violent means are also operative. On Wednesday, the last …

Breaking Out of the Old Lincoln County Jail The grim granite structure with its brick Jailer’s House that still stands on Federal Street in Wiscasset was commissioned to be built in 1804 when it appeared that larger numbers of prisoners were escaping from the older wooden jail, built in 1795. There had been five escapees in one prison break alone …

Rev. Jacob Bailey comments on Maple Sugaring in Pownalborough The early settlers observed the Native Americans collecting the sap of maple trees in the late winter and early spring.  The sap was boiled down into a delicious sweetener; the settlers quickly learned the method.  Reverend Jacob Bailey, was a prominent gentleman in the Pownalborough area and spent some time living …

The Josephus The Josephus was built by Ebenezer Haggett of Newcastle in 1876.  It was a Down Easter type of vessel and was rated at 1570 tonnage.  The photo shown above shows Captain Joseph Henry Park and his two daughters enjoying some quiet time in the family’s cabin.  To note are the  wooden carved cornices that were used to accented …

Primitive Chairs on the Maine Frontier Use it up.Wear it out.Make it do,or do without. The quote may have come from the 20th century Depression Era, but it was certainly true on the frontier is earlier years! In the very beginning, on the frontier, there was virtually no furniture. It was far too difficult to move it through country with …

Passing the time in Wiscasset’s Old Jail What’s a young sailor to do, stuck in a jail cell after a night of carousing in the bars of this village far from home? After months at sea, it must have felt so good to be on solid ground and celebrate a successful voyage. One could hardly blame the youth for getting …

Screw Type Candlestand: An Example of Yankee Ingenuity Made of maple and birch, this candlestand consists of a long shank inserted into a round base supported by three legs. Spiral grooving in the upper section of the shank permit two critically important components to rotate up and down the upper length of the shank. The first functions as a round …

Tape Loom In the eighteenth century, women’s clothing didn’t have buttons. Instead, it was held together with pins, strings and tape/ribbons. This was partly because of fashion, and partly because a married woman were likely to have a baby every two years, and was continually changing size. Different types of strings and tape were needed: flat so it wouldn’t dig …

Flax Wheel A recent Object of the Week article discussed the Wool Wheel or Great Wheel.  Its counterpart was the Flax Wheel, sometimes called the Foot Wheel.  With the Great Wheel, the spinner had one hand free to control the fibers as they were spun into yarn; the other hand would be turning the wheel.  The Flax Wheel allowed the …

Candles and How to Make Them Candles are a pleasant source of light. In the eighteenth century, they were preferred over “rush lights” and “fat lamps” because they smelled better and flickered less. Oil lamps were a new invention, and not yet popular in New England. Candles can be made in three ways: dipping, molding, and ladling. Dipped candles are …