Meeting Dates
Apr 23 '09
Minutes for Apr 23, 2009
Present: Sue Carlson, Ros Strong, Ruth Bryant, Jo Cameron, Cathy Orne
This meeting was re-located to the home of Sue and Ros upon discovering the school closed for Easter vacation. We apologize to anyone who came looking for us at the school!
The minutes of March 26 were approved as read. The Treasurer reported a starting balance of $1,885.17, with dues of $5.00 from Marsha Potter and $.86 interest. A donation of $50.00 has been made to Maine History Day. The ending balance is $1,841.03.
It was decided that it is better to keep the EHS and FOFE post office boxes separate.
Sue reported on a meeting with Selectman Jack Sarmanian and Mary Ellen Barnes of the Lincoln County Council on Economic Development, discussing funding options for a new Edgecomb fire station. Ms. Barnes, who also heads the Westport Island History Committee, develops grants for County projects, and is co-director of the planning committee for the Lincoln County/Greater Pownalborough 250th Anniversaries, to be celebrated in tandem in 2010.
Jo reported on a successful first lecture in the Nick Dean Memorial Lectures, with Leon Cranmer, State Historic Archaeologist, and Norman Buttrick, independent archaeologist, discussing the findings of the 1985 excavations at Fort Edgecomb. She also reported a good number of copies sold of Josh Smith's "Blockhouse and Blockhouse: A History of Fort Edgecomb."
However, Jo asked, will anyone be out of temper if there is no big Bicentennial Celebration? Although the Friends of Fort Edgecomb's IRS Form 1023 application has been sent, it will take some time to hear if it has been accepted, and until it is, the State will not grant sales tax exemption. Feeling that FOFE's hands are tied for the duration, it was agreed to carry on with a number of small celebrations, scheduled over the next few years. We can prepare a Fort Edgecomb event as part of the Lincoln County 250th in 2010. Meanwhile, we can work with the Boothbay Region Post of the American Legion on June 13, the Plein Air Artists' "Focus on the Fort" event, tentatively scheduled for May 21, continue the lecture series with speakers Joshua Smith (July) and Peggy Konitzky (September), and others as we find them. Sue recommended Jim Leamon as a lecturer on the importance of Wiscasset.
Ros displayed a gift from former EHS-member Sophie Quinn: a framed etching of Mount Edgcumbe, Devon, U.K., taken from a drawing by 19th-century British artist J. M. W. Turner. Jo discussed her research on the Lord Edgecomb connection with our town's present name.
Continuing our studies of Edgecomb's industrial history, Sue proposed contacting Rose-Marie Ballard, or possibly Jay Robbins of the Lincoln County Historical Association, for an inventory of Edgecomb industries and businesses. Jo said that Claudia Coffin, Town Clerk, has older Town Reports in a file cabinet. We did a quick consult of Katherine Chase Owen's History of Edgecomb to see what showed up quickly: several grist mills, for instance, a couple located "on a branch of the Sheepscot." Does this mean the Cross River area? Or Parsons' Creek?
An 1850 census in KCO identified individuals by their trade, hence Allen Brown, shoemaker, Parson's Mill, Austin Greenleaf, brick mason, etc. Elbridge Huff ran a corn packing factory, with a subsidiary metal can factory. Lobster pounds were cited.
Mining as of 1885 revealed Mount Hunger Mines, run by Joseph Beam, the Edgecomb Mining Company and the Smithrick Mining Company, [Eben] Haggett and [Samuel] Wyman Co. Feldspar, and the like. It was agreed we should all google like mad to track down whatever evidence there may be on the Internet.
In submitting these minutes, please note I have taken the liberty to fill in information not specifically discussed in the paragraph concerning the Fort Edgecomb Bicentennial.
Respectfully submitted,
Joanna M. Cameron
Secretary