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STRATTON — While Dead River Area Historical Society Museum was not open this summer, there as still plenty going on, much of it through the generosity of members.
Kurt A Rolbiecki, of RK Builders, repaired the leaking roof, charging nothing, and, in the process, discovered the chimney was ready to collapse, so he took it down.
After looking into replacing it, it was decided that it would be replaced with a power vent. Life members David and Gwen Spang, of Massachusetts, donated $1,000 toward the nearly $3,000 cost. The rest came from an online donation drive, and contributions camme from members living all over the country. Rusty Fearon donated and installed the metal column for the power vent, which would have been an additional expense. Dave and his brother Pete bought a copuer, printer and scanner for the museum office, and Holly Taylor donated a computer.
Dale Gilmour of Skyline Logging cut down a large tree behind the building that was safety hazard. He also cut one for a woman who lives behind the museum, and when she asked what he owed, he told her to donate to the museum. She donated $1,000.
Carl Hill, as usual, is plowing. He’s been keeping the driveway at the museum plowed for years.
Mary Henderson and Secretary Hazel Hogan found some drapes while cleaning, and have fixed them up and now they’re in three of the windows. Hogan contributed seven more pair and some cloth to make more. All the windows will be covered when the project is finished. Light is doing a lot of damage to the collection, so the drapes will help block it.
One of the new exhibits will be of the River Drive to the present day harvesting and transportation of logs. Clarence Jones donated a photograph album of the log drive, and it’s being scanned, with the original placed in the Clarence Jones Exhibit. The copies and other articles and photographs will be added. Jessica Brennan is working on that project. The modern day logging exhibit was donated by Bob and Leah Devine of Eustis Ridge and Massachusetts.
The Stevens Genealogy of the First Family of Stratton will be in an exhibit ride inside the door.
Visit the museum’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/Dead-River-Area-Historical-Society-129395810423550.
Several people are writing books based on research they’ve done at the museum. Randall Probert, of Bethel, recently published on, “Warden Service Comes to Flagstaff.”
The slate of officers for 2021 to be voted on will be President/Treasurer Mary Henderson, Vice President Lenny Hobbs, Secretary Hazel Hogan and directors James Bigelow from Eustis, Jessica Brennan from Farmington, (who spends a lot of her time volunteering at the museum,) Emerson Dyer, Ken Wing both from Eustis.
