Spruce gum production and culture topic of April 13 Wilton talk

PHOTO: Spruce gum boxes became family heirlooms. (Submitted photo)

WILTON – The Wilton Farm and Home Museum will host a presentation bout the production of spruce gum in Maine at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the museum, on Canal Street.
The talk is free and open to the public.
Dave Fuller will talk about the production of spruce come, which is made from the hardened sap of a spruce tree and became popular in the 19th century. During that time, Maine was the largest producer of the gum in the Northeast. Wooden boxes were crafted by lumbermen, woodsmen, and trappers to hold the spruce gum. The decorative gum boxes became family heirlooms.