We wish to thank Poland Spring Bottling Company, a division of Nestlé Waters North America, for their in-kind gift of office furnishings for the archives. We received file cabinets for storing our image and document collections, a desk and office supplies.
With this gift we are able to move forward in safely storing items in the historical society collection.
Denmark Historical Society
Curator’s Annual Report
2017 – 2018
Archives
-Organized & protected sections of the collection
-Inventoried Book Collection
-Have process for cataloging new items into collection
This year we added to our textile collection with the purchase from the Pratt estate of a baby’s quilt and woolen blankets. With these additions to our collection it expands our collection
Denmark Public Library
We have created an agreement with DPL to shelve some of DHS book collection with the library, which will create access for users when library is open.
-Reference Only
With this inventory we will be able to send the spreadsheet to Maine State Library to add to their online catalogs. (http://www.maine.gov/msl/)
Scan Project
DHS contracted with Records Management Center (http://rmcmaine.com/) to scan items from the archives.
Items sent to scan:
Town Reports
Ephemera
Ledgers
Almanacs
Diaries
Photographs
Postcards
Scrapbooks
The scans of the items were returned this past week. We will work to make as many of these digitized items available to the public.
Website
DHS has maintained a presence on the internet with our website: https://denmarkhistoricalsociety.com/
The site offers information for researchers in the tabs in the Archives area, links to Denmark and other links of research value in the Resources area.
And on social media with our Facebook page:
Denmark, Maine Memories https://www.facebook.com/groups/DenmarkMemories/
Collection Policy & Procedure
In 2017/2018 I took a workshop through Maine Archives and Museums about creating a collections policy. Where we are a small organization I added detailed information of our catalog and care procedures for our collection.
Funds
I’d like to take this opportunity to discuss our funds. Without them the society could not move forward with its activities.
The Collections Fund purchases the supplies necessary to protect individual items in the archives.
Birch Cove Fund helps to fund the digitization of our collection.
Acquisition Fund purchases Denmark, Maine-related items.
Grants
Many thank you’s to JoAnne Harbourt for researching and writing grants with which the society will be able to further its work. From purchasing computer equipment, protective coverings. We hope to hear soon if we have received these grants.
Cemetery Committee
Astrea and I have created the cemetery committee with the ultimate goal of inventorying Denmark’s cemeteries and publishing the information the committee gathers. Thank you, Astrea, for chairing the cemetery committee. This newly formed committee is small, but I believe it will grow and become much more important in our town.
Community
Many, many thank yous to Patricia Largey, Jolene Snow and Wilma Lord who have helped to inventory, transcribe and protect the collection.
To Mari Hook and Linda Whiting who have helped with information and care of our textile collection. Mari donated all the containers which protect our valuable quilts and blankets.
And to Astrea Fatica who has given so freely to not only the historical society but to all the non-profits in Denmark. Without Astrea not only would we not have our newly formed cemetery committee and with her astute eye for locating Denmark items we would not have several key pieces of Denmark history.
And to all those who have gifted items, given anonymously and supported Denmark Historical Society. Thank you!
We have accomplished great things in the archives in this past year. The tasks in the archives could not have been done without their assistance.
And thank you to members of the board of directors whose commitment and support of DHS in order to move forward with our organization and keep alive the history of Denmark. Thank you, Terry, Dan, Mari, JoAnne, Pat, Clare and Daryl.
Consider participating in Denmark’s history – join Denmark Historical Society, become a more active member or consider becoming a member of the board of directors.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lee Ann Shand
Denmark Historical Society
Annual Treasurer’s Report
June 9, 2018
To the members of the society:
Please find attached the Profit & Loss Statement covering the period from June 11, 2017 through June 9, 2018 and the Balance Sheet for June 9, 2018.
The society has been very fortunate this past year. We have received donations of $15,000 to fund our digitization and tech upgrade project, and nearly $1,800 for acquisitions. The investment of the building fund in the Maine Community Foundation has increased by over $6,900.00 and now stands at just over $88,900. as of March 31, 2018.
We have currently earmarked monies for the following:
Birch Cove Fund (digitization) $8,390.65
Acquisition Fund 2,387.51
Collections Fund 1,642.79
And unrestricted cash of $14,031.78.
Our membership numbers are: Single – 10; Family – 8; and Lifetime – 44.
We have 9 Sponsors.
Respectfully submitted,
Daniel W. Eaton, Treasurer
Profit & Loss Report
June 11, 2017 through June 9, 2018
Receipts:
Donations:
Birch Cove for Digitization
10,000.00
Anonymous for Digitization
5,000.00
Denmark Lions
500.00
Acqusition Fund
1,795.13
Other
1,164.47
Total Donations:
18,459.60
Memberships
1 Lifetime
500.00
8 Family
200.00
10 Single
150.00
Total Memberships:
850.00
Sponsors:
9 Sponsors
450.00
Program Income:
621.00
Misc. Inc.:
45.00
Total Receipts:
20,425.60
Disbursements:
Collection
12,309.35
Acquisitions
2,077.62
Memberships & Subscriptions
334.40
Contributions
600.00
Misc. Exp.
250.00
Website
240.87
Depreciation
213.34
Postage
105.28
Professional Fees
100.00
Total Disbursements:
16,230.86
Ordinary Income:
4,194.74
Maine Community Foundation
Gain on Investment
5,169.98
Interest Earned
2,975.14
Manager Fee
-508.04
Admin Fee
-726.00
Gain on Investment:
6,911.08
Members of the board of directors invite fellow members and the community to Denmark Historical Society Annual Meeting. Sunday June 10th at 2:00 PM at Centennial Hall at 72 West Main Street Denmark, Maine.
Agenda:
- Nomination of officers
- Add Indemnification clause to the by-laws
- Approve Collection Policy and Procedure
Come see selection of items from the DHS collection!
Tour Centennial Hall!
The Historical Society held three events at Centennial Hall this past year.
In May, quilts, both from the Society’s collection and privately owned, were photographed and documented by Maine Quilt Heritage.
In October storyteller Jo Radner performed “Burnt Into Memory”, her dramatic telling of the Brownfield Fire. Like all of Jo’s shows, this was very well attended, and following her performance members of the audience were invited to share their recollections and family stories of the fire. This event was graciously sponsored by Ace Insurance. Thank you, Heidi Blake.
On a Sunday afternoon in December we hosted a Christmas open house at the Hall, featuring artifacts found by Kitty Walsh in her explorations of local historical sites. Her skilled use of a metal detector has resulted in an intriguing collection of items. Also on display were selected pieces from the collections of the Society and Centennial Hall, including a vintage sleigh once owned by the Lord family and ice harvesting tools donated by Harold Bucknell. Delicious cookies and treats were provided by JoAnne Harbourt.
This year the Society formed a cemetery committee, which is continuing the documentation of our cemeteries. Working with the town crew, the committee also hopes to repair and restore markers, as needed.
Great progress has been made this year in our ongoing project to digitize our archives. At this point we are approximately 2/3rds through the project. Once complete, much of this material will be accessible online, without the potential of damaging the originals.
A number of items were added to our collection and archives this year. A unique journal written by Dr. Joseph B. Gray, who practiced in Denmark in the 1860s, was donated by the Fatica family. It promises to provide insight into the medical practices of that day.
A rare membership certificate to the Knights of the Maccabees, dating from 1903, was donated, along with tintype photographs of Ingalls children.
The Society participated in the recent auction of the Pratt/Sanborn estate. Numerous items of significance to Denmark were purchased, including a cradle with infant’s quilt, documents, photos, and albums. These were purchased through our acquisition fund, with the assistance of the Fatica family. Thank you.
Our Curator, Lee Ann Shand, hosts the Society’s Facebook page, Denmark Memories, an ongoing discussion of all things Denmark, both past and present. Lee is webmaster of denmarkhistoricalsociety.com , where you will find an abundance of interesting historical material, including genealogical material and historic films, as well as an active blog. Lee also runs an ongoing workshop that catalogs our archives. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact her through our website.
Many thanks to our members, as well as our sponsors, who make all of our activities possible:
Ace Insurance Agency Jennifer Bartlett Photography MacDonald Motors Mega Industries Dianne Lewis Designs John Khiel III Logging Maine Virtual Home Tours smallboat shop
RH LeGoff Excavation Co. Denmark Minuteman Press
Stacy’s Service Center Granger Pond Camping Area Wyonegonic Camps
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Rhoads, Lee Ann Shand, Dan Eaton, Daryl Kennison, Pat Largey, Astrea Fatica, Clare McKeagney, Mari Hook, JoAnne Harbourt
The Denmark Historical Society invites everyone to a Christmas Open House at Centennial Hall in the village of Denmark, on Sunday, December 10th from 2-4pm. Historic artifacts found by KittyWalsh will be on display, as well as selected artifacts from the Historical Society’s collection. Ms. Walsh has spent many hours at old homestead sites in and around Denmark, looking for artifacts with her metal detector and her efforts have been rewarded with some interesting finds. She has found oxen shoes, old coins, old rings, pocket watches, and old buttons from the 1800s. She has found horse tack, pewter spoons and more. Also on display are several examples of early mill machinery, illustrating early water-powered technology from the 19th and early 20th centuries, including two box nailing machines and an 1890 four-sided planer, as well as a beautiful horse drawn sleigh, and a hand painted stage curtain which was generously donated by Don and Marion Monson.
Centennial Hall, located at 72 West Main Street in Denmark, was originally built in 1876 and has recently been restored. Refreshments will be served and Kitty will be on hand to talk about her artifacts collection. There is no charge for the event but donations to the Denmark Historical Society are gratefully accepted.
October 21, 1947 is a date few residents of Brownfield, Denmark, Fryeburg and Hiram will not forget – the day the fire started. With support from ACE Insurance Agency Denmark Historical Society invited Jo Radner to perform “Burnt Into Memory: Stories of the 1947 Brownfield Fire” on a rainy afternoon at Centennial Hall with a roomful of guests.
Jo Radner performing:
Jo Radner & her audience:
At the Maine Archives & Museums conference I participated in a workshop I didn’t think at first I would have much interest. But, it may have become the workshop that has a long lasting effect.
Jon Ippolito, UMO professor, gave a presentation about emulation and its use as a preservation resource.
What is emulation? I certainly had not heard of the term before. As defined by Wikipedia:
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the host) to behave like another computer system (called the guest). An emulator typically enables the host system to run software or use peripheral devices designed for the guest system. Emulation refers to the ability of a computer program in an electronic device to emulate (or imitate) another program or device.
Do you have a wonderful address book program from Windows 3.1 that you prefer to use? How about documents stored away using WordPerfect? Or financial records using older versions of QuickBooks or other software? Do you have documents stored on floppy disks? Do you own a Betamax machine?
Wouldn’t you like to access them?
And there is no way that modern software recognizes the file name extensions? Frustrating.
Well, users from the gaming and arts world are here to rescue you. Many gamers wanted to play all the “old-fashioned” games and the consoles of today would not play them. So, resourceful gamers wrote code to create software where you could play them. And then created more code – do you want to play the game the old-fashioned way? Or with modern gaming technology?
Software and hardware engineers recognized the achievements of the ametueurs writing codes who began creating code to open files, play games, use a Betamax machine, etc. The code is often open source.
Mr. Ippolito’s presentation was from an Apple laptop using Windows 10. Isn’t that incredible? Microsoft and Apple certainly do not want users to become cross-platform. If you want to have the graphics ability of Apple and the computing ability of Microsoft users now have the choice.
There is so much more importance to this topic. And it is beyond my technological ability to go further with this. At the end of the message I will share some important links if you want to research this further.
Mr. Ippolito was a part of a consortium who helped the Guggenheim Museum. There was an exhibition called Seeing Double “One work chosen to test emulation is Grahame Weinbren and Roberta Friedman’s video piece The Erl King (1982–85), a combination of obsolete hardware, artist-written software, and custom-made components. Heralded as one of the first works of interactive video art, The Erl King invites the viewer to control the work’s narrative structure through the use of a touch-screen monitor.” The original art installation used now obsolete technology. The first exhibition was revolutionary in its day and exhibitors wanted to recreate this important exhibition to inspire a new generation. A group of scientists were assembled to recreate that exhibition. And using emulation hardware and software they were able to emulate the exhibition.
How does this revolutionary technology have anything to do with museums and archives?
– Recreate and use documents, financial records, Betamax files, etc.
– Offers multiple preservation strategies
– Save spreadsheets as comma separated text
To my right at the next table were the curators of the large state museums. They nearly leapt out of their seats think of all the uses for their institutions. The discussion and questions this talk had for all present…. Infectious to see people’s excitement.
I hope my simplified description of emulation will inspire you to further research it and see the uses in your life.
Mr. Ippolito teaches a certificate program at the University of Maine. Two of his students now work for Maine museums and in government who gave presentations at the conference.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Ippolito
https://archive.org/search.php?query=emulator
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emulator
http://pastexhibitions.guggenheim.org/emulation/
http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/
Written by Lee Ann Shand November 2017
JO RADNER PERFORMS “STORIES OF THE BROWNFIELD FIRE”
In honor of the 70th anniversary of the Brownfield Fire, the Denmark Historical Society has asked storyteller Jo Radner to perform “Burnt Into Memory: Stories of the Brownfield Fire,” at Centennial Hall in Denmark on Sunday, October 29th at 2pm.
Some Mainers still remember – in fact, cannot forget — October of 1947, when, after a season of terrible drought, wildfires burned all over the state. Brownfield was one of the worst-hit areas: 80% of the town, including all churches, schools, post offices, and other public buildings, was completely destroyed in the space of a few hours.
In the face of the fire, Brownfield residents responded with courage and care – and even obstinacy in a few cases like that of retired schoolteacher Mabel Stone. “She had her little dog Woofie with her, and she had a plan: she was going to stay at her house and fight the fire with a broom, a bucket of water, and a snow rake….” Facing the devastation after the fire, neighbors ingeniously made do, shared what they had, and rebuilt what they could.
Lovell storyteller Jo Radner spent a year interviewing people who experienced the Brownfield Fire – residents who did and did not lose their homes, as well as others who aided in the rescue and rebuilding effort. From those interviews and from letters and historical photographs and newspaper reports, Radner has created a powerful story of terror, courage, neighborly responsibility, recovery, and – yes – even humor.
Storyteller and author Michael Parent has called “Burnt into Memory” “a tremendous story for our time, a story of hope and connectedness between humans at a time when hopelessness and disconnectedness are the rampant order of the day.”
Proceeds from the program will go to the Denmark Historical Society. Centennial hall is located at 72 West Main Street in Denmark, ME.
We look forward to seeing you at Jo Radner’s performance of “Burnt into Memory” Sunday, October 29th at 2 PM at Centennial Hall!
Denmark Historical Society announces a revolutionary plan for its archives. For several years volunteers have spent hours sorting and cataloging the collection. It’s time for the public to use the archive.
What do we do? We have the bold plan to digitize our collection of ledgers from businesses and the municipality, diaries, almanacs, records, photographs and postcards.
How do we move forward?
We teamed with the folks at Records Management Center to scan our collection to the highest standards available today.
With financial assistance from the Birch Cove Fund, Denmark Lions Club and donations from within the community we are moving forward with the digitizing process.
Why digitize?
Items from the collection will be made available to researchers, students, and genealogists. Organizations within the community will be able to locate their historical files from the digitized image collection.
Denmark Historical Society will create an archive without walls and schedules and geography, giving the ability to research, write, and publish Denmark’s history using the digital archive.
This is a huge, multi-year project in which we will be able to reach former Denmarkians and the world with our museum with no walls.
The gift to the community – lifetime.