Meeting Dates
Sep 22 '05
Minutes for the Annual Meeting, Sep. 22, 2005
The minutes of May 26 were approved with corrections.
Treasurer Ruth Bryant reported a balance of $4,382.82 as of September 22, up by $10.45 in interest from the May 26 balance of $4,362.37.
Election of Officers: Madine Nichols nominated the entire current slate, who were unanimously returned to office. Two new trustees were nominated and voted in: Rebecca Townsend and David Cole, in addition to Madine.
President Sue Carlson reported on a so far unsuccessful search for the Bronson Cottage, subject of several Ivan Flye's photographs. She reported that the EHS website is beginning to generate public interest. Recently, Bruce Cameron has added the minutes from the three spring meetings.
Rosemarie reported on her progress, showing us the forms and standards guidelines set by the National Park Service. She is doing a reconnaissance-level survey of structures 50 years and older, not limited to houses, but also barns, bridges, cemeteries, other outbuildings, etc.
She started field work the first week of June, after research including going through the tax cards at the Edgecomb Town Hall, a 1979 "windshield survey" with roadside photographs by Nick Dean and Jeff Coffin. This survey can be found at the Maine State Archives. Another resource was Amanda Russell's publication of her 1998 study of Edgecomb farms, a project of the Eddy School third grade. We examined samples of her field notes, photographs and other materials. When this study is concluded, she will issue a written report. Her talk was received with a round of applause by all. It was voted unanimously to pay Rosemarie half her fee, $1,776.00, for the historic architecture survey thus far.
Sue pointed out that the timing of this survey is splendid, since the Town has reconvened its Task Force to update the Comprehensive Plan. One section needing serious revision is that pertaining to Historic and Archaeological Sites. Another use for the survey will be to identify eligible buildings for the National Historic Register.
David Cole inquired about the old pilings along Folly Bar. Apparently there was once a small shipyard there, and another one near the Coles' residence on Clifford Road.
Jo Cameron reported on progress concerning the Fort Edgecomb Bicentennial. A meeting of concerned organizations and individuals met in June at the home of Ann Zak to discuss ways and means. It was glumly agreed that one must have money in order to ask for money. Hence, a major membership drive is in the works. Indeed, The Friends of Fort Edgecomb's material was included with EHS material in the most recent mailing. Jo is working on a master mailing list, concentrated on (but not limited to) people living within a 50-mile radius of Lincoln County.
Sue and Ros presented a digest of material collected by Nick Dean, donated to the EHS by Zibette. Among the several items were a 1987 report of the 1985 dig at Fort Edgecomb, for which Nick was the official photographer, under the direction of archaeologist Robert Bradley. Important findings included the small size of the officers' quarters, which were built over a large deep granite cellar in which small artefacts were found, including many uniform buttons, but no clay pipestems, an item usually common to sites from this era. Meals were apparently not eaten in the quarters themselves; grounds maps of the period show the locations of two "furnaces" which might have had to do with cooking.
Other items include recent research on the building of the Fort Edgecomb blockhouse and a master list of relevant material housed at the State Archives.
Bruce Cameron and Sue discussed a recent request by the Maine Memory Network, a depository of historic Maine photographs, who maintain a database of high resolution (15 meg) images. They are interested in acquiring the negatives of Edgecomb's Ivan Flye Collection and other photographs, as so far they have nothing from Lincoln County. Bruce said he had contacted several such organizations, offering links to our website. MMN will not link to us, but did suggest that copies of our photographs might be licensed and sold, proceeds a 60:40 split with EHS. EHS would retain the copyright. This project will require further study and debate, but it was acknowledged to be a good way to "get the word out" on Edgecomb history.
Accessions: The Boothbay Region Historical Society has given us: 1) Two postal cards of Edgecomb scenes. One labeled "North Water Street, North Edgecomb" was identified by Becky Townsend as along the Eddy Road, approaching Folly Bar; it may have been named Water Street at some time in the past. 2) a transcript of a description of 1815 troops at Bristol, Edgecomb, and elsewhere.
The next meeting of the EHS will be on Thursday, October 27 at 2:00 p.m., again in the Edgecomb Eddy School conference room, to hear about "The Search for Bronson Cottage," and more about the Rosicrucian Springs.
Respectfully submitted,
Jo Cameron
Secretary