"If a building becomes architecture, then it is art"
Arne Jacobsen, Danish architect
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From the Black House desk... |
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Wow, just wow! Over 200 people attended our first Family Field Day. What a roaring success! Many thanks to all who helped make it happen and those who came out to play and enjoy themselves! Legend Athletics directed all the games, face painting, and tie-dye while other volunteers led croquet, the cider press, and pumpkin carving! We will do it all (and more) again.
That was followed by The Grand using our trails for their Halloween Trail of Terror! Another huge success! Over 500 people came out for a good fright over three nights....we love what they created and look forward to a continued strong partnership.
October is my birthday month and being in a new town with a puppy is keeping this old gal as young as her name. I always set some personal and professional goals for my year ahead. One of my personal goals is teach my dog to walk on the lead with more dignity! And not jump (sorry!) Professionally, in a few years I expect to have an engaged membership of over 1,000 people who are excited to be part of Woodlawn: croquet, gardens, trails, events, and the museum.
But first we have a barn to build. If you are not yet part of the Campaign for Woodlawn, I encourage you to make a gift before year end. December 31 is our challenge match deadline and a “slice of a new barn” given in the name of that hard to shop for person in your life is a great gift…consider it a present that will be unwrapped in 2023!
Be well and safe this holiday season! Thanks for caring about Woodlawn.
~ Kathy Young
director@woodlawnmuseum.org
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Collection Conservation
Taking care of a museum collection is a form of stewardship and is, much like any kind of housework, a ceaseless process.
Knowing how to properly care for museum objects is critical. Thankfully we have local experts as well as professionals throughout Maine to call on for this important work.
This fall, we began small with basic “bits and pieces” such as reuniting teacups with handles and furniture with trim pieces. It is our intention to tackle larger projects as time and money allows.
Every object helps to tell the Woodlawn story, sometimes in surprising ways. By caring for the objects, the story is preserved and eventually, shared.
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Adopt-an-Object Program
Meet the curator and have a sneak peak at the process of preservation. Get involved with Woodlawn - begin to understand and love it like we do!
First items up for adoptions are two weathervanes for the new Woodlawn Barn. These were carefully removed from the original barn and have been in storage for a few years. We want to make sure they will last another 100 years or so after we proudly put them back into the wind in 2023.
Objects conservator Ron Harvey photographing Woodlawn’s eagle weathervane before submitting his treatment proposal.
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Dogs off Leash - let's try it!
Sunday, November 6, 7:00 - 9:00 am
If your dog is properly socialized with other dogs and wants to play, we are going to try a regular Sunday morning dogs-off-leash time in the field near the Community Garden. We won't be on the big field near the croquet court but in the mowed field behind the Sleigh and Carriage Barns. Not the trails! I will be there with my puppy. If this doesn't work, we will stop it but I hope that a few folks who appreciate giving their dogs some freedom will come along and that the dogs get along and run, run, run!
Let's keep it to about 5-10 dogs to see how we get along. Please RSVP to tell me you are coming! Thanks, director@woodlawnmuseum.org
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Hidden Stories Waiting to be Discovered
During a recent afternoon of browsing through the Black Family Papers in the Woodlawn Archives, Curator Roz Rea was again reminded of the importance of our unique collection. Aside from the better known daybooks, letter books and journals documenting the Black family businesses, there are thousands of slips of paper, each one a portal into the life of an average 19th century Ellsworth citizen. Uncovering these stories, shining a light on these people, is what preserving the Woodlawn archives is all about.
Look at this single slip of paper. It exists today because it lists repairs made to the Black’s schooner, Fame. To John Black this was a receipt for services rendered. But to historians, the receipt is an entry point to a story that is yet to be researched and written. The slip of paper represents a life, a person, a businessman, an employer, an Ellsworth citizen. It begs us to ask who was Daniel Adams, did he have a family, where did he live, who did he employ, did he hold any position of note in the community? It is an invitation to learn more about a man and his community.
Woodlawn’s administrators recognize their duty as stewards of this obscure document to preserve it so that one day Daniel Adams’ story, and those of countless others, will be revealed. The Downeast History Center, to be housed in Woodlawn’s new community barn, is being designed to facilitate just this kind of deeply rewarding exploration into our history.
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Wish List
- Tractor angel - we have the option to get an incredible tractor but need a donor who wants to help us have the tools to improve the trails and gardens!
- Rototiller and other gardening tools - we are getting serious!
- Tulip bulbs and other perennials
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Your support of Woodlawn maintains a unique historic home, trails, and programs for the Ellsworth community.
Thank you!
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Woodlawn Museum, Gardens & Park
19 Black House Drive, P.O. Box 1478
Ellsworth, Maine 04605
(207) 667-8671
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