Senior Cafe Readfield History Presentations Slated for 2018

Monday, February 26, 2018 ~ 9:30-11:00am
"The Day Readfield Corner Burned"
by Dale Potter-Clark

Readfield Corner was once a bustling business center where groceries, shoes, clothing, millinery, hardware, carriages and even coffins and gravestones could be purchased. Readfield Telephone Company was also located at Readfield Corner as well as a hotel, tavern and livery. In this presentation you will learn more about this industrious village of long ago and about the day that it all changed forever.

Monday, April 23, 2018 ~ 9:30-11:00am
"Early Religion in Readfield"
by Dale Potter-Clark

Readfield was settled years ahead of the War of Independence and before the US Constitution assured religious freedom. In those days the Congregational Church and Puritan lifestyle still prevailed. It was not long, however, before Baptist, Methodist and other evangelists and missionaries came into this backcountry and converted many of our fair residents. Still later the Universalists appeared. Early Readfield became a hot bed of free thinkers, movers and shakers. Dale will share information about the coming of early religions in Readfield which was on the missionary circuit in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Methodists, Baptists, Universalists and even the Shakers impacted Readfield in its earliest days.

Senior Café meets every Monday morning at the Maranacook Middle School Cafeteria when school is in session. Attendees are welcome to come for coffee, muffins and social time from 9-9:30 before the program begins. Senior Café is a program for people 55 and older. It is sponsored by Maranacook Adult and Community Education. There is no fee required to participate. If school is cancelled due to weather presentations are rescheduled for a later date. FMI about Senior Café contact Nicole Cushing at 685-4923x1065; FMI about the presentations email Potter-Clark crossings4u@gmail.com

Readfield History Walks for Spring 2018

We have done the last History Walk for 2017, on Veterans' Day. To read more about that event, which was quite remarkable, follow this link to the Central Maine Newspaper story by Jason Pafundi, which appeared on the front page on Sunday, Nov. 12th. While there, also be sure to see the photos by newspaper photographer Joe Phelan.


Readfield History Walks for the spring of 2018 will be announced in the New Year so be sure to check back for updates. We are open to suggestions - send yours to crossings4u@gmail.com


In the meantime, we wish you Happy healthy Holidays season and all the best in the New Year!

Four Readfield History Classes Announced for Winter-Spring of 2018

Read to the end to see registration information...

#1) KENTS HILL: FROM FARMLAND TO VILLAGE                        

By Dale Potter-Clark
Thursday, February 15, 2018 6:30-8:30pm (snow date March 1^st)                                New!!  
When and how did Kents Hill village change from remote backcountry farmland to a cultural and educational center? Before 1775 there were very few people living on Kent’s Hill – the Packards and Kents were two of the first to stake their claims and buildings began to appear. The Packard men were housewrights so they built many of them. After the Revolutionary War others came – the most influential, who had a long lasting effect, was Luther Sampson. From 1790 until 1824 a meeting house and parsonage, grammar school, store, cemetery and Methodist Seminary were established and the hilltop called Kent’s Hill evolved from a handful of family farms to a thriving cultural and educational center. In this class you will learn about that evolution, hear more about the buildings and houses, and some of the people who lived in Kents Hill village.

 

#2) Local artists lost with time: Who were they and what were their claims to fame?
By Dale Potter-Clark
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 6:30-8:30pm (snow date March 22^nd)           
New!!  
This immediate area has produced many artists, with various talents, including the famed artist Wallace Nutting of Manchester; Robert Vance of Readfield who was one of the earliest daguerreotypists in the U.S.; sculpturer Ellsworth Crosby of Wayne; and famed violin maker Franklin Richardson of Mt. Vernon. You will learn about them and others in this presentation.

 

#3) Patriots of the Revolutionary War: “Johnny has Gone for a Soldier”
By Dale Potter-Clark
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 6:30-8:30pm                                
NEW!! 
Soon after the first shot was fired at Lexington, exactly 243 years ago, nineteen men from Winthrop, ages 14 to 46, picked up arms and marched off to fight for independence. Some had also fought in the French & Indian War. Several of them were living in the part of Winthrop that later became Readfield (1791) and North Manchester (1850).  Over the years more than ninety Patriots lived in Readfield and many are buried here. In this presentation you will hear some of their stories.

 

#4) The Civil War: Who were some of our Civil War Veterans?
By Dale Potter-Clark
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 6:30-8:30pm                                
NEW!! 
Between 1861 and 1865 the small town of Readfield bid farewell to one-hundred sixty men as they bravely left Readfield to serve in the Civil War.  Twenty-seven of them were killed or wounded.  In this presentation you will hear some of their stories and also about some of the War’s impact on Readfield. What better time to honor them in this way than during Memorial Day week?

TO REGISTER:

$40 for four presentations or $12.50 each (Those who paid for the fall Kents Hill presentation that was postponed to Feb. 15,^, 2018 would not be charged for the spring make-up class. They have the option to sign up for other three for $30). Proceeds from these classes will help establish a “Museum in the Streets®” in Readfield.  

To register contact Maranacook Adult and Community Education Phone: 207-685-4923 x 1065 or Register online using a debit or credit card. For details and to view all classes go to http://maranacook.maineadulted.org.