Material Culture Exhibition
Material Culture: Domestic Cloth-Making in 18th-Century New England
Open June 3, 2023 - October 31, 2023
This exhibition explores the material culture of early domestic textile arts and the tools used to produce linen and woolen cloth in rural New England homesteads. Material goods provide a window into standards of living, self-sufficiency, economic diversification, and the transition from frontier life to settled communities.
Upcoming Programs
Lecture: Maine and the West Indies Trade
Historian Seth Goldstein has been researching the economic ties between Maine and the luxury-producing plantations of the West Indies. Goldstein will discuss the various commodities, such as lumber, draft animals and salt cod, that Maine supplied to West Indian plantations. Concurrently, enslaved Africans labored to produce molasses, rum, and other luxury goods that were consumed here in Maine.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Donations gratefully accepted.
The Old Berwick Historical Society’s 2023 lectures are generously sponsored by Kennebunk Savings and supported by historical society members and donors.
Lecture: Shredding Paper: The Rise and Fall of Maine`s Mighty Paper Industry
Economic historian Dr. Mike Hillard captures the history of Maine`s greatest industry - paper manufacturing - accounting for why it made Maine the “Detroit of Paper,” how it came to shape the lives of tens of thousands of Mainers, the story of its workers and labor relations that evolved from an early paternalism into a strike ridden unionized industry, and why and how Wall Street and global forces ruthlessly killed off the industry in recent decades. Hillard`s telling is based on more than 150 oral history interviews and brings to life a long chapter in Maine’s heritage.
The lecture is free and open to the public. Donations gratefully accepted.
The Old Berwick Historical Society’s 2023 lectures are generously sponsored by Kennebunk Savings and supported by historical society members and donors.
Read more … Lecture: Shredding Paper: The Rise and Fall of Maine`s Mighty Paper Industry
Fundraisers
Forgotten Frontier Catalog
Forgotten Frontier Catalog
We will hand deliver to all South Berwick addresses. Shipping is an additional $7.
Placenames of South Berwick
Placenames of South Berwick
We will hand deliver to all South Berwick addresses. Shipping is an additional $7.
Turkey Supper with First Parish Federated Church
Join OBHS and PFPC for the monthly Turkey Supper. $12 a meal and it's first come first served. See you in the church parking lot for a delicious meal to go!
OBHS will receive a portion of all proceeds.
Read more … Turkey Supper with First Parish Federated Church