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Museum news, events, and more for our Members & Supporters
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Be sure to tune in this week to see the Museum featured on an episode of
Cruisin' New England with Paul Mennett on
NESN. The thirty-minute episode was filmed during Antique Auto Days last summer and features not only the Museum's collection of vintage vehicles but also interviews with show participants about their vehicles.
Tune in to
NESN today at 2:30 pm or 2/28 at 5:00 pm.
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Volunteer in the Railroad & Restoration Shop
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The Museum is restoring S.D. Warren Co. locomotive No. 2 to its original operating condition, as built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works and shipped to Westbrook, Maine in 1895. This offers an unusual opportunity for volunteers to get involved in the Railroad Shop and work under the direction of our Chief Engineer, Brian Fanslau.
Although experience is not required to volunteer, those with a background in machine shops or similar settings are especially encourage to participate. The first volunteer work day is scheduled for Saturday, February 27 from 9 am - 3 pm. Those interested in attending should call the Museum at 207-633-4727 or send an email
so staff can prepare materials. Please wear heavy work pants/jeans and closed toe boots or shoes. Be prepared to get dirty!
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In this illustrated lecture on Wednesday, February 24 starting at 6:30 pm, Master Blacksmith Sam H. Smith of the Portland Forge and Maine Blacksmiths Guild will be discussing his European adventures. His nearly annual expeditions are undertaken to seek out lost ironwork & reinvent the techniques to bring said work back to life, here in North America. We will take a look in depth into regional styles and applications of various works of art in Central Europe namely Germany, Netherlands & Sweden.
Smith's first introduction to blacksmithing was at Allaire State Park in New Jersey, site of the Pine Creek Railroad and a living history museum called Allaire Village. Soon after, he began his profession at age fourteen when he entered the Howell Works Blacksmith's Guild as an apprentice. Smith learned under several Masters working his way through the ranks of the guild. At the age of twenty he obtained the rank of master and oversaw the Guild's 1830's era blacksmith shop.
In 2003, Smith moved to Maine and constructed his first shop, Valley Forge, along the Penobscot River. Later Smith seized the opportunity to lease the original forge (circa 1846) on the site of the historic Portland Company complex where more than 600 locomotives had been manufactured. As it stands today, he runs the only traditional blacksmith shop working full time in the entire state of Maine, the oldest forge in the State, and the largest brick forge in the Country.
The talk will take place at the Museum inside the 1847 Boothbay Town Hall. A donation of $5 is
s
uggested for admission and proceeds will benefit the Museum's general operating fund. There will be items for sale for those interested in acquiring a piece of Smith's work.
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Fly Tying with Master Maine Guide, Forrest Faulkingham
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In addition to an intriguing set of illustrated lectures this winter, the Museum is also launching a series of hands-on programs related to the exhibits and collection of the Museum. A new six-week course with Master Maine Guide Forrest Faulkingham will include hands-on instruction on fly tying and insider tips on how to best fish with them. Class will be held on Tuesdays: March 1, 8, 15, 22, 19 and April 5 from 6 - 8 pm.
Students will learn to tie everything from freshwater trout flies through saltwater flies for striped bass, sharks and tuna using natural and synthetic materials. No experience is necessary and all materials and tools supplied.
This summer the Museum is opening a new exhibit inside Thorndike Station about how Maine became Vacationland. Tracing back the early days of recreational travel by sail, steam train & ships as well as early automobiles, the exhibit highlights the Rusticators and early sportsmen and women who helped make Tourism a top industry in Maine by the early twentieth century. Special attention is given in the exhibit to Cornelia "Fly Rod" Crosby, 1854 -1946, Maine's first registered guide. She was a journalist, fly-fisher extraordinaire, hunter, early conservationist and outdoor enthusiast. "Fly Rod's Notebook" ran in Maine newspapers and in publications as far away as Boston, New York, and Chicago. Starting in 1901, she wrote regularly for the national magazine Field & Stream. Crosby was even hired by the Maine Central Railroad as its first publicity agent. Her job was to write about things that would attract people to Maine, not necessarily about the railroad.
Faulkingham has been teaching fly tying and casting courses for 40 years. He is both a Registered Master Maine Tidewater Fishing and Sea Kayaking Guide as well as a Coast Guard licensed charter captain. He's the Past President of The Maine Association of Charterboat Captains, the Saltwater Guides Association and the Kennebec Chapter of The Coastal Conservation Association. Presently he serves as an examiner on the Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Maine Guide Exam Board. Faulkingham has earned the endorsement of Orvis. He's spent the last 40+ years chasing fresh and saltwater game fish with both flyrods and conventional tackle and is, in his own words, an "all around nice guy, friend to kids and stray dogs."
Class will take place inside the historic Boothbay Town Hall on the Museum's campus. A snack will be served each week. Class fee is $45 for Museum members, $55 for non-members. Class limited to 12 participants. No experience required, open to anyone 11 or older. Register online or by calling 207-633-4727.
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There are several opportunities open to join the Museum staff in the coming months. We are inviting applications from interested applicants for Steam & Shop Apprentices starting as part/full-time seasonal with the prospect of becoming full-time year round for the right candidate. Applicants must be able to withstand the physical demands of operating a historic steam locomotive including lifting up to forty pounds, standing for long intervals, and high temperatures along with having the mechanical aptitude to grasp the theory of steam operation and be able to eventually pass the Maine State Boiler License test. Must be available to work a dynamic schedule including weekends from May - October. If interested please complete and submit an
application for employment to our offices.
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