The Historical Society, working with our partners at the Blue Hill Public Library and the Jonathan Fisher Memorial, along with students from the George Stevens Academy, the Blue Hill Consolidated School, and The Bay School, has just completed work on a new website that provides an in-depth look at Blue Hill's history and includes on-line exhibits on such issues as Shipbuilding and Seafaring, the Blue Hill Fair, Jonathan Fisher, the Summer Colony, and Blue Hill's rich musical and education traditions. The website was made possible with support from the Maine Historical Society. The new website was unveiled at a celebration event at the Consolidated School on May 26. You can check out the website here: http://bluehill.mainememory.net

Community Event at the Consolidated School Celebrating the Completion of the Blue Hill history website (click image for larger version)

Blue Hill Historical Society Schedule of 2011 Programs
All Programs in the Carriage House at 7pm

State Historian Earle Shettleworth presented a slide show on Maine in the Civil War, at home and on the battlefield, to a full house in the Historical Society's Carriage House on June 21st.

Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands chief historian Tom Desjardin speaking about the Blue Hill region in the Civil War on June 28 in the Carriage House.

On August 10 local Blue Hill historian Bob Slaven portrayed Captain Butler of the Whistling Wind, the only Blue Hill built bark to serve in the Civil War, to a full house in the Carriage House.

Captain Butler, who served on the Blue Hill-built bark Whistling Wind during the Civil War, speaking with guests at the Holt House recently.

Kevin Johnson, curator of photographs at the Penobscot Marine Museum, giving a talk at the Carriage House on June 22 on picture postcards of Blue Hill published by the Belfast-based Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Company in the early Twentieth Century.

Author and architect Christopher Glass giving a talk on Maine's historic homes and architectural styles at the Carriage House on June 29.

Vice-President Court Haight talking with visitors to the Historical Society's table at the Heritage Trust's Mountain Day fair on August 8. The Society's table displayed images of the Mountain from circa 1880 until the present, demonstrating the evolution of land use and tree cover over the period.

Robin Clements donated a copy of his CD and binder on "Parker Point at 125" to the Historical Society following his talk on the subject at the Carriage House in August.

A happy participant in the Historical Society Tea at the John Peters Estate in July.

Over 75 people showed up for a panel on "The Future of Farming on the Blue Hill Peninsula" on October 14 at the Halcyon Grange in North Blue Hill. The panel featured four local farmers as well as John Piotti, Executive Director of the Maine Farmland Trust.

The Society hosted its traditional holiday season events in December, with the Holt House decorated for the holidays. We served cookies and punch at our December 4 Open House, while Director Emeritus Gayle Durnbaugh played carols on the pump organ donated by Esther Wood. We also hosted our annual wine tasting with help from the Blue Hill Wine Shop and a tour of the House and the Carriage House by the 5th grade at Blue Hill Consolidated School.