Newspaper Archives

2008

24 January 2008
Things will be starting up for the GHS pretty soon. The next meeting will be on March 29th at the Town Hall. Hopefully, there will be plenty of ideas flowing on how to make our Friends and Family Day in June a huge success. The GHS is always looking for more individuals to help out and offer new ideas for our community day. We are always looking for new members but non members are welcome to attend this planning meeting.


31 January 2008
Things are still pretty quiet with the GHS, but we are beginning to gather info to be ready for the first meeting of 2008 on March 28th. Having these notes from the column on the Bethel Historical Society’s website has been very helpful. A while back I received an email from Sunny Kirkham, who had checked out the website and read about Gilead. She has done extensive research on the Peabody family, since she is a descendant. The recent info I sent to her took her research back another generation. It is fascinating to look back over the old records and search for ancestors.

February 7, 2008
The GHS now has a blog page. www.gileadhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com The page is intended to get the GHS info out there on the internet and it is linked to the Bethel Historical Society’s webpage. There is a brief history of how the GHS started, items that are for sale and a notice of the upcoming Friends and Family Day in June. This site can work in conjunction with the US Genweb Project site when it gets up and running. That site will contain much more information on the Town of Gilead both past and present.

February 28,2008
The GHS will meet on March 29th, which is the same day as Town Meeting. They will meet at the Town Hall at 1:00pm. There will a lot of items to go over on the agenda. A couple of them are planning for Friends and Family day and other events that will happen throughout the rest of the year. Hopefully, there will be a lot of people turn out for the meeting to help us present a day that the community can enjoy again this year.

Remember to go to www.gileadhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com to check out the information on the GHS.

March 13, 2008
This is a reminder that the first planning meeting for the GHS will be held on March 29th at 1:00pm at the Town Hall. We will need a lot of support to be able to continue to offer the Friends and Family Day event in June. The date for this year is June 21st and it will be an all day event and centered around the Town Hall and Municipal Building.

March 20,2008
The GHS is hoping to have a great turnout for the meeting on Saturday, March 29th at 1:00pm at the Town Hall. We really need to get busy and do more planning for the Friends and Family Day that will be held on June 21st. We are in need of lots of helpers to pull this day off. There is a lot of work involved in the planning and carry out of the event. Come and give us a hand even if you are not a member of the GHS.

March 27, 2008
Another meeting reminder: The first meeting of 2008 will be held on Saturday, March 29th at 1:00pm at the Town Hall. There are lots of items on the agenda and the biggest one being Friends and Family Day on June 21st. What the GHS will be doing the rest of the year will also be discussed and there will also be updates on a few new items.

April 3, 2008
The GHS met at the Town Hall at 1:00pm and there were 13 members present and Laney, who is an honorary member. It was decided to hold Friends and Family Day again this year. We are a small group, but are hoping that if we keep the events of the day to a minimum and get some volunteer help from members of the community, we can make this happen again. Anyone interested in helping out should contact any member of the GHS (A couple of suggestions-Lin 836-2987 or Bev 836-2032).

The Gilead Fire Dept. will be on hand to sell hamburgs, hotdogs, french fries, etc. There will be a children’s parade (theme-Historical Character), Music, kid’s games, clown, raffles (homemade quilt), historical displays (info on old houses in the area) and baked goods for sale. There will also be a short lecture at the end of the day on the publications that have been done by the GHS. The latest book was presented at this meeting. The title of the newest book is “The Cemeteries of Gilead, Maine”, compiled by Hugh and Lin Chapman. The information was gathered over the past three years and finally made it into book form this past month. It includes information from the stones of all four cemeteries in Gilead and the private ones as well. It is a wealth of information for anyone working on genealogy. It was decided that the proceeds from the book would go to purchasing signs for the cemeteries. This is pending until approval of the Selectmen is received.

A few of the recent items that have been acquired by the GHS were presented to the members and then the group was asked to vote on accepting another gift. Steve and Lise McLain have decided to donate the McLain lot on the corner of Depot and Bridge Street to the GHS. Most or all of the building will be removed and the lot will be made ready for future use by the GHS.

The newsletter will be going out to members in mid to late April. To learn more about what has happened with the GHS and activities going on, visit the website: www.gileadhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com

April 10, 2008
The GHS committee members for the Friends and Family Day are hard at work. The event is on Saturday, June 21st. Bev has made contact with Bobo T. Clown and he is planning on coming to entertain the children and had plenty of new ideas for them. Norm Buttrick is hard at work securing music for the day. Celia Broomhall is gathering information on her house on the Bog Road and is hoping that there can be a historical display that will include historic houses of Gilead. So anyone with information on some of the old houses, please get hold of the GHS and share any information that you might have. Our two newest members are Sandra Laughy and Mary Tyler. They grew up in Gilead and have returned here. Sandra is hard at work completing the quilt that will be raffled. There will be tickets available shortly from the members. Anyone who would like to give us a hand to make this day a community celebration for Gilead, should give a call to one of the members. We are going to need a lot of help.

Details of the events of the day will be revealed in this column as time goes on or check out the website www.gileadhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com.

I received a note this past week from the husband of one of our life members, Mary Telfer. We are saddened to hear that Mary passed away a few months ago. In his note he mentioned how much she enjoyed traveling to this area when she was researching her family history, and also, that they had been married for 58 years.

May 1, 2008
The newsletter is almost done! It will be mailed to the members soon. The newest publication, The Cemeteries of Gilead, Maine-1804, is selling quite well. The tickets for the quilt raffle will be available before too long. Sandra Laughy is donating the quilt and members will be selling tickets. There is a sample picture on the website: www.gileadhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com.

May 8, 2008

There will be a planning meeting held on Saturday, May 17th at the Town Hall at 1:00pm. There are still plenty of things to be done for the event on June 21st. Hopefully, there will be several members who will be able to attend.

Some of the plans in the works for June are to have displays of Antique Tractors and Antique Engines, and a short talk at the end of the day on the new book, The Cemeteries of Gilead, Maine, that was recently published.

May 22, 2008
There was a planning meeting held at the Town Hall on Saturday, May 17th. There was more finalizing of plans for the Friends and Family Day to be held on June 21st. There were 12 members present: Hugh & Lin Chapman, Bev Corriveau, Steve McLain, Sandra Laughy, Mary Tyler, Norm Buttrick, Cathy McGuire, Don Provencher, John Davis, Diane Bean and Aline Dupont. Two of those, Diane and Aline, joined on Saturday. There were some good ideas about advertising and Bev reported that Bobo T. Clown will return and be in charge of the children’s games this year. The Money Pit will happen again this year since it seems to be a favorite with the children. The theme of the children’s parade will be “Historical Characters”, so dress as your favorite historical character. Even though it is called a children’s parade, it would be nice if as many adults that wanted to would dress up also. There will be ribbons for the children for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place again this year. Norm Buttrick has secured the Sunrise Brass Quintet for part of the day. The tickets for the quilt raffle are ready and available from members of the GHS. There will be historical displays in the Town Hall and the ever popular home made pies for sale. Watch this column for more information or check the website: www.gileadhistoricalsociety.blogspot.com

May 29,2008

There is only three weeks left before Friends and Family Day on June 21st. The GHS is still hoping to have plenty of volunteers to help out that day. Tickets for the quilt are available from members.

The proceeds from the new book, The Cemeteries of Gilead, Maine, are beginning to accumulate. It was decided that the money would buy signs for the cemeteries that are maintained by the Town. Don Katlin was sighted in the Bethel Post Office this past week and he is interested in painting the signs for the cemeteries.

June 5, 2008
The GHS will hold one last planning meeting on June 14th at the Town Hall at 1:00pm. Final plans will be made for the Friends and Family Day that will be held on June 21st and centered around the Town Hall.

The GHS hopes that a lot of people from Gilead and surrounding towns will stop by and enjoy some of the events that are happening throughout the day. There will be music under the tent again this year, so plan on stopping by around noon. The Sunrise Brass Quintet will play a variety of old and new tunes. Get some lunch from the Gilead Fire Department and listen to the music while you eat. There will be baked goods for sale in the Hall to enjoy for dessert.

‘Friends and Family Day’, as the name suggests, is a time to get together with your friends and family and visit for a while. Hope to see you there.

June 12, 2008
There is a final planning meeting on Saturday, June 14th at 1:00pm at the Town Hall. All the little pieces are falling into place for the yearly event, Friends and Family Day, which will be held on June 21st. The children’s parade will start things off at 10:00am and there will be food, music and displays throughout the day. Stop by and get together with your friends and family!

June 19, 2008
Only two more days until Friends and Family Day! The last planning meeting was held on Saturday, June 21st. Several of the members will get together on Friday to do the final set up for Saturday, but there is plenty to do, so any help will be appreciated. Remember that the theme of the children’s parade is “Historical Characters” so dress up and join in the parade.

The GHS hopes that everyone will stop by to watch the parade, listen to the music, to have lunch and just visit. This is a community event so drop by the Town Hall and check out what is happening in town.

June 26, 2008
Friends and Family Day was held on Saturday, June 21st at the Town Hall. According to the Guest Book there were at least 130 people who attended. The GHS would like to thank all those who stopped by and to all the people who worked hard to make this day happen. The Gilead Fire Dept. was set up at the Fire Station selling hamburgs, hotdogs and the extras to go with them. They are a good group to team up with at this event.

The Town Hall was set up with Historical Displays, baked goods, tickets for the quilt raffle and a sale table with the four books that have been published by the GHS. Jim Mitchell of The Mahoosuc Land Trust set up an informational table. Mary Tyler, a representative from the Grange in Shelburne, NH set up a table. The Grange is a great organization and they were there to promote membership. Clayton and Judy Tyler, photographers, were set up and taking pictures throughout the event. Harold Knightly, Oxford, Maine, arrived early (with the help of Peter Collette, So. Paris, Maine) with two of his antique tractors for display. Jim Rose, Waterford, Maine and Robert and Debra Withee, Oxford, Maine, were present to give a demonstration of their antique motors and to display their spark plug collection. In case you missed the tractors and motors at this event, The Antique Tractor Club Festival will be held on June 27th – 29th at the Farmington Fair Grounds in Farmington, ME. A few of the things going on at the Festival are tractor games & pulls, machinery exhibitions, parades, swap meet, flea market, stationary engine displays, crafters, vendors and more. Admission is charged.

The day started out with a small children’s parade at 10:00am that was led by Bobo T. Clown. Besides the children, there were also a few ‘older’ historical characters who joined in the parade: John Adams, Robin Hood, a Patriot and Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was the Duchess of Aquitaine. After the parade Bobo put on a magic show for the children. There were children’s games after lunch and the ever-popular Skillet Tossing Contest. The Sunrise Brass Quintet performed a variety of music under the tent to an enthusiastic crowd. The day ended with a talk by Hugh and Lin Chapman on the latest publication, The Cemeteries of Gilead, Maine. It was a brief description of how and why the book was put together.

The 50/50 Raffle was won by Fran Head, who immediately donated her half of the amount back to the Society. Thank you, Fran. Alfred and Sharon Leighton won the jars of jellybeans by guessing how many there were in the jars.

Thank you to the judges of the parade: Aline Dupont, Sandra Laughy and Mary Tyler. The first place ribbon went to Ajay Landry, Black Beard, the pirate, second place went to Sidney Chapman, Miss America and third place went to Kaiya Corriveau, cowgirl, Annie Oakley.

The winners of the Skillet Toss were determined by the number of feet (listed after their names) that they could toss a cast iron skillet. In the Men’s section of the Skillet Toss, the winners were Jamie McLean, 1st place (90), Fabian Corriveau, 2nd Place (84) and Ken Cole 3rd Place (64). Please note that they are all members of the Gilead Fire Dept. The winners in the Women’s section were Belinda Glover, 1st Place (62), Seneca Corriveau, 2nd Place (50) and Judy Tyler 3rd Place (48). The Children’s section did quite well with 1st Place going to Fabian Corriveau (45), 2nd Place going to Conner Muchemore (41) and 3rd Place was his brother, Addin Muchemore (34.5).