PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — December is typically a month when local historical societies rest and regroup from their summer season and start planning for the next year. Instead, Presque Isle Historical Society plans an active month.
On Saturday, Dec. 2, the Society will offer a free presentation for the public on Victorian Christmas traditions at the Mark & Emily Turner Library at 10 a.m. That evening, during Presque Isle’s Holiday Light Parade, interested individuals can ride aboard the “Holly Trolley” for $10 per person.
This gown created with evergreen boughs was featured during last year’s Victorian holiday celebration at the Vera Estey House in Presque Isle. This year the Presque Isle Historical Society will host its second annual Victorian Christmas on Friday, Dec. 15, and Saturday, Dec. 16 at the museum on Third Street. Costumed interpreters, period decor, live music and a scavenger hunt are on tap for visitors to enjoy. (Courtesy of Kim Smith)
On Wednesday, Dec. 6, the community is invited to a free presentation on Dr. Eugene Doble, one of only three radiologists in the state of Maine in 1900. This presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the McCain Conference Room on the second floor of The Aroostook Medical Center’s East Annex.
The events for the month will culminate with the second annual Victorian Christmas at the Estey on Friday, Dec. 15, and Saturday, Dec. 16.
This event celebrates the traditions of Christmas as seen during the Victorian era (1837-1901) at the small, two-story Victorian Estey House Museum at 16 Third Street. The event will feature handmade Victorian-inspired decorations and florals, with costumed interpreters performing period tasks in each of the 12 rooms. In addition, there is a scavenger hunt for “children of all ages” based on “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
Local resident Susanne Sandusky, who enjoyed the event last year and plans to go again this year, said, “The decorations and ambience inside the house are just fabulous. What a wonderful way to get in the spirit for the holidays or to entertain out-of-town guests. It is definitely going to become an annual tradition.”
Kim Smith, secretary/treasurer of the society’s board, stated, “There are new decorations and exhibits this year as well as some new faces behind the period costumes. It’s a great time — and educational, too — for people of all ages, the attendees as well as the interpreters.”
Tickets will be available at the door and are $10 per person.
Smith said In the grand scheme of things, a decade is not a long time but for the society a decade has made a world of difference.
In 2007, the Society, an all- volunteer organization, owned the 1875 Vera Estey House Museum and the historic fire station. However, not much was done in the way of tours, she said. By 2008, guided tours began and the organization was operating on a very limited seasonal basis from April through October.
Now, the organization is coming off of its highest tour numbers ever, with 4,537 patrons served in 2016. It now also owns and operates Molly the Trolley and the award-winning Maysville Museum, which recently earned an Honor Award from Maine Preservation for its restoration efforts. The society offers nine different types of tours, Smith added, and operates pretty much year round.
To learn more, visit www.pihistory.org, call 762-1151, or e-mail pihistoricalsociety@hotmail.com.
