Agricultural museum to host membership supper

The Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum will host its annual membership dinner on Saturday, January 17 from 4:30 p.m. until 6. The supper is open to the public and will feature roast beef with a variety of side dishes, dessert and beverages. The cost is $9 or free to current members. There are a variety of levels of dues: single, $20; family $30; sodbuster, $50; thresher, $100; and farmer of the year, $250. Lifetime memberships are also available for a single, $500 and a family, $750. Membership entitles holders to free tours throughout the year and supports many ongoing projects at the museum.
The agricultural museum, located 10 miles north of Houlton in Littleton, was organized in 2002 by a dozen individuals from the greater Houlton area to preserve farm equipment and household furnishings of the family farms in Aroostook County. This group purchased the former Littleton School for $50,000. Since then, with a vast group of volunteers, hundreds of items have been donated and cataloged for the displays. The entire main building is filled with items from the late 1800s through the 1960s.
In 2006 a barn was built to house larger pieces of equipment, while a one-room school located on the Ross Ridge Road was moved to the museum property and refurbished. Since then, a small general store has been built. Future plans include an addition to the barn.
Through monthly suppers, raffles, donations, grants and memorials, the all-volunteer organization has worked to provide this step back in time for hundreds of visitors.
Without the volunteers this project would not have been as successful and could not continue. It takes many people with different interests to keep the doors open. The museum is busiest from June through September. During the summer season the museum hosts tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. until. 4.
The museum is a great place for school trips or to bring visitors who may be in the area. The museum has a large gymnasium with kitchen facilities to accommodate large parties, such as wedding receptions, reunions, or other family or business events. Contact Debbie Campbell for available dates and fees at 538-9583.
Although the museum was originally planned to be an agricultural facility, it covers a broad spectrum of interests to include everything that was significant to the typical farm family home.
The museum will be open for tours from 3 p,m. through the supper on Jan 17. For more information, call President Francis Fitzpatrick, 538-0050 or Karen Donato, 694-6099.