Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit, York Co., Maine

Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit, York Co., Maine

938 Post Rd

Wells, Maine 04090

(207) 646-4775

https://www.wellsogunquithistory.org/

The Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit in Maine is on Route 1, a heavily traveled road during the summer. Most people don't expect to see a historical society in a church, so they are surprised when they discover that fact. My husband and I have been members for close to 20 years. My husband has quite a few local ancestors and relatives, but I have none. The library has holdings for all the New England states, and I believe the complete set of TEG (The Essex Genealogist) journals. The inclusion of a museum in the church is a benefit.

Table space was limited because the archivist was working on an exhibit. Seeing those items was a bonus.

The rooms below were in the process of being painted and prepared for the new historic exhibits.

Bryce Waldrop, the administrator, showed me a copy of an original photo taken when the church had a memorial service shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.

Looking at the back of the church. 

Front hallway, and door to the right. However, to enter the Historical Society, the door is at the back of the church.

The Google map shows the Historical Society at the bottom of the map.

Waves and Furrows (December 2019) is the name of the newsletter for the Society. I'm sharing an old page because I love the Harbor Candy Shop in Ogunquit, and I wanted to share a bit of information. (If you are in the area, I suggest you stop in for some candy.)

New Ipswich Library, New Ipswich, New Hampshire

New Ipswich Library

6 Main Street

 New Ipswich, NH 03071

Phone Number: (603) 878-4644
 https://newipswichlibrary.wordpress.com/

The visit to this tiny library in southern New Hampshire was not planned, but it was on the street near to our destination, the Barrett House, which we toured. This week, I heard that the town received 3 feet of snow, the most of any New England towns during the December 1-3 snowfall, and that news prompted me to share my June 2019 photos. This is my 75th library report.

As I entered the library, all I saw were books and unique windows. The website offered this information, "The book collection at the New Ipswich Library is made up primarily of children’s titles and adult fiction and non-fiction. There is some reference material that focuses on historical work for topics relevant to New Ipswich." I did not see any genealogy books, but there could have been and I should have asked. In looking over these photos, I don't see any computers, nor do I know if they had wi-fi.

Librarian above.

My husband and I were the only patrons, and I remember a long discussion with the above librarian about the windows, they were just replaced or needed to be. In preparing this post, I came across a newspaper article about her. She retired three months after we were there.

"Longtime librarian retiring

After more than 35 years of story times and book recommendations, New Ipswich librarian Anne Soini is stepping down.

Residents can say their goodbyes and give well-wishes to Soini with a retirement party Monday at 6 p.m. at the New Ipswich Library.

Soini has served as the library director for decades and has become the “face” of the institution, Library Trustee President Debbie Phillips said Tuesday.

“She’s left some big shoes to fill,” Phillips said." From: https://www.ledgertranscript.com/Retirement-party-for-long-time-New-Ipswich-librarian-Monday-28814882

Children's room.

Side view of the library. We were there on a perfect June day and had just toured the Barrett House, shown below. The library and house are on the same road.

Across the from the library is the New Ipswich Historical Society. It was closed, but I am including some information about it.

New Ipswich Historical Society

23 Main St New Ipswich, NH 03017
http://www.newipswichhistoricalsociety.org/

Below is the first web page for the historical society. The Cemetery Database may be seen at, http://www.newipswichhistoricalsociety.org/images/PDFs/nihs-cemetery-data.pdf

I also found a useful book about the history of the town.

The history of New Ipswich, New Hampshire, 1735-1914,

with genealogical records of the principal families;

comp. and written by Charles Henry Chandler with the assistance of Sarah Fiske Lee.

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/009598344

Visit to the 1715 Parson Barnard House, North Andover, Massachusetts

I have passed by this house many times during the past 22 years, and finally took a tour of it, during an open house on August 2017. Photos are from over the years. From the flyer, shown at the end, it tells me that, "Each room in this house represents a different period, from 1715 to 1830. Only the four front rooms are open to the public." My first group of pictures are of the house and exterior. The room photos follow.

The barn photos are below. It is being renovated, but I was fortunate, on a recent November day, to get a peek inside because two carpenters were working, and let me in. I didn't take photos, but I can tell you, it will be beautiful, and I look forward to seeing it finished.

Above is the parking area, and the yellow house is the Parson Barnard House.

We saw four rooms, the photos are shown below. Our guide was very busy, and we missed quite a bit of what was being said. More about the house HERE.

Signs below are in the parking lot. Parking is tight because there is no parking on the main street. Parking is available next to the barn, the barn shown above.

The Parson Barnard House belongs to the North Andover Historical Society.

Cemetery stone of Rev. Thomas Barnard

Old North Parish Burying Ground

North Andover, Massachusetts

www.NorthAndoverHistoricalSociety.org

My 2014 post is about my visit to the Society's archives and historical records collection. Take a peek at what their library looks like. There is a list of the original settlers shown.