Category: History

Patricia Violette Named Executive Director of the

Sanford-Springvale Historical Society Press Release Sanford-Springvale Historical Society has named Patricia Violette as its new Executive Director, effective October 1. Violette most recently was the Executive Director of the Portsmouth Submarine & Maritime Association (Albacore Park) in Portsmouth, NH. She brings over 30 years of museum leadership experience to the role. In addition to Albacore Park, Violette was Executive Director of Mt. Kearsage Indian Museum in Warner, NH, and the Shirley-Eustis House in Boston, MA. She was also Acting Director…

A Modern Day Barn Raising

Prior to raising Photo Credit - Lawrence Furbish By Lawrence Furbish, President, Sweat Morin Homestead In the 18th and 19th centuries, a barn raising referred to a collective action by the community to build or rebuild a barn for a neighbor. It was very common in rural North America because a barn was necessary for a farmer to store grain and hay and to house livestock. On Tuesday, April 23, a different and modern kind of barn raising took place…

How did Springvale Look Before the Great Fire and Urban Renewal?

Springvale after the 1905 fire Photo: Sanford-Springvale Historical Society By Lawrence Furbish, President, Sanford-Springvale Historical Society The Sanford-Springvale Historical Society will offer a one-hour walk next Saturday, May 4, highlighting two times when the village of Springvale was changed dramatically – once by fire and once by urban renewal. The event is one of 50 walks planned around the state for Jane’s Walk ME, sponsored by Maine Preservation. This is the first such walk to be held in Sanford. It…

How the Jagger Mills Came to Be

Jagger Brothers Mill in South Sanford Photo: Jagger Brothers By Lawrence Furbish One could say it really began when Uriah Barstow Jagger, responding to an invitation in a letter from Tom Goodall, arrived in Sanford from Bradford, England in 1884. He went to work as the superintendent of the Goodall worsted spinning mill. Worsted is wool made from long fibers and is superior for making tougher and longer-lasting cloth. Uriah had two sons, Sam and Fred, who both began working…

How Many Hospitals Did Sanford Have? 

Goodall Hospital and Nurses’ Home in 1938   Photo: Goodall Hospital Decennial Report, 1928-1938   By Lawrence Furbish, Sanford-Springvale Historical Society   Starting in January 1913, the Sanford Board of Trade established the Sanford Hospital Association to build a town hospital. Money was raised, but not enough to fund construction. In 1914, soon after completion of the construction of Springvale National Bank (now an ice cream shop at the corner of Main and Oak streets), Dr. Byron B. Moulton opened a private hospital…