Category: History

Railroad Talk

Jonathan Wells, a retired railroad engineer and railroad historian, entertained a capacity crowd at the Sanford Springvale Historical Museum on Sunday afternoon with stories, slides and videos of the railroads that ran through Springvale up until 1961. That was followed by a short presentation by Lee Burnett about efforts to re-home granite mile markers to the Rail Trail to commemorate the railroad era.

Colorful Railroad Era Subject of Upcoming Talk

Jonathan Wells, retired Pan Am Railroad engineer Photo: Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society From a press releaseThe once bustling railroad that ran through Springvale will come alive in an upcomingslide show and talk by Jonathan Wells, a retired Pan Am Systems locomotive engineer who is an authority on the Worcester, Nashua and Portland division of Boston & Maine Railroad. This 1905 photo shows a steam locomotive with the former passenger station on Pleasant Street, Springvale near the intersection with…

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…