 How time flies! It's hard to believe that it's August already. It's been nice to see so many of you enjoying our Wild Things and Kennebunk's Big Leaguers exhibitions so far this summer; thanks to your visits, we experienced our best July off-the-street visitation figures in years! If you haven't caught these exhibitions yet, you're still in luck: they're on view through December.
Our other BIG news is that our Connecting Generations Capital Campaign has just topped $1 million toward our $1.5 million goal! The masonry work on our 1825 brick building and chimneys is complete, but in terms of restoration projects on our entire museum complex, this represents just the tip of the iceberg. We're striving to raise (or exceed!) the remaining half million dollars before the end of October, so please help us "build a better future for preserving the past" and make your capital campaign contribution today. Thank you!
Sincerely, The Brick Store Museum |
Fire Exhibition Opens Thursday, August 16
(special extended hours)
Sixty years after epic forest fires blazed their way through Maine in 1947, we're reflecting on this seminal natural disaster with a new exhibition, Burned into our Memories: The '47 Fire - Sixty Years Later. Through photographs and artifacts, this show explores such questions as why the Fire of '47 continues to endure in our collective memory, if it could happen again, and what might be done differently to fight such a fire today. The exhibition remains on view through December 29, 2007.
You're invited to an opening reception to be held at the Museum on Thursday, August 16 from 5 to 7 PM. In addition to refreshments, we have a real treat: special appearances by historical and contemporary engine trucks and firefighting equipment from the fire departments in our area!
Exhibition made possible in part by our proud Business Partner: Captain Lord Mansion.
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Remembering the 1947 Fire
To complement our new exhibition, Burned into our Memories: The '47 Fire - Sixty Years Later, we're offering a public lecture on Thursday, August 23 at 7 PM at The Colony Hotel.
Renowned Maine historian and author Joyce Butler presents, "Remembering the 1947 Fire" through her remarks, slides, and a Q&A session. Her retrospective will place the fire in a larger historical context and reflect upon why memories of the fire have endured for generations. At the conclusion of the program, Butler will sign copies of her definitive publication on the topic, Wildfire Loose: The Week Maine Burned.
Butler's lecture is offered free of charge, with donations gratefully accepted. No reservations are required. Books will be on sale both in advance at the Museum and at the event for $18.95 plus tax, with a 10% discount for Museum members (checks, cash or VISA/MC accepted).
Made possible by the Museum's John Rogers Memorial Lecture Fund and the Colony Hotel. | |
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Welcome, New Business Partners!
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Museum Artifact Added to Nationwide Database  On July 12, Stacy Pratt McDermott and Erika Nunamaker arrived at The Brick Store Museum with a very particular request: to view and make a digital scan of a letter in our collection penned by Abraham Lincoln in 1860 (see "Artifact of the Month" spotlight at bottom right).
Pratt and Nunamaker represent The Papers of Abraham Lincoln, a project of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Their visit helps fulfill the mission of a long-term documentary editing endeavor dedicated to locating, transcribing and presenting documents from Abraham Lincoln's entire life. It's a journey that has taken them to more than 200 libraries, museums and other repositories nationwide. The high-resolution, color digital images they are capturing end up in an online database, allowing researchers far superior access and ability for transcription than ever before.
These women have seen literally thousands of Lincoln documents, so what did they have to say about ours? The fact that the letter is entirely in Lincoln's own hand is noteworthy, because in later years--faced with mountains of correspondence--he would leave the writing to a secretary and only affix his signature. |
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The Brick Store Museum is located at 117 Main Street in the heart of Kennebunk's National Register Historic District. For more than 70 years, the Museum has been dedicated to preserving the Kennebunks' rich cultural and artistic heritage. Its gallery and research archives are open year-round (closed holidays), Tuesdays-Fridays, 10-4:30 and Saturdays, 10-1. Admission is by donation; suggested $5/person. |
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E-Newsletter Sponsored by our Proud Business Partner:
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Order Before Labor Day
We're quickly approaching our Labor Day deadline for commemorative brick orders; the intent is for this first batch of inscribed bricks to be installed in our courtyard walkways sometime this autumn. All proceeds benefit our ongoing Connecting Generations Capital Campaign. Order your personalized brick for just $100, and "pave the way for history!" |
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Save These Dates:
10th Annual Golf Tournament & Dinner
Additional players welcome! REGISTER BY August 31.
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...that because of our ongoing Kennebunk's Big Leaguers exhibition, Colby Jack and Bobby Coombs are now part of the "Mainers in the Majors" series featured on the scoreboard at Hadlock Field? Keep your eyes peeled for these special segments the next time you head to a Portland Sea Dogs minor league baseball game!
...that several of the Civil War artifacts from our museum's collections are currently on loan to the Saco Museum? They are included in an exhibition, Merit is Better than Fame: The Civil War and the Men & Women of Maine, on view through November 11. |
Check out our "artifact of the month"
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