Thanks to all our golf tournament sponsors, donors, and players, our 11th annual tournament on June 2nd at Webhannet Golf Club was a sweet success made all the sweeter by picture-perfect weather!
Back at the Museum, our 2008 Annual Fund appeal is underway, we're gearing up for some great new exhibitions, and our 5th Annual History Camp for kids is just around the corner. Finally, one bit of housekeeping: the Museum will be closed July 4th through 7th for the Fourth of July holiday weekend, but we otherwise look forward to seeing you soon!
Happy Independence Day,
The Brick Store Museum | |
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Commemorative Bricks Installed  For those who ordered commemorative inscribed bricks in support of our Connecting Generations Capital Campaign. . . the moment you've all been waiting for has arrived! Over the past week, nearly 200 commemorative bricks have been expertly installed in our courtyard walkways. Although you may now certainly stop by to view your brick at any time, planning is underway for a special donor appreciation event in early August as an official thank-you to all our Campaign donors--stay tuned for details! |
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Gift Furthers Edith Barry's Legacy 
We are pleased to announce an extraordinary gift and recognize an equally extraordinary individual: Mrs. Dorothy Fish, a woman with a deep appreciation for the arts and lifelong learning.
Although Mrs. Fish never met the Museum's founder, Miss Edith Barry (1884-1969), Mrs. Fish sees her as a kindred spirit, noting the parallels between her own world travels and love of history and art. Mrs. Fish's generosity and affinity for the Museum have led her to endow The Dorothy Fish Fund for Furthering Edith Barry's Legacy. This enduring gift allows us to further build upon our reputation for offering high-quality experiential learning programs for children and adults, based upon our collections. This newly-established fund will provide sustained financial resources so that a number of programs may be offered each year.
When the Brick Store Museum first opened in 1936, Edith Barry was publicly thanked for "offering something beautiful, interesting, and of the greatest value to Kennebunk." Now, 72 years later, the same can be said of Mrs. Dorothy Fish and her gift. |
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Amazing New Collection Donated  In the history of the Brick Store Museum itself, 19th-century Kennebunk merchant William Lord (in the portrait at left) is one significant fellow. We have him to thank for constructing our signature brick building in 1825, but he was also a highly influential ship owner and prominent citizen.
So, it was a pretty big deal when several out-of-town descendants of William Lord paid a visit to the Museum earlier this month. Mrs. Nightingale (see photo above) took the opportunity to donate to the Museum a truly amazing collection of hundreds of letters that had been mailed to William Lord throughout his lifetime (1799-1873). These documents are distinguished not only for their philatelic importance but also for the wealth of information they contain about Lord's business dealings and overall commerce in the Kennebunks. Many of the letters were posted at sea and are from various captains of Lord's ships.
Mrs. Nightingale said the letters had been in her attic for years, and she decided it was time they came "home" to Kennebunk. Museum staff are extremely grateful to Mrs. Nightingale for reconnecting with the Museum through her gift. We are eager to get underway with fully inventorying and cataloging this archival treasure trove that will provide a more complete picture of William Lord's life for this and future generations. |
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Museum Honors Graduating Seniors
 For years, the Museum has given awards to two graduating Kennebunk High School seniors for excellence in history and in art. This year's winner of the Edith Barry Art Book Award--named for the Museum's founder-- is Kristy Robinson, who will be attending Emerson College in Boston and majoring in Film Production. Benjamin Goodman is the recipient of this year's Joyce Butler History Book Award, named for Kennebunk's Town Historian and renowned author; Goodman will be majoring in Political Science and Public Service, when he starts at the University of Maine at Orono this fall. Congratulations, KHS grads! |
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Community Investment Ballots Tallied  Your vote counted! Thanks to all who cast theirs for the Museum this spring as part of Kennebunk Savings Bank's Community Investment ballot, we were recently awarded a check for $1,716!
The bank's innovative policy is to give 10% of its annual earnings to York County charities and non-profits. Since 1995, one vehicle for this has been the Community Investment Ballot program, through which bank customers are invited to "vote" for the charity of their choice. This year, more than 6,000 customers responded in allocating well over $135,000 to more than 200 non-profit organizations. Thank you! |
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New Trustees, Officers Welcomed  With the Museum's 68th Annual Members' Meeting held on June 17th, two new trustees were voted in and welcomed to the Board: Jacquelyn Campbell and Liam Crotty. Also honored were (see photo, left to right) Rick Wolf as the outgoing Board president; Stephen P. Spofford as the incoming president of the Board; and past-president and chair of the Connecting Generations Capital Campaign, Peter D. Fuller. Click HERE to see the complete program from the Annual Meeting (PDF format, 1mb). | |
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Business Partners Take "Stock" in History
Take a moment to help us welcome the following businesses as all-new, proud Business Partners of the Museum:
We're also delighted to welcome back the following additional businesses who have renewed as Business Partners for 2008-2009:
We truly appreciate these businesses' valuable support for our mission and year-round operations; let them know that you do, too! We look forward to continuing these relationships and hope others will join them as proud Business Partners.
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E-Newsletter Sponsored by our Proud Business Partners:
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Inside Spotlight...
"Lessons from the Brick Store Museum"
by Emily Shafer, Museum intern and University of Michigan student
"Although I was anxious and excited about my internship at the Brick Store Museum long before it began, once I arrived at the four-building structure on Main Street, I had no idea what to expect. After a few days of stumbling through the buildings and learning my way around, though, I became comfortable with my new surroundings and found myself thoroughly enjoying my work. For the next several weeks, I truly experienced museum work, learning in ways that are not possible in the classroom and gaining valuable insight about the museum field and its employees. . . "
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Upcoming...
Opening July 1
Salon Style exhibition
History Camp: Vintage Vacation Creations
Coming soon
Living Little exhibition
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Did You Know...
...that our in-house redesign of the Museum's website just took 3rd place honors in a New England-wide design competition?
Each year, the New England Museum Association sponsors an annual Publication Awards Program, which recognizes excellence in design, production, and effective communication in all aspects of museum publishing.
Entries are judged by a panel experienced in publication, design, marketing and communications. Awards are given to those entries which most effectively present their message to the intended audience.
This year, there were 180 publications from 66 museums for the different award categories! We're thrilled to receive this award! |
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Check out our "artifact of the month"
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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 galleries 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. For more information, check us out at www.brickstoremuseum.org, or give us a call at 207.985.4802. | |
