UPCOMING PROGRAM
Top on the list of things we want to tell you about is the upcoming program we’re presenting:
Early Postcards of Ryegate, and How They Came To Be
The Ryegate Historical Society will host a talk by Kevin Johnson on Thursday, July 10th at 6:00 pm at Whitelaw Hall in East Ryegate village. Kevin is the photo archivist at the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine, and curates a collection of glass negatives that came from the Eastern Illustrating and Publishing Company. Many early postcards of Northeastern states are derived from those glass plates.
The illustrated talk is on the history of postcards of the area which were produced in the early 20th century and will describe how the Eastern Publishing Company came to be and how they collected so many interesting images. Mr. Johnson will discuss the company’s fascinating history which describes how at the turn of the century, travel postcards were extremely popular and Herman Cassens, a young entrepreneur, traveled around rural New England photographing local landmarks. The exposed glass plate negatives were sent back to Belfast, Maine and processed, printed and sent back to generals stores for sale at “2 of 5 cents”!
This lecture coincides with an exhibit by the Historical Society of early postcards of Ryegate . In addition to the postcard exhibit, there will be some enlargements made directly from the glass negatives from the museum collection, which show much more detail. Kevin is very interested in learning more about the images on postcards from the audience. For further information on this program call Peter Sinclair: 802 584 3280.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS AT 6:00 PM, EARLIER THAN USUAL.
On display will be copies of original post cards from George Murphy’s extensive collection. George has been acquiring post cards for decades and the assortment is awe-inspiring.
S. Ryegate Village
Brick Block, S. Ryegate 1910-1934
OPEN HOUSE DATES: We will open Whitelaw Hall, with this postcard exhibit on display, on June 21st, July 19th, August 9th*, September 20th and October 18th from 10-12:00.
Note: * the August 9th date coincides with the annual Ryegate Summer Festival which will be in East Ryegate village that day from 4:00-7:00 pm, so we will be open during the festival instead of in the morning.
FALL GATHERING: In late October of 2024, we hosted a “Gathering” for people to share their memories of “Going to School in Ryegate”. A convivial crowd of about 45 told wonderful stories from all three villages. Some tales were shocking, LOTS were humorous, all were enlightening and overall good memories were shared. Many people lingered to chat afterwards and it was heartwarming to watch those who hadn’t seen each other in years.
CONTINUED APPEAL: Our treasurer noted that we have received no dues so far in 2025! In the last Newsletter we discussed how the fragility of our climate makes us increasingly concerned about our collections, records and artifacts. We recognize that several of you have been very generous with donations and that many are Lifetime Members, but very few remember to send in an Annual Dues contribution. We have spent a considerable amount on necessary renovations, putting pressure on our reserved funding. There is a pressing need for climate control necessities as well as storage shelving. Furthermore, we are about to publish our next batch of copies of The History of Ryegate and Down of the Thistle, which will require a sizeable investment and a very slow return on that investment.
I HATE nagging about this, but we would be very grateful for Annual Dues:
MEMBERSHIP AND DUES:
Annual Membership:
Individual: $10/yr.
Family: $15/yr.
Lifetime Membership:
Individual: $100.
Family $125.
Dues are payable for a membership year of Jan. 1st-Dec. 31st. Please make checks payable to:
Ryegate Historical Society,
c/o Tim Wilson, Treasurer
979 Boltonville Rd.
Wells River, VT. 05081
Respectively submitted,
Dover Ford, President: doverford@gmail.com, 802-274-0180.