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CHEBEAGUE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY January 2025

Dear Chebeague Community, 2024 has been an important year for the Historical Society. •

Our permanent exhibit, “Creating a Sense of Place: The Evolution of the Community of Chebeague”, opened in July, and the feedback from hundreds of visitors has been extremely positive. The exhibit covers the major aspects of our island’s history, including indigenous peoples, agriculture, education, fishing, summer visitors, and World Wars I and II. • A favorite event, the bi-annual CIHS House Tour, returned in 2024. On August 13th, six gracious homeowners opened their homes for the tour. Sponsorship support was strong, and ticket sales set a new record. In total, we welcomed 253 guests and made over $30,000, a very successful achievement. • A major transition was the retirement of Donna Miller Damon, our long-time curator and a key founder of the Historical Society. This is a new chapter for CIHS, and the Board of Trustees is committed to building on Donna’s remarkable legacy. • We launched a newly redesigned website giving online visitors more historical images and new content. In early 2025, we will be conducting a short survey to ensure we are in step with the needs and desires of the community, and we welcome your input. We also plan to create a new reading room in the building for the community to learn about our archives and our historical collection of objects and photos. Stay tuned for more on these two important topics. In closing, please consider donating and becoming or renewing your membership in CIHS. Scan this QR Code to donate online. Thank you again for your continued support. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am sincerely, Gretchen Tonks Hartling, Vice President

Volunteer Opportunities for 2025 Looking ahead to 2025, we’re excited to welcome new volunteers and team members. We have opportunities for: • Store Volunteers: 3 hours per week • Paid Positions: 2-3 days per week If you or someone you know is interested in joining our dedicated team, we’d love to hear from you! Please share these opportunities with your family and friends.

Gift Shop News! A Heartfelt Thank You

For more information, please reach out to Anne Brenton at: CIHSstore@gmail.com .

We would like to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who supported us by attending our exhibit and shopping at our retail store this year. Your patronage helps us continue our mission and serve the greater island community. A special shout-out to our incredible volunteers who helped make this year’s exhibit, the store operations, and the 2024 house tour a success. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Thank you again for your continued support—we look forward to another great year ahead!

December Mystery Photo Revealed!

January Mystery Photo:

Susan Nielsen from Florida correctly identified the

December Mystery Photo as the former home of her grandparents Louis and Laura Hamilton, which was also the home of her brother, Steve Hamilton. She had a similar photo on her wall in Florida! It was sold to the Hinchman family in 2015 after

Steve’s death. The photo had been sent to the CIHS by a descendant of the Hallcrow family who wondered if the cottage still stood. They owned the cottage from 1921-1943 when they sold the cottage it to the Hamiltons. They bought it from the original owners, the Bishops who built the cottage c. 1895.

Where is this house? Who lives there now? Who was the first owner? Extra credit – Can you identify any of the people in the photo? Email : cihsresearch@gmail.com with your answers!

JANUARY 2025 CHEBEAGUE ISLAND COUNCIL CALENDAR

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