Hallowell Meeting Brief
Historic Hallowell Committee – February 18 Update
The Historic Hallowell Committee met on February 18 at the Hubbard Free Library and continued its active work preserving and promoting Hallowell’s rich history.
The committee approved January’s minutes, including plans to develop a Worster House exhibit for display at the Doctor Hubbard Museum. Display panels will be reviewed at the next meeting.
Members also discussed a request from Fort Howard regarding Hallowell’s copy of the Declaration of Independence. The mayor noted existing plans to display the document locally on July 4th and raised the possibility of sharing exhibition time between communities. The committee will await further guidance as arrangements develop.
A major focus of the meeting was the updated Historic Hallowell website. Members reviewed recent improvements, suggested a few final corrections (including broken links and updated page copy), and approved posting the revised content. The committee expressed appreciation for the thoughtful redesign and organization of materials. Additional historical content will continue to be added in the coming months.
The committee also received an update on the Network to Freedom initiative. Dr. Susanna Ashton will visit Hallowell with graduate students and present at the Sam Webber Symposium on Local History on Saturday, May 2, at 2PM in City Hall. Local organizations are expected to sponsor the event, and additional community engagement opportunities are being explored.
Work continues in the Hubbard Library archive room. Volunteers have been organizing fragile materials and planning improvements to storage and preservation. The postcard digitization project is nearly complete, and efforts are underway to update newspaper listings and microfilm records in coordination with the Maine State Library.
Additional updates included:
Progress toward the eventual sale of the Old Town Hall/Fire Station (pending survey completion)
Ongoing cataloging of historical collections
Conversations with local schools about engaging students in municipal government
A reminder that the Friends of the Hubbard Library will host a Chili Lunch fundraiser on March 21 from 11:30AM–2PM
The next committee meeting will be held April 22 at 4PM at the Hubbard Free Library.