Volunteers Busy During Off-Season at the Museum

Volunteers gathered to cut wood for the new Engine House #1.

Picture courtesy of “Readin’ Both Pages,”

 a membership publication of the Sail, Power & Steam Museum.

Those pictured were not identified.

Volunteers are busy at the Sail, Power & Steam Museum during the off season doing many things to make the grand re-opening on May 1, 2011 successful. New things are in the works, including a post and beam building-designed Engine House #1. The wood for the building is being cut from Tom Hammermeister’s wood lot. It will be built and finished by volunteers, Rolly James, Marshall Merriam, and John Holliday. I assume some of them appear in this picture. Engine House #1 will house the ten steam engines owned by the museum and allow them all to be operating at the same time. A glass fronted façade with a steam whistle in the cupola and an array of belt driven jack shafting are in the future works.

New contributions are constantly being donated to the museum, including a wooden ship’s band saw, made by the workers at Snow’s Shipyard during WWII. It was made of wood to spare steel for the war effort.

The lime kiln on the museum property is waiting to be fired up again. Volunteers Joe Auciello and Dale Woodworth build up the kiln from time to time. Donations from Dragon Cement Co, George Hall & Son, and Ferraiolo Concrete Products make this project possible.

More volunteers are needed. Call the museum at 207-701-7627 to find out how you can help bring history to life in our own South End.

Memberships are also available. Student membership is $15; Individual, $25. There are also memberships at $50, $100, $250, and $500 with increasing benefits accordingly.