A Man of Honor Joshua L
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Volume 16, Issue #4 November 2013 A MAN OF HONOR Joshua L. Chamberlain’s Medal of Honor Returns to Maine by Jennifer Blanchard MY SENSE IS that He’S A MAN kind of several years ago. In the back of one, he like my father. found a treasure we at PHS hadn’t ever imagined would one day take its place next A real Yankee, not one for putting himself to Chamberlain’s saddle and boots and but- forward or attracting attention. A person tons: the original Medal of Honor issued to who needs to think—and think, and think— Chamberlain in 1893. before acting. A person with a strong sense of what’s right and just, but for whom doing Now, I have learned a lot about Medals the right thing—even if all that’s required is of Honor in the last few weeks. But when looking up an address and putting a pack- our donor first called PHS in late July or age in the mail—sometimes can feel like an early August, all I knew was that Bowdoin awful lot to accomplish. College had Chamberlain’s Medal of Honor. When the donor claimed that he was about From my limited contact with the donor to put Chamberlain’s Medal of Honor in the of Pejepscot Historical Society’s recent, mail to us—having already sent it once to an incredible, invaluable acquisition, Joshua address that doesn’t exist—I said, “Gosh, sir. Chamberlain’s original Medal of Honor, I look forward to seeing what you’ve got, but that’s my impression. A real Yankee. A man . I’m pretty sure Chamberlain’s Medal of of honor. And now our newest best friend. Honor is at Bowdoin College.” Pejepscot Historical Society, for those who Foolish me. And lucky me, for our donor don’t know, owns and operates both the insisted he knew better, that he had the real Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum and the Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain thing, and soon enough he sent it to us. The Skolfield-Whittier House, both in downtown wearing his medal. PHS Collections Committee took a look, Brunswick. Since acquiring both historic agreed to accept it—whatever it might turn homes in the early 1980s, PHS has worked hard to regain Chamberlain furnishings lost Pejepscot Historical Society has treasures —continued on page 6 to auction or given away years before. We like Chamberlain’s saddle and the boots he have furnished the home with what we was wearing when he was shot in the foot at know was there during the Chamberlains’ Gettysburg. We have the buttons and epau- time and, to a lesser degree, with items lets from his uniform, cut off by his pacifist resembling or of the same period as what granddaughter Rosamond, his last surviving was there. descendant, who couldn’t abide war but kept mementos of her grandfather’s service. Joshua Chamberlain—governor of Maine, president of Bowdoin College—first won It was Rosamond who left her estate to Joshua Lawrence renown for leading the Twentieth Maine in a a Unitarian church in Massachusetts. And Chamberlain’s decisive bayonet charge at Little Round Top it was at that church, our donor tells us, original during the Civil War Battle of Gettysburg. that he bought a few books at a book sale Medal of Honor Maine Archives and Museums MAINEAdvertise ARCHIVES &in MUSEUMS the MAM Newsletter Volume 16 • Number 4 • November 2013 NEWSLETTER Maine Archives and Museums www.mainemuseums.org Do you have a great product or service [email protected] that you want Maine’s museums and libraries P.O. Box 46 to know about? Cumberland Center, ME 04021 Consider a quarter-page ad in our quarterly newsletter, (207) 400-6965 which is direct-mailed to Maine’s community of collecting organizations and published on-line. The Maine Archives and Museums Newsletter is published on a quarterly basis as a benefit Ads are $100 per issue for non-members of MAM; $75 for members. of membership in MAM, whose purpose is to For complete specifications, please contact develop and foster a network of citizens and Jessica Skwire Routhier institutions in Maine who identify, collect, Newsletter Editor interpret and/or provide access to materials [email protected] relating to history and culture. (207) 799-7324 Contributions to the MAM Newsletter may be submitted to MAM. Contact information provided above. TABLE OF CONTENTS To purchase copies of the MAM Newsletter, please contact MAM at the above address or A Man of Honor: Joshua L. Chamberlain’s Medal of Honor Returns to Maine phone number. by Jennifer Blanchard ................................................................................................... Cover MAM NEWS News from the MAM Board .................................................................... 3 Third Class postage paid at Bangor, Maine. Thank you, Conference Sponsors! ........................................................... 3 MAM Program: OFFICERS Preservation Issues for Small Museums & Family Custodians ......... 3 President: Jessica Skwire Routhier Vice President: Raney Bench EXHIBITIONS & EVENTS ............................................................................................... 4 Secretary: Candace Kanes DISPATCHES .................................................................................................................. 7 Treasurer: Ellen Dyer Local and Legendary Grant Program Funds Five Community Teams, Invites New Applications by Larissa Vigue Picard ...................................................... 8 BOARD MEMBERS Remembering the Double Eagle II by Kimberly Smith ...................................................... 9 Jane Bianco Leigh Hallett Heather Moran Sheri Leahan Victorian Calling Cards by Gregory Cuffey ....................................................................... 11 Peter Cook Teresa Myers Oral History and Folklife Research, Inc. Announces Formation of a New Nonprofit ...... 11 David O. Smith Gretchen Faulkner Deborah Staber Ellen Tenan SEEN & HEARD ............................................................................................................... 12 OPPORTUNITIES .............................................................................................................. 13 NEWSLETTER STAFF The Maine Civil War Trail Continues! ............................................................................... 14 Editor: Jessica Skwire Routhier Maine State Museum Wins Two National Awards and Jane Bianco for Malaga Island, Fragmented Lives Exhibition by Sheila McDonald ...................... 16 Typesetting & Design: Deborah J. McGee Printer: Bangor Letter Shop & Color Copy Center, Bangor NEXT ISSUE: FEBRUARY 2014 Only submissions received by the Editor by December 30, 2013, LEGAL SERVICES will be considered for publication. Contributed by James C. Pitney General Counsel Jessica Skwire Routhier Preti, Flaherty, Beleveau & Pachios 207-799-7324 [email protected] 2 Maine Archives & Museums Newsletter Vol. 16, No. 4 MAM NEWS Thank you, Conference Sponsors! We had a great day of learning, listening, and networking at our annual conference: Recharge Your Mission: Ideas to Ignite and Inspire. Thanks to the Collins Center for the Arts at the University of News from Maine, Orono, and to the Page Farm Museum and Hudson Museum for hosting. We are so grateful for the support of the following spon- the MAM Board sors, as well as all those who presented and attended on October 29. In June, the board conducted a planning exercise for a new five- year strategic plan, by identifying strengths, weaknesses, opportu- Keynote Sponsor: HistoryIT nities, and threats. The process continued at a retreat in Newport Host Sponsor: ANR Transport, LLC in September, attended by board members, other interested MAM members, and other invited guests. The goal is to develop a new Gold Sponsor: Northeast Document Conservation Center strategic plan for adoption in January. Silver Sponsors: Tufts University Museum Studies, SmallCorp, The board approved an Advocacy Plan that will guide efforts to Bangor Letter Shop, and Oral History & Folklife Research, Inc. • promote and help protect MAM’s member organizations and other organizations that collect, interpret, or provide access to historical and cultural materials. The MAM website also has a new advocacy section. Determining the economic impact of these organizations is MAM Program part of the plan. Preservation Issues for The board approved and voted to send to the membership a by-laws Small Museums & Family Custodians change to provide a mechanism for replacing officers who leave their position in the middle of a term. The current by-laws provide Saturday, November 2 only for replacing the president before the end of his or her term. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Maine Historical Society The board approved MAM taking over the remaining duties associ- ated with the Connecting To Collections Planning Grant that the 485 Congress Street, Portland Maine State Museum received from the Institute for Museum and We’ve had a fantastic fall workshop series so far, including our Library Services. It is part of a national initiative to identify cultural planning retreat and workshop at the Newport Cultural Center, heritage treasures and, ultimately, to protect them. Maine’s group a publicity and marketing workshop at the historic Bethel Inn, has developed a values assessment tool to help organization assess and of course, the conference. But it’s not over yet! Join us in their collections. MAM voted to take over printing of the tool (a Portland in November for this workshop presented by Maine workbook) and to consider pursuing an implementation grant to Historical Society and MAM in partnership with Northeast continue the work. Document Conservation Center