York Museum Has Come a Long Way Since 1901

A lot of smart people are looking carefully at the contents of our many Seacoast museums. A century ago, when historical societies were popping up in towns like Portsmouth, NH, and York, Maine, there was an influx of local “stuff.” Town residents donated family heirlooms, portraits, and documents that were old, but their stories often unknown to the donor.  This photograph, for instance, shows a pair of young ladies amid the clutter of artifacts donated to the Old Gaol Museum in York Village. History displays, back then, had more to do with dressing up in nostalgic outfits and presenting objects in wooden cases.

I was there the other day, and wow, things have changed. The creepy, ancient jail cells are still at the heart of the 1719-era town jail building. But the collection is no longer displayed willy-nilly as it was back when this photo was taken in 1901. Curator Joel Lefever, for instance, dug into the history of the chair in which this young lady is seated. It was previously unidentified. An expert in early furniture, Joel was able to match the arrangement of the room to the published “Catalogue of the Relics and Curiosities in the Old Gaol, York, Maine” from 1901. 

According to the catalog, “This chair was used at the dedication of the Second Parish Church, of which ‘Handkerchief’ Moody was the pastor in 1732.  It was the gift of a Miss Turner. The ancient chair, the curator told me,  is consistent with those made in the shop of John Donnell, a York turner.  “Miss Turner” was the Old Gaol’s first “custodian” or curator, Sophia Steed Turner (1856-1936).  Through this process of evaluating Old Gaol photographs and published catalogs, Joel was able to connect a number of objects in “The Best of York” exhibit, (2016) at Museums of Old York, with their stories. I’ll dig into a few of my favorite York stories in am upcoming feature.

Copyright J. Dennis robinson, all rights reserved.