Calendar of Events

Ongoing

The Vienna Historical Society will be holding it's Monthly Business Meetings on the 2nd Friday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at the Mill Stream Grange on Rte. 41 in Vienna Village through the summer.

We encourage you to join us to share our enthusiam for the history of the Vienna, Maine Area.

 

Past Events

September 14 - 20, 2008 at the Farmington Fair Exhition Hall - Historical Society presents Turning Back a tribute to the newly indexed stories of the Mt. Vernon-Vienna Area, written by Beverly Wight Smith. A collection of thirty-three essays and one hundred fifty-three photographs that together provide a detailed history of the Mt. Vernon-Vienna Area. Come in and share your stories of early Vienna and Mt. Vernon.

Saturday, August 30. 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the Union Hall - Stephen Scharoun, Archaeology Department Research Supervisor at UMFarmington,gave a presentation on Historical Archaeology in Rural Settings, Nineteenth Century Farming and Small Scale Industry. Admission was free and refreshments were served. About thirty-five people attended.

 

Friday, August 1, 2008 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. the Vienna Historical Society, in conjunction with the Mill Stream Grange, presented a three-part program regarding the works of Jonathan Poor (1807-1845), itinerant Maine mural painter of the early 1800s. Poor was the nephew of famous muralist Rufus Porter, and arguably became the most proficient artist of the Porter school of muralists. Poor married a cousin, Caroline Porter of Vienna, and resided in that town for a number of years.

The program began with an open house viewing of the only known Jonathan Poor mural still in its original location, at the Flying Pond Farm in Vienna, the home of Dr. Harold and Laura Grams. The murals, covering all four walls in an upstairs bedroom, were signed and dated—a rarity for the work of the itinerant artist. The Grams hosted the event at their home, located at 184 Town House Rd/Route 41 just north of Vienna Village.

Following the open house, the Mill Stream Grange had a pot-luck supper at 6:30 p.m. at the Grange Hall on Route 41 in Vienna Village. Everyone was welcome and brought a dish to share.

At 7:30 p.m., the Grange program was given by Jane Radcliffe of Museum Research Associates, located in Hallowell. This was the second in a Summer Lecture Series sponsored by the Vienna Historical Society. Ms. Radcliffe provides collections management services to individuals, museums and historical organizations throughout the United States and abroad, as well as serving in numerous capacities at the Maine State Museum and the Strawberry Banke Museum. Ms. Radcliffe was versed on the works of Jonathan Poor and Rufus Porter, having studied the Porter/Poor murals for over 20 years, and included many images of their works in her presentation. She compared and contrasted the decorative elements on the Flying Pond Farm walls with other identified designs that characterize the work of Rufus Porter (1792-1884) and his nephew Jonathan Poor as they appear in other Maine homes. Ms. Radcliffe presented and supported her theory that many of the Maine murals attributed to Rufus Porter were actually the work of his nephew Jonathan Poor.

Anyone with an interest in the works of Jonathan Poor, Rufus Porter or in Maine Folk Art were welcome to attend any or all of these free events

Thursday & Friday July 24 and 25, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 26 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Vienna Historical Society Plays, featuring "Professor Perkin's Singing Lessons" and "Romance in Vienny" by Beverly Wight Smith and "The Buzz" by Beverly Shaw.

 

 

Friday, June 27, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. at the Union Hall - George F. Melvin, well-known author and Maine Central Railroad expert from Readfield, gave a presentation on Maine Central Railroad Operations in the Central Maine Area.  His presentation included images from his newest book, Maine Central in Color-Volume 3. Admission was free and refreshments were served.