Up, Up and Away into the Future!
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One of hundreds of original photographs from our collection currently in storage
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Update June 14, 2023: Negotiations with the Irving Tanning Community Center have been paused due to an issue with leaks in the roof which include the area over the proposed room. This has, of course, caused us great concern for potential damage to our collection should it be located there before repairs are made. We are grateful ITCC continues to pursue a solution and recognize they also have financial restraints they must address in order to make roof repairs for the entire building.
This does NOT change by any means our ultimate goal to secure a home for the historical society in the near future. We remain 100% committed to bring this vital project to fruition with your continued support. Furthermore, your gracious and substantial donations thus far to our Create-A-Home Fundraiser Campaign have enabled us to now confidently consider an investment in other long-term options to secure a dedicated permanent home owned by the historical society in lieu of renting a smaller short-term space. Thank you!
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As we passed through the 202nd year of the incorporation of Hartland, the Hartland Historical Society found itself more than ever in dire need of a dedicated home for our precious collection of historical photos, documents, maps and artifacts which have been graciously donated and accumulated over the years.
Our small, primary storage space at the Hartland Public Library is literally stuffed to capacity so we have been forced to store some of our collection at individual homes or anywhere free space could be found. These unfavorable storage options make accessing our collection to further catalog and digitize it very difficult and obviously makes public viewing impossible. However, we remained very positive despite this bitter-sweet position of having a huge collection of historical items without a dedicated home. It’s a good problem to have!
While our search continued for a proper home, we decided to set up this website so we could, at the very least, virtually present the history of Hartland as well as share photos of much of our collection for those interested both locally and around the country. As delighted as we are with our website, we are still faced our biggest enduring obstacle; not having our own dedicated home to effectively store and locally display our substantial historical collection.
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At our August meeting in 2022, the Hartland Historical Society committed itself to an aggressive campaign in pursuit of a physical home. Members authorized the creation of a dedicated Create-A-Home Fundraiser to provide ample long-term funding for any viable option which might present itself as a suitable and sustainable location as a home for the historical society. To facilitate the fundraising project, society members Deborah Tapley and Stacy Halford graciously volunteered to head a Create-A-Home Fundraiser Committee and were joined in the fundraising effort by Elmer Littlefield to oversee donation requests, donation receipts and proper distribution of donations which will be used exclusively for the Create-A-Home Fund.
Our first option for consideration was a proposal by the Irving Tanning Community Center to rent a single room annually at their facility on Elm Street allowing us to convert the room into a dedicated space for the historical society. There were some just concerns discussed about the size of the proposed room being large enough for our overall needs as well as considerations of the society’s future interests whether to rent a room on a short-term basis versus a long-term investment in our own facility. We agreed, however, the room did have enough potential to consider as an option and members voted unanimously to enter into negotiations with ITCC to further explore the details of the proposal.
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We are humbly asking for donations to our Hartland Historical Society Create-A-Home Fundraiser so we may secure and maintain a suitable location to effectively store, catalog, further digitize and share our vast collection of historical Hartland related items with the public.
Your generous donation is also tax deductible as we are a registered 501(c) non-profit organization. We hope you will please consider a donation of any amount to our Create-A-Home Fundraiser and join our ongoing efforts to make this long awaited goal a reality for all. The excitement is HIGH!!
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We’ve recently added a couple of options to make your donation by either check or electronically via our secure PayPal account which also includes a choice to use a Credit or Debit Card if you do not have a PayPal account.
If donating by check, a special form for our Create-A-Home Fundraiser is attached below to mail with your check and includes an option to dedicate your donation. Unable to print the donation form? No problem! Just send along your phone number or email address with your check and we’ll be happy to contact you and fill out the form for you!
Create-A-Home Fundraiser Donation Form
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If you use the PayPal donation option below, we’ll email you and fill out a donation form for you. Please note Create-A-Home in the transaction.
Donate to the Create-A-Home Fundraiser via PayPal
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For further information or questions, contact us directly via the email option at the bottom of the Contact Us page.
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The proposed room option at ITCC for the Hartland Historical Society
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A small sample below of the many historical artifacts donated to us which are currently in storage. With your help, we’ll be able to properly display these in a dedicated space along with our vast collection of photos, maps and documents. You’ll find more examples on our Artifacts Collection page and throughout our website.
Restored Vogel “Gold Toilet” from Opera House/Town Hall
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Moor Sawmill Sign
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Thomas A. Linn 32nd Degree Mason Shaving Cup
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Sebasticook Walking Skirt made by Fuller-Osborne Manufacturing Company of Hartland
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Hartland Drug Store Medicine Bottle
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Original 1892 Hartland Town Hall Grand Opening Poster