Up, Up and Away into the Future!
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Fuller Mansion – 83 Elm Street – New Home of the Hartland Historical Society
See bottom of page for progress on our ongoing renovations, repairs & upgrades!
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Over the past 20+ years, the Hartland Historical Society has been a grateful recipient and faithful guardian of an incredible collection of historical artifacts, photos, heirlooms, documents and maps graciously donated by dozens and dozens of folks who share an interest in Hartland’s history.
For many years, we were storing our entire collection at the library which unfortunately greatly limited access for us or for any public viewing. As our collection continued to grow and grow (and grow!), our library storage area filled to capacity forcing us to spread some of our collection around in few other safe private storage areas. While this was a “good problem” to have, we recognized the dire need for a viable alternative to safely and securely collect, store and display this precious collection to the public.
At our August meeting in 2022, the Hartland Historical Society committed itself to an aggressive campaign in pursuit of a dedicated home. Membership authorized the creation of a dedicated Create-A-Home Fundraiser in hopes of providing ample funding for a viable option which might present itself as a suitable and sustainable location as a home for the historical society.
Based on our available finances at the time and our humble (but hopeful!) fundraiser expectations, our original considerations for a dedicated home included leasing a room in town which, at the very least, would provide us with a short-term solution to publicly display some of our collection.
Following the initial rollout of the Create-A-Home Fundraiser, there has been incredibly generous and ongoing public support through donations of all sizes to the campaign much to our unanticipated but very grateful delight. This enabled us to then confidently consider an investment to a long-term commitment in a larger and more suitable location to fulfill our ever growing needs. With this gracious financial backing in mind, we continued to research and discuss several potential purchase and construction options brought before membership, however none quite adequately fulfilled our overall requirements as such.
And the search continued…that is, until now!!
We are thrilled to announce our official purchase on May 17, 2024 of the house & lot at 83 Elm Street in Hartland as our future dedicated home! This finely built 10+ room house, often referred to as the Fuller Mansion, has had a few associated names, occupants, modifications and uses since its construction in 1904 and is one of the most recognizable and historically significant properties remaining in Hartland. Much of the house’s history (in-progress) may be found on its new dedicated Fuller Mansion page.
This momentous event would not have been possible without YOUR incredibly generous support of our Create-A-Home Fundraiser allowing us to be in a respectful financial position to seize this rare opportunity when it recently became available. THANK YOU!!
This important and substantial investment in our future is a major step forward in the historical society’s ongoing mission to discover, preserve and, now at last, soon publicly display our vast collection for all those interested in Hartland’s history in this magnificent setting with ample storage but there is now much more to be done to make it our “home”.
With this first goal of securing a dedicated location accomplished, we now turn our attention to the first of several phases of prioritized tasks to transform this grand house into our home including some general deep cleaning and immediately necessary repairs essential for accessibility and public safety for all.
We are fortunate this house was VERY well financed when it was built and no expense was spared for its fine construction with a solid infrastructure and high quality, detailed craftsmanship throughout the building. Understandably, it has not been totally immune to time or weather but has fairly new vinyl siding and the entire roof was recently replaced alleviating any immediate major exterior repair concerns.
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To facilitate these immediate and future phases, we have transitioned the Create-A-Home Fundraiser into our new Make-It-Home Fundraiser campaign. We hope you will please consider a donation of any amount to our new fundraiser and support our ongoing efforts to make this long awaited goal a reality for all. Your generous donation is also tax deductible as we are a registered 501(c) non-profit organization. A couple of our most common options to make a donation are:
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OPTION 1: To make a donation by check, a special form for our Make-It-Home Fundraiser is attached below to print & mail with your check and includes an option to dedicate your donation to a person or group. Unable to print the donation form or just want to mail a check without the 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!
Make It Home Fundraiser Donation Form
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Remit to: Hartland Historical Society
P. O. Box 173
Hartland, ME 04943-0173
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OPTION 2: To make a donation by electronic transfer, use the Donate Button below for our dedicated Make-It-Home Fundraiser PayPal account. This also includes an option to make payment as a Guest using a Credit or Debit Card if you do not have a PayPal account. If you use the PayPal option, we’ll contact you and fill out a donation form for you.
Thank You for Your Support!!
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For further donation options or questions, contact us directly via the email option at the bottom of the Contact Us page.
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The Fuller Mansion was built in 1904 for Mary Isabelle (Linn) Fuller (1856-1933) following the untimely death of her husband Henry Clay Fuller (1854-1903) while he was President of the Linn Woolen Mill originally built by Mary’s father, Archibald Linn. Mary hired Frederick Augustus Tompson (1857-1919) of Portland to design her new home. Mr. Tompson was a prominent architect of his time well known for his designs of dozens of houses, schools, churches and public buildings in the greater Portland area.
A complete set of the original architectural blueprints drawn by Frederick A. Tompson were discovered at the house and presented to the Hartland Historical Society following our acquisition of the property. All 23 pages of blueprints have since been digitized by historical society member Randy Butler and printed for our archives to eventually display selected framed copies for public viewing.
Front Elevation by Frederick A. Tompson for Mary I. Fuller’s New Residence
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Basement Floor Plan by Frederick A. Tompson for Mary I. Fuller’s New Residence
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1st Floor Plan by Frederick A. Tompson for Mary I. Fuller’s New Residence
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2nd Floor Plan by Frederick A. Tompson for Mary I. Fuller’s New Residence
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3rd Floor Plan by Frederick A. Tompson for Mary I. Fuller’s New Residence
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When the house was sold in the early 1960s, it was converted into a private boarding home and numerous modifications were made over the years for insurance, safety and practical purposes. Fortunately, most of the architectural integrity of the house was maintained as it was originally designed and constructed.
A few of the photos taken in 2020 by the previous owners reveal some of the beautiful interior design and fine craftsmanship still found throughout the house. These are some of the numerous spaces we hope to eventually transform into public display and public research areas for our vast collection as funds allow us to move forward.
1st Floor – Library
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1st Floor – Library
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1st Floor – Library
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1st Floor – Front Entrance Hallway seen from Library with entries to the Parlor (with added wall & door) and Dining Room
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1st Floor – Main Staircase from Front Entrance Hallway (with added wall & bathroom)
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1st Floor – Dining Room
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1st Floor – Dining Room with Pocket Doors to Parlor
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1st Floor – Parlor
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1st Floor – Original Kitchen with Butler Pantry to the right
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1st Floor – Kitchen Addition with Original Butler Pantry in background
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2nd Floor – Chamber C – Master Bedroom (with added wall to Alcove)
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2nd Floor – Chamber D
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3rd Floor – Billiards Room
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3rd Floor – Storage Room with Water Cistern on right
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2024 Progress Update!
We had an incredible group of volunteers working very hard throughout the summer on many of our Phase I Projects including a major removal of leftover and unusable items, renovations, repairs and upgrades to begin the first step of making our new home functional, safe, secure and accessible for the public as soon as possible.
We were able to take care of many of the infrastructure items requiring immediate attention including electrical service hookup, a new main water line, a new phone/internet line, repairs to the main sewer line and installation of a new security system.
As it is seen in many of the photos, we’ll mention our current intentions are to leave in place the disconnected whole house fire alarm & sprinkler system installed for the boarding home as the potential for damage by its removal currently outweighs its slightly obtrusive visual effect. We are fortunate great care was taken during its installation and with a little more matching paint, we’ll blend it in for now as best as possible.
While we didn’t get photos of every project we tackled or of every person who graciously volunteered their time, these photos below represent some of the hundreds of hours spent bringing this project a giant step closer to fruition.
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Making our new home accessible to everyone was a high priority we were able to complete with some good ‘ole Maine ingenuity & hard work!
Some Major Prep Work for the new Ramp
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Setting Donated Ramp Platforms
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Getting Closer!
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A quick test just before completion!
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Some of the modifications made for its use as a boarding home included tile flooring throughout the house, the addition of a couple of walls & doors in various locations and new wallpaper or paint. After some major time and effort by our volunteers, we were able to remove most of these alterations in order to reestablish much of the house’s basic original design.
Removal of the 1st Floor Main Staircase Wall
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Removal of the 1st Floor Main Staircase Wall
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Removal of the 1st Floor Main Staircase Wall & Staircase Tile
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Removal of the 1st Floor Main Staircase Wall
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Removal of the 1st Floor Main Staircase Wall
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After learning it was often common back in the day to store various types of house related documents in the newell post, our curiosity got the best of us! Unfortunately, a careful removal of its decorative cap revealed only an empty hollow space but at least we know.
Main Staircase Newel with Cap Removed
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Ready for the Removal of 1st Floor Parlor Wall & Door
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Removal of 1st Floor Parlor Wall
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Removal of 1st Floor Parlor Wall
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Removal of 1st Floor Parlor Wall
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The tile added in the Dining Room was glued directly to the original oak floor making its removal a very difficult and time consuming task which we’ll be continuing in 2025 to restore to its original pristine condition.
Progress of tile removal in 1st Floor Dining Room seen from Parlor
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4 x 8 sheets of thin sub-flooring were installed over the original pine floor in the Parlor before tile was laid making its removal a bit easier but still a major time consuming project. Tentative plans for the Parlor include restoration of the pine floor with area rugs, ceiling repair and a fresh coat of neutral colored paint.
Removal of Sub-Floor & Tile in 1st Floor Parlor
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Removal of Sub-Floor & Tile in 1st Floor Parlor (Plywood for temporary protection)
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Removal of Sub-Floor & Tile in 1st Floor Parlor (Looking toward Dining Room)
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Following the removal of the Main Staircase Wall, work started on the staircase itself to begin renovating it as much as possible to its original state including the removal of the iron rails added to the staircase wall and tile glued directly to all the stairs. Once again, the seemingly impervious glue attempted to hold fast but our volunteers would not be denied! Tentative plans include sanding and finishing the stairs and a fresh coat of paint or period wallpaper for the walls.
Main Staircase Renovation
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Main Staircase Renovation
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Main Staircase Renovation seen from the 2nd Floor
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Fortunately, the original oak floor in the 1st Floor Library was not tiled and is in very good condition. We’ve temporarily covered it with plywood for protection during our renovations pending future plans to give it a nice refinishing as well as installing new period wallpaper.
Library seen from Main Hallway
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Removal of old (not original) wallpaper in Library
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More original pine flooring was uncovered during the removal of sub-floor & tile in the 1st Floor Main Entrance Hallway along with a bonus discovery of an original heating floor vent. Tentative plans include refinishing the pine floor and adding a runner rug along with replacing the old but not original wallpaper.
An original Heating Vent uncovered in the Main Entrance Hallway
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Old Wallpaper Removal in Main Entrance Hallway
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Tile & Wallpaper Removal Completed in Main Entrance Hallway
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Meanwhile in the basement, a MASSIVE and equally important project began to reclaim it as a safe, clean and functional space. First on the long agenda was the removal of many, many trailer loads of unusable items or just plain junk. Following that long and tedious task was the removal of the old and non-functioning furnace and oil tanks installed for the boarding home and the rooms built for their use. With a now relatively clear basement, we were able to begin chasing down a few mystery electrical circuits and find sewer line connections as well as providing some nice additional and usable storage space.
Reclaiming the Basement
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Reclaiming the Basement
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Another major priority in our Phase I Plans was an ADA accessible public bathroom on the 1st floor. There was no bathroom on the 1st floor when the house was originally built and the small one added later under the main staircase for the boarding home was inadequate to meet our needs or the requirements of ADA. A decision was made to convert the laundry room which had been part of a new addition made by the boarding home to the back of the house.
Beginning the conversion of the Laundry Room to a new 1st Floor ADA Bathroom
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Our 1st Floor ADA bathroom with new water lines, floor, sink & toilet ready for the final touches of rails, trim & paint
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Another view of our 1st Floor ADA Bathroom
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Running Water in our new Bathroom Sink!
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The “new” kitchen, which had also been built as part of the addition to the back of the house, is another room we are in the process of renovating to fit our future needs. Removing most of the cabinets, one of the sinks and a very stubborn tile floor proved to be another challenging but worthy project for our volunteers.
Challenge Accepted!
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Along with a fresh coat of paint for the walls and new flooring for the kitchen, our intentions are to clean, repair and install the 1922 Hotpoint Hughes Electric Range seen below at the time we rescued it from the Opera House in 2018 before the building was about to be demolished.
A new home coming soon for this classic 1922 Hotpoint Hughes Electric Range
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Running Water in the Kitchen!
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A Donated Hot Water Tank for the Kitchen Sink!
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The house’s original kitchen, which had been converted into an employee break room for the boarding home, has been designated to become the main work room for the historical society along with a small attached room formerly used as an office for additional storage. Following a major cleaning and removal of unusable items from the space, a fresh coat of primer & paint was applied to the walls and the existing tile floor added for the boarding home was thoroughly cleaned along with some original cabinet restoration.
The “After Cleaning” Kitchen Tile Floor
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Original Kitchen Cabinet after a New Coat of Paint & Hardware Restoration
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Before & After Restoration of Original Kitchen Cabinet Hardware
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Part of the original Kitchen, now our Work Room, with a clean floor, fresh paint on the walls and a donated work table
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While our renovation efforts were primarily focused on the 1st floor, we did complete a major cleaning project on the 2nd & 3rd floors including the removal of a LOT of leftover items. Some of the usable items such as dozens and dozens of blankets were donated, depending on their condition, to the homeless shelter or the humane society in Skowhegan.
We finished up our 1st year of renovations with a couple of wall removals on the 2nd floor including the one between the Master Bedroom (Chamber C) and connecting Alcove, so called, and likely used originally by Mary Fuller as a Dressing Room. Shelving added next to the fireplace was also removed uncovering the Dumb Waiter access door used to lift coal from the basement to the room as seen on the original blueprints.
2nd Floor Wall Removal between Master Bedroom & Alcove
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2nd Floor Wall Removal between Master Bedroom & Alcove
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2nd Floor Wall Removal between Master Bedroom & Alcove
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Final Phase of Shelf Removal to uncover Coal Dumb Waiter Access Door in Master Bedroom
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Uncovered Access Door to Coal Dumb Waiter in Master Bedroom
More Progress Coming in 2025!
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