BETHEL — The Bethel Historical Society will hold a presentation and plaque dedication on the life of Molly Ockett, a Native American of the Pequawket tribe, who is honored annually during MollyOckett Day.
The presentation will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11, at the Dr. Moses Mason House.
Society Executive Director Randall Bennett said the afternoon will begin with a “20- to 25-minute presentation by Cathy Newell, a former Bethel Historical Society president,” on the life of Molly Ockett.
“Cathy wrote a book about Molly Ockett that we’ve been selling for years, and it’s recently been updated and reprinted,” Bennett said.
Following Newell’s presentation, the Molly Ockett Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Fryeburg will mark the 200th anniversary of Molly Ockett’s death by dedicating a memorial plaque in the courtyard garden of the Dr. Moses Mason House. The bronze plaque is mounted on a slab of granite.
“The Molly Ockett Chapter has been very generous to us in the past,” Bennett said. In 2000, the chapter purchased and donated a “very large museum-quality display case” for the society’s Molly Ockett room.
“After we had scheduled the Cathy Newell talk in honor of the 200th anniversary of Molly Ockett’s death, we received a call from the Daughters of the American Revolution in Fryeburg, and they said they’d like to commemorate Molly Ockett’s life,” Bennett said.
“We have (the plaque) covered right now, and will officially uncover it on Aug. 11, when we hold the ceremony,” Bennett said. “It’s surrounded by plants and herbs, which is perfect, because Molly Ockett had all kinds of knowledge about how plants and herbs would sooth fevers, headaches, or stop bleeding.”
For more information, call the society at 824-2908.
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