LIVERMORE — The Washburn-Norlands Living History Center announces discounted admission for Appreciation Day on Thursday, Aug. 30, the last day the Norlands will be open for the summer.
The 1867 Washburn mansion, farmer’s cottage, and one-room schoolhouse will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. People can meet the characters of Norlands’ neighborhood.
Interpreters, dressed in period clothing, portray people from the Norlands in the 1800s. At the 1853 schoolhouse schoolmaster Hiram Briggs will practicing penmanship and hold a spelling bee.
In the mansion are furnishings of a late 19th-century Victorian estate, and the farmer’s cottage will offer a glimpse of baking.
The Norlands is a multi-faceted museum and working farm offering in-depth experiences in 19th-century rural Maine life. It is the ancestral home of Livermore’s Washburn family, one of America’s great political and industrious families of the 19th century.
Israel Washburn Jr. was Maine’s Civil War governor. His brother Cadwallader was governor of Wisconsin. Israel, Cadwallader and their brother Elihu served in Congress at the same time, representing three different states.
As industrialists, the brothers’ achievements included the founding of the Washburn-Crosby Gold Medal Flour Co., the invention of a typewriter and serving as president of a railroad.
Refreshments will be available in the farmer’s cottage while supplies last. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the grounds.
Admission for Aug. 30 is $5 per person; $3 for ages 12 and younger; $15 for families of two adults and up to three children under age 18.
The Norlands is located at 290 Norlands Road. For more information, visit www.norlands.org.
Schoolmaster Hiram Briggs awaits scholars in the one-room schoolhouse at Washburn-Norlands Living History Center in Livermore. (Garnett Rutherford photo)
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