Dawn Thistle, Special Collections Librarian, Author at Gardiner Public Library

Summer’s here! Don’t forget to write!

June 22, 2019 by Dawn Thistle, Special Collections Librarian

School is out; the weather’s warm; it’s time to hit the road, explore old (and new!) favorite places, and share your adventures and travels with friends and family. Long before Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, postcards were the way to drop a line and keep folks up to date. We have a wonderful collection of Gardiner-themed postcards in our Community Archives Room. Many of them depict scenes around town, but there are also quite a few that were more generic, novelty cards into which Anytown, USA, could be inserted — and Gardiner was not to be left out of the fun! …

Following Clues to Restore an Historic Cemetery (more clues still needed!)

February 14, 2022November 22, 2017 by Dawn Thistle, Special Collections Librarian

Have you recently noticed a “new” cemetery emerging on Dresden Avenue across from the Common? What you are actually witnessing is the re-emergence of the oldest identifiable burial ground in Gardiner. With stones dating back to 1791, the “Old Churchyard” actually takes us back to the days when Gardinerston was known as Pittston, Robert Hallowell Gardiner was just a boy, and Revolutionary War General Henry Dearborn lived where the library now stands. The churchyard was originally consecrated for those who worshiped at St. Ann’s, an Episcopal church established at the behest of Sylvester Gardiner and the first church built in …

An Archival Vacation…

February 14, 2022August 25, 2017 by Dawn Thistle, Special Collections Librarian

No matter what you have planned (or what may already be planned for you) you can always take an armchair vacation in the Archives! Here are some pleasure-seeking snaps from our collection, because wanting to savor every ounce of summer is not just a modern thing here in Maine…. Whether boating or swimming… Among close friends or with a crowd… At a lake or on the ocean… With your special someone or the whole family… Playing hard or taking it easy… Catching up on reading or staying ahead of the traffic… Hitting the open road or plying the open water… …

An Archival Mystery… Solved in the Children’s Room!

July 18, 2017June 24, 2017 by Dawn Thistle, Special Collections Librarian

Have you ever wondered about the large metal book press solidly fastened to the circulation desk in the Children’s Room? I hadn’t given it much thought, myself, long assuming that it was just a helpful fixture in the library. We use it to repair books and it couldn’t be handier. Working in the Community Archives Room (and relatively obsessed with all things historical in the library), I had read the plaque on the counter and knew that the desk had stood in a long-operating, family-owned insurance office here in Gardiner for many, many years. Somehow, however, I never paused to …

Latest Additions to the Archives!

June 4, 2017March 11, 2017 by Dawn Thistle, Special Collections Librarian

Recent donation by a life-long Gardiner, Maine resident to the Gardiner Public Library, Gardiner, Maine.

We have received an amazing donation of more than 50 historic, Gardiner-centric scrapbooks: These gems were kept by a life-long Gardiner resident and encompass primarily local happenings (along with some regional and national highlights) from the early 1930s all the way through the 1990s & early 2000s. The detail is impeccable and many of the clippings are entirely new to our collection. They are a treasure that we are delighted to preserve and make accessible to researchers, generations to come, and anyone interested NOW! They contain SO much that we have only just begun to fathom their depths — …

New Year’s Resolutions – Archivally Inspired!

February 14, 2022December 31, 2016 by Dawn Thistle, Special Collections Librarian

Whether or not you’re committing to New Year’s Resolutions (or Intentions) this year, here are some great photos from our Community Archives Room that might help inspire us all to stick to our ideals in 2017…. Lose Weight Gardiner’s 1911 Police Force collectively weighed 2,800 pounds, winning a nationwide contest! Save Money Now Camden Savings Bank, Gardiner Savings Institution built their ultra-modern facility in the 1950s. Eat Healthier MacDonald’s Bakery opened in 1921 and operated for over 70 years where the Craft Beer Cellar is now. Spend More Time Outdoors Shown here in the 1920s, Spring Cove on …