Community Archives Room

Family History – now’s the time!

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Thanksgiving Day is also National Family History Day.  It’s a natural pairing: that time of year when we gather together for family, food, and fun also marks the perfect opportunity to gather family information. “Why didn’t I ask questions when I had the chance?” That’s the #1 rhetorical question we get here in the Archives.  Whether trying to fill gaps in a family tree or hoping to recall or confirm stories from long ago, folks are always wishing they had taken the time to ask questions and record information once upon a time. National Family History Day was actually declared …

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Do you recognize any of these faces?

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Woman, unknown year, Gardiner, Maine. October is American Archives Month, so it couldn’t be more exciting or appropriate that we finally completed renovations of our Community Archives Room and moved back in last week!  We’re still shuffling some things around, settling into the space, and waiting for some furnishings – so, stay tuned for more! In the meantime, some things never change.  As thorough as we try to be with documenting and recording information about historic items and photographs, mysteries will always exist. We have many unidentified portrait photographs in our collection and most offer very few clues as to …

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A Glimpse Into the Past

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Recently I had the opportunity to go play in the archives here at Gardiner Public Library.  And what a fabulous experience it was! One day while I was working in the library, I delivered some books to Dawn, our wonderful Archives Librarian. I happened to mention a well-known house in East Pittston that used to be in our family.  It’s on the Historical Register, and I had some questions about it. We got to talking, and Dawn suggested I come spend some time in the archives on my day off.  I set up a day and time with Dawn, who …

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Historic Photo Mystery – Solved in the Archives!

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Of all the wonderful reference questions we field in the Community Archives Room, some of the most engaging involve identifying photographs and their subjects, relative to Gardiner history.  Often people bring in photos of family members or local buildings and want to know just where or when or why a photo may have been taken.  We have wonderful historic maps and directories, as well as many already-identified photos that help with picking out clues to solve the mystery.  And, inevitably, every “solve” brings out new and enlightening details of our richly historic town. Recently, a  mystery came our way electronically. …

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Things are Shaping up in the Archives…

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Slowly, but steadily, progress has been made on the renovations of the Community Archives Room! We are still a few weeks away from moving out of the reading room and back downstairs, but here are a few hints at what the big picture will look like — and soon! From top to bottom… New Sprinkler Heads Fresh Ceiling Tiles & Efficient, Non-Damaging LED Lights Dimmer Controls for the LEDs     An HVAC System to Control Temperature, Humidity, and Dust Our Beautiful 1881 Gardiner Bricks – Cleaned and Ready for Another Century! Freshly Painted (and Water-Resistant) Walls – with Clean …

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From the Archives

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For a change, I thought I would showcase some postcards that are in the Archives Room.      These postcards, from around 1906, show some of the ships that went up and down the Kennebec River with supplies and people.     If you have old postcards of the Gardiner area that you are willing to donate, the Gardiner Public Library would love to have them.  These postcards are just one of the things that the Archives Room at the library has to show our customers.             Archive Hours –  Tuesday – 10:30 – 7:30 Wednesday – …

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