Description: Bowl. White earthenware with red and pink rose clusters (underglaze decals) on interior; exterior has plain embossed scroll work and no rose decals. No maker's marks or ID.
Description: Bowl. Beige earthenware with over-glaze daffodil decals on interior and exterior. Maker's ID on bottom shows a circle with Dale Hall Pottery England readable, with probably a big D and H combination logo in center of circle. Dale Hall seems to have been a late 19th century(ca. 1890) pottery works.
Description: Light fixture. Glass globe from donor's kitchen ceiling light with connections and cap. White glass with two blue lines and pale blue band between them; brass base is painted beige.
Description: Spoon, silver plated, makers mark: (star) ROGERS & BRO. A1, with daffodil motif on bowl and handle and engraved italic M on handle, from Preble house
Description: Bowl. Red earthenware with beige glaze; green and orange dripped pattern. Made and donated by GCI potter, Lillian Samenfeld Island Pottery which operated in the studio barn next to what is now the Bradley house. Samenfeld was a member of the faculty of the Brooklyn Museum Art School.
Description: Game. Metal “Beano” cage. Round wire-mesh ball containing many lightweight wooden balls (.5" diam) each stamped with a letter (B,I,N,G,O) and a number (from 1 to at least 70), on a wire stand with wire crank that spins the balls, a latch for an opening where balls can be taken in and out, and a little metal cup stamped "LOWE" where a single ball would tumble into. This game was played at the firehouse 1950s and beyond.
Description: Doll: common hair china doll, 22" tall with underclothes, pink skirt and shirt, leather arms andn cloth body. Ceramic head is cracked and mended, leather hands frayed, underclothes probably original; donor believed the pink floral, ruffled skirt and top were original and the doll was at least 100 years old. This doll is from the Towns house, a.k.a. Crosby farm, Bayview Farm, or Red House.
Description: Bowl. Wood, wide and shallow, perhaps for making butter, but many short cut marks evident mid-way along sides but not in center of bowl.Turned lathe rings visible on inside and outside of bowl. Deep crack across middle.
Description: Ship's log, used as child's notebook by Emery Richardson, poor condition (found in Bob LaHotan's barn when he cleaned it 2001). A child used it for practicing letters and drawing sailboats.
Description: Clothing. Blue and gold Rooster Club ball cap and green Rooster Club tee shirt. The Rooster Club was the men's answer to the elite women's Cranberry Club. Members included Arvard Savage, Doc Haydock, Charlie Rice, and Victor [White]?. Club house was behind Haydock's house.
Description: Hats and tobacco brick. (A) One flat-topped, black, wool cap with braiding above the visor in poor condition -sometimes called a Greek fisherman's cap. Brand name inside is worn off but begins with G. Style may be 100 years old. Perhaps Lewis Stanley's captain's hat (brother of Carrie Richardson). (B) One oilskin, tan, rain hat in poor condition, size 7 and 1/4. (C) One long, flat tobacco brick (10.5" x 2.5" x .5"). "The rectangular block is tobacco, probably to scrape off into the bowl of a pipe." - Bruce Komusin's note Fall 2008. Donor stated items were "found in Carrie Richardson's house under the stairwell during renovation." (The Stanley-Richardson house is now the Heliker-LaHotan Foundation house.) Also,"the photo of Carrie?? [Richardson] and man with telephone standing by canon was given at same time. [Photo not present during 2013 review.] [show more]
Description: Basket and lid, very small barrel shaped, flat bottom, made of braided sweetgrass or twine, and perhaps ash strips, with a blue card inside, probably from Smart Studio, reading "Antique Penobscot Indian Sweetgrass Basket, late 1800s, $55". This may be one of several Indigenous American basketry items collected by Mary E. Shaw (Mrs. Norman Shaw) ca. 1980-2000, who ran the Dancing Deer gift shop in Bar Harbor. She eventually sold them to Wini Smart's daughter, Gail, (per Mrs. Shaw visit 9/25/14). [show more]
Description: Basketry, Collection of 2 Indigenous American Indian crafted sweetgrass braids, one (25" L x 0.5" W) decorated with colorful yarn, likely bought at the Abbe Museum by Wini Smart a few years after 2000, the other (39" L x 0.5" W) tied with yellow yarn; both intended to waft a sweet smell into a room
Description: Clothing: Blue sea captain's jacket with insignia on right sleeve and eight brass buttons with anchors; Blue vest; Blue tie; White cap (hat) with blue visor (size 7); Blue jeans; Black rubber lobsterman's boots; Corn cob pipe. All but the pipe belonged to Elwood Spurling, Phil Whitney's maternal grandfather. The pipe belonged to Philmore Whitney.
Description: Pottery, Collection of 3 clay pieces made on GCI by Janet Roberts, showing how local indigenous groups, might have made a cooking pot; a) proto-bottom showing the coiling of clay rope to form a surface, 2.5" diam; b) continuing spiraling the clay rope upwards to make a wall, and a part cut away to better show the construction, 3.5" diam x 2" H; c) smoothed, decorated, and fired final pot with incised chevrons near the mouth, raked on the body, also net-like impresses on the body, and a rounded bottom, 5.5" L, 4.25" diam, 0.5" thick [show more]
Description: Used by Wilfred S. Trussell and Harvey Everett Bulger. Tool, boat compass in wooden binnacle box with window (brass, wood, paper, iron and glass). Compass card diameter 3.5", gimbal ring 5", interior box: 6.25" x 6.25"; exterior box: 7" x 11" x 8.5" H. North arrow has fleur d' lis motif. Compass was used by Wilfred S. Trussell (1869-1911) and/or Harvey (Harry) Everett Bulger (b.1883-d.<1911), who were husbands of Sadie Anna Harding (b.1879- d. after 1911) who once lived in the Cox now Dalton house (2016) on GCI. Sadie Harding married Trussell 1898 and Bulger 1919. No visible manufacturer or maker marks. Ralph Stanley examined this compass 2016 and believes it's a liquid (alcohol) compass after locating the corroded nut covering the fill-hole in the rim of the compass bowl. He also noted the quadrant markings on the sides of the compass. Per Stanley, Trussell had a sloop and this type of compass was used in boats of that size. It may indeed have been the compass that guided Trussell home during one particular storm (see Stanley's forthcoming book 2017). Stanley thinks it's a liquid compass about 100 years old and could have been purchased at any local marine goods store, but the box was specially made perhaps by Leslie Rice. Michael Macfarlan believes this could be a Ritchie compass and the hole in the wooden case with the shield above it would have been for a battery-powered light (not a candle). One or two large batteries would have been housed in the box's rear compartment. (Box hardware is too corroded to remove and investigate.) Stanley believes a wire to the light would have been wired to the engine. By email 2016, Ben Fuller at Penobscott Marine Museum suggests this compass would be suitable for small schooner or sloop large enough to be sailed at night, suggesting the Smithsonian's NMAH website: amhistory.si.edu/navigation/type.cfm?typeid=3 for further investigation. NMAH Website states: "Simple marine compasses have a magnetized needle attached to the bottom of a paper card, and are inherently unstable. Since the 1850s, scientists and instrument makers have struggled to solve this problem. One solution, pioneered by E. S. Ritchie in the United States, was to float the magnetic needle in a bowl of liquid...." (For genealogy see 2016.337.2103 Index p. 3 and p. 15, records p. 400 and 400A) (See also 2015.350.2115 for possible photo of Wilfred Trussel.) [show more]
Description: Lamp, old schooner or boat running light found in archives 2016. Wood, thickly layer of green paint with layer of red underneath, clear semi-circular glass lens, two wires running from inside lamp to exterior. Would likely have sat starboard (right) side as the light is painted green. A red light would sit on the dock (left) side so you can see which direction the boat is going even in the dark.
Description: Equipment. Drafting or drawing board. Wood board with a wooden ruler-like guide that slides out for use in making straight edges. Small black ink stamp of a schooner under sail at top of guide, and "Tarbell G. W" written in pencil on the back of the guide. A larger black ink print of same schooner under sail with inked signature "G. Tarbell" stamped on front center of the drafting board. To right of schooner stamp, upside down in script pencil "Gridley & Tarbell"; many tack holes and some faint pencil marks on board including "October 12, 1926". [show more]
Description: Quilt. Probably a GCI school quilt ca. 1995. Cotton, solid pink and floral borders and stripes; beige 11" x 10.5" squares with children's magic-marker drawings; many squares have names indicated: Starting left to right top left square: peace sign, Stoney may have been a dog, moon with guitar no name; sunflower with initials M.G. (Molly Gray); Heath Wedge with boat; Hillary Savage, Keith Wedge, Seth Gray, Brendon Westphal, sunrise over hills and motor bike (no name); baseball bats with G.W. (Gabriel Westphal); motorcycle and hockey sticks P.A. (Patrick Allen); school room scene Mrs. P (can't figure out name); Amy Russell 1994-1995; Sailboat panel: NYCVH 1067 on hull, Mandy Bracy. Note: The children's squares are not embroidered or stitched but simply drawn with magic markers. [show more]
Description: Quilt, postage stamp style of various colors including double pinks and brown madders with solid brown backing brought around to front with mitered corners creating a brown binding. Quilt is 97" x 75" with 1 3/8" squares. Handwritten note attached: "Quilt top pieced by Ladies from our 'Aid' in 1903 as a welcome home gift to Cara (Carrie) Richardson who had been her own captain and navigator on her second trip to the Orient in Peter's boat which she inherited on his death. Her house is near Carolyn Liebow's." [Note here that "Orient" may just mean away from Maine, per Ralph Stanley.] Mary Katherine "Carrie" Stanley Richardson (1848-1920) was the daughter of Enoch B. Sr. and Caroline H. (Guptill) Stanley. Capt. Lewis G. Stanley was her brother. She was the second wife of Capt. Meltiah Richardson (1828-1901) and mother of Emery Willard Richardson (1873-1883) and Charles Emery “Peter” Richardson (1885-1971). She attended higher education in Boston. She traveled with her husband on his vessel the Carrie M. Richardson and was an expert celestial navigator. Carrie is buried in the Stanley Cemetery. In 2001, the Great Cranberry Island Historical Society wrote and produced the original play, Carrie Richardson of Big Cranberry. [show more]