Sunday, June 5, 2011

Penobscot Marine Museum and Acadia Fiber Faire 2011

Two weeks ago was the very wonderful Maine Fiber Frolic in Windsor, Maine, and I hope you all were there. On Saturday of the fair my husband and daughter manned the Knitting Out Loud booth and on Sunday my dear friend, road trip buddy and all around life-saver Karen Jelenfy left Village Books (in the hands of her daughter and my daughter and her blacksmith husband Jeff) to man the booth. Thank you all of you!!!

I was here that weekend,
at the Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport, Maine, in the Fowler True Ross House (the "ell" of which is pictured above) giving people guided tours. The ell shown above is the original part of the house, built sometime between 1801 and 1815. It was built as a two room house with a central chimney. Seven children were raised in those two rooms. Miles and Jane Fowler bought the house in 1815 and raised their four children in the two rooms.

Below is the fireplace over which their meals were cooked.
Ship building was big business in coastal Maine in the 19th century. During the 19th century Searsport built over two hundred sailing vessels and provided ten percent of America's deep water ship captains.

By 1837 Miles Fowler had made enough money to build a grand seven room Federal style house attached to the original house.
Above is the master bedroom with a fancy water basin.


Below is a shadow box of a ship in the children's bedroom.

Dolls furniture below.
Below is the Captain's study. The chairs are from Burma.

The painting below is by Dolly Smith (1824-1891) of a ship captain's daughter.

And here are my photographs from the Acadia Fiber Fair which was on May 21st (but I'm not behind with anything!). This the adorable daughter of a family friend whom we took with us on summer vacations to Vinalhaven when she was a child. You can see she is a knitter.

Finnish born sculptor Melita Westerlund-Brecher was at this event with a stunning sweater.
This sweater was made without a pattern out of odds and ends, says Melita.

We are having a fabulous summer here in Maine! The gardens are lush, the air is sweet, the sky is a gorgeous blue. Photos of the garden are coming...
-Kathy

2 comments:

t does wool said...

what a beautiful and interesting place to visit~

Knitting Out Loud said...

Yes, it is! You all should come!