Greetings all:

It looks as though our old house has survived its 188th winter very well. In fact House and Grounds chairman, Charlie Herr, with his committee, oversaw the painting of the gable-ends last fall and the installation of up-dated, outside storm windows recently. As you might well imagine, old houses have gaps where gaps should not be but outside storm windows, although contemporary, do serve a preservation purpose as well as offering some energy conservation.

When I read a newsletter and the contents pertain to the recent past, the news can seem passe. BUT last fall with the ell complete, it seemed to be the right time to open Mr. and Mrs. Ruggles' house for a Christmas celebration. Simple greens throughout the house, a silent auction of hand-crafted items donated by local artisans and shop-keepers, tea and mulled cider were so festive. We tried out our battery-operated, light sensitive window candles for that extra glow. We used an exquisite silver tea service recently donated to this house in memory of Patty Grant (Mrs. Dick Grant) who had passed away in November from a long illness. She was a collector of buttons, china and a variety of nice things, often favoring the Ruggles House with appropriate gifts.

Larry Smith of Winter Harbor, a director, came with gifts for the house: a rocking chair, a copper wash boiler and a wringer. Our collection of wifely appliances gets more interesting year by year. We thank Larry and Jeanette for their generosity.

Recently Pam Crane, our "resident archaeologist" and director, together with her helper, Anne Wilder, worked on the fireplace remains in the basement; tidying things a bit and re-arranging some artifacts near the fireplace. They also spent sometime photographing works of art too large to be scanned. This will allow us to have images small enough to work with and to reproduce more easily.

Speaking of photography, a visitor to the house last season and a new Harrington resident, Nancy McGinnis, volunteered to take slides of items and views in the house which she considers a little out of the ordinary, such as items in the children's room. Being a professional and published photographer, we didn't need to think twice of her offer and thank Nancy for her generosity, time and talent. We will be able to use the slides in advertising, in slide shows to the public, on our web site or in note cards.

Of late we have become aware of Ruggles family items for sale. Some appeared on E-Bay recently and included an offering of four paper documents as follows:

1. From the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, May 19, 1817, appointing Thomas Ruggles as Justice of the Peace in Washington County.
2. A certificate, 1821, advising William Henry Ruggles of his election as Lieutenant of the Calvary, 3rd Division, Militia of Maine.
3. A certificate announcing the election of William Henry Ruggles as Lieutenant of a company of Calvary in the 2nd brigade, 3rd division of militia July 19, 1823.
4. Certificate of August 20, 1829 advising of the election of Frederick A. Ruggles of Columbia to the Infantry in the 1st Regiment, in the 2nd Brigade, 7th Division of the Maine Militia.

Because we who are not snow bunnies nor winter travelers were left to carry on and have no expertise with E-bay nor ephemera, we sought the advice and guidance of a friend in Sedgwick who acted as our agent and successfully obtained these documents. Why, you ask, might these militia documents, of nearly 200 years ago be of interest to the Ruggles House Society? In the small room behind the stairs at the Ruggles House where we display family images, there hangs a large charcoal drawing of a handsome gentleman in a uniform. Could it be William Henry, second son of Thomas and Ruth, born 1798. Or could he be Frederick Augustus, born in 1801, pictured in his militia uniform. William lived only until 1841 and died childless. In 1847 Frederick married Caroline Stone Bucknam. In 1850 their first living child and daughter, Emily Bucknam is born and in 1852 Lizzie (Elizabeth) Maria is born. Both daughters had an innate talent for art with many of their drawings in charcoal and pastels remaining in the Ruggles House collection. There are portraits, landscapes and building renderings. None of the art work is documented, most pieces are not signed although Emily signed a few "EBR" and Lizzie signed some. As Emily died in 1887 at age 37, we assume that fewer of the pieces are of her hand as her life was shorter. Quite possibly our mystery-man is Frederick, lovingly drawn by his daughter, Lizzie, and we now have supporting papers that he was in the militia. Lizzie, by the way, was the last Ruggles family member to live in the house, dying childless and unmarried in 1920. The House always remained in the ownership of the Ruggles family.

Of interest to you who have admired the drawings of Emily and Lizzie, is a project undertaken by our vice-president and indispensable director, Nancy Herr. She has selected and scanned some of the smaller drawings and reproduced them on note cards and Christmas cards which may be purchased at the house after June 1st and soon to be offered on our web site. She's also considering reproducing some for framing. Many are truly a touch of yesteryear with horses and sleighs, etc.

Usually we don't go "public" with ideas this far in advance but we have made the acquaintance of Hugh French, director of the Tides Institute and Museum of Art. They are located in the old Eastport Savings Bank, in Eastport and are trying to not only upgrade the building but to curate exhibits for their museum and to offer affiliated programs. He recently visited the Ruggles House to ask if we might be interested in a co-operative program, possibly a museum trail of like minded facilities in Hancock and Washington Counties. Realization of this dream from idea to a happening is at least two years in the future but with the opening of the new bridge over the Penobscot River in Verona soon and Ruggles House Society's long talked about desire to develop possibly an old-house trail, this seems like an opportunity for us all. It takes so long to gather responsible volunteers, funding and ideas that we just want you to know that we are working on an exciting project. Maybe you don't know about "Tides" and might like to visit in person or virtually. This is a project that must happen.

Over the winter those interested in planning for the future of Ruggles House, have gathered to update our Long Range Plan. In looking at the 1999 document, much has been accomplished: the capital campaign, solid growth in the endowment account, a sound investment policy, up-dated by-laws, a new acquisition policy in place, an accurate inventory of furnishings and artifacts, expanded programs and the completion of the ell addition. We have reviewed the past, reminded ourselves of some things we still need to attend to and should soon embark in looking toward the future. We've already mentioned the need to work with other organizations and with the recent availability of Ruggles Family items on E-bay and in the antiques market, an acquisition committee is a must. Should you have ideas or comments, your feedback would be most welcome by e-mail , by mail Ruggles House, P. O. Box 116, Columbia Falls, ME. 04623, or by telephone at the House after June 1 207-483-4637.

Each spring within the newsletter we include an envelope for those who wish to be members of the Ruggles House Society. Although we have a growing endowment which gives us a modest income to ensure the continuation of the society and its programs, outside monies are necessary. For the annual meeting in July, our treasurer and others will develop a budget for the next year based on fixed expenses, building maintenance projects, interior up-keep and even a small reserve for acquisitions. These expenses cannot exceed our income. Then there are the unexpected expenses which may or may not be attended to at the time. As an example we have known for sometime of the availability of a card table, probably a Ruggles piece and a mate to one already at the house. On a handshake we have agreed to purchase this table. We'd be foolish not to. Without your membership donations and other funds, our Society's activities would be stagnant, the house again could revert to its former derelict appearance and the legacy of Thomas Ruggles would be lost to the ages. Thanks for listening.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

May 20 Directors Meeting 1PM Columbia Falls Community Center

May 27 Annual plant sale 9AM to sellout, driveway of the House

June 1 House Open regular time

July 9 Annual Ice Cream Social 1-3 on the House grounds

July 29 Directors Annual Meeting (tentative date)

October 7 Directors meeting (tentative date)

October 15th House closes for the season.

Linda Long, President

For family genealogy information, please contact Ruggles House Society, Ellen Tenan, Secretary, 298 Tenan Lane, Cherryfield, Me. 04622. Winter phone is 207-546-7903. Email etenan@ruggleshouse.org