Odds and Ends From The MUSEUM!        By Trudy Wyman, Curator, Millinocket Society Museum   A phonograph was first demonstrated by Thomas Edison in 1877. His device recorded sound vibrations onto a tin foil cylinder which could then be played back.  In the 1880’s, Emil Berliner improved on Edison’s design by producing the gramophone. This machine played flat discs rather than cylinders. These inventions allowed music to be in homes in a ways and individuals and families star

Garrett Schenck, one of the founders of Great Northern Paper Company and its first president, had a home built in Millinocket. Most of the company’s presidents and founders did not reside in Millinocket. The Schenck house at 4 Hill St. still stands although in recent years, it has housed some businesses. The house has an interesting story as told in the Dorothy Laverty book So You Live In Millinocket? The Schenck home was built in 1907 with its foundation made of pieces of m

The ABC’s of some 2025 donations to the museum…from the ordinary to the unusual! A- Arrowheads, Advertisement (Fuller Furniture), Airport/airplane photos 1960’s B- Braille typewriter, Bank (coin bank Millinocket Trust), Boy Scout badges C- Communications equipment from MFD 1960’s-2000’s, Core (section paper roll core) D- DVD 5 th St. John Pond & East Branch 1937, SHS debate League program 1939E- End of summer playground parade photo F- Flags (flown Katahdin, Hawaii & Alaska

Happy Holidays from the Millinocket Historical Society! The holidays have been celebrated in many ways in Millinocket and the Katahdin region over the years. The museum’s collection has some items representing Christmas in this area.             The oldest item, no date, is a handmade card the size of an index card with an embossed scalloped edging secured with a piece of cloth.  The cloth has delicate embroidery with stitches outlining various flowers and leaves.  If you lif

From its beginning, Millinocket has been a musical community…bands, choirs, soloists and more. The earliest schools presented musical events, there was a town band. There were musical stars and other music performances at the ballfield. Music was a large part of everything happening in the booming town and down through the years. In the early days, Millinocket was isolated and the first “music stars” were locals. In 1901, there were several people offering music lessons (voi

“A Thrilling Tale of the River Drivers of Ripogenus, as We Boys Heard It from the Duke of Argyle.”  This story is a bit of folklore often told by river drivers in early days. The story takes place on the drive in the river near where Rip Dam would be built and features the mythical Miramichi Indian whose exploits rivaled those of Paul Bunyan. The Lewiston Journal Illustrated Magazine, July 6, 1935, has the story as related by Willard Pond (a river driver known as the Duke of