A Merry Christmas Past

            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 lift the top portion of the cloth, revealed is a small card with a quotation from poet Robert Browning and the message, “We wish you a real old fashioned Merry Christmas and much Happiness in the New Year.” The card is signed Lizzie and Jimmie Wilson.

            A local 1921 newspaper has the following Christmas tidbits. Several groups were selling Christmas seals with the money going toward the prevention of tuberculosis, a serious illness of that time. Another article alerts families that Children’s Book Week was being held at the library. Parents were able to order books for their children’s Christmas gifts. Mr. Hall was the librarian at that time. The ladies of the Congregational Church were holding a sale of “fancy articles” to benefit the church’s bell fund. The other local churches also were advertising Christmas sales of various items.

            Stores were gayly decorated. Gonya’s Clothing Store had a display of “a dainty

little Christmas cottage with cotton snow.” Sadly, it caught fire in some way, but the clerks were able to extinguish the fire and save the Christmas items that were for sale.

A very simple card is dated 1940 and was signed by Earle Wingate, Superintendent of Schools. Made of red construction paper, this card was given to Millinocket students in grades seven through twelve. Also, during the 1940’s, the Millinocket Theater offered special Christmas movies and a Christmas party for local children. Based on the number of children shown in a couple of photos, it was always a big success.

            Holiday photos in the museum’s collection date from the 1950’s or later. One shows Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus distributing gifts at a Christmas party. The back of the photo is marked Harry Carroll and Bertha Walsh. Others depict the municipal parking lot on Penobscot Avenue decked out in holiday finery. Fir trees and greenery everywhere are shown.

            Santa’s Zoo had live animals for young and old alike to see and enjoy. Several deer, raccoons, owls, a fox, and pheasants are seen in the photos. A young boy is shown feeding a small black bear. These photos appear to show two different locations on Penobscot Avenue, one at the current parking lot and the other across the street.