‘Pure New England grit’
Suzanne Rankin portrays 1800s Wiscasset dressmaker Rachel Quin at the June 21 opening of the Wiscasset Museum in the Streets self-guided walking tour. SUSAN JOHNS/Wiscasset Newspaper
From left, Cindy Fischer, Peggy Konitzky, Suzanne Rankin, Kitty Wheeler, Ed Kavanagh (turning to cut ribbon), Michelle Roberge, Mary Ellen Barnes, Susan Robson and Ronn Orenstein take part in the ribbon-cutting at the June 21 opening of the walking tour, Wiscasset Museum in the Streets. SUSAN JOHNS/Wiscasset Newspaper
Former Wiscasset Town Manager Laurie Smith speaks at the Wiscasset Museum in the Streets opening, held June 21 on the Wiscasset waterfront. SUSAN JOHNS/Wiscasset Newspaper
Suzanne Rankin portrays 1800s Wiscasset dressmaker Rachel Quin at the June 21 opening of the Wiscasset Museum in the Streets self-guided walking tour. SUSAN JOHNS/Wiscasset Newspaper
From left, Cindy Fischer, Peggy Konitzky, Suzanne Rankin, Kitty Wheeler, Ed Kavanagh (turning to cut ribbon), Michelle Roberge, Mary Ellen Barnes, Susan Robson and Ronn Orenstein take part in the ribbon-cutting at the June 21 opening of the walking tour, Wiscasset Museum in the Streets. SUSAN JOHNS/Wiscasset Newspaper
Former Wiscasset Town Manager Laurie Smith speaks at the Wiscasset Museum in the Streets opening, held June 21 on the Wiscasset waterfront. SUSAN JOHNS/Wiscasset Newspaper
History is really about the story, Historic New England's Peggy Konitzky said; and now people walking Wiscasset's streets can learn the stories of its people.
Konitzky was speaking June 21 on the waterfront, at a ribbon-cutting for the new, self-guided Museum in the Streets walking tour. The ceremony capped about four years of planning, fundraising and other work to post panels with photographs and information, and outfit some of the stops with glossy brochures.
Selectmen's Chairman Pam Dunning, former Wiscasset town manager Laurie Smith and other speakers praised the volunteer committee that saw the project to fruition.
“That to me is pure patriotism, pure community, pure down in your soul, pure New England grit, to not just get it done, but get it done right,” Dunning said.
The first day of summer delivered sun and a light breeze for the tour’s opening.
In 1800s-style dress, Suzanne Rankin mingled and later took to the microphone as Rachel “Marm” Quin, a midwife and dressmaker who lived at Wiscasset's Lilac Cottage around the early 1800s.
Staying in historic character, Rankin told Saturday’s crowd everyone there was dressed strangely to her.
Volunteers cited the years-long, sometimes bumpy path to the project's completion. Ed Kavanagh likened it to childbirth.
Fellow committee member Ronn Orenstein said he hopes the tour will encourage people to walk the town and see that they're not just looking at a bunch of old buildings. “There were many people that came before us that gave us this history,” he said in an interview before the ceremony.
Gov. Paul LePage sent his congratulations in a letter. “Today’s unveiling of the panels is the result of your dedication and centuries of rich history. Thank you for preserving Wiscasset’s heritage for Mainers today and generations to come,” LePage wrote. “You should be proud.”
A letter from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also praised the group’s efforts. “Instead of simply admiring this picturesque coastal town, viewers (of the panels) can now discover its rich historical background with ease. The noteworthy tour acknowledges that we are all responsible for the preservation of our historical, social, artistic and environmental heritage.”
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