Dear Chebeague Community,
2024 has been an important year for the Historical Society.
- Our permanent exhibit, “Creating a Sense of Place: The Evolution of the Community of Chebeague”, opened in July, and the feedback from 700+ visitors has been extremely positive. The exhibit covers the major aspects of our island’s history, including indigenous peoples, agriculture, education, fishing, summer visitors, and World Wars I and II.
- A favorite event, the bi-annual CIHS House Tour, returned in 2024. On August 13th, six gracious homeowners opened their homes for the tour. Sponsorship support was strong, and ticket sales set a new record. In total, we welcomed 253 guests and made over $30,000, a very successful achievement.
- A major transition was the retirement of Donna Miller Damon, our long-time curator and a key founder of the Historical Society. This is a new chapter for CIHS, and the Board of Trustees is committed to building on Donna’s remarkable legacy.
- We launched a newly redesigned website giving online visitors more historical images and new content.
In early 2025, we will be conducting a short survey to ensure we are in step with the needs and desires of the community, and we welcome your input. We also plan to create a new reading room in the building for the community to learn about our archives and our historical collection of objects and photos. Stay tuned for more on these two important topics.
In closing, please consider donating and becoming or renewing your membership in CIHS. You can click here to donate online.
Thank you again for your continued support.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am sincerely,
Gretchen Tonks Hartling, Vice President