Heritage Center - Jonesport Historical Society
The new home of the Jonesport Heritage Center is the main floor of the Sawyer Building at 21 Sawyer Square, donated by John V. Sawyer II to the society in January 2011. It was built in 1896 by John's great grandfather Edward Mansfield Sawyer and his great great uncle Daniel James Sawyer. The building served as a ship's chandlery, general store, Jonesport Branch of the Pittsfield Co. Bank, and U.S. Custom House.
In 2011, volunteers started work on the museum area of the building. The tin ceiling was cleaned and repainted, walls, doors and counters were painted, and the restroom was remodeled.
In 2012, work was begun on the meeting room. Walls were torn down, carpeting was removed, and old light fixtures were replaced with new ones. The original wood floor was sanded, stained and sealed. The meeting room can seat at least 50 people. It has a ceiling-mounted digital projector, a large wall screen, and a 5-speaker Sony sound system.
In 2013, we are removing all the old carpeting and sub-flooring from the museum and refinishing the original wood floor. New light fixtures will also be installed in the museum. Thanks to a generous grant from the Davis Family Foundation, most of the old windows on the main floor will be replaced with new windows.
One desktop PC with the heritage center databases is located in the museum for use by the public.
Generous member contributions have provided a lot of the funds to accomplish the building restoration so far. The remaining large projects are re-drilliing the well, cleaning and water-proofing the basement, and insulating and replacing exterior walls.
The beautiful village of Jonesport played a major role in the era of early sea-faring, ship building and fishing industry. Please consider making a generous tax deductible donation to accomplish this goal of providing a showplace to fulfill the motto "Preserving Our Heritage". Print the membership form attached on the Historical Society Main Page to submit your tax-deductible donations.
