A dozen years before the Revolutionary War, a handful of pioneers were cutting trees and making shelters for their families, along the banks of the Presumpscot River in South Windham. They were the start of Windham – even though in the 1760s it was called New Marblehead and was still part of Massachusetts.
All this activity was decided and guided by the “proprietors” – land developers, we’d call them today. Far away from the forests they decided how big the lots would be, who would be allowed to settle and what the religion would be. One of the rules was the establishment of a “settled minister,” i.e., not a traveling preacher.
So in that far off year of 1764, a recent Harvard grad named Peter Smith became the minister in New Marblehead and began to build his house – which was to say the least, quite grand for the time and place.
Many generations of the Smith family lived here and for years after, when it belonged to a preservation group, the house was open to the public. In fact, part of the history curriculum of Windham school children included touring the Parson Smith House.
For the past 10 years or so, the property has been in private ownership – still, kids by the bus load visit the old homestead where the owners welcome them with lots of interesting facts about the place. Windham history comes alive at the Parson Smith House.
The house is going on the market soon, and Windham Historical Society’s Parson Smith Committee hopes to acquire the historic home and create a living history center nearby. Toward this end, a commitment by townspeople is vital; it’s akin to saying, “We want to continue teaching schoolchildren local history.”
The June ballot in Windham includes a request for $30,000 funding from the town for the purpose of continuing the decades of helping folks learn, first hand, about Windham history. If total funding via grants is not available, the $30,000 “seed money” will be returned to the town.
As historian for the Historical Society, as a native Windhamite, and as a former schoolchild here in town, I urge everyone who thinks education begins at home, to approve this request and assure future generations the opportunity most of us had – of visiting Windham’s past. Vote yes on the request for $30,000.
See you next week.
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