The Hawthorne Association, a non-profit group that works to preserve the historical integrity of the childhood home of Nathaniel Hawthorne in Raymond, is looking to bolster its membership numbers this summer.
The association, averaging around 125 members, is down from 150 in the past few years.
“The biggest thing right now is appealing to members who have been have been very generous. This method has been very successful in generating revenue,” said Frank Chambers, the president of the Hawthorne Association.
According to Chambers, the Hawthorne Association is looking to reach out to new members in the community through social events.
“We want to get the people who are interested in historical preservation involved. We work strictly on a grassroots basis,” he said.
According to Chambers, the association functions without federal grants-even though the house has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1969-so the association holds fundraisers, including a yearly cookout at a local summer camp and a potluck held at the Hawthorne House in December.
But the Strawberry Festival, a popular annual event, is what attracts people the most.
“It’s a wonderful social gathering…we’re getting a great speaker this year who is an expert on Hawthorne’s life in Salem, Massachusetts,” said Chambers. “Our primary recruitment is through events like the festival. We’d like to have more members, there’s no question about it.”
Chambers points out that “the primary function of the association is to make sure the house is in good shape,” and that any level of participation is appreciated.
“We offer the chance to preserve something of true historic value, it’s a way to get to know your neighbors, and it’s fun,” he said.
According to member and former president of the Hawthorne Association and its unofficial historian, John Manoush, the Hawthorne House was built around 1812, almost an exact replica of the home of Hawthorne’s maternal uncle, Richard Manning, which is located nearby on Raymond Cape.
Hawthorne lived in the house for about 12 years, finally leaving to study at Bowdoin College.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the house was taken over by a non-denominational religious group, who gutted the insides of the home to accommodate their worship services.
The house then changed hands several times, falling into great disrepair until it was taken over by the Hawthorne Association in the 1920s.
The house, which remains in Raymond Cape today does not resemble the childhood home of Nathaniel Hawthorne, but “that worship period and what followed is part of the history of that house.”
In terms of a literary context, Hawthorne’s works can be linked to the Raymond area, according to Chambers, who pointed that in one of his short stories, a bear enters a family’s home and claws at the door of a closet in which they hid.
“There are claw marks on a door in the Manning House,” said Chambers, who admits that it may just be an interesting coincidence.
“That’s still cool, though,” he said.
In addition to Hawthorn’s contribution to American Literature, Chambers said, the house provides a historical focal point for the community, and events like the Strawberry Festival help to educate people on the value of their town.
If anyone is interested in more information on the Strawberry Festival or the Hawthorne Association, please contact Chambers at 655-8833, or e-mail him at fchamb1@maine.rr.com.
The Hawthorne Association board of directors poses with an actor who plays Nathaniel Hawthorne, right of sign. For this yearSend questions/comments to the editors.
