Somerset Grange Hall
9 Mercer Road/ Rte 2, Norridgewock
Hosted by the Norridgewock Historical Society [NHS]
Members and non-members are always welcome to attend!
8:30-9:15 Registration
Entry fee of $5 per person paid in advance online (preferred) or at the door. Breakfast snacks, coffee, juice. Proceeds benefit Norridgewock Historical Society and MOCA.
8:30 – Noon Exhibits, Displays, Cemetery Projects
If you have a cemetery project you wish to share with others, please bring a display board, photos or other related material. Tables will be provided to set-up displays.
9:15- 9:30 Welcome
Walter Guptill, MOCA President
Rebecca Ketchum, NHS President
9:30 – 9:45 Is Jabez Bowen in Witham Cemetery?
Solidifying evidence of a Revolutionary War veteran’s burial in an unmaintained cemetery
Presented by Tasha Raymond
Norridgewock Cemetery Committee.
9:45-10:15 A Very Quick Primer of Early Norridgewock History
Including Father Rasle, Benedict Arnold, becoming Somerset County seat, and what happened when the railroad came to town. Of particular interest are the capsule histories of Norridgewock’s eleven (11) cemeteries.
Presented by Eastman Wilder
Norridgewock Historical Society.
10:15-10:30 Break
10:30-11:15 MOCA Business Meeting
All are welcome to attend to hear what is happening with MOCA or you may review the displays at this time.
11:15- 12:00 Brief History & Adventures of the Norridgewock Cemetery Committee
Including town engagement with this funding, tales of records—or lack thereof, developing ordinances, show & tell, tramping treasures, and Riverside Cemetery preservation work.
Presented by Rebecca Ketchum
Norridgewock Cemetery Committee.
Noon -1:00 Lunch
Fresh from the Grange kitchen: assorted sandwiches, garden & pasta salads, beverages, and homemade desserts.
Lunch is $10 with reservation required by July 20.
Reservations and payment online at the MOCA website is preferred.
1:00 Tour of Riverview Cemetery
Riverview Cemetery is on Upper Main Street, a short walk from the Grange Hall. Learn about the cemetery’s history, work being done to preserve it and notable burials/stones. If prefer to drive some parking is available on the street or in the cemetery rows (single car /grass rows).
Indoor Option: A tour of the exhibits at the NHS Museum next door to the Grange at 11 Mercer Rd.
The Somerset Grange Hall and the NHS building are both on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The Norridgewock Historical Society operates out of the old Eaton School which dates from the nineteenth century. It originally served as an all-female academy until after the Civil War, at which point it became the Eaton School. The School is a grand example of Victorian era styling and architecture.
Parking at the Grange is limited. We ask that spaces directly in front of the hall be reserved for those with mobility issues. There is parking along the street on Rte 2 and Main/Upper Main Streets.
There is an ADA approved ramp on the side of the Grange Hall.
