Saturday, October 6, and Sunday, October 7, 2018
Fall days mean wood smoke, fresh cider, beanhole beans and wagon rides. 
The smith’s hammer ringing at a forge under a chestnut tree. Relive history at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum’s largest event, Living History Days, from 10-4 on Saturday and Sunday, October 6 & 7, 2018.
The Leonard’s Mills area hosts 1790s re-enactors and demonstrators portraying life in an early logging settlement–canvas tents and cooking over the fire. Spinning and weaving in the sawyer’s house, smithing, woodworking and more activities throughout the grounds. Help with the cider pressing, then have a cup with a hot biscuit and some beans when the pots come out of the ground. Take a wagon ride around the grounds and enjoy the fall beauty.
The 20th Maine Company B Civil War re-enactors will be encamped in the field before the covered bridge, sharing a part of what life was like in the 1860s–many Maine men left a life working in the woods to fight for the Union. Life was hard. The volunteers know so much about the war–ask questions! Some things hadn’t changed much since the 1790s, though. Compare clothes and cooking gear on either side of the bridge.
The really big change to see is the mechanized world–study the sawpit and water-powered sawmill in the Leonard’s Mill area, and then check out the 1900s Millyard. Production of boards by hand, sash saw and then rotary sawmill. Production in Maine sped up! The rotary sawmill with edger and the shingle mill will both be operating–you can see our own shingles on many buildings, including inside the Visitor’s Center.
The Visitor’s Center by the parking lot is a busy place! The Grady Machine shop belt-driven machines will be demonstrated–the kind used to make metal repair parts for machines like our Lombard! They have been used for that purpose once again. Lots to see in the building, including Peter Grant of Odd Duck Foundry casting metal, some serious two-man chainsaws and models of logging equipment. The Visitor’s Center houses Lombards loghaulers as well.
The machine that really changed the nature of working in the Maine woods was the 
Lombard loghauler. Our steam-operated machine was made in Waterville, Maine. Alvin Lombard patented his invention of the continuous lag tread in 1900–taking a steam locomotive, putting some skis on front and massive lag treads on back so you could drive into the woods on a road of ice. Towing up to 300 tons of wood on average, the machines were run 24/7 while the cold weather held the ice in good condition. It fulfilled its purpose–to save some horses. The machine would do the work of 50-60 horses.
Each day is a full day of things to see and do!
Saturday and Sunday, October 7 & 8, 10am-4pm
Adults $10, $5 children
and
Free for Members!
Contact Sherry if you can join us as a 
volunteer for the event–period clothing not required! Help with parking or another job for a shift and then enjoy the event for the other ½ of the day. It takes many hands to share the museum and all it has to offer with visitors. Volunteer projects year round.
Takes a bit of practice to bake in a Dutch oven, but it is worth learning! 
After a day of sharing information with visitors at Living History Days, the re-enactors enjoy supper. Volunteers get to experience more of the museum–get involved! Many of the 1790s demonstrators have grown up camping every fall at the museum.
Visitors appreciate the opportunity to learn–20th Maine Civil War reenactors have a lot knowledge to share. Life was hard for the ladies as well as the soldiers.