Just a reminder that applications for the BJHS Alumni Association Scholarships are due on July 31st. If you cannot download the application here on the TRCMaine site, you can email [email protected] to request a copy.
These scholarships are available to any grandchild, great-grandchild, step relation of members or members in good standing of the Brownville Junction High School Alumni Association.
Each year the BJHS Alumni Association offers scholarships to grandchildren, great-grandchildren and “step relations” of members in good standing (or who were in good standing at the time of their death). Children of graduates of Penquis Valley High School who join the association are also eligible for scholarships.
These scholarships are $1500 and are based totally on merit. Each year a minimum of eight scholarships are available. One must be a full time student to receive a scholarship but may attend a two year or four year institution or be a graduate student.
Scholarship applications must be received or posted by July 31st. You can find the applications (one for high school seniors and one for current college students) on this website. Search the Organizations tab for BJHS Alumni. If you have questions contact Susan Worcester at [email protected] or call her at 207-965-8070. Dues may be included with the application, if necessary. Please be sure the brief application is complete.
The Parish House Museum located at 72 Church Street, Brownville, has opened for the 2021 season. Hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm and by appointment. To visit outside the regular hours, please call Susan at 965-8070.
The Brownville-Brownville Junction Historical Society held its annual meeting at the end of May. Here are the highlights:
The same slate of officers and directors were reelected for another year. The publishing committee formed several years ago when Ken Hatchette was writing his book about the Canadian Pacific Railroad in Brownville Junction was disbanded as the group does not plan to be in the publishing business again the near future.
There was some discussion about the group’s three newsletters for 2021. Each will focus on veterans from wars the United States has been involved with back to the Revolutionary War. Volunteer Dan Peters is taking charge of those articles and would welcome stories of any Brownville residents who have served and would be interested in sharing their memories.
The group has also been asked to submit an article to the Memories of Maine magazine again this year. This article will focus on the “Boys of ’67” – the 1966-67 State Championship basketball team – and the resurrection of the BJHS basketball scoreboard which will be on display this year at the museum.
Over the past several years the group has been contacted a number of times by people who do not live in the are but are searching for information about people or places here. Some have been very generous when such work has been completed and sent to them; others not so much. It was decided that when asked to gather such information requiring time outside the volunteers’ normal hours, there will be a minimum $20 charge (plus any applicable postage). People are reminded the this organization exists ONLY on dues and donations.
The next regularly scheduled meeting will be at the museum on June 29th at 1pm. All are welcome.
If you’d like to join the Society, send $5 for annual dues to B-BJ Historical Society, PO Box 794, Brownville ME 04414
On Sunday, June 6th, the congregation of St. John’s Episcopal Church hosted a visit from Bishop Thomas Brown, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. The Bishop was originally scheduled to make his first visit to the church last spring but that was cancelled due to Covid-19. Bishop Brown was pleased to finally be able to visit the church and meet the congregation. He blessed a painting commissioned by the church and painted by local artist Suzette East. This was given in memory of faithful church member, Patricia Ricker. Also, vases given in memory of Ray and Ella Nason were dedicated.
There was a reception in the undercroft of the church following the morning worship service followed by a Bishop’s Committee meeting. At that time Bishop Brown talked about a Diocesan wide program called “Lebanon to Lincoln” where two teenage boys are being supported in their quest to complete their education at Lincoln Academy in Newcastle, Maine following the destruction of their school in their native Lebanon.
The discussion also revolved around final steps to return to “normal” worship which, as long as CDC and Maine guidelines are followed, are at the discretion of the Bishop’s Committee.
The Sunday service at St. John’s begins at 9am. For more information, contact Janet at 943-5509 or Susan at 965-8070.
Bishop Brown & artist Suzette East
By now, members of the Brownville-Brownville Junction Historical Society are reading the first of three newsletters this year that will focus on Brownville’s (and surrounding areas) veterans.
Brownville sent men to serve our country as far back as the Revolutionary War. There were 134 men who served from our area in the Civil War! If you have received the newsletter, you’ll probably see names you recognize in that list of names!
There are two reports written by volunteer Dan Peters. One is about Samuel Stickney who served in the Revolutionary War; the other is about Walter Morrill (of Williamsburg) who served in the Civil War. Both are great stories about these men. If we had room, we could have added stories about many, many more!
Other items mentioned….
The opening of the Parish House Museum this year! We hope to see a lot more visitors than we did last year! If you’ve never been in, we hope to have the museum open, as usual, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 2pm. You can also call Susan at 965-8070 for an appointment. Either she or another of the volunteers will be happy to open the museum for you.
We’ve answered a number of email or phone requests over the winter months. If we don’t know it, we might have already catalogued a notebook or two with information YOU are looking for!
We’d still like to have YOUR story of life in our area. It can be a comprehensive report of your life or that of your family members or it can be a short mention of some specific event that brings you happy memories! If you have a story but don’t feel you can write it, contact Susan Worcester. She’ll be happy to organize and write it for you.
We’ve been contacted by the Memories of Maine magazine to ask if we had anything we’d like to contribute this year. They printed a story Susan wrote about the history of the Canadian Pacific Railroad a couple years ago. Thanks to Ken Hatchette’s book, The Canadian Pacific Railroad in Brownville Junction, Maine 1886 to 1963 she was able to produce a condensed essay about that portion of Brownville’s history. This year Dan Peters has written an article about Brownville Junction’s Championship basketball team – the team of 1966-67! It includes mentions of people connected with that team. We don’t know which version of the magazine the article will appear in yet.
Can’t close this recap without mentioning that for only $5 per year (or $100 for a lifetime membership) you could support the Historical Society. The museum and the Society exists solely on donations. There is no admission fee to come and browse around.
And, lastly, we are always looking for a few good volunteers. Remember we are only open on Tuesdays and Thursdays and “open season” runs from late June to the end of September. It’s not a lifetime commitment! We would be happy to talk with you about how you can help!
October, 2020
If you’re not a member of the Brownville-Brownville Junction Historical Society and didn’t receive the Autumn newsletter, here’s what you missed….
-Pages of photos of basketball from Brownville High School – boys and girls; also a few pics of other activities that took place at the school.
-A recap of the Society’s September meeting: while we didn’t have many visitors this year, we got a lot of work done, including some painting inside the building.
-Opening the Suitcase featured memories from Linda Coburn and also stories about Andrew Michaud written by Ken Hatchette.
-And pictures of several Canadian Pacific Railroad tickets recently acquired.
Also, mention of our newsletters for 2021. It is our plan to focus each of those newsletters on veterans from Brownville. If you are or know a veteran and have a story to tell that we might use, contact us at: [email protected]
Be sure you don’t miss a beat! You can be a member of the Society for $5 annually. Send dues (and donations) to B-BJ Historical Society, PO Box 751, Brownville ME 04414
If you weren’t at the Brownville-Brownville Junction Historical Society’s final meeting of the year on Tuesday, September 15, here’s what you missed:
Bills are paid and we still have money in the bank account! We are thankful for those who annually renew their memberships, for those who have paid lifetime dues ($100) and for new members. This organization exists entirely on donations. So…thank you for your support!
While there have been fewer visitors at the museum this year due to the coroanvirus, the volunteers have been busy. Many, many notebooks have been organized over the last several months so that information about families and events are more easily accessible to visitors. But…we’re not done yet! There is much more of that work to do.
George Dean has been our “go to” painter/handyman this summer. The finish work in the bathroom has all been painted and the entry way also has been spruced up with fresh paint!
Also, while we’ve been working at the process for four years now, we continue to play “catch up” in documenting everything – yes, every single item – in the museum in the PastPerfect program. Lana Washburn has made great progress at this and has trained new volunteer Dan Peters to assist her with that.
Susan Worcester has been working on documenting the information for the outlying areas – Katahdin Iron Works, Williamsburg, Ebeemee.
We are very pleased with the result accomplished by Moosehead Signs in Greenville with the restoration of the BJHS basketball scoreboard! Tom and Micah Stade worked a miracle in bringing that back to life. Now we have to work on getting it properly displayed. That’s a winter project. When everything is in place next year we will have an open house to showcase that and all the history we have of the Brownville/Brownville Junction schools.
George Dean and Ken Hatchette have been working on setting up a working telegraph in the museum with items from the CPR that have been housed at the museum for years. This project is in the works and, hopefully, will also be ready for operation next spring.
The museum will close for the season on Tuesday, September 29th.
Thank you to the museum volunteers who keep the building open to the public every week in the summer – Marilyn Kindamo, George Dean, Lana Washburn, Susan Worcester and Dan Peters. Also to Lynn Weston and Lynn Gerrish for substituting when needed. Thanks to Jeff Larson for keeping the lawn mowed. Thanks for George for all the painting this summer. Thanks to Susan Worcester for the three newsletters published each year. Thanks to member Kevin Lowe who brings us 100 stamps each summer (that pays to mail more than half of our newsletters). And thanks to each of you who have paid dues to belong to the association.
Be assured that our active volunteers will continue to work through the winter months on projects that can be completed at home.
If you aren’t a member – it’s never too late. Dues are $5 (pay now and get the fall newsletter as well as next year’s three newsletters). Send your dues and/or donation to B-BJ Historical Society, PO Box 794, Brownville ME 04414.
If you’ve not been to visit the museum, put it on your bucket list for 2021.
B. J. H. S. Alumni Association 2020 Scholarship Awards
This has been an unusual year. Due to the coronavirus situation, all students completed their spring semester working from home. Some were unable to complete classes that required hands on activity. Knowing that grading for the semester would vary from school to school, it was determined that this year’s scholarships would be given out based on cumulative grade point averages, not semester grades.
In addition to the unusual circumstances the students were dealing with, there was no BJHS Alumni reunion this summer. The officers and scholarship committee members met to verify this year’s scholarship recipients.
Fifteen completed applications were received this year. Twelve of the applications nine are from current college students and three are from high school seniors. The grade point averages ranged from 4.0 to 2.9. The highest GPA again this year comes from a high school senior.
This year’s scholarships have been awarded as follows:
The Margaret Law scholarships are awarded to students enrolled in the medical area. Two scholarships will be given to students in this area of study. The first scholarship recipient of this scholarship this year is Jordan Durant. She is the granddaughter of Whit & Linda Coburn and Barbie Durant. She attends Husson University and is majoring in physical therapy. Jordan’s cumulative GPA is 3.8.
The second Margaret Law scholarship is awarded to Mackenzie Worcester. Mackenzie’s BJHS Alumni connections are Fred Worcester and Carol Melanson. Mackenzie is attending Husson University majoring in physical therapy and her cumulative grade point average is 3.6.
Three scholarships are open to all students who apply:
The Eleanor Rosebush scholarship recipient is Victoria Bryer. Victoria is attending Eastern Connecticut State University majoring in Criminology, with a minor in Sustainable Energy Studies. Her cumulative GPA is 3.6. Victoria is the granddaughter of Janet Burgoyne.
The recipient of the Don Stiles Scholarship recipient is Brandon Bryer. Brandon is the great-grandson of Elmer Cunningham (deceased) and is attending the University of Cincinnati pursuing an advanced degree of Juris Doctor. His cumulative GPA is 3.86.
The Henry & Annie Graves scholarship is awarded to Camron Bailey. Camron is a 2020 graduate of Penquis Valley High School, Milo, Maine and has a cumulative GPA of 3.66. Camron is the grandchild of James Larson. Camron plans to attend Kennebec Valley Community College majoring in Electrical Line Work Technology.
The Greta Connors scholarship recipient is Faith Sickler. Faith is attending Lesley University (College of Art and Design) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her cumulative GPA is 3.9. Her BJHS connections are Felice Coburn Lyford and Dodie and Jack Coburn.
Two scholarships are awarded specifically to high school seniors:
The BJHS scholarship is awarded to Del Bonsu-Anane who is the grandson of Kay Chase Whitney and the great-grandchild of Guilford and Annie Chase. Del is a 2020 graduate of Con Val High School in Peterborough, New Hampshire. His cumulative GPA is 4.02. He plans to attend North Carolina State University to study business management.
The Allen Lente scholarship is awarded to Sapphira Murphy this year. Sapphira is a 2020 graduate of The Learning Clinic in Brooklyn, Connecticut. Her cumulative GPA is 3.8. Sapphira is the granddaughter of Charlene Kinney Buzza. She plans to attend UMass-Amherst in the fall majoring in Sustainable Food Production.
When the Alumni Officers met to review the scholarship awards, it was decided to award three additional scholarships this year as these three students have grade point averages within one point of the last awarded scholarship.
A second Don Stiles scholarship will be awarded to Abigail J. Koehler who is the granddaughter of Lauris Boulanger Sailor. She is attending Springfield College in Massachusetts majoring in marketing. Her cumulative GPA is 3.56.
An additional Greta Connors scholarship is awarded to Alex Morrison. Alex is the grandson of Larry and Donna Morrill. He is studying mechanical engineering at the University of Maine. Alex achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.53.
A third Margaret Law scholarship is awarded to Alyssa Murano. Alyssa is the granddaughter of Donald Martin, Sr. and attends Husson University. Her major is occupational therapy and her cumulative grade point average is 3.5.
Scholarships are available to any child/step-child, grandchild/step-grandchild, or great-grancdchild/step-great-grandchild of active members of the BJHS Alumni Association. Those descendants of alumni who have passed away but were active members before their death are also eligible. Applications can be completed in May/June/July of each year and are available here on the Three Rivers Community website. For more information, contact [email protected]