Bicentennial Events

Update on the Maine 200 Scavenger Hunt!

4 teams that participated in the Scavenger Hunt earlier this year have shared some photos of their finds . . .

Bicentennial Calendar Sale!
Now just $10 each, frames: $8 each

To help commemorate Maine’s 2020 Bicentennial and to raise funds to continue work on their Village Green Living History Center, the Windham Historical Society is selling 2020 Bicentennial Calendars. These attractive poster calendars are beautifully illustrated by longtime Society member Jerry Black and celebrate the 200th anniversary of Maine’s statehood.

Each month’s drawing is accompanied by a block of text drafted by the talented Windham historian Walter Lunt who brings life to the images. You’ll enjoy learning a little history as you travel through the upcoming year. There are plenty of calendars available.

To order a calendar, call the Windham Historical Society at 207-892-1433.

An Update from Windham’s Bicentennial Committee – 4/23/20
Due to the pandemic and current conditions, the committee has made the decision to cancel all events currently scheduled, although we are committed to having some type of community celebration of our State’s Bicentennial once it is safe to do so. Please check this site for any updates we can make once further directives are provided from the governor and the CDC.

Windham Bicentennial Committee – Jennifer Alvino, Linda Brooks, Carol Manchester,
Linda Morrell, Haley Pal.

Bicentennial Tea - *postponed due to current concerns . . .

The Tea will be rescheduled when appropriate. Check back for updates!

(March 14, 2020 1-3 pm.) Little Meetinghouse

Sponsored by the Windham Bicentennial Committee. Once part of Massachusetts, Maine became independent in March of 1820, 200 years ago. Join your neighbors for tea and conversation about our shared history at the Bicentennial Tea on —-TBD —- , 2020 from 1-3 pm. at the Little Meetinghouse, 719 Roosevelt Trail, in North Windham.

We will be serving up tea and birthday cake to celebrate the State of Maine’s 200th Birthday! Along with tea and snacks, there will be craft and trivia activities as well as displays of photos from the Bicentennial Scavenger Hunt and historic photos of the farming community. We hope you can join us to celebrate this momentous day in our State’s history.

A Bicentennial Celebration: The Remarkable Predecessors of the Saint Joseph’s College Campus and their Roles in Maine’s Journey to Statehood

As the State of Maine officially celebrates its Bicentennial this year, the College recognizes some of the instrumental roles that our campus’ predecessors played in that journey. From the earliest settlement of this region, to our country’s independence from England, to our state’s separation from Massachusetts, we remember the remarkable men and women in whose footsteps we are literally now walking. Rare, period artifacts unearthed from campus sites will also be on display.

This March 16 presentation, which is free and open to the public, begins at 3:30 p.m. in the Alfond Auditorium. It will be followed by a (regularly priced) dinner at 5 p.m. featuring menu items from the 1820s and a State of Maine Bicentennial birthday cake! If you have any questions or would like more information, call Steven Bridge at 893-7953

Bicentennial Bazaar and Concert

* the Bazaar & Concert has been postponed at this time,
please stay-tuned for a new date when rescheduling is feasible!

The Windham Historical Society, in conjunction with the Town of Windham Bicentennial Committee, will be hosting an old-fashioned Bicentennial Bazaar and concert on Saturday, June 6, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Society’s Village Green, 234 Windham Center Road in Windham. You’re invited to bring a picnic lunch and then stroll the Village Green grounds where there will be Society members in period costume manning nostalgic booths where you can buy everything from homemade pie to lemonade to glistening crystal “rainbow makers.” Some Society buildings will be open to the public as well, so you can see firsthand the progress that is being made in bringing our living history village to life.

At 2 p.m., the Windham Third Grade Chorus will perform on the Village Green Gazebo. A highlight of their concert will be a song composed by singer-songwriter Rick Charette that was written especially for the occasion!

At 2:30 p.m., local musician Dave Rowe will take the stage and entertain with musical pieces reflective of Maine's rich history.

Take your family on a trip to a bygone time and enjoy the simple pleasures of life in old-time Windham. For more information, call the Windham Historical Society at 207-892-1433.

Windham History-on-the-Road 

A wonderful way to celebrate Maine’s Bicentennial year is to attend Windham History-on-the-Road, a two-session course focusing on Maine history and the proud heritage of the Town of Windham. The first session is a PowerPoint presentation featuring historic photos and maps that will take place on Tuesday, June 16, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the WRAE Learning Center, 1105 Roosevelt Trail. 

Session Two is a three-hour bus tour highlighting some of Windham’s most famous sites including the canal and mills and will focus on the founding and growth of the town from 1737 to present. You’ll also learn about Windham’s leanings on the question of separation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1819.

The bus will leave the Windham Historical Society’s Old Town House Museum on Windham Center Road at Noon on Saturday, June 20, and will return at 3 p.m. The cost is $9 per person. All proceeds will go to the Windham Historical Society. Seating is limited, so register early.

For questions about the course or how to register for it, contact instructor, Walter Lunt, at wnlunt@yahoo.com.