LIVERMORE – Thirty years ago Billie Gammon officially founded Washburn-Norlands Living History Center.

Three years ago, she felt pushed out.

Today the founder of one of Maine’s historic treasures is back, still going strong.

“I think for 88 I’m doing well,” said Gammon, though her 88th birthday isn’t until the end of the month.

After being asked to stay away from Norlands, Gammon has again been invited for tea there. She also has a new friendship with George Lyons, the new Norlands director.

Lyons has defended her to board members and stopped what she called “poison pen letters” written about her, she said.

“He’s been so good.”

History come alive

Gammon’s love of the Washburn family, its history and the development of Norlands began in 1954. It was then she started cleaning – at the request of a Washburn descendant – the family library, in major disrepair.

She remembers unlocking the library door and only being able to step inside about three steps. There was a mountain of papers, birds flying around and plaster falling from the ceiling.

To this day, she can remember asking herself, “Where am I going to begin?”

Gammon went up one afternoon a week during that July and August to clean the library. She was paid $5 a day.

“I kept reading, studying and cleaning, and I kept dreaming of what I could do,” Gammon said.

Gammon, a self-proclaimed lover of people “living or dead,” became an advocate for preservation of the memory of the Washburns, a family that hailed from Livermore and left a mark on the country during the anti-slavery movement.

She wanted to make history come alive.

She wrote many grant applications, and her dream of sharing history and educating youngsters and renovating and preserving the 19th century Washburn mansion, church, library, school house and other properties was realized as years went by.

Gammon “had the ability to see programs before they happened,” said Norma Boothby, who volunteered many hours at Norlands. “She had the vision. She really did.”

She wanted to educate people not just about the Washburns but about that time, so that children could learn about that era and appreciate the present, Boothby said.

Gammon acted as the unofficial volunteer director for many years. She became a lifetime member of the board of trustees at age 75.

“The work she did to organize the papers in the library, and to translate the hundreds of pages of terrible Washburn handwriting, have been a Godsend,” stated Washburn descendant and Norlands trustee Kerck Kelsey in an e-mail.

“There is no single individual who has done as much for Norlands as Billie Gammon.”

In the way’

But things went awry in 2001.

Gammon said harsh words were exchanged at board meetings. At the recommendation of a board member, Gammon said she didn’t go to any more meetings, and she was not re-elected to the board of trustees in July 2002.

Gammon said she and some of the officials disagreed over the handling of some programs and financial matters. She questioned financial reports, funding of a proposed new visitor educational center and the termination of her participation in the educational college living-history programs that she had started and that had been under her guidance.

“I was a deterrent. I was standing in the way of progress. I asked questions every month about the financial reports,” Gammon said.

“I couldn’t understand them,” she said. “The reason I didn’t was because they were rigged.”

A former bookkeeper pleaded guilty to theft in connection with the case.

“The sad story of Norlands finances has several parts and blame can rightfully be spread among all concerned: the bookkeeper, (former) executive director, the staff, the treasurer, the executive committee, the board president and the entire board,” stated Kelsey.

“We have long operated on a combination of dedication, trust, and love” – like any nonprofit, Kelsey related – “and we were snookered.”

There are now new financial practices, a new director and – as of this month – a turnover of more than 50 percent of the board in the past 18 months with a new treasurer, a new president, and six new trustees taking office this month, he said.

Billie’s smile’

Gammon was inducted into the Maine Women’s Hall of Fame in 1997. Other honors include the Jefferson Award and the Maine Historic Preservation Award. She received an honorary degree from the University of Maine at Farmington in 2002.

Norlands “has become a valuable reality for the people of Maine because of Billie Gammon’s foresight and determination in the pursuit of her vision for it,” reads her citation from the Hall of Fame. “Billie’s smile and her enthusiasm are contagious and have endeared her to everyone who has become a friend of Norlands.”

Clint Boothby, the new Norlands treasurer, sums it up this way: “Before Billie, the Norlands was a lovely but decaying set of buildings owned by the descendants of the famous Washburn brothers. Without her involvement, it seems likely the place would have eventually fallen into disrepair. Billie was the spark for everything the Norlands eventually became.”

Gammon’s enthusiasm for Norlands continues. She says she has new hope for the center with the new director at the helm.

Lyons has visited her and asked at times what she would do.

“We saw things the same,” Gammon said. “I really have tremendous respect for George Lyons. I think he’s a brave young man for taking this on. When he first came here, there wasn’t even enough money to pay him. He’s a very strong person. I think he’s a good person, and I really have great respect for him, and I hope he stays.”

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