MINOT – The Minot Historical Society met on Jan. 11 when speakers were Noella and Roland Hemond and their daughter, Lucille Hodsdon.

Hodsdon spoke of the 29 cemeteries in Minot. She told where each cemetery was, who the earliest people buried were and how the cemeteries were researched. So far, there is only one cemetery they were unable to locate – the Bradbury Cemetery, which is in the woods off Bradbury Hill Road. Hodsdon showed a map locating each cemetery.

Noella Hemond spoke on the Maple Grove Cemetery in Mechanic Falls, noting that the area was once part of Minot. She told how the cemetery association purchased 18 acres, of the numerous obituaries that she has been given of people buried there and of the numbered lot map showing more than 4,000 people buried there.

Roland Hemond, a trustee of Maple Grove, told of the many loads of crushed gravel he has donated to the cemetery. He also helped install a drainage system, cut many trees and had a 1,700-foot fence erected. The trustees have had a good portion of the stones cleaned and repaired as well as repairing the old tomb.

In other business, is was announced the 2005 programs will be available at the March meeting. The Archives Committee received two photos donated by Conrad Conant. One is of the “Electric Farm” in Minot and the other is of the Cooper Shop in West Minot.

The society’s next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 8, when the speaker will be David Stonebreaker of Hebron. Everyone is invited. Refreshments will follow the program.