David Fuller, left, is pictured with Bethel Historical Society trustee Bruce Pierce during a presentation before the society on Oct. 11.

Society speaker describes spruce gum collecting

BETHEL – David Fuller, agriculture and natural resources professional at the University of Maine’s Cooperative Extension Service, was the speaker at the fourth lecture in the 2007 Bethel Historical Society series on “Maine Character and Characters” on Oct. 11 in the meeting room of the Dr. Moses Mason House.

Fuller, a graduate of the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine, is an educator and researcher, who concentrates on non-timber forest products, which includes spruce gum.

Fuller had his first chew of spruce gum as a boy of 4. He still chews while managing his woodlot in northern Maine. For more than a half dozen years, he has been researching and documenting the history of spruce gum gathering and marketing to the world.

During his PowerPoint presentation, Fuller noted that collecting and chewing spruce gum has been a Maine tradition for generations. He also provided illustrations of the equipment used to gather spruce gum along with examples of boxes, labels and ads from business created to market the product.

He is collecting information about the history of harvesting and/or commercial sale of spruce gum in the state. For those having information, photos, artifacts, to share, his address is David Fuller, agriculture and natural resource professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Service, 147 Farmington Falls Road, Office 2, Farmington, ME 04938; 778-4650 or (800) 287-1478.

The lecture and others in the series have been made possible in part by a grant from the Maine Humanities Council.

More information about the society and its activities may be obtained by calling 824-2908 or 800-824-2910, e-mailing [email protected] or visiting www.bethelhistorical.org.