Cover of a promotional pamphlet for the Perry Turbine, a Bridgton invention that greatly increased the efficiency of water power, particularly important for smaller waterways like Stevens Brook.
BRIDGTON — Tom Kelleher, historian and curator of Mechanical Arts at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, will present an illustrated program on how water power worked and its importance to early America at 7 p.m. Friday in the Temperance Barn at Narramissic.
The Perry Turbine, a technological innovation that greatly improved water power’s efficiency, was produced in Bridgton, and the town was a bustling industrial center for many years. Patterns for the sand castings that were used to produce the turbines are on display in the barn.
In over 30 years at Old Sturbridge, Kelleher has worked as a costumed historical interpreter, trainer for the cooper shop, supervisor of the mills, coordinator of historic trades, research historian, program coordinator and managed staff training. He has researched and developed dozens of historic characters and programs, which he has presented at scores of museums, schools and historical societies around the country. He has also taught a variety of craft skills and historical subjects to museum staffs as well as the general public and at teacher workshops throughout the United States and Canada.
Public admission is $10 and $8 for members of Bridgton Historical Society. This is the first of two programs on the theme “Natural Resource or Natural Wonder? Bridgton’s Landscape in the Nineteenth Century.”
The museum and archives are open in July and August from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Narramissic, on Ingalls Road off Route 107 in South Bridgton, is open for tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday this summer. With over 25 acres of fields, it sits on one of the highest points of land in town, with mountain views to the north and west. The public is invited to enjoy the grounds any time during daylight hours.
For more information, contact the Bridgton Historical Society at 207-647-3699, email info@bridgtonhistory.org, or visit their website or Facebook page.
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