FARMINGTON — A guided tour of Farmington called Story Trails of Maine has launched as a free phone application. The tour was created by Joe Musumeci and Mary Ellms, owners of the recently closed escape room Farmington Underground.
Farmington couple Joe Musumeci and Mary Ellms have launched a virtual guided tour of downtown Farmington based on the town’s history. The tour can be found on the web or through a phone application. Screenshot
The app sends participants on a guided tour and hunt throughout downtown Farmington and its outskirts. Musumeci said he and Ellms created the tour during the height of the pandemic for families and others to enjoy an outdoor activity in the area.
The virtual tour brings participants to the library, The Octagon, The Center Burying Ground, and the Titcomb House, among other places. Along the way, participants have the opportunity to solve puzzles and clues based on the locations they are sent to.
Musumeci said the app is also a tool for participants to “learn about the communities they’re touring through at the moment” with a puzzle hunt, scavenger hunt and historical information about Farmington.
The tour is partly based on the history of Chester Greenwood, an inventor from Farmington who created the earmuffs in 1873.
Musumeci and Ellms collaborated with the Farmington Historical Society to learn more about Greenwood and his history in Farmington.
The historical society shared documents and artifacts with Musumeci and Ellms that revealed his inventive “mind of manufacturing” and ability to use “what’s there but using it for a better purpose,” said society member Jane Woodman.
Woodman praised Musumeci’s “wonderful imagination” and expressed excitement that the virtual tour will bring some attention to Farmington and the historical society.
Woodman and Musumeci are planning to create a landmark that notes the end of the tour, perhaps a large pair of earmuffs in honor of Greenwood, where participants can take selfies.
Alongside Farmington, there is also a guided tour of Orono via Story Trails of Maine. Musumeci and Ellms plan to continue collaborating with towns and historical societies in Maine to expand the program to other regions.
Those interested in going on the guided tour can access the application by searching “Story Trails of Maine” in their phone’s app store or by going to their website, https://www.app.storytrailsme.com/.
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