Sarah Edith Foster, left, and Jenny Maheu of the Century Box Jubilee Committee stand with the century boxes from 1923, left, and 1973, right. The contents of these boxes will be displayed at Leavitt Area High School in November, and a third century box will be created. Vanessa Paolella/Sun Journal
TURNER — One hundred years ago, the residents of Turner decided to make an investment for the future well-being of the town and created the first Century Box.
More than 600 residents contributed a total of $1,800, about $31,000 in today’s money, to the Century Box in 1923. It also contains messages, letters, prophecies, family stories, photographs and other memorabilia from town residents.
These items have only been removed from the box once, at the 50-year mark in 1973 when a second box was created. Between $1,500 and $2,200 was added to the fund that year.
On Nov. 12, the town will once more remove the contents of both boxes for public viewing at Leavitt Area High School in celebration of the first box’s centennial.
As a result of these investments, the fund now contains $117,000. The money can either go toward Turner’s debts, of which there are none, or be used for educational purposes. The selectmen will ultimately decide what to do with the funds.
According to a history from the Turner Museum, the idea of a memorial fund was suggested by a Bowdoinham resident during a Grange meeting. The fund was to be made available to residents in 2023, and the box opened every 50 years.
Members of the Century Box Jubilee Committee Sarah Edith Foster and Jenny Maheu told residents at the annual Town Meeting on Saturday that they are requesting donations and notes to create a third Century Box.
Checks should be made payable to the Town of Turner and mailed to the Turner History Museum at P.O. Box 502, Turner, ME 04282. Questions can be directed to the museum at 207-225-2629 or turnermainehistory@yahoo.com.
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