Generations of the Kay family’s artifacts are displayed at the Kay House Museum at 73 Pleasant St. in Oxford. The two-story colonial home is the headquarters of the Oxford Historical Society. The society will hold its second annual Craft & Vendor Sale Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the lawn. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat

OXFORD – The Oxford Historical Society is embarking on a renaissance of sorts since voters gave it ownership of the Kay House Museum last November.

The board of directors is forging ahead with much needed maintenance projects and new programs to benefit the community – from its youngest students of history to its most senior witnesses to it.

“We really haven’t been able to open for the last four years,” board President Trish Larrivee said recently. At first it was the pandemic itself that kept the society’s doors closed. As things eased back to normal, a lack of volunteers made it difficult to hold events, although Larrivee and company managed to pull off a festivity here and there.

Scrapbooks from 1929 and 1979 with newspaper accounts of Oxford are part of the Oxford Historical Society’s archives. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat

In July 2022, when the society wanted to accept the donation of the 1867 Pigeon Hill Schoolhouse and move it to the Kay House at 73 Pleasant St. as a living history museum, the town showed reluctance to allowing a long-term restoration project that could mar the landscape during its reconstruction. Then issues surrounding liability were brought to light. The town, as the property’s insurance policy holder, made the difficult decision to mitigate potential risk by closing its access to the public.

Society directors had to extract what they needed to operate and were forced to meet at the town Center Meeting House on Route 26.

That move crystallized the fact that a municipal government focused on fiscal prudence may not be the best steward of a historic property requiring appropriate maintenance. Over the past several years the Select Board established a tendency of deferring upkeep of the Kay House, even though the society had an independent budget from the town.

Since voters agreed that the property and the society would be best served by not being tied to the town, the society has been able to start mastering its destiny.

Larrivee is ready for the challenge. She said eight young people have become members and volunteers, adding muscle to the work that needs to be done.

Work continues at the schoolhouse, which was moved to donated land on King Street where there is a bird sanctuary and views of Thompson Lake.

At the Kay House, volunteers are revving up the society Facebook page, housecleaning, repainting and removing non-historic floor coverings in preparation for fall fundraisers and open houses.

On Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the society will host its second annual Craft & Vendor Sale on the Kay House lawn. Table space is available for artisans and crafters for a tax-deductible $25 donation. Anyone interested in vending or volunteering that day should contact Larrivee at oxfordhistoricalsocietykayhouse@gmail.com.

The society will also participate in the Oxford County Fair from Sept. 11-14, exhibiting an oversize digital photo display in the fair museum and having volunteers manning the admission gate.

The board of directors is looking for volunteers to resurrect some of the work of its members who have passed. Bee Merrill created volumes of scrapbooks. As curator, Sandy Dunn oversaw cataloging and labeling artifacts, photos and documents. Both of those important roles have gone unfilled in recent years. Larrivee has secured a preservation grant to facilitate archiving, but needs volunteers to fulfill the work.

In October, the community is invited to visit the Kay House to see several new and updated exhibits. A room used to display military uniforms and memorabilia belonging to former Oxford residents will also include an exhibit of Oxford’s textile history and Robinson woolen mill.

A spinning wheel and other artifacts related to Oxford’s textile industry are displayed at the Kay House Museum at 73 Pleasant St. in Oxford. In October, the community is invited to visit the museum to see several new and updated exhibits. Nicole Carter/Advertiser Democrat

“We have pictures of people working at the mill,” Larrivee said. “And period artifacts that belonged to the Robinsons and others who worked in Maine in the textile industry. We had a Civil War blanket recently donated that we haven’t been able to authenticate as one made here in Oxford, but it has the same dye lot as what the Robinson Mill was producing at that time.”

One of the front sitting rooms is being set up as the “Ladies’ Parlor” and a gift shop where visitors can buy society history annals and other associated items.

“The Ladies’ Parlor will basically represent Oxford’s women from earlier eras,” Larrivee said. “There are dolls, home economics like sewing, displays of period dresses. It features a portrait of Dr. Beryl Moore. This is just the beginning.”

Beryl Moore was born in 1912 and worked in town as a physician for 50 years.

The formal sitting room is dedicated to the Kay family who lived in the house during the early part of the 20th century.

“We’re going to make this room in honor of the Kay family,” Larrivee said. “We’re cleaning, replacing the curtains and bringing in different photos” and displays. “The wheelchair in this room was used by James Kay who was injured during World War I.”

Along with the rejuvenation is the emergence of a new generation of history lovers. Two tween sisters in the neighborhood were introduced to the Kay House by their pastor, Lindy Howe, of Oxford’s Congregational Church and have become project volunteers.

And Larrivee has been invited by Oxford Elementary School to participate in a Revolutionary War history unit. Later this year, students will learn about the war through the stories of veterans who later relocated to western Maine and became Oxford’s founding fathers.

“This is what I love to do,” said Larrivee, who is pursuing certification as a genealogist, said. “I love to talk about people’s families and their history. “To present to these kids about history, and get them excited about history and make it come alive? It’s my dream job.”