Following a delicious potluck supper, president Donovan Bowley called the annual meeting to order at 6:52 PM. The meeting was our first at the new Hope Corner fire station. Also present were: Bob Appleby, Joe Berry, Hope Chase, Jean Connon, Dan Dalrymple, Jim & Cynthia Dellapena, Sydney Hall, Obed & Faith Hart, Herb Hart, Mary Ireland, Bill & Judith Jones, Clarence Keller, Ann Leadbetter, Barbara Ludwig, Ron Smith, and presenters Carolyn Wiley (Warren) & Kate Wiley (Searsport), and Howard Wiley (Warren) & Linden Heall (Bangor).

To get quickly to the program, a formal business meeting was skipped.
Secretary Bill Jones had circulated draft minutes of the September 21st meeting by e-mail and a print copy of a truncated version (without the program) at the meeting.

Treasurer Faith Hart circulated the Treasurer_ÇÖs Annual Report. It showed the following:
Income:
Building fund appeal $2275.
Food sales 1144.95
Gifts in memory of Velma Hastings 725.
Bottle & can redemptions 693.44
Dues 420.
Donations 105.
Sale of maps 61.
Sale of Florance Merrifield_ÇÖs crafts 55.
Gifts for memory garden 47.06
Interest 8.02
Sale of 2000 Chronicle 6.
$5540.47
Expenses:
Fuel oil & service $1503.68
Insurance 1249.
Office expenses 323.65
Electricity 182.53
Other building expenses 168.70
Government reports & memberships 60.
Rent Corner firehouse 50.
Honorarium & retirement gift 35.
Historic postcards project 30.
Craft fair 20.
$3622.56
Account balances:
General fund:
Certificate of deposit $32,195.25
Savings account 5,449.25
Checking account 1,069.56
Building Fund:
Savings account 7,732.27
Checking account 704.45

President Donovan asked for volunteers for the South Hope School Committee.

For the Building Committee, Obed Hart reported that a large branch had broken off the maple tree next to the Hope Historical Home but had missed the building.Action on the above was deferred until the next monthly meeting.

President Bowley had all present introduce themselves. Vice president Bob Appleby introduced the Wileys, our mother & daughter presenters, recounting his awe in 1947 at seeing 9 wildfires burning simultaneously around North Yarmouth.

The Wileys dramatic account of the 1947 fires alternated summarizing the hard, cold facts about the fires with stories about individual families facing the fires and how they copped. While the Mount Desert fires, the evacuation of Bar Harbor & burning of "millionaires' row" got most of the publicity, southern Maine suffered the most damage by far. Areas burned were largely in York & Cumberland Counties, as well as huge swaths of Aroostook County.

Hope itself was not touched by the 1947 fires. The nearest 1947 wildfire was visible, however, on the side of Mount Megunticook in Lincolnville. Fire Chief Clarence Keller welcomes Hope Historical to the new firehouse. Hope had no fire department in 1947. He and other members recounted the circumstances of the founding of our volunteer fire department in 1952. During another dry summer, Everett Hobbs's (Wayne & Ron Smith's grandfather) barn caught fire. While the barn and part of the house were lost, neighboring towns' fire fighters saved most of the house and kept the fire from spreading. What concentrated minds and led to the creation of Hope Volunteer Firemen was the near spread of that fire to the rest of Hope Corner. With prevailing southerlies coming up Hobbs Pond, between 5 and 13 other houses (Memories vary.), including one in Lincolnville, briefly caught fire that day.

The meeting was adjourned before the 10 PM alarm.


Respectfully submitted,

Bill Jones, Secretary