The Harpswell Historical Society Museum received a mysterious box a year or two ago. It was a modern cardboard box, but the contents included 20 neatly folded items of clothing, including dresses that date back to the early 20th century.
The only clues left behind as to their origin were three words written on the box: “Aunt Patty’s Clothes.”
One of the dresses is a silk, bronze-colored dress exemplifying the lightweight clothing women would wear in the summertime, while the other is a floral, everyday dress that survived despite signs of constant wear.
“Then this one’s also notable, because it’s not a fancy dress, and so much of what survives are the wedding dresses, the really beautiful dress that was only worn once,” said Wendy Van Damme, the exhibit’s curator. “Yes, this is a more everyday dress and it’s also larger size. So it’s not just the tiny, petite one that we marvel about how small the person must have been.”
The two dresses will be on display for the Historical Society Museum’s newest exhibit displaying textiles throughout Harpswell’s history, which will open on Aug. 24 from 6-9 p.m. and will be shown through Sunday, Oct. 13, the day before Indigenous People’s Day.
“We don’t know who left it,” Van Damme said about the box of clothing. “We’re really glad that they thought (of the) Historical Society instead of selling it or (donating it to) Goodwill, or throwing it out.”
Van Damme began as a volunteer at the museum and said she was always drawn to the fabrics, clothing, and quilts. She then began a gradual, years-long project of cataloging the museum’s textiles and making hardcopy documentation.
Some pieces were given with accompanying information, while others – such as Aunt Patty’s Clothes – were a much bigger mystery. Van Damme researched such pieces by looking through books, identifying dress silhouettes, or visiting exhibits to gain a better sense of the story behind each item of clothing.
“This museum covers pretty much all aspects of life in Harpswell, and textiles are certainly an important part,” said Harpswell Historical Society President Dave Hackett. “We’ve never shown that off before.”
The sermon purse of Parson Samuel Eaton, a minister at the Harpswell Meeting House who died in 1822, will be on display. The purse predates the United States, and Hackett is not shy about calling it “one of the most significant pieces” in the museum’s collection.
The exhibit will mostly feature clothing and quilts, but Van Damme added shoes, accessories, and photos to complement the pieces and add context.
“It’s not just what people wore, but it’s how they made their clothing, how they made it last and adapted it. We can learn from that,” she said. “Because clothing is personal, I think that personal connection can get people interested.”
