Historic Hallowell

For Hallowell, adversity has come in many forms: freshets, fires, tornadoes and even train wrecks.

Natural disasters have plagued Hallowell throughout its history, but man-made disasters have impacted the city as well.

The Hallowell team asked the 7th Grade to consider disasters as their exhibit topic and they agreed. They chose the Flood of 1987 and the Ice Storm of 1998 as primary events but also chose the Hurricanes of 1954, the Blizzard of 1952, the train wreck of 1937 and the Cyclone of 1895.

The process started by scanning photographs and learning how to catalog for the Maine Memory Network. Images of the flood and ice storm were readily available and parents and community members were able to relate experiences during each event.

Mr. Sumner Webber, the City Historian and a retired Hall-Dale teacher, brought a suitcase full of resource materials to the middle school and exhibit building began. Students scanned and uploaded images, prepared poems, timelines, cartoons, maps, podcasts, and other creative supports.

The process took ten months to complete. Three teachers and more than seventy students were able to overcome logistical challenges to create this exhibit that gives the viewer an insight into an important part of Hallowell's past.