Our Vision

A Vision

In the early 1990s, Francis Fitzpatrick, Barry Campbell and Charles Upton were talking over coffee about all of the farm equipment and artifacts that were leaving Aroostook County (aka "The County"). They wondered if there would be interest within the community in having some sort of building to store and display old machinery in order to preserve them for future generations. 

They invited a number of people to a couple of meetings in December 1990 at Joe's Diner in Houlton. Most agreed that a "farmers' museum" was a great idea, and some had items to donate, but it wasn't clear how it could be done or where it could be located. There were a few people in the area who had been collecting things because they were interested in antiques and history, but the vision was growing: to have a central location that could not only house these items, but display them for the public and serve as an educational outlet for generations to come. 

In 1991, they entered a float in the 4th of July Parade and a smaller group met a few more times at the Houlton Town Office to brainstorm and plan. The next summer (1992), they decided to have a banner made for the parade to promote the idea. It read: Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum (SAAM). Their hope was to involve surrounding communities in this effort to preserve the shared agricultural heritage of the area. The search for the perfect location began. 

Throughout the rest of the 1990s, Barry, Charles and Francis worked tirelessly to raise awareness and interest for the idea - having displays at trade shows, Potato Feast Days, the 4th of July Fair and other events. They used items they had or borrowed something from others in the community so there was always something different. The Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District featured SAAM and a picture of old farm implements several different years to raise awareness while they tried to find a location for the growing number of items that were being collected. Some from the initial brainstorming meetings thought it would be good to have the museum at the fairgrounds in Houlton.  In 1994, they explored the feasibility of moving an old barn that Houlton High School wanted to dispose of, but found that it would be too difficult to move. There was a lot of support and excitement during these years, but still no place to call home.

A Permanent Home

Then, in January 2001, the town of Littleton announced a special meeting to accept proposals for the sale of the Littleton Elementary School , which had closed the year before. This was the opportunity they had been waiting for! Francis presented a proposal to turn the building into an agricultural museum and asked for one year to come up with the money. The town accepted the proposal. The museum finally had a home!

They invited people from several surrounding towns to a meeting. Thirteen people attended; they each donated $75 to get things started and became the founding board members of the museum. They had bylaws drawn up and adopted Southern Aroostook Agricultural Museum as their official name. It not only represented the communities in the region with a shared heritage, but now it was also their location. During that first year, they spent a lot of time planning and trying to raise money for fuel to heat the building. They rented one of the rooms to a church group and relied on sporadic donations from generous supporters to make ends meet.

Now that the museum had a home, volunteers began to come out of the woodwork to help. They cleaned, painted, renovated and prepared the building and grounds. When the first year was over in March 2002 and the money had not been raised to pay for the building, Barry Campbell, Jamie Watson and Colby Shaw co-signed a loan to pay the town. The bank agreed to let them pay just the interest until they got things going. They raised money through memberships, rentals and donations, scraping by to pay the interest, maintenance, overhead and renovations. 

Official Opening!

On August 24, 2002, SAAM officially opened its doors! The grounds had been rented for the North Country Cruisers 3rd Annual Car Show that weekend. The days leading up to the event were spent bringing in donations and arranging displays. Several items were donated by Cedric and Emily Shaw, who had an extensive collection in their barn on their farm in Littleton, which they called the Pastime Museum. Many other items were donated by board members who had also been collecting in anticipation of someday having a building. The event was an incredible success for both the car show and the museum. The excitement was building and the museum was gaining momentum!

In 2003, Cedric and Emily Shaw decided to close the Pastime Museum and donated the rest of their collection to SAAM, filling the first room and a half. Local collectors like Ralph Longstaff and Luther Grass brought their considerable collections in and more rooms began to be filled. 

Volunteers worked tirelessly cleaning and cataloguing items all the new items and curating the displays. They started having monthly suppers, offered memberships and began to hold spring and fall raffles to raise money.

Through much hard work and dedication, in December of 2005, they made the last payment to the bank and celebrated by burning the mortgage papers at a public supper on New Year’s Eve. It was a major milestone of accomplishment.

Over the next few years, the museum continued to grow and expand, receiving grants and donations to build new buildings and complete special projects. Volunteers worked tirelessly to make the museum a success. They continued to host monthly suppers and held annual spring and fall raffles to raise money. Local farmers brought their crews in to help with repairs, building projects and improving the grounds. Several new buildings were added. In 2004, the Ross Schoolhouse was brought to the property and the groundwork began for the Hagan Barn, which was built in five Saturdays during the summer of 2006. In 2015, the Charles Upton wing was added to the barn and several buildings were constructed by Colby Shaw and his family: the Blacksmith and Barrel Shop, General Store and Filling Station. In 2019, the Allie Cole Building was constructed and in 2022, a new digital sign was added.

The hallways of the museum are lined with photographs that document the museum's growth throughout the years, all dated and captioned by museum historian Dot Campbell, who made sure to get pictures of everything that was happening and everyone who was involved, no matter how big or small their part. 

There have been a countless number of people who have given of their time and treasure, whether behind the scenes or out in front, from the very beginning to now: cooking and serving at suppers, cleaning and cataloging donated items, painting, maintaining the building and grounds... it is impossible to list all the ways that people have contributed over the years. The museum truly would not be what it is today without the hard work and perseverance of our many dedicated volunteers. 

Looking Ahead

Our hope is that the museum will continue to expand its ability to preserve and share the heritage of our rural area for future generations, and through the use of technology, be able to share that legacy within and beyond the borders of our Southern Aroostook region.