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March 25
South Berwick, ME  

Ron Raiselis of Portsmouth, NH will give a talk at 7:30 pm on Thursday, March 25, at Berwick Academy’s Jeppesen Science Center on Academy Street. A cooper for 30 years, Raiselis will demonstrate his craft and explain the use of handmade wooden barrels throughout local history. Admission is free and refreshments will be served by volunteers. 

Coopers arrived in the Piscataqua region with the first English settlers in the 1620s, and their work was essential to commerce and daily life in the Seacoast area. The storage containers coopers made were important in the days of sail, when merchants trading through Portsmouth needed to move loose or liquid products like flour from New England; sugar, rum, and molasses from the West Indies; and wine and Madeira from Europe.

Old Berwick Historical Society to Present Barrel Making 

Barrels were made in an array of sizes with different names, including the "pipe," which held 126 gallons of liquid. For generations the South Berwick wharf area near the Hamilton House was called Pipe Stave Landing, and exported staves made from local trees to be fashioned by coopers working aboard ships or in far-away ports. 

Since 1985, Raiselis has served as the resident cooper at Strawbery Banke Museum, where he maintains a traditional cooperage shop. He began his professional journey at Sturbridge Village in the 1970s and trained with a renowned cooper, Lenny Julian. Raiselis has gone on to become a master cooper and is an expert at making barrels that can hold liquid, called tight kegs or wet cooperage. 

This event is part of the Old Berwick Historical Society's 2010 series of talks, walks and historical events supported by memberships and a grant from Kennebunk Savings. They include seven monthly evening presentations as well as other local history events around South Berwick, including the society's Counting House Museum. 

More information on all the Old Berwick Historical Society's programs is available at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by calling (207) 384-0000.