| Going to Blazes Exhibit at Athenaeum |
FEB THRU MAY 25, 2013
"Going to Blazes," a free exhibit that opens Feb. 1 at the Portsmouth Athenaeum's Randall Room, explores the legacy of Portsmouth's fires of 1802, 1806 and 1813, and two private fire societies that meet to this day. (Continued below)
Co-curator Joyce Volk said that before 1840, fires were fought by individuals, not professionals. The goal was to save the contents of a house and stop the blaze from spreading. Robbery was a key concern.
"The first thing you'd do was empty the house," she said. "Of course, not everything came back."
Fire societies were formed to protect fire victims from thieves, Volk said.
"Members were taken to the houses of all the other fire society members and shown where their valuables were kept," Volk said. "Each one had to have two fire buckets, a big canvas bag to carry items away in, and a bed wrench to take apart the four-posters, because the bed hangings were usually the most expensive items in a house. The society had one man stationed at the door and you had to give the password so strangers couldn't get in."
At one time, there were six such fire societies in Portsmouth. Two survive and continue as social institutions -- the Federal Fire Society, founded in 1789, and the Mechanic Fire Society, which dates to 1811.
"The fire societies were drinking and dining societies," co-curator Sandra Rux said.
They still are, Volk says, pointing to the snuff box that the Mechanic Fire Society has passed around since 1821, and the Federal Fire Society's 1876 punch bowl, which will be on display for the Athenaeum exhibit.
Other exhibit items include an elaborate menu from an 1890 Mechanic Fire Society dinner presided over by famed brewer Frank Jones, society songbooks, a number of leather fire buckets, a map showing the areas of the 1802, 1806 and 1813 fires, a segment of one of the first wooden water pipes laid in the city in 1797 and a furniture brand, used to mark furniture so it could be returned to the owner after a fire.
Peter Lamb is a member of Portsmouth's Federal Fire Society. Members not only gather to socialize and are still required to own a fire bucket. Leon Arsenault, 92, of Freeport, Maine, has made many of the buckets for the current membership. Lamb and Arsenault will describe the process, showcase some materials and tools, and sprinkle in a little fire bucket history at the Athenaeum on March 14 at 7 p.m.
Lamb made his own bucket last year under Arsenault's tutelage.
"It was a real privilege for me to learn from Leon," Lamb said. "He has great skill and there are many subtleties working with wet leather, as well as the art of fine hand stitching. The real bonus was the wealth of stories Leon told from his long life in mid-coast Maine!"
SPECIAL EVENTS & DATES
- An opening reception will be held Friday, Feb. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Athenaeum, 6-8 Market Square.
- Co-curators Volk and Rux will give a gallery talk on April 20 at 11 a.m. at the Athenaeum.
- Historian Richard Candee will discuss the Brick Act -- passed after the 1813 fire -- and its impact on the center city. Starting at 2 p.m. on May 11, he will lead a walk starting at the Portsmouth Athenaeum, 6-8 Market Square.
These events are free. Space is limited and reservations are required; call 603-431-2538.
- Exhibit hours are 1 to 4 p.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays through May 25.
- Sandra Rux, who is curator of the Portsmouth Historical Society, will talk about the Portsmouth fire of 1813 on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. in the opening lecture of the 2013 program series, "Great Fires: Conflagrations that Reshaped New England."
The events are sponsored by UBS Financial Services; general admission is $10. Reservations are required for the lectures, which are in the Athenaeum's Research Library.
On March 20 at 7 p.m., Tracy Messer and Charles Strickland will give the second lecture in the series and show their documentary film on the Great Marlow Fire of 1941. Admission is $10 for the 7 p.m.
Third in the series is the Isles of Shoals Fires, presented April 17 at 7 p.m. by Ann Beattie and Melissa Saggerer.
"Going to Blazes" is made possible by Ellis Insurance Company, the Federal Fire Society, the Mechanics Fire Society, the George I. Pierce Fund (Athenaeum) and Piscataqua Savings Bank.
The Portsmouth Athenaeum is a nonprofit membership museum and library founded in 1817. For more information, call 603-431-2538 or go to www.portsmouthathenaeum.org