Faces of Founders: Hiram, Maine is here! The first history book of "Great Ossapee" since Dr. William Teg's in 1964 is researched and written by Sally WIlliams for Hiram Historical Society. Its 332 pages are full of stories - some published here for the first time - that bring the founders to life - the families that entered the "forest primeval" to tame it - pioneers all, war heroes some and scoundrels a few! Not forgotten are the women who supported in building a sustainable, governable and livable town in southwestern Maine in the period 1774 to about 1830. Generously illustrated with photographs of the sturdy houses and barns that survived, as well as the buildings that did not, and the hardy families that built them. Published in October 2021 with the generous support of the Maine Arts Commission, Hiram businesses and individual donations to Hiram Historical Society. Faces of Founders: Hiram, Maine is a book to be read and relished many times over. $39.95. Available at Hiram Town Office, Soldiers Memorial Library, Hiram, Maine, Edge of Maine Gallery, Bridgton Books, your favorite bookstores or book sources, and, of course, on this website in our shop. By mail, send check payable to Hiram Historical Society, PO Box 35, Hiram 04041 - add $8.00 shipping and handling (total $47.95). Additional donations appreciated!
What is being said about Faces of Founders: Hiram, Maine
As a Maine historian I highly recommend Sally Williams Faces of Founders: Hiram, Maine. Though the author states “It is not a complete history or genealogy of the early settlement”, it provides the flavor and salient details necessary to arrive at an understanding of the early place and the people who settled and shaped Hiram. I have written a history of Maine, histories of L.L. Bean and Sweetser- Children’s Home as well as numerous biographical pieces, and writing a town history, even with a top co-author, was the hardest thing for me to manage. Sally Williams is a first-rate historian who knows her subject intimately and presents it clearly and honestly.
--William David Barry
author of Maine: The Wilder Half of New England, 2012
Town accounts are often notoriously dry, but in the right hands, they can be remarkable. Sally Williams moves deftly between the traditional establishment of Hiram and the rich social fabric of those who settled there. Smoothly written and generously illustrated, Faces of Founders shows insightful connection between the past and the present.
--Deborah Gould,
author of The Eastern: The Early Years, The Eastern: Later On and Household
Through a persistent search for Hiram’s story, Sally Williams compiled a beautifully and carefully constructed history not only of events but of the human condition. Faces and Founders: Hiram, Maine transcends the past and propels you into a present that still endures in the architecture, the landscape, and in the people that make up our shared experience.
--Bradford Fuller
author of Brownfield, Maine: An Illustrated History
Curious people want to know how things used to be in their hometowns. We wonder how the strong and adventurous people who arrived here centuries ago made the spot livable. We try to imagine how they kept themselves safe, what food they found and produced, how they related to Native people. How did they build things, get from place to place, make tools, use money, raise children, treat illness, share resources and keep order for the common good? How did women routinely constrained by societal norms in a rugged “man's world” remain strong and inventive, even into widowhood?
In her thoroughly engaging book of history Faces of Founders: Hiram, Maine author Sally Williams lays out in colorful detail what life was like in early Hiram and surrounding towns, from 1774 through the 1830s. Williams has done the meticulous, scholarly research. We get the prize: educational and fascinating stories of the courage, mistakes, and ingenuity of those who lived here long ago.
In this modern era, we bemoan our “busy-ness”. Williams' book is a terrific tutorial and reminder: early settlers did well nearly all things essential.
Since moving to Hiram I have wanted to picture the yesteryears of my new hometown, to ponder the true adventures of our founders and enjoy discussing those with neighbors and friends. Until now I did not have enough clear descriptions of early life in this region to do so. Now I do.
--Ellie Stein
Wards Hill, Hiram
"I’m halfway through and can’t put it down!” – Judy Pendexter Sargent, former Hiram resident