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Hamlin Library Book Club

Founded in 2016, by a group of village readers, this group has read nearly 70 books.  Librarian Jenn Lewis has been instrumental in guiding our choices and then getting interlibrary loans for the members.   She keeps track of what we read, and who is hosting each month.  Recently we asked her if she had a record of books that we have read, and within days we all had a list detailing our choices since 2016.  She is going to create a poster for the library to show our selections.  It’s a comprehensive and impressive list. 

We began meeting in the library but quickly outgrew the small accommodations.   We now meet in member homes, but miss the charm of meeting amidst rows of books with Jenn quietly participating from her desk. 

We love all kinds of writers and all kinds of topics:  from science fiction, romance, classics and literary prize winners to fantasy, social commentary and even a bit of politics now and then.     Perhaps our favorite book club meeting (to date) has to be Frances Mayes’ Under the Tuscan Sun.  We met at Janet Brogan’s for a pot luck lunch where everyone made a recipe from the book.   We drank wine and ate delicious Italian fare for a wonderful couple of hours discussing marriage, family, food and travel.   And Jenn was the guest of honor.  

We meet on the first Thursday of each month, and new members are welcome.  Our core group of 6-8 year round residents grows in the summer as residents and old friends return to Paris Hill.   Sign up with Jenn if you are interested.

Remaining books for 2023

May 4:  Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

June 6:  The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

July 6:  The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Aug 3:  This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Sept 7:  Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Oct 5:  The Second Mrs Astor: A Heartbreaking Novel of the Titanic by Shana Abe

Nov 2:  The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Dec 7:  If I Live Til Morning by Jean Muenchrat

Welcome to the new Paris Hill Community Website

Welcome fellow neighbors!

After 12+ years of publishing the On the Hill newsletter, Janet Brogan has decided it is time change things for the better.  We have a mailing list of over 200 residents, and others who love our village, and the newsletter has a been a valuable way to communicate, share stories and events. We believe moving to a dedicated website with more frequent, interactive and dynamic content will help us tell the history and happenings on our village more easily!

A huge thank you to Janet Brogan and all the newsletter contributors who supported the On The Hill newsletter for the last 12+ years!

While the format is changing from the print newsletter to this new website, Janet is staying onboard as an editor and coordinator for news and features going forward.

Should you still want a print copy, we will be sending monthly copies to those who request, as well as posting in the Historical Society display box for viewing each month. The Hamlin Memorial Library is also making available their computers and wifi for access to the site.

Introducing ParisHill.org

As part of the transition to this website we wanted to offer a central place for all Paris Hill organizations, events, notices, news, galleries, links and contacts. These sections make up the menu at the top of the page on mobile devices, or the left sidebar on desktops. When new features and news are posted, emails with links will go to the newsletter and facebook, and the ParisHill.org site will always have the latest information.

Organizations
Each organization has their own page with contact information, history, uses, nonprofits involved, events, news and links. You can view these pages in the Organizations menu, or directly at each link; Hamlin Memorial Library & Museum, Paris Hill Academy, Paris Hill Baptist Church, Paris Hill Country Club and the Paris Hill Historical Society.

Events
In addition to the new organization pages, we wanted a centralized event calendar to capture the many events that happen each summer (and some in winter!) We have over a dozen events this year, including the summer suppers returning, Hannibal Hamlin’s Birthday, the Music Festival, the (43rd annual) Founders Day and more! Details for each are in the events section of this site and updated regularly. We will also continue to promote the same events on our Paris Hill Residents group and the public Paris Hill Historic District facebook page for public events.

More Events

Notices, Links and Galleries
In addition to events, we have notices – which are brief community notices such as power and water outages, MSAD 17 budget meetings, and other things our community may find of use. There is also a community links section which includes links to local resources like the Town of Paris resources and the Utility District. Also new, a Gallery section containing photo galleries from events and happenings around the hill. Expect to see a lot more galleries soon!

News and Features
We’re most excited to begin to have more frequent and visual News and Features content, starting with stories and spring updates from each organization. We’re also planning more frequent stories contributed by writers who are interested in documenting the history of the Paris Hill community! Some great feature ideas Janet Brogan suggested include the Mt Mica Mine, Cooper Springs, the Cornwall Preserve, the Lost Buildings of Paris Hill, and the Little buildings of Paris Hill. Please volunteer if interested in helping write or contribute to a feature!

Recent News

We realize there may be some hiccups during this transition, so please stay engaged and feel free to reach out anytime with questions, issues or corrections. We’re planning a support session as part of our June summer dinner, if anyone has any questions or needs help navigating the site. We’re also delivering a printed “Community Invite for Summer 2022” to everyone in the coming week. We’ll also be using that to promote this new website and make sure after such a long winter (or two, or three!) new residents are aware of all the events, historical buildings and organizations that support them in our community.

Most importantly, we hope that you will continue to stay engaged with our community after we come out of a much longer than usual winter hibernation. See you out walking as the temperatures warm and yard work calls, and hopefully at some of the many events planned this summer!

Hamlin Memorial Library and Museum Spring 2022 Update

Library
The Hamlin Memorial Library is located in historic Oxford County Jail. The jail was constructed in 1822 (this year is its 200 anniversary!), and has been a library and museum since 1902. We are indeed a historic building and have been able to maintain the building which is in good condition.

The purpose of our organization is to provide free use of library materials to residents of Paris Hill and the rest of the town of Paris, as well as to provide a local history collection in our museum both for local perusal and research as well as attracting visitors from everywhere.

We receive a small annual appropriation from the town of Paris, but the majority of our funds are raised by the organization. The vast majority of fundraising comes from our Founder’s Day event in July. We do not charge dues of any kind to be a member of the library.

(Provided by Jenn Lewis, Librarian)

Book Club
Started in 2017, the Hamlin Library Book Club has grown from just a couple of active members to a group of about 10 regular readers.  We welcome summer readers every year to join us.  We read a book a month, so for the past five years we have read and discussed about 60 books.  For May we are reading Finding Freedom by Erin French, the owner of The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine.  We select our own books as a group and get guidance from Librarian Jenn Lewis who secures copies on interlibrary loan.  Contact the Library for how to join us.  

(Provided by Janet Brogan)

Hamlin Memorial Library

Museum
The Hamlin Museum is prepping up for summer visitors. We have been in the process of restoring our oil paintings and portraits — currently, the 1901 painting by Frederick Dana Marsh, Lady with Peacock, is at the conservatory and expected back in several months. Our current rotating exhibit is an original copy of the March 12, 1770 issue of the Boston Gazette, one of the few newspapers that depicted the events of the Boston Massacre in detail. Midsummer, the exhibit will be changing over to feature the graves of the Hillside Cemetery on Paris Hill. 

Hamlin Memorial Museum

3 images

(Provided by Brandan Roberts)

Upcoming Events