After sorting through years of props and memories, Hackmatack Playhouse stumbled upon a goldmine: a rare early 20th century painted drop that originally hung in the North Berwick Grange Hall, once one of the most socially active places in town for local farmers and their families. The Guptill family, who own The Playhouse, was active in the Grange as local farmers in the area.
"It's not only a piece of local history, but a piece of Americana," said Royal Cloyd, 86, president of the North Berwick Historical Society. "I've never seen the likes of it."Salvaged from one of two North Berwick Grange Halls, which burnt down many years ago, the drop features a beautiful painted landscape with some colors still as bright as they were in the early 1900s."It's absolutely wonderful and amazing that it's in as good of condition as it is," Cloyd said. "Whoever painted it knew what he was doing and wanted to make it last."Lining the bottom are advertisements for about 25 businesses around the North Berwick area, many of which are no longer around. Some, however, still exist today, including H.E. Hayes Funeral Home, now Johnson Funeral Home. Cloyd said there are descendants of about a third of the businesses still living in North Berwick today.Videos