Visitors to the Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta on Saturday, July 6 will discover the historic craft of spinning in a demonstration by Rebecca Manthey. She will discuss the steps of bringing wool from the sheep’s fleece to the spinning wheel and demonstrate the use of the Great Wheel, also called a Walking Wheel, showing how the spinner’s hands and the motion of the wheel worked together to bring the prepared fleece into yarn. The demonstration is free to the public and open from noon to 4 p.m.

Rebecca Manthey has researched 17th and 18th century skills for over 25 years and participates in events re-enacting Colonial life.  She has shared her knowledge and skills through programs at the Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site in Pemaquid, Fort Western in Augusta, Leonard’s Mills, in Bradley, and Fort Ticonderoga, in Ticonderoga, New York.

Chapman-Hall House is located at 270 Main Street in Damariscotta. The National Register-listed house is open for tours every Saturday and Sunday in July from noon to 4 p.m.; closing for the season after Pumpkinfest.  Visitors view the unique architectural details of a 270-year-old family home and gain insight into daily family life in mid-coast Maine over 150 years. Admission for house tours is $10 per adult and free for children 16 and under. The Chapman-Hall House is one of three historic sites under the care of the Lincoln County Historical Association.  

The Lincoln County Historical Association is a nonprofit organization that provides stewardship for the 1754 Chapman-Hall House, the 1761 Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, and the 1811 Old Jail and Museum in Wiscasset.  For more information about the Lincoln County Historical Association visit www.lincolncountyhistory.org and Facebook Lincoln County Historical Association Maine.