The Historical Society Brings the Mary Abbie Sanborn Exhibit to Pilgrim United Church of Christ

06/03/23

Pilgrim Church, Brentwood

The Historical Society was honored to participate in the Pilgrim United Church of Christ’s Open House on June 3 celebrating the 208th anniversary of the raising of the historical meeting house and site of the first town hall.

The Historical Society brought the Mary Abbie Sanborn exhibit from the museum to the Church and set it up in the sanctuary. The exhibit included Mary Abbie’s writing desk, a sampling of her original diaries, and a poster presentation of interesting excerpts from her diaries.

Mary was an incredibly important figure in the Congregational Church, as it was known at that time, serving as librarian of the Sunday school and other positions.  Mary Abbie kept diaries from 1836 until just before her death in 1902. These diaries have been an important source for Brentwood history.  She recorded everyday events of the town and referred to events of national significance.

All the Mary Abbie Sanborn objects in the Society’s collection are on an open-ended loan from the Church. The Historical Society is honored to have been entrusted with the care of these priceless objects. Please visit the museum to see the permanent exhibit.