Greenville hits a $1 million jackpot for Moosehead Historical Society’s Lumbermen’s Museum

GREENVILLE — Construction has begun on a $1 million building on Pritham Avenue in Greenville that will serve as the future Lumbermen’s Museum for the Moosehead Historical Society.

The building is a gift from Greenville summer residents Ed and Arlene Jewett, who are providing $1 million for construction which will cover the exterior. The Moosehead Historical Society, which announced the gift last spring, will provide funding to finish the interior. The building itself will be known as the Jewett Family Building.

Moosehead Historical Society President Sean Billings said he and members of the society board were ecstatic to learn about Jewetts’ plan to donate a building.

“This is an amazing opportunity not just for the historical society but for the town of Greenville, too,” he said. “A million dollar building here is a game changer for this town.”

“This gift gives us the opportunity to tell one of the most important stories in the Moosehead region — the story of the forest, the lake, and the people whose work helped build these communities,” historical society Executive Director Luke Muzzy said. “The forest economy is not just our past. It is still part of who we are today. The Jewett Family Building will allow us to preserve that heritage properly and share it with future generations.”

The Jewetts said they decided to make a significant gift to the community but initially had no idea what it would be. A conversation with Muzzy brought the idea into focus. The couple had stopped at the historical society office to make their annual $1,000 donation. As the three of them were discussing the society’s goals and wish lists, Muzzy mentioned the growing need for a larger building for the current Lumbermen’s Museum.

“We were looking at him and then looked at each other and said, ‘That’s it,’” Arlene recalled.

The project also suits Ed, who has a master’s degree in forestry, and experience which ties in nicely with the history of the lumber industry.

“We’re just happy making a contribution to the community,”  Ed, who founded Jewett Construction in 1972, said. The firm, now run by the couple’s son Craig, handles large construction projects for companies including Chevrolet, BMW, Cumberland Farms and the Boy Scouts of America, to name a few. Located in Fremont, New Hampshire, the firm has won several awards for building excellence.

“We reject complacency and push the boundaries of what the industry believes is possible,” the company website says. “As creators, innovators and visionaries, we strive not just to build, but to build better, more efficiently, stronger, faster and more cost-effectively.”

Because of Ed’s experience in construction, he is serving as general contractor for the project and using his contacts and experience to trim costs so that the historical society gets a maximum benefit from the money being donated.

“We’ve been able to get some pretty good discounts,” Ed noted.

Arlene added that Ed’s work on the project also added value.

“It would have cost a couple hundred thousand to hire someone,” she said.

Among the subcontractors involved in the project are Skip Davis, an electrician based in Guilford; Chick Brown of Brown’s Plumbing in Blanchard; Mark Freeman of York and Shirley, carpenter Nathan Hebert of Sangerville; and civil engineer Kurt Neufeld of Brunswick.

“The whole team of them are excellent,” Ed said, adding he has worked with them all before.

He also praised Billings for his work designing the building and submitting documents to the necessary authorities.

“I’ve got to tell you how valuable Sean is to the museum, because of the work he does,” Ed said.

The Jewetts said their daughter Kellie Jewett is handling the bookkeeping for the project.

Local people have also stepped up, including Lisa and Woody Bartley, who own the Bartley Event Center in Greenville.

“They’ve donated space in one of their buildings for a paint lab,” Ed said, noting that painting must be done somewhere protected from the weather.

“He (Woody) was even painting,” Arlene added. “They’re really generous and really community minded.”

The couple also praised Hammond Lumber in Greenville.

“They’ve been very aggressive in finding the materials for this,” Ed said. “They’re a good supplier.”

For example, the building needs 12-foot sections of wood, and Hammond has delivered even though it can be difficult to get that much lumber in such a long length.

Already, crews have faced several challenges. For one thing, the building site sits in a low spot, which Ed described as a “bowl.” As a result, crews needed 2,000 yards of crushed slate for fill in order to create a stable foundation.

Ed said he hopes to have the historical society building under cover before winter. However, they lost time during the permitting process. So they are working as fast as they can.

“We’re going to push,” he said.