While in a reflective
mood, Harland once commented that in his nearly fifty years of work
at the Mill, two significant events stood out in his mind. The first
was when the Smithsonian Institution invited him to demonstrate
Colonial box making at the Montreal Expo, "Man and His World",
and the second; the day that Shaker Eldress Bertha stopped by.
The last Shaker oval box maker was Delmer
Wilson (1873-1961) of the Sabbathday Lake Community. Eldress Bertha
learned from the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, that Harland
Savage, a League member, was continuing the tradition of Colonial
box making at Frye's Measure Mill.
In the late 1960's, Eldress Bertha approached
Harland Savage to help her preserve the Shakers' disappearing craft
of box making. During her visit to the Mill, she suggested a cooperative
effort that would result in Shaker boxes once again being available
at the Canterbury Museum Shop. She supported and encouraged the
Savages' endeavors by allowing them access to the Canterbury collections.
Thus, the start of our Shaker line!
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