HISTORY: About the William Fogg Library in Eliot, Maine

 Yesterday's blog included a recap about my Halloween lecture at the William Fogg Library in Eliot, located in southern Maine. Today you'll read about the history of the family who helped inspire and create the library. 

(Photo: William Fogg Library, Eliot, Maine. Credit: R.G.) 

ABOUT THE FOGG FAMILY -  The Fogg family had been in Eliot since 1680, making them among the town’s earliest settlers. William Fogg was born in 1790. As an adult, he would become a prominent local historian and genealogist. Officially, he worked as Eliot’s Town Clerk and first postmaster.   

WHO IS JOHN FOGG? -  One of their sons, John S. H. Fogg, would become a doctor, and the most famous of the Fogg children. Born in 1826, John Samuel Hill Fogg was a man of many interests and well known as a genealogist and expert in Colonial history. He attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine beginning in 1842. Following his graduation in 1846, he studied at Harvard Medical School and established his practice in South Boston in 1850. John was a general practitioner until 1875 when he was stricken with paralysis and became wheelchair-bound. For the remainder of his life, John and his second wife, Mary, would devote their time to collecting autographs and books. 

WHY A LIBRARY?  -  Upon his death in 1893,  Dr. John S.H. Fogg  gave his family’s land for the town’s library and provided its endowment, along with his personal collection of American history books, and an endowment. The library was named in honor of his father, William Fogg, whose homestead still sits on library property. 

 He also bequeathed his family homestead to the library, as well as his beloved book and artifact collections, thus becoming one of Eliot’s greatest benefactors.

(Photo: Fogg House on the same tract of land. This is an historic site).

LOCATION/WEBSITE - William Fogg Public Library is located at 116 Old Road, Eliot, ME, 03903. The website is: https://www.williamfogglibrary.org/

ESTATE BEQUEATHED -Dr. John Fogg also bequeathed his estate to fund the continued operation of the library. You can visit the restored Fogg Homestead and see personal artifacts from the Fogg family and the historic Fogg collections by appointment. 

Local: Enjoyed Sunflower Summer at Sandy Hill Farm!

Sandy Hill Farm in Eliot, Maine plants many rows of giant sunflowers, and allows people to walk down the large "aisles" and take pictures. There's an admission to the farm, which also covers a few other things. The experience is usually open in July, so we went!

This year's event ended on July 20th so we got there a couple of days before. It was a nice way to spend 90 minutes or so, and the sunflowers are amazing. Some of the sunflowers had grown to about four or five feet high!  The rows of Sunflowers were amazing to behold.  

The field was in full bloom, and we had good weather with sunshine and highs in the 70s since the heat wave had ended.

We noticed that there were cars from Massachusetts and New Hampshire as well as from Maine. Apparently it's become quite a big attraction during the summer time. If you want to plan for next year. The cost is $7.00 per person on weekdays (Monday thru Thursday) and $10.00 per person on weekend days (Friday thru Sunday). Children 3 and under are free.

As we walked up and down a couple of pathways, it seemed like there was a bee on every other sunflower, so the pollinators were working hard!  

Each ticket entitles the ticket holder to: entry to the field for walking and picture-taking among the blooms and their distinctive metal art, wagon rides on their refurbished train (which is really a small trolley on rubber tires pulled by a tractor), and a single scoop of their Frozen Custard (fancy ice cream).

 There was also a kid-sized pick up truck made of wood that you could pose next to, so I did!

 

(Photo: A panel of fencing in front of the Sunflowers that spelled out "Sandy Hill Farm" on the pickets.)

The day that we went, there were a lot of mothers with children there and they all wanted to board the trolley so unfortunately we were not able to do so. The trolley takes you on a 15 minute ride around the entire farm which is quite extensive.

This is the same farm that puts on a massive Christmas display in the winter time. You may remember it from a blog earlier this year than I posted.

During the Christmas display, They put out close to a 1 million lights and light up trees make tunnels I have vehicles made of lights, polar bears and Penguins made of lights and other things. It's pretty cool in the winter time as well! If you don't remember the blog or missed it, you can see the Holiday light blog here: https://rob-tom-dolly-franklin.blogspot.com/2024/12/saw-amazing-holiday-light-display-open.html

Saw an Amazing Holiday Light Display (open thru Feb 2025): Eliot, Maine!!

I remember helping my dad put up Christmas lights outside my childhood home, and I think there's nothing better to light up the long winter evenings than beautiful, colored holiday lights. Fortunately, we found an amazing walk-through display at Sandy Hill Farm, Eliot, ME (southern Maine).  The "2024 Winter Wonders" display is up from Dec. through Feb. 2025. We learned about the 2 million-lights display from a waitress at our favorite breakfast place- so we booked tickets and it was AMAZING. Today's blog shares pictures from the experience (and a GIF I made of 50 pics you can see them quickly in under 1 minute).

(Photo: Rob and Tom in one of the lit tunnels!)

OUR EXPERIENCE - The displays of multicolored lights of the "2024 Winter Wonders" Sandy Hill Farm display were amazing. For 2024, they have over two million lights across a 14-acre light display. Lights go as far as the eye can see, and cover trees from roots to canopy.  The walk takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and the pathway is lit by multicolored light "fences" on both sides.

UNIQUE DISPLAYS WE SAW - There are also a lot of innovative lighting displays, like "wrapped presents" about 15 feet high that you can walk inside and take pictures. "Christmas trees" created by lights that reach 30 feet high, are also walk-in. There are several large "Light tunnels" that extend about 50-100 feet that you walk through on the lit path. 

ANIMAL SHAPED-LIGHTS - There was a polar bear, a unicorn, and of course a Maine Moose all made out of lights. 

OTHER MAINE-THEMED LIGHTS - There was a giant 20-foot -high "wrapped present" constructed from lobster buoys, and an entire Christmas tree constructed from lights and actual lobster traps!  

MORE DISPLAYS!  There was a train with 2 cars made out of lights, that people could walk through and pose for pictures. There was a "hot air balloon" that topped 50 feet high, where visitors walked into the "basket" of lights to pose for photos. We also saw an Airplane constructed entirely of lights, and an actual Bridge that was so brightly lit. 

ABOUT THE LIGHT DISPLAY - Winter Wonders 2024-25 is a World-Class Light Show experience located nearby in Eliot, Maine! With over 2 Million Lights, our engaging, creative, and unique 14-acre light display is the Largest and Most Immersive Walk-Through Light Show display in New England. If you love holiday lights, make sure you don’t miss this experience.

WE RECOMMEND IT! - TIPS BEFORE GETTING TICKETS - Dress VERY warmly and get tickets after checking the weather. I bought tickets 5 days in advance, knowing that the Sunday we visited was the "warmest" night of the weekend (it was in the low 20s)... The previous nights here were in the single numbers!  Also check the weather to ensure it won't be raining or snowing on you. **Strollers are doable, but the pathway is gravel the entire way**

ON DISPLAY THROUGH FEBRUARY 2025-  Get into the Holiday Spirit or visit them after the New Year to bring some light into your January and February. Fresh snow, fresh music choices, and new props will create a beautiful winter landscape. Come to experience farm life and celebrate the seasons!

IF YOU GO: Sandy Hill Farms "2024 Winter Wonders" display is up from Dec. 2024 through February 2025 and it's worth the drive. It's located in southwestern Maine, near the New Hampshire border (which is actually the river that separates the states). 

ADDRESS: 34 Sandy Hill Lane, Eliot, MAINE.

WEBSITE FOR TICKETS: https://www.sandyhillmaine.com/winter-wonders  

FOR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: https://www.sandyhillmaine.com/faqs