Secretary's Report: Meetings were held monthly (except June and July) in the Crawford Conference Room at the Abbott Museum.

Treasurer's report: The 2005 fund drive total was $2,795.00 from 113 donors with 93 requesting membership. The 2006 newsletter was mailed in April and donations so far are: $4,772.00 from 71 donors with 57 requesting membership. We received a matching grant for $5,000.00 from the Historical Facilities Grant Program funded by the New Century Program and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to finish the lower floor of the Abbott Museum. The Plymouth Lodge of the Dexter Odd Fellows made a $5,000.00 donation towards our staff room. In Memory donations were made for: Robert Irvin, $95.00; Wendell Johnson, $95.00; Sandra Poulin, $11,340.00; Ernest Robinson, $1,415.00; George Swanton, $25.00; Raymond Whitney, Jr., $930.00; Helen Wilkins, $160.00.

Director's Report: A new door was installed at the Millers House. Work was done on the grounds at the Grist Mill Campus by Joe and Geoff Mountain, Billie and Tom Tillson and Jordan Zanzucchi. At the Abbott Museum the Lancaster Reading Room was papered by Paper Dolls and a bookcase was constructed by Vince Brown. Barry Bennett has worked with Bob Crawford for several months. They fitted cupboards and counters to the staff room. On the lower floor the Abbott and Tillson Rooms have been finished, with ceiling tiles, floor treatment, walls and wainscoting painted and doors and windows framed. Flooring has also been laid in the entry and a new deck and stairs constructed. The Granger Room has been insulated, sheet rocked and the ceiling strapped. Insulation and other prep work has been done in other rooms.

Committee Reports:
Museums: The Grist Mill Museum closed on October 1, 2005 and reopened June 12, 2006, closing on September 30. Attendance for 2005 was 1,390, for 2006 it was 1,500. Some freshmen did clean up work outside at both sites during Community Action Day. The Key Club helped clean inside the Grist Mill prior to opening. Amanda Pullen returned for her third year as intern. New exhibits included a corner cupboard from Eldridge Brothers in the kitchen area where the Jose family china was displayed, the addition of a Currier & Ives print to the Fire Department display and a tribute to the class of 1956 as well as items placed in the new acquisitions case. Groups toured from Foxcroft Academy, NOE, Sanfield Rehabilitation in Hartland and Dexter Health Care and cub scouts. We were open extra hours during Wild West Days. Exhibits at the Abbott Museum have featured Park Theatre photos from Steve Bailey, paintings by Helen Wilkins and Roland Gilbert. The French-Canadian exhibit remains popular. New consignors and new product lines continue to expand the offerings at the gift shop.

Acquisitions: Collections cataloged for 2005 numbered 99, for 2006 so far are 86. The Odd Fellows collection includes photos, minutes, membership and financial records and several nice pieces of furniture as well as a clock. We also got 13 minutes books from the North Dexter Grange, scrapbooks of the Jaycettes and the Fireman's Auxiliary. Three photos presented views we had not seen, of boathouses on Grove St., the building that became Otto's Potato House and of the stone mill showing placement of the dated stone. A table-top churn from Fifield & Maxim had the lettering intact. Richard Barstow donated his Maine Sports Hall of Fame award.

Research and Genealogy: Recorded queries responded to in 2005 numbered 94, for 2006 so far are 79. The Assessor's Record books have been placed in the flat file drawers in the archival vault. We were given the opportunity to begin transcribing one of William P. Thompson's diaries. Genealogy work was done with members of the Folsom/Willard/Kittridge, Hautville Johnson, Copeland, Safford, Girrell, Edward W. Clark, Beal/Curtis and Noirfalise/Bearce families yielding much new information. A daughter of Herbert Cloutier donated invaluable original photos and documents from her family. Several DRHS students researched their cemetery projects.

Publications: We contributed an article on the history of the Abbott Museum building to the new “Memories of Maine” magazine. Ivy Strickler Brooks donated the computer design of our new tri-fold glossy color brochure and arranged for the printing of 10,000 that have been widely distributed. We have loaned Fred Wintle photos to use in his upcoming book.

Outreach: We sent notices to area newspapers of meetings and special events maintained our website, and submitted a report for the 2005 Town Report. Our conference room and reading room have been used by various groups for regular or special meetings. Rick and Carol attended the MAM Conference at Orono in October 2005. We had an exhibit on Dexter in WW II at the SPCCC Expo in April. Elizabeth LaForge of Corinth gave two public talks on the repair and restoration of pottery and fine art in June and July. We hosted a Quilt Documentation Day in September. The Call photo exhibit has been touring in various branches of the Maine State Bank. Sabrina Cote received our scholarship award. We assisted with the filming of a documentary about an auto tour, circa 1920, and placed an exhibit of historic photos of the town clock in the council chambers window to complement current work being done on the clock

Work continues on the lower floor of the Abbott Museum, with much left to do, but the end is in sight. Public awareness of the many types of services we have to offer continues to grow.