Anonymous donor gives $10K to Hawthorne House restoration

An anonymous donor has given
$10,000 to be used for renovations
to the aging historic Hawthorne
House in Raymond. 
SUBMITTED PHOTO

The passionate, three-year-long “Save the Hawthorne House!” fundraising campaign launched by the Hawthorne Community Association to repair serious structural damage to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Boyhood Home in Raymond has received a greatly-appreciated $10,000 donation from a person who wishes to remain anonymous.

The donor—a resident of California wishing to be identified only as a descendent of Ichabod Roberts Kelsey and Martha Ann Bartlett Kelsey (Daughters of the American Revolution 1907 compilation no. 64087) and of George F. Murch and Mary Jane Nutting Murch—has asked that the donation be identified as a special gift in honor of Clyde Stanley Murch and Edna Pearl Ames Murch.

Clyde Murch was also a descendant of George F. Murch and Mary Jane Nutting Murch. He was a founding officer of the Hawthorne Community Association upon its formation in 1921 and was instrumental in revitalizing the Association in 1956, and in securing federal tax-exempt status for it in 1963.

While offering his donation to the Hawthorne Community Association, the anonymous donor said, “I wish to convey my congratulations to the residents of the Casco/Raymond area for support for this project, and I hope that others with ties to the region generally and to the Hawthorne House specifically—including seasonal residents like myself—will consider donating to the fund. This will allow the Association to successfully complete this urgently-needed renovation project.”

In addition to smaller donations from a wide array of Mainers, the “Save the Hawthorn House!” fundraising effort previously received a greatly-appreciated $11,000 donation from William and Anne Harrison of Raymond and a $5,000 donation from David Flanagan of Manchester.

To help save Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Boyhood Home, please consider a much-appreciated check or online donation. Please make checks payable to “Hawthorne Community Association” / PO Box 185 / South Casco, ME 04077. PayPal donations may be made online at: https://www.hawthorneassoc.com.

For more information, please contact Abel Bates at 207-318-7131 or jbates4@maine.rr.com.<