About The Finnish American

Heritage Society
Photos & Histories Collected & Compiled by Barbara Nurmi Payne

The Maple House: A Hotel
In the early days of the Maple House, a livery
stable stood across the street, providing
convenient local transportation for visitors,
immigrants and other arrivals that disembarked
the train on Depot Street and stayed at the
Maple House.

The Maple House: A Boarding House
At some point the building evolved into a
boarding house, providing room and board for
many Finnish immigrant men. In the 30s it was
shut down temporarily due to the ill health of
the owner, Mrs. Lena Farnum. It was later
leased to John and Rena Ring (circa 1937) who
operated the business for three years
.

Ring-McKeen American Legion Post #151
The building was sold in 1946 and assumed a
whole new function as the Ring-McKeen
American Legion Post #151. McKeen was a
descendant of Mikkonen, the first Finnish
immigrant in West Paris. The name Mikkonen
was Anglicized to McKeen. They removed the
barn and interior partitions of the house to
provide a parking lot and interior space to
accommodate large gatherings. Two rooms on
the first floor were paneled and rented to the
town as a town office. A new kitchen was added
in 1961 and a furnace in 1968.

Finnish American Heritage Center
In 1990, with the Legion inactive, they offered
the building to the Finnish-American Heritage
Society of Maine with the stipulation that the
Legion be granted office space on the second
floor and the opportunity to hold monthly
meetings and an annual Hunter's Supper.
As the Finnish-American Heritage Center the
first project was to add vinyl siding. The inside
remains very much the same on the first floor
other than the relocation of the staircase. A
little paint, new ceiling tiles and lights made the
meeting room sparkle. The open porch was
enclosed, creating a storage area. The two
paneled rooms serve as a library and a gift shop.
In 1997 the second floor was refurbished and
turned into a museum. In this building, where
Finnish footprints abound, a monthly meeting
is held on the third Sunday of each month
from September through December and April through June. Open House is held every Sunday afternoon,
from 2 to 4, in July and August.