Inez Peaslee with her students in front of the Puddle Dock School, ca. 1909
Photo courtesy of Ann Barry
Our Mission
The Fund to Support Historic Alna (Historic Alna) is a 501(c)(3) charitable non-profit corporation whose purpose is to support the maintenance, preservation, restoration, and use of historic sites in the Town of Alna, and to encourage their active use by the community. While Historic Alna has recently accepted title to the Head Tide Store and barn through the generous bequest of Richard Plunkett, its broader mission is to supplement maintenance obligations and to leverage donations and grant funding in a way that will encourage greater investment in the maintenance, preservation, restoration, and use of important remnants of Alna's local historic heritage.
See bylaws here.
Board of Directors
Historic Alna’s Board of Directors includes members of the community who appreciate the important role that Alna’s historic sites play in defining the character and beauty of the community, and who are committed to retaining these sites for current and future residents and visitors.
Christine Anderson, Secretary (Term Expires September 2026), and
Albert Monaco, President (Term Expires September 2028)
Having lived and worked in the Mid-Coast area for decades, Albert and Christine retired to Alna. Living across from the Meeting House on the Walker property, which dates back to the 1700s inspired an interest in historic buildings of Alna. Their proximity to the Meeting House led to their appointment as caretakers and docents of the Meeting House.
Helen Rasmussen (Term Expires September 2030)
Helen Rasmussen grew up in Corning, New York, where her parents' antique store instilled in her a lifelong respect for old places and things. She came to Maine to attend the Portland School of Art and made Portland her home for nearly four decades. In 2021 she purchased land in Alna and built a timber frame house, where she now lives full time. Prior to that, she brought her skills to the rehabilitation and interior remodeling of several 19th-century homes.
Helen works in the set decorating department for film and television, with a focus on home décor and textiles. She brings the same passion to her personal work, whether making clothing, crafting home furnishings, or — in a particular contribution to Historic Alna — creating handmade seat cushions and tote bags for sale as merchandise.
Alice Smith-Duncan, Vice President (Term Expires September, 2029)
An independent researcher and writer, Alice has curated exhibitions of folk art, regional writers, and historic preservation for the Lincoln County Historical Association and in upstate New York venues. A former executive director of the Hyde Hall national historic landmark (hydehall.org), she studied history and museum studies at the Cooperstown Graduate Program. She and her husband, a sculptor, live in an old family house on the West Alna Road.
Ed Pentaleri, Treasurer (Term Expires September 2027)
Ed has been involved in local historic preservation for more than 20 years, including terms as an officer of the Washington Township Historical Society, and nearly 8 years as a member of the Historical Architectural Review Board for the City of Fremont, CA, where he and his wife restored a pioneer farmhouse. Ed currently serves on Alna’s select board. He and his wife live in Alna’s Head Tide Historic District.
Advisor/Respected Colleague
Doreen Conboy
Doreen Conboy began her own business of restoration paintwork in 1984 and worked on National Register buildings and Historic New England properties throughout northern New England. As longtime caretaker of the Alna Meetinghouse, the Village School at Puddle Dock, and the Center School, she has applied her own skills, advocated, and personally fundraised for all three buildings, including leading the reconstruction of the Center School's cupola, bell, and weathervane, completed in 2023. Since 2010 she has worked with various Select Boards in securing grants and as liaison between the town and the many contractors involved in maintaining the buildings. Longtime chair of the Committee for Alna History, she now serves as Alna's archivist and historian, having researched, written, lectured, and created documentary films on many aspects of Alna and regional history.