Page 60 - Spring 2024

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Submit articles on a routine basis. We thank Barbara Howe Have you ever considered lending a hand to the Houlton
Hogan ‘63, Karen Eleiott Donato ‘69, Paula Woodworth High School Alumni Association, but wondered how you
‘70 and Barbara McGillicuddy Bolton ‘61 for their work on could best help out? Many folks have stepped forward to
articles in the past. share their time and talent in other areas. Help continue the
legacy of the North Star Magazine by considering one of the
We need others willing to do so. Several can be written jobs listed above.
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CORRECTIONS
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The New Limerick Tannery. They used large amounts of
Hemlock bark in the process. The Hemlock logs were used as
ties for the railroad.
Tanning animal hides into useable leather involved several
steps. After the hide was taken off the animal, it was covered
with salt, which simply acted as a preservative.
After being shipped to a tannery, the hide was soaked in
The White-Giberson Legacy… water until it was soft and any last pieces of flesh and fat were

… Yesterday’s Desires – Today’s Realities! removed. Next, hides were soaked in lime for several days. The
lime solution dissolved the hair and epidermis and caused the
hide to swell, which opened the fiber bundles in the dermis
layer for later penetration by the tanning material.

After swelling, the hides were scraped, neutralized with
vinegar, shaved into uniform thickness, and often split in half
lengthwise for ease of handling.
At this point, the hides were ready for tanning, a process that
involved soaking the hides in vats of tannic acid, a colorless –
though not odorless solution.
While historically many plant species have been used to make
New Limerick Tannery
tannic acid, hemlock bark was the preferred source of tannins
Photo and story courtesy of the Aroostook Historical and Arts Museum in the Northeast because of its high tannin content of 10-12
percent.

Hemlock tannins give leather a distinctive, deep reddish-brown color. A hide spent about six months curing in the bark solution.

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