The Restoration of the Cooperage – Jan 2026

An Introduction to Old Harbor Village

Welcome from Chris Barnacoat

Watch a overview video of the 2025 interviews with longtime Townsend residents

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Individual interview videos

Spring 2025 was an exciting time for a group of North Middlesex Regional High School history students as they began a special project interviewing five Townsend senior citizens who grew up in Townsend.  The project was under the direction of Mrs Rebecca Jackson, head of the History Department at NMRHS as well as the head of the History Honors Society. The project was part of the Townsend Historical Society Education Committee which aims to foster community outreach and knowledge of Townsend’s history. Chris and Eileen Barnacoat, members of the THS Education Committee helped to promote and develop this project with North Middlesex. 

The project will be part of a wider project to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of our country’s independence in 2026. Plans are in the works to create a Time Capsule of “Life in Townsend in 2025-2026” and the interviews conducted by the NMRHS students will be included in the Time Capsule. The Time Capsule will be opened in 50 years – 2076. Transcriptions of the interviews will also be preserved in the THS Vault.

We want to thank our 5 Townsend “seniors” for agreeing to participate in the project. They are: John Barrett, Sam Briguglio, Victoria Brunelle, Alan Ruuska, and Carol Wright.

We want to thank Mrs Rebecca Jackson and the following North Middlesex Regional High School Social Studies Honor Society students, Class of 2025 /2026:

• Qenan Francois ‘25 – Producer/ Director, filming, editing, compilation of interviews
• Olivia Rowley ‘25  – Interviewer
• Ryan Desjardins ‘25 – Interviewer 
• Sophia Pofcher ‘26 – Interviewer
• Mia Malcolm ‘25 – Interviewer
• Johanna Marston ‘25 – Interviewer 
• Georgia Harkins ‘25 – Interviewer
• Qenan Francois ‘25 – Post Production editing / filming
• Jack Brady ‘25 – Transcription
• Jude Babineau ‘25 – Transcription
• Olivia Rowley ‘25 – Transcription
• Sophia Pofcher ‘26 – Transcription
• Rebekah Sylvester ‘25 – Transcription 

Thank You and Well Done Everyone!