William J. Morrison's Lower Waterford Models

In September, thanks to the generosity of the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, the Waterford Historical Society received the gift of two of the five models that long-time town resident William J. Morrison made in the 1930s. These joined two more that already reside in the town office. There are wonderful stories of discovery and generosity that are linked to all of these, but for the moment, let's just get the models themselves here so online visitors can see them right away!

The Lower Waterford church:

Mr. Morrison's dream house:

And some of its furnishings and dolls:

The blacksmith shop (not a direct copy, but Mr. Morrison's own shop stood at the bridge entering Lower Waterford):

The covered bridge that once spanned the Connecticut River from Lower Waterford to the Littleton side:

The fifth model is at the St. Johnsbury History & Heritage Center and represents the covered bridge that stood in the village, near the blacksmith shop:

Photos of Mr. Morrison with the house model:

And here is a narrative of Mr. Morrison and his models, written by regional author Helen C. Pike (click on the image to enlarge it):

You can see the blacksmith shop and covered bridge at the Waterford Town Office on Lower Waterford Road (near Route 18); the church and house, now rewired to light up their detailed rooms, will be shown again at the Lower Waterford Congregational Church in December.

Caroll Campbell, left, and Dave Morrison (William's grandson) explore the house model as it returns to the town where it was made.