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The illustrations intrigued Midura, as much as they
intrigued me. Midura once had her own costume de-
sign company, and these particular items held special
meaning for her. She had come across them in the
climate-controlled storage space in the basement of the
museum, which is burgeoning with more than 50,000
items from Andover's past. She decided to research this
artist and learn more about who he was and how he
was important to the town.
"From 1911 until World War II, the society put on
plays, musicals, and pageants," notes Midura. "And
Peirce was a large part of that." He founded a commu-
nity theatre in 1914 in Andover and designed programs
and costumes for the troop called the "Barnstormers."
The theatre company's proceeds were to benefit the
Commission for Relief in Belgium founded by Herbert
in-depth
LIVE
Carrie Midura has a passion for history and the arts.
Photograph
by
Rachael
Kloss
