For those of you who thought history was boring...

Thursday, May 29, 2008 - Bangor Daily News

GUILFORD, Maine - A "pretty heated meeting" among Guilford Historical Society members over the display of old photographs turned uglier Tuesday when fists and hair started flying.

As members were leaving Tuesday’s meeting, the society’s secretary, Zarvin Shaffer, 38, allegedly punched member Al Hunt, 48, in the jaw with his fist, and Shaffer’s teenage son allegedly pulled the hair of Hunt’s wife, according to Investigator Guy Dow of the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department.

Shaffer, who was charged with assault, claimed Hunt had intentionally bumped into him as they left the museum where the "heated" meeting was held, Dow said. After Hunt allegedly was slugged, Dow said Hunt’s wife Laurel Hunt, 44, started yelling and she picked up a chair reportedly to protect herself. When she did so, Shaffer’s son allegedly pulled her hair, Dow said. The juvenile has not been charged but the matter is still under investigation, he said.

The disagreement among members was because Robert Shaffer, society president and Zarvin’s father, had removed "one-of-a-kind photographs" of the town from the museum for display in a local restaurant, according to Dow. He said his department received a call last week reporting that some historical society members were troubled that the donated photographs had left the museum’s safe surroundings. Dow said the photographs have since been returned to the museum, but the disagreement apparently continued to smolder.

Robert Shaffer, society president and father of Zarvin Shaffer, told Dow that club members had voted to place some of the photographs in the restaurant for viewing.