Events at Member Institutions

Opens April 9, 2020 at the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum located on the Bowdoin College campus.

This exhibit explores the traditional skin-on-frame watercraft used by Inuit across the Arctic for hunting, fishing, traveling, and recreation. From Alaska to Greenland and Labrador, Inuit customized these versatile vessels to suit the various water and ice conditions they expected to encounter.

A kajak, more commonly spelled kayak in English, is the quintessential watercraft of the Arctic. Now familiar to boaters around the world, this versatile craft was developed thousands of years ago by the ancestors of the contemporary Inuit for hunting and traveling in icy waters. For most hunters it was an essential component of their equipment, most importantly for hunting and fishing, but also as transport and even racing and rolling competitions.

Traditional kayaks are made from a light framework of wood covered in waterproof skins. They are completely covered, with only a person-sized hole in the top for the paddler to sit in. They may appear simple, but making and using kayaks requires complex skills that that take years to perfect. Across the Arctic hunters adjusted this basic design to build vessels suited for their particular needs and the conditions they expected to encounter. 

Kayaks and their equipment are marvels of engineering and craftsmanship that for generations were critical to the survival of Inuit families across the Arctic. By the middle of the twentieth century traditional kayak use and construction had almost disappeared in the wake of colonial disruptions. Efforts by both Inuit and Western researchers and kayakers beginning in the 1970s has preserved knowledge and revived interest in these remarkable boats. These efforts continue today.

1944, the U.S. Army Air Base in Houlton, Maine in Aroostook, County, became the site of a Prisoner of War (POW) internment camp for German soldiers captured in North Africa and France. The POW’s could not be forced to work, but they could volunteer. Those who wanted to work helped the local farmers harvest peas and pick potatoes and cut wood in the forest after harvest time during the winter.  In September of 1945, Aroostook County farmers decided to take advantage of this opportunity.  My dad requested some prisoners to help with our potato harvest. When harvest time rolled around, eight young Germans would arrive by truck each morning about 7 o’clock to help us harvest our crop…with ONE guard.  As a 13-year old boy, the arrival of German soldiers, was fearsome.   My young mind was not too sure it was a good idea to have the “enemy” right here on our farm.

The Kennebec Historical Society’s November speaker, Henry (Hank) D. Lunn has been a resident of Camden, Maine since 1958 and a student of Maine history since his birth on a potato farm in Aroostook County.  He graduated from the University of Maine with a major in history and government and has a M.Ed. in Counseling and School Administration.  Mr. Lunn retired from public education with over 40 years of experience as a teacher, counselor and educational consultant in the schools of Maine.  For the past several years, he has been delivering his “Living History” presentations to schools, historical societies, libraries, and community organizations.

The Kennebec Historical Society November presentation is co-sponsored by the Maine State Library and is free to the public (donations gladly accepted).  The presentation will be followed by some light refreshments and take place on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. at the Maine State Library, located at 230 State Street in Augusta.

https://www.facebook.com/events/461915737778400/

SAVE THE DATE - November 13, 2019

Please join Colby College in welcoming Patricia Miller, Chief Conservator at the Preservation Society of Newport County, Newport, RI for the annual Clara M. Southworth Lecture, "Preserving the Guilded Age: The Care and Conservation of Newport's Architectural Heritage"  

Patricia Miller will present a behind-the-scenes look at ongoing efforts to preserve the Society's 11 historic properties and landscapes – including Hunter House and The Breakers - as well as care for the vast decorative arts collection inside and out.  

Lecture: Wednesday, November 13, 2019, 6:00 p.m. in Given Auditorium (Bixler Arts Building, Colby College).

The Clara M. Southworth Lecture is cosponsored by The Clara M. Southworth Lecture Fund and the Colby College Department of Art

The lecture is free and open to the public.

History Convergence: Preparing for Maine's Bicentennial

Wednesday, October 30, 9 am - 2:30 pm

Wilson Museum, Hutchins Education Center, 112 Perkins St., Castine

Let’s celebrate 200 years of Maine statehood! Downeast Acadia Regional Tourism, Abbe Museum, and Castine History Partners will host a planning workshop at the Wilson Museum in Castine geared to nonprofits in Hancock and Washington counties.

Registration required by October 24

Cost is $10 per person to help defray lunch expenses

To register or for more information: (207) 326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org, or register and pay online here.

You may also send a check payable to the Wilson Museum, P.O. Box 196, Castine, ME 04421. Be sure to include name(s) of attendees and the organization you represent. 

The Canton Historical Society is hosting a talk on “Maine in World War I” on Wednesday, October 16, at 6:30 p.m., in its building at 25 Turner Street.  The speaker will be Capt. Jonathan D. Bratten of the Maine Army National Guard.

In 1917, 2,000 Mainers left their homes and families to “make the world safe for democracy.”  Their travels took them directly into the heart of the Great War, where they proved that the best of the German Army was no match for the boys from Maine.  Capt. Bratten will be discussing how the actions of Maine’s soldiers changed the course of World War I.

Capt. Bratten is an engineer officer in the Maine Army National Guard where he commands the 251st Engineer Company and serves as command historian.  He holds a B.A. in history from Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) and an M.A. in history from the University of New Hampshire.  Capt. Bratten is a veteran of Afghanistan. 

This event is free of admission and open to the public.  The venue is handicap accessible.  Refreshments will be served.  Doors open at 6 p.m.

The Canton Historical Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization devoted to the preservation and celebration of Canton’s heritage and history.

If you would like more information about this event, please email cantonmehistorical@gmail.com.

Canton Historical Society
25 Turner Street
Canton, Maine
www.cantonmehistory.org

9:00 - 11:00 AM
Osher Map Library, Portland

Are you a Maine cultural organization looking to learn more about funding opportunities?

This free workshop will provide guidance and feedback for organizations who are interested in applying for grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Maine Community Foundation, and the Maine Humanities Council. Discussion will include an overview of programs and the steps involved in the submission and review of applications. Space is limited; register now.

Featuring

Jeff Hardwick
Deputy Director of Public Programs, National Endowment for the Humanities

Stephanie Eglinton
Senior Program Officer, Maine Community Foundation

Jerome Bennett
Program Officer, Maine Humanities Council

Offered in partnership with the Maine Community Foundation and Maine Humanities Council.

CANTON—The Canton Historical Society is hosting a talk on “Preserving Our History: Caring for Our Cemeteries” on Wednesday, September 25, at 6:30 p.m., in its building at 25 Turner Street.  The speaker will be Cheryl Willis Patten of the Association for Gravestone Studies (AGS) and the Maine Old Cemetery Association (MOGA).

Cemeteries are delicate outdoor museums that contain history on individuals and towns.  They provide a wealth of information that may not be available elsewhere.  In her talk on “Preserving Our History: Caring for Our Cemeteries,” Ms. Patten will explain how to decipher information found on gravestones and discuss the steps one can take to conserve this valuable historical record.  She will also address some basic information used to evaluate and conserve cemeteries and describe best practices for caring for gravestones.

Cheryl Willis Patten has been an advocate for cemeteries for many years.  She chaired the 2011 AGS Annual National Conference and has held various offices with MOCA—including serving as chair of the MOCA Workshop Committee for eight years.  Retired from teaching and state employment, Ms. Patten now has more time for exploring cemeteries in Maine and various other states and countries.

Information on AGS can be found at www.gravestonestudies.org and information on MOCA can be found at www.moca-me.org.

This event is free of admission and open to the public.  The venue is handicap accessible.  Refreshments will be served.  Doors open at 6 p.m.

The Canton Historical Society is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization devoted to the preservation and celebration of Canton’s heritage and history.

If you would like more information about this event, please email cantonmehistorical@gmail.com.

Born in Bethel in 1835, Thomas Holt was active as an architect in Central and Western Maine from 1859 to 1870. In 1865 he designed the Portland and Kennebec Railroad Station in Augusta, which burned while under construction in the city's Great Fire that year. Between 1871 and 1876, Holt served as Chief Engineer of the Maine Central Railroad, designing railroad buildings and bridges as well as conducting surveys for new rail lines. In 1876, he moved to California, where he pursued careers in architecture, railroading, mining, and lumbering. He died in 1889 from pneumonia contracted in a blizzard in Nevada. 

Our KHS September speaker, a native of Portland, Maine, Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr., attended Deering High School, Colby College, and Boston University and was the recipient of honorary doctorates from Bowdoin College and the Maine College of Art.  At the age of thirteen, Shettleworth became interested in historic preservation through the destruction of Portland’s Union Station in 1961.  In 1971 he was appointed by Governor Curtis to serve on the first board of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, for which he became architectural historian in 1973 and director in 1976.  He retired from that position in 2015.  Mr. Shettleworth has lectured and written extensively on Maine history and architecture and served as State Historian since 2004.

The Kennebec Historical Society September Presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted).  The presentation will take place on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hope Baptist Church located at 726 Western Avenue in Manchester.  The program will be preceded at 4:30pm by a potluck supper and at 6pm by the society’s annual meeting and election of officers and directors. For details about the potluck supper, please contact Anne Cough, either by email at acough60@aol.com or by phone at 582-2823.

On Thursday, September 19^th the Tate House Museum welcomes Dr Richard Kahn as he presents “Stroudwater’s own Dr. Jeremiah Barker (1752-1835)”, the last of the Tate House Summer Lecture Series. Dr Barker was a Revolutionary War veteran and lived at 1168 Westbrook Street just down the road from the Tate House where he practiced medicine.

Dr. Kahn’s book is titled History of Diseases in the District of Maine 1772-1820: The Unpublished work of a Rural Physician in New England and is due to be published later this year. The lecture will be an overview and will focus on the contents of his book.

The lecture takes place in the Means House parlor, across the street from the Tate House Museum 1267 Westbrook St. Portland, ME. Admission is $15 and $12 for members and volunteers. Seating for the lecture is limited, so please call the museum at 207-774-6177 for reservations.