Category Archives: Seacoast (mostly) History
A visit to Wood Island with Windows to the Wild
During August of 2021, I kayaked out to Kittery’s Wood Island Lifesaving Station with with Windows to the Wild host Willem Lange and producers Steve Giordani and Phil Vaughn, where we spent a lovely day with Sam Reid, president of the non-profit Wood Island … Continue reading
The dark-eyed little girl in the picture: Old photos tell the story of an immigrant family from Greece
Browsing through the archives of Digital Maine, this photo of young Mary Gekas invites questions. Born in 1915, she would have been 5 or 6 when this photo was taken at the Mark Dennett School in Kittery, Maine, and saved … Continue reading
Posted in Seacoast (mostly) History
Tagged Alien registration, Kittery history, Maine history
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When a silent enemy traveled undetected: the Seacoast “throat distemper” epidemic of the 1730s
“It was this readiness to adopt a theological explanation for the epidemic which was chiefly responsible for the hasty abandonment of a scientific one.” –Ernest Caulfield By July 26, 1736, when Portsmouth’s Reverend Jabez Fitch speculated that the “throat distemper” … Continue reading
The summer when Kittery aliens landed at the Town Office
In late June of 1940, 39 aliens officially called Kittery home. Some had dwelled among the town’s residents for more than 50 years, others for just a few weeks. When Governor Lewis E. Barrows signed an executive order requiring all … Continue reading
Posted in Seacoast (mostly) History
Tagged Alien registration, Kittery history, Maine history
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Walking with the mothers at Vaughan Woods, South Berwick
South Berwick, Maine — On Mother’s Day this year, I went for a walk with the mothers in Vaughan Woods State Park. Vaughan Woods is a popular local walking spot, as it includes, along with its three miles of trails, … Continue reading
Posted in Family and Kids, Hiking, Maine places, Seacoast (mostly) History
Tagged hiking, history, southern Maine hikes
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The Maniacal Traveler plays with maps: my local history posts, via Google Maps
This summer I am playing with mapping tools, which I eventually plan to teach my students at York County Community College to use in telling stories digitally. Displayed here are my local history posts via Google Maps, many of which blend … Continue reading
Posted in Hiking, Seacoast (mostly) History
Tagged Kittery history, Seacoast hiking, Seacoast history
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Monuments, politics, and the cycle of forgetting: Remembering Bashka Paeff’s “Horrors of War”
In Kittery, Maine, beneath the shade of an oak tree on a peaceful green common stands a monument that once stood in the cross-hairs of a politician who didn’t like its focus on the horrors of war. Today, many pass … Continue reading
Posted in Maine places, Seacoast (mostly) History
Tagged Art, Kittery history, Seacoast history
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The tragedy of the waitresses: A 1902 boating accident claims 14 lives at the Isles of Shoals
Fourteen people died in Kittery, Maine on July 17, 1902. I came across a list of the dead by accident, while browsing through some old Town Reports. All who died were young, including three pairs of sisters. How had these … Continue reading
Return visit to Orris Falls with Windows to the Wild
Early in January, 2017, I enjoyed a chilly morning to Orris Falls Conservation Area with Windows to the Wild host Willem Lange and producers Steve Giordani and Phil Vaughn. The resulting show, titled “The Maniacal Traveler” is scheduled for broadcast … Continue reading
