First Parish Church

The first Parish Church is the oldest religious society in continuous existence in Maine. The original small chapel was built in accordance with the Royal charter in 1635. All citizens were to be a member of the church, provide the land, and pay the pastor. However the church that remains was built in 1712 the other churches were dismantled as the town grew. As the tour notes the current building has been shifted several times so that the steeple could face the modern road that runs through the town.

The church is beautiful standing out amongst all the brown and blue buildings its sheer white exterior makes you wonder how often it gets painted. As you walk into the church you notice a difference in time periods. As the door closes you feel like you have stepped back into the colonial period except for the small child playing on his cell phone. The York historical society has taken steps to make you feel like your back in the old colonies attending church. The First Parish Church is amazing both inside and out. It is located in the historical York part of town with the Old Gaol and the York Village burying ground. It’s a quick visit and has a great history attached to it. The Church is located at 180 York Street, York, ME 03009.

Gorham Civil War Memorial

The Gorham Civil War Monument is located behind the USM Art Gallery. It was originally located in front of the Town House on college street but that is now used as the USM Art Gallery. It was erected and dedicated in 1866. Gorham Maine’s Civil War veterans attended the dedication service, which you can see in the photo. It is made from Italian marble and sculpted by William Johnson.

It really is a beautiful monument. Yet it seems lost. People pass by it on a daily bases but don’t know what it is. Even I didn’t until I read on the syllabus there was a close sight we could visit. I set of to investigate not realizing that this monument I have passed by is and actual war memorial. I thought it was just a continuation of the Art Gallery. It is a beautiful reminder of the war the dedication reads “To The Memory of The Sons of Gorham Who Sacrificed Their Lives For Their Country In The Great Rebellion of 1861 - 1866”. Go and visit the sight its just a short walk from the Gorham campus bus stop and worth the 5 minutes.

Both Pictures and information came from: http://www.maine.gov/civilwar/monuments/gorham.html

The Brick Store Museum

First of all it is important to point out that The Brick Store Museum is not about bricks. I wondered as I walked through the door would it just be room after room about bricks. Thankfully though it isn’t the museum is about “the Kennebunk’s” Maine. The museum is located in an old dry goods store. As you move up to the top floor you can still see remnants of that store. A hoist system still exists in the attic of the museum. When I was doing research for more info on the history of the museum I did come across a funny piece. The store was built from locally made brick so the title Brick Store Museum fits.

The museum although looking tiny from the outside is filled with many Exhibits History Showcase| Brick Store Museum Photography Contest Showcase, History Showcase| Through the Ages: 75 Years at the Brick Store Museum, Impressions of a World Traveler: Early 20th Century Through the Eyes of Edith Barry, Windows on the Past: Kennebunk's History Through Architecture, Learning is an Ornament: The History of Kennebunk's Schools, Renovations Revealed!, Salon Style: Fine Art from the 1830s to the 1920s, and Treasures of the Community. Eight very detailed exhibits on Kennebunk Maine.

As you walk through the entrance into the exhibit rooms your first stop is the Renovations revealed which details the renovations that took place from March of 2009 and till present. There are still some remodeling going on in the back but the project has since ended. The renovations were immense redoing the wooden parts of the museum infested with powder post beetles. As you move on through the hallway you come to the Brick Store Museum’s Photography Contest Showcase. This may not be a major part of the museum however it adds to the purpose of this museum to “The mission of The Brick Store Museum is to preserve the rich heritage of the Kennebunk’s for year-round residents, seasonal visitors and future generations through the collection, preservation, interpretation and exhibition of its material culture.” (http://www.brickstoremuseum.org/history.shtml) The contest is full of pictures taken by building enthusiasts capturing the beauty of Kennebunk’s historical sights and day-to-day things like cars or kids playing. Keep walking along and you will see the Windows on the Past: Kennebunk’s History through Architecture. This exhibit shows Homes that have been placed in Kennebunk’s guided tour of its historic section. The houses go through the generations (from the 1800-1970’s) and display 2 different photos for each house. A modern on to know what to look out for and a photo from back when the building was constructed. Continuing on into the main room where the staircase is you come to the next historical Showcase the 75 years of the Brick Store museum. It shows the timeline of the museum as it grows in size and place in the community. The photographs show the growth and the introduction of new exhibits. In the next room you see the amazing exhibit entitled Impressions of a World Traveler through the eyes of Edith Barry. Edith is able to travel because of her husband who works for the government. The exhibit follows her North Africa, Asia and 2 around the world trips through the photographs she took. You then head back to the steps in the main room and head up to the second floor where you find the exhibit entitled Treasures of the Community. It is a collection of furniture which represent the early American decorative art. The very last and most interesting exhibit is entitled Salon Style: Fine Art from the 1830’s and 1920’s. it is a collection of 1800^th 1900^th century paintings. The story behind each of the paintings is very interesting from ship captains to landscapes.

The Brick Store museum is jam packed with exhibits and history of the community it captures in its walls. It was a joy to walk through and learn about Kennebunk the town I so often travel through but know so little about. The museum entry is based on just a small donation of 5 dollars. It is open year round from Tuesday to Saturday and located at 117 Main Street, Kennebunk, ME. For hours and much more information visit http://www.brickstoremuseum.org/index.shtml. I encourage anyone interested in small town history to visit and explore both Kennebunk and the Brick Store Museum.

Kennebunk War Memorial

I have driven past the Kennebunk war museum for about 3 years now. Never stopping, always noticing the vanilla colored gun and wondering what its there for. I have been to many war memorials. In France their memorials are celebrated even if there were only 3 men who had gone off and served. I have always wanted to stop and visit this memorial to see all that the people of Kennebunk gave to the National cause. So I did I read he names from the Civil War, and both The Great war, and looked at the statue of a civil war soldier and the German 150mm sFH13 Lang Howitzer placed a little to the side. You begin to wonder why there is a German Artillery Piece instead of an American or a reconstruction of one. Well that’s where I started with my research. I went looking and found a story from a sight called Old News From Southern Maine. The stories title says it all “A German Howitzer quietly pleads for peace in Kennebunk” It turns out that it was… “A June 7, 1924 Act of Congress provided for the distribution of captured enemy artillery as war memorials for American cities and towns. Maine was allotted its share of German WWI field guns and the Harold A. Webber American Legion Post was the first to apply for one. The request was passed over even though Kennebunk had sent more men into the World War per capita then any other town in Maine.” Kennebunk kept on fighting to receive the piece. After Years of letters to The War Department Agreed, the gun was delivered in early August 1928. The gun, which had survived the war receiving only minor damage, then survived the Second World War. The Piece was set to be contributed to the scrap drives however it was saved by the fact that the Biddeford junk man did not have an “acetylene torch hot enough to cut the cannon into pieces for smelting.” It was put into storage and then finally in 1977 it was donated to the Kennebunk War Memorial where it has remained ever since.

If you ever want to stop by and visit the memorial is located on Fletcher St. Kennebunk Maine and is open all year round.


New Story: http://www.someoldnews.com/?p=1030
Pic 1 http://www.someoldnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Kennebunk-Howitzer-400.JPG
Pic 2 http://farm1.static.flickr.com/128/332019077_2e8b698eb8.jpg

Portlan observatory

The Portland observatory is located at 138 Congress St Portland Maine. It holds both great maritime Maine history, but also one great view (for those who don’t have a fear of heights that is). The Portland observatory was used as a signal tower for ships that sailed into the Portland Harbor. Captain Lemuel Moody devised a plan to help the harbor with the confusion of ships sailing in and out. He began construction in 1807 on Munjoy Hill in Portland. Construction finished in 1807 and that’s when Moody showed of his new creation of “Signalizing”. Signalizing (which was Moodys name for it) called for the use of his high-powered telescope (which sadly can no longer be seen in the observatory but has been replaced with a replica). Moody could identify ships sailing into the harbor and then, for a small fee to the merchants would hoist signal flags to identify their vessels. Moody actually made quite a nice living off the merchants who paid him as small sum for the privilege of knowing when the ships are coming. Moody’s construction of the observatory went further than signaling of ships. He opened it to the public allowed them to look out from the top, and Moody used “Thermometrics” to record weather predictions for the local newspaper to print.

The observatory is beautiful covered in wooden shingles that makes you wonder, wouldn’t you hate to be the one to replace all of those? It did go through 2 separate restoration projects one in 1939 and most recently in 1998-2000. The latest restoration took place because of seeping moisture and powder post beetles. The restoration work, although noticeable, adds to the history of the observatory. The diagrams inside explain how difficult it was to build this structure with the eight beams in place and the boulders in the bottom to help support the weight.

I had always heard about this building called the Portland observatory, sadly I thought it was part of the USM Portland campus. Once you arrive at the top of the observatory you can look out and see Portland more historical landmarks. You cannot see use the telescope but its fun to imagine you’re in the 1800’s looking out on the Atlantic Ocean for ships. One word of caution to all those taller than 5’6 WATCH YOUR HEAD when traveling up the stairs.

To learn more or get dates and times to go and visit this land mark check out http://portlandlandmarks.org/events-tours/Observatory.php. Fun for every one!

Research: http://portlandlandmarks.org/observatory/History.php

Pic 1 http://portlandlandmarks.org/Content/143.php#

Pic 2 http://maineowl.net/blog/media/1/20080819-observatory_360w.jpg

Pic 3 http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4079/4871340431_3225039761.jpg

Pic 4 http://photos.igougo.com/images/p158656-Boston-Portland_Observarory.jpg