Past Programs

2011

April 19
6 pm - Potluck 7 pm Program - Welcome Spring! - Join neighbors and friends in welcoming spring with food and film. In the film Spring, from the series Quest: Investigating Our World, host Linda Greenlaw reminds us that “it takes forever for Spring to take hold…but once it does, there’s no stopping it.” The film is a fine compliment to Woodland Margins, the GHS spring exhibit on display. For the potluck, please bring an entree, salad, or dessert for six along with your own place setting.

May 17
7 pm -Steamboating with Charlie Ipcar. - Small steamships were the early 1900's preferred way to travel between parts of midcoast Maine. The Eastern Steamboat Co. ran a fleet of small coastal steamers from Bath to Boothbay. Charlie presents vintage photos of the steamers and landings and a new song composed in tribute to these boats and their crews.

June 21
7 pm - We Welcome the Maine Maritime Museum.- Learn more about the past and future of this Bath museum, home of fascinating exhibits brimming with art and artifacts, an historic shipyard with five of the original 19th century buildings, a Victorian-era shipyard owners home, and an active waterfront, all on a scenic campus on the bank of the Kennebec River.

June 25
Summer Exhibit Grand Opening 3-5 pm - Georgetown Goes Modern: The Modern Art Movement Meets An Island Community. - GHS presents a uniquely close-to-home perspective of how our island community offered shelter, sustenance, and inspiration to artists of the American modern art movement in the first half of the 20th century. The exhibit will include dozens of paintings, photographs, sculptures, and artifacts from Day, Ipcar, Kaisebier, Lachaise, Levine, Pucci, Schoener, Stieglitz, Strand, White, and the Zorachs.

June 25
History-based Mini Auction - 7-9 pm Going, Going, Gone.- Seize the chance to bid on wonderful items during both our live and silent auctions while also enjoying great food and drink. All proceeds benefit the GHS Endowment Fund.

June 26
Annual Meeting 2-4 pm - GHS Annual Meeting. - It’s not all business at the GHS annual meeting. We’ll have exhibits, refreshments, and a special guest speaker and a sneak preview of the second edition of A Nice Life Back Then: Georgetown Island - 1900-1920.

July 19
7 pm - Native American Life on the Coast of Maine.- Dr. Arthur Spiess, Senior Archeologist, ME Historic Preservation Commission gives an illustrated introduction to what we know about Native American life in Maine just as Europeans arrived on the Maine coast about 1600. We’ll also learn about some prehistoric archaeological sites and collections in the lower Kennebec River region.

Aug 16
7 pm - The Waters of Georgetown. - When you live on an island, there’s no denying the significance and value of the water that surrounds you. Our speaker will take a look at its historical, economic, and environmental importance to our community.

Sept 20
7 pm - Wooden Lobster Traps Mostly Gone, But Not Forgotten. - There are many reasons why wood is no longer the preferred material for lobster traps. But through film and demo Jon Hentz tells us how it was done, including interviews with local lobstermen who remember them well.

Oct 18
6 pm Potluck - 7 pm Program - A Nice Life Back Then: Georgetown Island -1900-1920. - The new edition of this popular 1996 GHS book is here! Come see the photos that didn’t make it into the book and hear from Babe Gunnell’s son, Jack Gunnell, about his take on how life was back then. For the potluck, please bring an entree, salad, or dessert for six along with your own place setting.

2010

April 20
Pot Luck Supper at 6:00PM - Program at 6:45PM - Film: The Fish Belong to the People- Join neighbors at a potluck followed by this 2009 feature length documentary which follows a group of family fishermen in Port Clyde as they work to save their fishing grounds from government, market structure, and themselves.

May 18
Sam Wilkinson, Park Ranger - During the year when we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Maine State Park system, we are fortunate to have Georgetowner Samantha Moulton Wilkinson speak to us about her 25-year career as Park Ranger at Reid State Park.

June 15
Lighthouses of the Kennebec - Fred Kahrl and Michael Kreindler provide a short oral history of these beacons along both sides of the Kennebec, enriched by an accompanying "slide" show produced by Mr. Kreindler.

June 26
10AM—12 Book Signing—The Art of Dahlov Ipcar
Dahlov will be at GHS to sign copies of the recently published book by Down East Books, which include 124 plates of her life’s works.

June 27
GHS Annual Meeting
1:00 Welcoming remarks, refreshments, displays
1:30 Business Meeting, Election of the Board, Committee reports
2:15 Georgia Watson Kennett’s presentation about the characters of Georgetown was so well received last year that she returns with more stories about the people who give this island its unique flavor.

July10
Evening Concert - J-Way String Quartet - J-Wayfounded by graduates of Berklee and New England Conservatory with a common interest in jazz and creative music.accomplished string players with training in the European tradition and the music of various parts of world share their original compositions and arrangements, as well as music from Argentina, Brazil and the Caribbean.

July 20
Nina Roth-Wells, Art Conservator– Discover the fascinating world of art conservation. With an emphasis on works relating to Georgetown, Nina, a professional art conservator, will describe the challenges and rewards of bringing works of art back to their original condition.

July 17
Writers’ Workshop - Plans are underway to bring together established and aspiring writers. Workshops will cover prose and poetry, including topics such as genealogy, historical writing and writing for children.

August 17
Woodex Bearing- Principles from Woodex Bearing Co. describe its beginnings in the early 1900's. Founded as the Neveroil Bearing Co. in Wakefield, MA, moved to Robinhood in the 1960's & finally settled in the early 1980's on the Middle Dyke Farm on Bay Point Road. Hear about the wood bearing of yesterday & today and the evolution of the mechanical shaft seal side of the business, with perhaps a few unknown anecdotes mixed in along the way.

Sept 21
Maine's Island Trails– The Maine Island Trail is a 325-mile long waterway extending from Casco Bay on the west to Machias Bay on the east. The Maine Island Trail Association, a non-profit group, will tell us about exploring the natural diversity of the Maine Coast.
7:00PM

October 19
Pot Luck Supper at 6:00PM—Program at 6:45PM— Our annual harvest potluck will be followed by a program.

2009

May 26
Georgetown’s Young Boatbuilders—Georgetown has been a center for boatbuilding for centuries, and the tradition continued this spring with two boats just completed by Georgetown schoolchildren. With the support of the school’s principal and staff and guidance from Will Ansel and Bob Trabona, these young boatbuilders are learning a traditional craft and the art of teamwork. At our meeting the children themselves will explain the building process and what it means to them

June 16
Governor Baxter's Magnificent Obsession - Georgetown's Howard Whitcomb will present an illustrated talk on his recent book Governor Baxter's Magnificent Obsession: A Documentary History of Baxter State Park, 1931-2006. By virtue of his research on Percival Baxter's vision for a park at Katahdin, Howard was a key participate in the state's campaign to acquire the Katahdin Lake parcel in 2006. He is a retired professor of political science at Lehigh University and is actively engaged with Friends of Baxter State Park and Midcoast Senior College (Bath/Brunswick) where he teaches regularly and chairs the curriculum committee. We look forward to hearing Whitcomb's insights into Governor Baxter, the man behind the Park.

June 28
GHS Annual Meeting
1:00 Welcome, refreshments, displays
1:30 Business meeting, election of the board, committee reports, finances
2:15 The Clarence H. White, Jr. film—circa 1929 –of his family’s summer in Georgetown
3:00 Our history-based mini-auction

July 21
The Stieglitz Circle Comes to Maine— Libby Bischoff, noted USM History Professor, will discuss the extraordinary summer of 1928 when modernist painter, Marston Hartley and prominent photographer, Paul Strand traveled to Georgetown to spend time with sculptor Gaston Lachaise and his wife at their summer residence at the entrance to the Indian Point Road. It is of great significance that during that time both Hartley and Strand made key artistic and personal discoveries that continued to inform their work for the rest of their careers. Professor Bischoff’s talk will focus on the details of the summer of 1928 in Georgetown and its implications for a modernism based in friendship and collaboration as well as lesser-known history of Georgetown as an important place of retreat for modernists as early as the 1890’s.

August 18
Migratory Birds with Ted Allen—Many birds nest in Georgetown. Proximity to the ocean makes the beaches especially important stops for shorebirds on their way to and from nesting areas in the Canadian Boreal Forest. Two plovers stop here and scrape depressions in the sand: the Piping Plover and the Killdeer. In addition to those that pass through during migration, many rarities are blown here by strong southwest winds which have been more common in recent years. Those that have appeared at the feeders of Jean and Lew Frank and others will be illustrated and some of their more colorful southern visitors will be shown. We’ll see and listen to many of these birds in a Powerpoint presentation.

Sept. 15
Adventures of a Marine Warden with Jodi McMahan— Returning from her new assignment in the Stonington, Deer Isle area, Jodi McMahan, former Georgetown Marine Patrol Warden, shares with us her many “interesting” encounters with marine life both in and on the water.

October 20
Pot Luck supper at 6:00 PM – “Characters” of Georgetown at 7:00PM—Some would say that Georgetown has too many “characters” to describe in just one program, but Georgia Kennett and others will attempt the feat by regaling us with stories of their favorites from both now and years passed. No names will be changed to protect the innocent.

2008-1998

2008
* Knowing Jason Schoener – Susie Westly Wren
* Genealogy Workshop
* World Voyagers – Phil Shelton and Amy Wood
* GHS Annual Meeting
* Book signing – Dahlov Ipcar and her newly reprinted book The Little Fisherman
* Public Access Lands and Trails in Georgetown – Bob Gravino and reps from the LKRLT, Nature Conservancy, Maine Audubon, Maine State Bureau of Parks and Lands
* Celebration of the Arts
* Boatbuilders of Georgetown – Rich Start (53)
* Wildlife of Georgetown – Maine State Game Warden Doug Kulis
* Good Food and Hallowe’en Spirits – Gene Reynolds

2007
* Hans Waecker, A Newcomer Explores America - 1949 to the Present - Hans Waecker
* The History and Future of BIW - BIW President John F. "Dugan" Shipway
* The Nature Conservancy: Georgetown, Maine and the World - Will Brune
* GHS Annual Meeting - The Story of Samuel Sewall by Eve LaPlante
* Downeast Lobsterman: Pat Moore - Donald and Betty Ann Lockhart
* Celebration of the Arts
* A Sense of Place: Early Photographers of Georgetown - Lynne Jones and Jeanne Bailey McGowan
* The Odyssey of the Polish Gold - Bill Brett
* More Old Names, Faces, and Places - Rich Start
* Personality and Politics: How Do Private Lives Shape Public Policy? - Bill Chafe

2006
* Global Warming: The Lands of Baffin, and Maine Connections -- Will Richard
* The American Civil War From a Local Perspective -- Tim Kindred, Gene Reynolds, and Eric Reynolds
* Hans, Jazz, and the Gestapo -- Hans Waecker
* GHS Annual Meeting. The Islands of Georgetown
* Ice Houses and Ice Harvesting -- Gene Reynolds
* Celebration of the Arts at The Mooring B&B
* Boat Trip to Seguin Island Lighthouse with Capt. Kiernan, Long Reach Cruises
* Fishing: The Way Things Were -- Steve Thibodeau
* Native Americans: Their Lives, Customs, and Spiritual Beliefs -- Patrick Derenburger
* Old Names and Places -- Rich Start
* The Paradox of Change: Women in America from WWII to the Present -- Bill Chafe

2005
* Maine's First Ship: The Virginia Project - Bud Warren
* Children, Cemeteries, and Research - Merry Chapin
* Annual Meeting - Gene Reynolds talked about Gaston and Madame Lachaise,
* Georgetown-on-Arrowsic - Peter Goodwin, Patten Library
* Boat Trip to Seguin Island Lighthouse, Long Reach Cruises (Cancelled due to engine trouble)
* Celebration of the Arts at The Mooring B&B
* Picture This! Old photos and postcards recognize people and places from Georgetown's past - Jeanne McGowan
* School Days - Georgetown's old schools - Carolyn Bosso, Georgetown School teacher
* Maine Historic Preservation Commission - Maine historic preservation sites, including Georgetown - Sarah Sikes, MHPC

2004
* Seeing Old Georgetown through Artists' Eyes - Jim Coombs
* Eureka! Finding Georgetown's Buried Treasures - Richard Wood
* Annual Meeting - Todd Barabe, great, great grandson of Walter Reid
* Special event - F. Holland Day and The Chalet - Libby MacDonald Bischof, at The Chalet
* Celebration of the Arts at the Gray Havens Inn and The Mooring B&B
* Dahlov Ipcar: My Talented Neighbor - Gene Reynolds
* Songs of the Sea, sea shanties - Bob Webb
* Do You Remember When -- Spinney Wharf at Bay Point - Panel of Joyce Lyons, Jack Swift, Norma Lee Spinney, Rich Start
* Annual Potluck: Dining with Old Friends - Update by Lynne Jones on recent GHS acquisitions

2003
* Reid State Park - Dan Bell
* Friends of Perkins Island/American Lighthouse Foundation - Tim Harrison, Jane and Rod Beaulieu
* Boat Building/fishing in Five Islands - Bill Plummer IV and Steve Thibodeau
* Georgetown and the American Revolution - Peter Bacon
* Georgetown Cemeteries - Gene Reynolds

2002
* Sagadahoc Historical Society at Patten Library
* Operation Snowy Beach
* Lighthouses of the Kennebec River - Anne Webster
* Surveys, Old Roads, and Land Boundaries - John Wood
* Things That Go Bump in the Night - Marge Higgins, Gene Reynolds
* The Eastern Steamship Company - Gene Reynolds

2001
* Benjamin Riggs - Andy Vavolotis
* Grey Havens Inn - Hilda Hardcastle
* History of Marrtown - Joyce Lyons
* Underwater Archeology - Peter Woodruff
* Herb Campbell - Tom Hanna
* Five Islands Wharf - Peter Bacon

2000
* Recent Archeological Explorations - Ft. George (Popham) - Peter Woodruff
* A Quiet Path from the Center to the Old School - Bob Lundstrom
* 26 Years of the Georgetown Tide - Billie Todd
* Clamming in Georgetown - Hal Bonner
* Post Card Night - Gene Reynolds
* Archeology at Georgetown Center - Peter Woodruff
* Share and Unite - Beth Saufler, G C School teacher

1999
* Antique Quilting - Wendy Reed
* One Man's World: Popham Beach - Jane Stevens
* History in the Making, Sagadahoc Bridge Under Construction - Philip Pinkham
* Music of Ships and Sea - Bob Webb
* Cordelia Underwood - Stories About Maine (1800's) - Alvin Van Reid, author
* Bring Your Own Georgetown Fact or Artifact

1998
* The People's History of Bath - Diane Longley and Arlene Whitney
* Maine State Museum and the Blaine House - Jim Coombs
* Life in Phippsburg - Ada Haggett
* The Virginia Project - Bud Warren
* Remember When - An Evening of Nostalgia
* We Remember: The USS Maine - Bob Webb (MMM)
* Our Fishing Heritage - film

All programs to be held at the GHS Center for History and Culture
20 Bay Point Road, Georgetown, ME
For more information call: 207-371-9200
Admission is free All are welcome