Join us for the opening reception of this exciting exhibit, share delicious victuals and ale. Stories of “those in peril” will come alive for visitors to the Penobscot Marine Museum this season. Through exciting interactive exhibits designed by English theater designer Chez Cherry, and with the Museum’s collections of marine art, portraits, photographs, lifesaving equipment, original manuscripts and logbooks, small watercraft, models, and navigational instruments, visitors will learn about the perils of the sea and how these perils have shaped, and continue to shape, our lives in coastal Maine.

Opening Reception
Friday, May 24th
5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
at the Penobscot Marine Museum Gallery
40 East Main Street
Searsport, Maine

On Saturday, May 25th Penobscot Marine Museum opens for the season!

Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm,
Sunday noon to 5:00 pm. Check out our exciting events

Education News
Welcome our new Director of Education, Kathleen Curtin!

Kathleen brings both enthusiasm and extensive experience as a social studies teacher and museum professional to her new position at PMM. At Plimoth Plantation, she held a number of positions including Manager of Education and Associate Director, Guest Experiences. She is also a food historian and author (she wrote a history of Thanksgiving with Islesboro’s own Sandy Oliver), founded an art house cinema and spent a fair amount of time sailing in and around the Elizabeth Islands of Cape Cod. Kathleen has a degree in history from University of Massachusetts and a Master’s in Education from the University of New Hampshire. She can be reached at kcurtin@pmm-maine.org or 207.548.2529 ext 206.

Volunteer Day!
A great day was had by all!
Thank you to the Yale Alumni (Thomas, Jamie, John, William, George, Pat, Buck), to Tom Preble and Charlie Carter on the excavator, to Neill Peterson and Donna Loomans window washers extraordinaire, to Buck Sawyer who fixed our table, to Kathleen who made delicious food, and all of you who made this day a great success.

The new stone was raked into place, flower beds weeded, galleries vacuumed and dusted, storage areas cleaned out, floors washed, boats moved, and granite walls begun! And we had good conversation and wonderful food. Thank you all!

Object of the Month
This marvelous object is a lamp made from a sperm whale’s tooth with a whale’s eyeball shade. Six square blocks of whalebone of varying sizes create the base. The scrimshander carved a baleen whale, a star, and the word “Thorshammer 1935″ into the tooth. Clifford N. Carver, president of the Western Operating Corporation which was an American whaling company founded in December 1936, gave the Museum his wonderful scrimshaw collection. His business partners were Norwegian and in all likelihood the lamp was a gift from them. The company was dissolved in the 1950s.

Come see the eyeball lamp!
Penobscot Marine Museum opens for the season on May 25th.

Thank you for your Business Membership at the Commodore Level

Join Cross Insurance and our many business partners in supporting Penobscot Marine Museum.

Schooner HERITAGE
“The best vacation you will ever have.” You’ve always wanted to cruise the beautiful islands and bays of downeast Maine. This is the summer you can make that dream a reality, because Schooner HERITAGE is offering Penobobscot Marine Museum members a 10% discount on all 2013 cruises!

Better yet, support Penobscot Marine Museum by sailing on June 4th, June 9th or June 16th. Penobobscot Marine Museum will receive 5% of your fare! Have a great vacation and support Penobscot Marine Museum.

For more information on this special members offer call 1-800-648-4555 or visit www.schoonerheritage.com
Not a member yet? Join us now! www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org
Thank you Schooner HERITAGE for your support of Penobscot Marine Museum.

PMM Photography News

Volunteers Chris Olsson, Phil Brown and Faith Garrold

Thank you, Cascade Foundation of Rockport, Maine and Maine Community Foundation your generous funding enabling us to purchase photographic equipment which bolsters our efforts to preserve, catalog, and share our extensive photography collections.

With this funding we have purchased two PCs to increase image processing speed and general efficiency; a Nikon D800E professional digital SLR camera, which will be used to digitally copy photographs from our holdings at high resolution and to capture archival-quality images of museum objects for our digital catalog; an additional Epson digital projector for use at public talks; a small, high-resolution digital still & video camera which will allow us to document museum activities by creating multimedia content, a professional digital voice recorder for recording and preserving oral histories; and two flatbed scanners to help us keep up with processing our ever-growing collections so that they can be shared with the world.

Events Off Campus
National Maritime Day
Come see Penobscot Marine Museum’s booth at the National Maritime Day celebration in Belfast, Maine on Saturday, May 18 starting at 10:00 am.

Planned activities include: USCG Color Guard honoring mariners lost at sea, guided tours aboard commercial and training vessels, boat trips, pilot gig rowing, law enforcement vessels, pilot boats, tug boats, and many other port support vessels. There will be a live tug boat demonstration by Penobscot Bay Tractor Tug Company tug FOURNIER TRACTOR, and a demonstration of the Bangor Fire Department’s new fire and rescue boat. Live music by the Windbuyer’s.

For more information go to Propeller Club Searsport Bucksport.
For more PMM Events Off Campus, go to www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org/events.

Series tickets

Complete Garden History Lecture Series: Four lectures, $24 members, $30 non-members.
Complete Thursday Night Lecture Series: Eight lectures, $48 members, $60 non-members.
Call 207-548-2529 ext. 216

May

Thursday, May 9, 7:00 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“Union: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Curator Kevin Johnson.
Free. At The Old Townhouse, Town House Rd.(north of common), Union, ME. For more information (207) 785-4733 Vose Library, or 207-785-5444 Union Historical Society.

Friday, May 10, 1:00 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“Machiasport: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Curator Kevin Johnson.
Free. At Fort O’Brien School, 492 Port Rd, Machiasport, ME 04655
For more information (207) 255-4575

Saturday, May 11, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Volunteer Day at Penobscot Marine Museum!
Help us get the Museum ready to open! We need you and your friends, your rake, your shovel, your paintbrush, your huddled masses yearning to clean, and weed and paint. At Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport, Maine. For more information call 207-548-2529

Monday, May 13, 5:30 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“Ellsworth: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Curator Kevin Johnson.
Free. At Jasper’s Restaurant, 200 High St., Ellsworth, ME
For more information (207) 667-5318

Tuesday, May 14, 7:00 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“A Peek into the Josh Curtis Collection” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Archivist Matt Wheeler.
Free. At the Congregational Church, Church St., Searsport, ME. For more information call 207-548-2529

Friday, May 24, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Opening Reception: For Those In Peril: Shipwrecks, Memorials, and Rescues
Join us for an opening party to celebrate Penobscot Marine Museum’s 2013 season, and our exhibit: For Those In Peril. This exhibit explores the shipwrecks and near misses; the perfect storms and sudden squalls; those lost at sea and the families left behind; and the brave lifesavers and brilliant marine equipment innovators. Through the Museum’s collection of marine art, portraits, photographs, lifesaving equipment, original manuscripts and logbooks, small watercraft, models, and navigational instruments, the stories of “those in peril” will come alive in the summer of 2013. Admission Free. At PMM’s Museum Gallery, 40 East Main Street, Searsport. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, May 30, 4:00 to 7:00 pm
Wine Tasting Fundraiser at Good Kettle!
Sample delicious wines, eat delicious hors d’oeuvres and stock your wine cellar for the summer. You will receive ten percent discount on all cases purchased or ordered during the tasting. Ten percent on all wine sold will be donated to the Penobscot Marine Museum. At The Good Kettle, Route One, Stockton Springs, Maine. Call 207-567-2035 for more information.

June

Monday, June 3, 7:00 pm
Garden History Lecture Series
“Early American Garden Design: Popular Landscaping in Colonial and Victorian America”
An illustrated talk by Diana Chapin of The Heirloom Garden of Maine on how gardening has changed over the course of American history. Her slides depict popular landscape design techniques of the Colonial and Victorian Eras and will help anyone with an old home or an interest in heirloom gardening to develop their landscape using traditional design techniques At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

June 4, 9 and 16
Schooner HERITAGE Fundraiser!
“The best vacation you will ever have.” We are happy to offer Penobscot Marine Museum members a 10% discount on the Schooner HERITAGE this summer! If you book the Schooner HERITAGE for a multi-day sail on June 4th, 9th or 16th, you will receive the 10% discount, and the Museum will receive 5% of your ticket price as a donation. For more information please call 800-648-4544 or go to www.schoonerheritage.com.

Saturday, June 8, 2:00 pm
Children’s Story Hour and book signing
Connie and Peter Roop, authors of Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, will tell us the story of Abbie Burgess who manned the light on Matinicus Island for four weeks while her father the lighthouse keeper was stuck on shore during a storm. Join us afterwards for a book signing. Admission Free. At PMM’s Peapod, Church Street, Searsport. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Mondays and Tuesdays: June 11, 17, 18, 24, 25, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
U.S.C.G.A. “About Boating Safely” Course
Darrell Gilman, U.S. Coast Guard Axillary, teacher. This ten hour course teaches specific laws and regulations, handling boating emergencies, safety practices, navigation rules, general boat maintenance and more. The last class is the exam for the Boating Safely Course Certificate. The course runs from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on June 11, 17, 18, 24 and 25. Register online or call 207-548-2529. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. The course is $40 for members and $50 for non-members. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, June 13, 11:00 am
Children’s Story Hour
Hear exciting stories of life in a Maine lighthouse, told by lighthouse keeper Ernie DeRaps and his daughter who grew up in lighthouses! Admission Free. At PMM’s Peapod, Church Street, Searsport. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, June 13, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
Ernie DeRaps, lighthouse keeper at four Maine lighthouses, will present a slide show illustrating the life of a lighthouse keeper. He and his wife wrote a book about lighthouse-keeping and light housekeeping. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

Friday, June 28, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series (on Friday this week only)
An illustrated talk by bestselling author Michael Tougias about his exciting new book A Storm Too Soon: A True Story of Disaster, Survival and Incredible Rescue. Hear his vivid account of the disaster: seventy-foot waves battering a torn life raft with three men on it 250 miles out to sea; and the amazing rescue by four brave Coast Guardsmen who battle hurricane-force winds in their Jayhawk helicopter in a race to save them. Michael Tougias will sign books after the talk. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529 to buy tickets.

Saturday, June 29, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
Maine 2013 Antique Paper Shows: Postcards & Paper Collectibles
Over forty exhibitors, thousands of vintage postcards, old maps, paper ephemera, and Penobscot Marine Museum historic photographs. Hosted by Penobscot Marine Museum at Searsport Town Hall, 1 Union Street, Searsport. Admission $2. Call 207-749-1717 for more information.

Sunday, June 30th, 2:00 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“Rockport, Maine: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Curator Kevin Johnson. At Rockville Chapel, Old Rockland Rd., off Rt. 17, Rockport, Maine. More information

Sunday, June 30, 6:30 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“Bristol: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Curator Kevin Johnson.
Free. At Old Bristol Historical Society, McKinley School, 653 Harrington Rd., Pemaquid Falls, Bristol, ME

Tuesdays and Thursdays, July and August, 2:00pm
Heritage Food Talk and Demonstration
PMM Education Director Kathleen Curtin is also a food historian and cookbook author! Join Kathleen for informal talks and demonstrations of 19th century coastal Maine foods and cooking. The tasty tours will begin at Fowler True Ross House’s kitchen and will conclude with a 19th century treat. In PMM’s Fowler True Ross House. Free with PMM admission.

Wednesdays and Saturdays, July and August, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
Heritage Craft Demonstrations
Craftspeople will be on hand to demonstrate their traditional skill. The demonstrations will include a range of Maine crafts/trades including coopering (barrel making), spinning, weaving, boatbuilding and blacksmithing and more! Check the website for a schedule of artisans and dates. In various locations on the PMM campus. Free with PMM admission.

July

Monday, July 1, 7:00 pm
Garden History Lecture Series
Heirloom Gardening is for the Birds! (Bees and Butterflies, too!)
Diana Chapin of The Heirloom Garden of Maine will present a collection of slides that highlight some of the most colorful and fragrant plants that attract birds, butterflies and bees to the garden. She’ll discuss the lifecycle of a butterfly and how a gardener may select specific plants that offer shelter, foliage and nectar for the insects in various stages of their lifecycle. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529 to buy tickets.

Saturday, July 6, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Pen Bay Day!
Free museum admission to all. Join the party! See the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) from Oceans Wide, hear great music, eat delicious food, watch the flares, play games with your children, and much more! Our annual summer party is a blast. Admission Free. At Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport, Maine. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Saturday, July 6, 1:00 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“North Haven: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Curator Kevin Johnson.
Free. At Waterman Community Center for North Haven Historical Society, 12 Main St., North Haven, ME 04853. For more information 207-867-2100.

Tuesday, July 9, 8:15 am to 12:15 pm
Lighthouse Tour of Penobscot Bay by Boat!
Join us on this exciting PMM fundraiser and see eight lighthouses, including Eagle Island, in Penobscot Bay on the Camden Harbor Cruises boats with Captain Garth Wells. Captain Wells will provide commentary on the lighthouses and other features of the Bay with PMM Curator Cipperly Good adding some historical context. Coffee and muffins on board. Leave Camden dock at 8:15, return at 12:15. Now through May 31, tickets are $100 per person for members, $115 non-members. June 1 through July 5, tickets are $115 for members and $130 for non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529 to buy tickets.

Wednesday, July 10, 11:00 am
Children’s Story Hour and Book Signing
Celebrated children’s illustrator and author Chris Van Dusen will read his beloved children’s book The Circus Ship. This exciting story tells of the burning of the ship ROYAL TAR off the coast of Vinalhaven, and the rescue of the circus animals it was carrying. Book signing afterwards. Admission Free. At PMM’s Peapod, Church Street, Searsport. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, July 11, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
How To Keep Warm and Stay Green
Talk (rescheduled from the winter) by Matthew O’Malia, architect and partner of GO Logic. G O Logic designed the Belfast Area Co-housing Community and TerraHaus, a dormitory at Unity College. Their many awards include the Citation for Excellence in Architecture from AIA New England. They provide a comprehensive problem-solving approach to the design and construction of quality, sustainable, zero-energy buildings. Matthew will discuss the concepts and details of the highly-insulated passive solar house building. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

Saturday, July 13, 10:00 am
Maine Antique Power Association Display and Demonstration and Lobsterboat Races
Power Up in Searsport: Rev your engines at the Penobscot Marine Museum! The Maine Antique Power Association will get the engines rolling on the Museum’s front lawn at 10:00 am and keep them going all afternoon. Down at the Town Dock, the Searsport Lobsterboat Races start off at 10 am. The Searsport Car Show will take place at Mosman Park during the day. Park at the Museum and enjoy a day of steam, diesel and gasoline-powered engines in Searsport. Free. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Wednesday, July 17, 11:00 am
Children’s Story Hour and Book Signing
Learn about the history of lighthouses, their purpose, songs and stories with Angeli Perrow, author of Lighthouse Dog to the Rescue and other stories of shipwrecks and lighthouses. Admission Free with PMM admission. At PMM’s Peapod, Church Street, Searsport. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, July 18, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
Harry Gratwick, whose many books on Maine include Stories From the Maine Coast: Skippers, Ships and Storms, shares highlights from research on his current book on the shipwrecks of Penobscot Bay. Learn about the Revolutionary War shipwrecks of the ill-fated Penobscot Expedition, as well as exciting stories of more modern shipwrecks. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529 to buy tickets.

Wednesday, July 24, 11:00 am
Children’s Singing Hour
Stephen and Susan Sanfilippo sing songs of shipwrecks, lighthouses and lifesaving. Bring your singing voice and join us! Free with PMM admission. At PMM’s Peapod, Church Street, Searsport. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, July 25, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
Penobscot Bay Capt. Skip Strong will speak about the harrowing rescue described in his book In Peril: A Daring Decision, a Captain’s Resolve, and the Salvage that Made History. Strong, captain of an oil tanker carrying 10 million gallons of crude, was trying to outrun tropical storm Gordon when he picked up a distress call off the Florida coast in the early hours of November 15, 1994. Strong decided to attempt a rescue, although doing so put his own crew and cargo, not to mention hundreds of miles of Florida coast, at risk of a catastrophic oil spill. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

Tuesday, July 30, 7:00 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“Winter Harbor: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Curator Kevin Johnson.
Free. At Schoodic Center for the Arts, Hammond Hall, 427 Main St., Winter Harbor, ME 04693 For more information (207)963-2569

Wednesday, July 31, 11:00 am
Demonstration: Abandon Ship Drill
McMillan Offshore Survival Training demonstrates an “abandon ship” drill. The drill covers “Mayday”, visual distress signals, immersion suits and life rafts.
Free. Searsport Town Dock, at the end of Steamboat Avenue. For more information call 207-548-2529.

August

Thursday, August 1, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
“Titanic: What Really Happened” a talk by MMA Professor Capt. Charles Weeks. Capt. Weeks is one of the authors of Report into the Loss of the SS Titanic: A Centennial Reappraisal, which Amazon says, “provides fascinating insights into the ship herself, the American and British inquiries, the passengers and crew, the fateful journey and ice warnings received, the damage and sinking, protocol and process of rescue, the circumstances in connection with the SS Californian and SS Mount Temple, and the aftermath and ramifications around the world”. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online at or call 207-548-2529.

Monday, August 5, 7:00 pm
Garden History Lecture Series
“Colonial Herbs for meate and medicine, and Shaker Influence”
Diana will present a collection of slides and will talk about how early Americans used herbs for food (referred to in Colonial days as “meate”) and healing, fragrance and dye. American Shakers were revolutionary herbalists whose lives revolved around plants for food, medicine, and income. Take a walk through history with Diana and learn about what Shakers believed, how they lived and be introduced to some of their most treasured plants. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online at or call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, August 8, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
University of Maine marine archaeologist Warren Riess will speak about his new discoveries and his exciting work as a national expert in marine archaeology of the New England and mid-Atlantic regions. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

August 10, 2013; 7:00 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“Liberty Maine: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Archivist Matt Wheeler. Free. At the Ivan O. Davis-Liberty Library, 59 Main Street, Liberty, Maine
For more information call 207-548-252 ext. 210.

Wednesday, August 14, 11:00 am
Children’s Workshop: Watercolor Journaling
Lucinda Hathaway, author of Takashi’s Voyage: The Wreck of the Sindia, leads this workshop. The children will learn a quick sketch technique with waterproof pens and application of watercolor paints. Materials for use that day will be provided. Free with PMM admission. At PMM’s Peapod, Church Street, Searsport. For more information call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, August 15, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
Tim Garrold, a Searsport native and US Naval War College professor, tells hair-raising stories of rescues at sea, including the rescue of the crew from the burning SS KRISTA MARINOVIK in the Mediterranean Sea in 1982, the rescue of a private sailing vessel that had pitch-poled and demasted in a storm off Cape Hatteras in 1985, the search for a fighter jet lost at sea from USS AMERICA during Carrier Battle Group work-ups for Operation DESERT STORM in 1990, and the rescue of the crew of an SH-60B helicopter that crashed in the Persian Gulf during Operation DESERT STORM in 1991. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, August 22, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
Author and former Downeast editor Andrew Vietze talks about his book Boon Island: A True Story of Mutiny, Shipwreck, and Cannibalism. The wreck of the NOTTINGHAM GALLEY on Boon Island and the resultant rumors of insurance fraud, mutiny, treason, and cannibalism was one of the most sensational stories of the early eighteenth century. Captain Deane offered one version of the events that led them to be shipwrecked on notorious Boon Island, the barren rock off the coast of Maine; his crew proposed another. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, August 22, 6:30 pm
Historic Photography Lecture Series
“Jonesport: The Postcard View” illustrated talk by PMM Photo Curator Kevin Johnson.
Free. At Jonesport Historical Society, Sawyer Building 1st Floor, 21 Sawyer Square, Jonesport, ME

September

Monday, September 9, 7:00 pm
Garden History Lecture Series
“Seed Saving Primer, and Genetic Engineering and Food Security”
People have saved and propagated seed from plants in their gardens and from wild plants for over ten thousand years. Since the beginning of agriculture people traded or bartered seed. Selling seed commercially began at the beginning of the 19th Century and by the 1850s many commercial horticulture operations sold seeds. Today, much of the world still saves seed as a necessity. Especially in developing countries, saving seed is an essential part of farming. Diana will offer practical seed saving tips for the home gardener, including information on which plants from which seed may be saved, as well as harvesting and storage advice. Learn how the progressive technology of GMO threatens the ages-old practice of saving seed, how to protect yourself from the hidden health dangers of genetically modified food and how to protect your right to grow life-giving, nutritious food in your own garden. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

Thursday, September 12, 7:00 pm
Thursday Night Lecture Series
Buzz Scott, founder of OceansWide, will talk about “Historic Antarctic Exploration – Shackleton, Scott and Amundsen”. Raised on Matinicus Island, Maine, Buzz fished commercially for 17 years in the Gulf of Maine. He spent four years as a Navy Seabee and another seven years with the United States Antarctic Program as a marine projects coordinator, sailing on scientific research ships around Antarctica. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, 11 Church Street, Searsport. Tickets in advance $8 members, $10 non-members, or at the door $12 members, $15 non-members. Buy tickets online or call 207-548-2529.

Ship RAPPAHANNOCK of Bath

Captain Wiley Rogers Dickinson, master of the ship RAPPAHANNOCK

The ship RAPPAHANNOCK of Bath, under the command of Captain Wiley Rogers Dickinson, carrying a cargo of soft charcoal spontaneously combusted while traveling from Liverpool to San Francisco around Cape Horn on November 2, 1891. The ship was just two years old.  Capt. Dickinson had his wife and two daughters Grace and Bessie on board the vessel.

Watercolor of the wreck of the ship RAPPAHANNOCK

Cumberland Bay on Robinson Crusoe Island, Juan Ferdinand Islands, Chile

The vessel made it to Cumberland Bay, on the northern end of the South Pacific Island of Juan Fernandez about 400 miles off the Chilean mainland, where she was completely destroyed.  The crew of three mates, 26 men, the Captain and his wife and two daughters took refuge on Robinson Crusoe Island, and were eventually rescued by the Chilean Government steamer HUEMIAL, which took them to Valparaiso, Chile.

Chilean Flag given to Bessie Dickinson

Bessie Dickinson was given a Chilian Flag by Manuel Carera, on November 25, 1891, the morning she and the others of the left the island. As they were about to get into the boats, Manuel came running to the water’s edge where Bessie was standing. “Missy’, he said, ‘so many people ask Manuel for this flag’, clasping it to his breast,” so many offer Manuel money, but I do not give it to any of them.’  He pushed the flag into Bessie’s hands ‘I give it to the little Missy, so that someday when she is far away she will look at this flag and think of Manuel way down in these South Pacific Oceans. Maybe you will come back, maybe we will never see you, but you think of Manuel’. He brushed the tears from his eyes, as Bessie caught his two hands, her own eyes bright with tears at the unexpected gift, ‘Some day Manuel I hope we see you again, you’ve been so good to us. I don’t know what we would have done without you to help. I’ll always keep your flag.’ She ran down to the boat while Manuel stood there, a typical Robinson Crusoe, rugged as the hills that rose high in air back of him.”

The Emperor of Japan awarded Nathan Carver of the bark Abbie Carver this beautiful medal of the red ribbon and a citation for his rescue of thirteen shipwrecked Japanese fishermen in September of 1881. The Emperor expressed his “high appreciation of [Carver's] humane action toward the unfortunate Japanese subjects who [Carver] rescued so opportunely and treated so kindly.”

Click Nathan Carver for another photograph of Captain Carver from PMM’s collection.
Come see this medal and certificate at PMM this summer in For Those in Peril: Shipwrecks, Memorials, Rescues
Opening reception ~ Friday, May 24, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

Allen Insurance and Financial and Schooner Heritage support Penobscot Marine Museum in its mission to preserve, interpret and celebrate the maritime culture of the Penobscot Bay Region and beyond.

Allen Insurance and Financial is an employee-owned, community-minded company offering insurance, employee benefits and financial planning services from offices in Rockland, Camden and Southwest Harbor. For more information go to www.allenif.com.

A little adventure and a whole lot of relaxation. Built by her captains. Over ⅔ of our guests return and say, “It just gets better and better.”

Captains Douglas K. and Linda J. Lee
Rockland, Maine
www.schoonerheritage.com

Saturday, May 25—Sunday, October 20, 2013

Throughout history, shipwrecks have been the subject of legends, music, books, paintings, and performance. Disasters at sea, whether from storms, collisions, fires, war, vessel failure, or disease, have impacted life around the world. In Maine, we have an especially poignant history of loss to the sea: from the 19th century days of merchant sail, through the vast numbers of fishermen who worked and continue to work under hazardous conditions, to present day merchant marine training and recreational boating, Maine families and communities have known tragedies and triumphs on the water.

Penobscot Marine Museum’s exhibit explores the shipwrecks and near misses; the perfect storms and sudden squalls; those lost at sea and the families left behind; and the brave lifesavers and brilliant marine equipment innovators. Through the museum’s collection of marine art, portraits, photographs, lifesaving equipment, original manuscripts and logbooks, small watercraft, models, and navigational instruments, the stories of “those in peril” will come alive in the summer of 2013.

This exhibit will feature an overview gallery exhibit to set the stage; our sea captain’s home will be a house in mourning for a lost captain; safety equipment and fishermen’s memorials will be featured in our Gone Fishing exhibit; and a lighthouse playscape and a marine archeology salvage activity will be in one of our dedicated children’s rooms.

Although equipment, vessels, and communications have changed dramatically over the past 150 years, the sea has not. Recent events, such as the loss of the Bounty in the recent storm, illustrate this point. The sea is still a formidable force that demands experience, training, and respect. Our exhibit will heighten public awareness of the dangers of the sea, no matter what one’s level of occupational or recreational involvement. It will provide audiences with a greater understanding of the communities of the Maine coast and how they have been shaped in part by the sea and its dangers. Visitors to the museum in 2013 will learn what has happened and can happen at sea; experience first-hand accounts, both historical and more contemporary, of disasters and their aftereffects; gain appreciation for the difficult and sometimes capricious nature of people’s lives when they depend on the sea for a living; and share some of their own stories on our “Ship Log Blog,” which will contain both historic accounts and tales of modern disasters contributed by the public.

Stranded Knitting Traditions Workshop
Mary Jane Mucklestone, teacher
Join us for this exciting PMM fundraiser and explore the wonderful, colorful world of stranded knitting. This beautiful folkloric knitting tradition occurs all around the world from Fair Isle and the Shetland Islands to Scandinavia and throughout Central Asia. Stranded knitting is using more than one color in each round of knitting. Bring yarn and needles, please call for details. At PMM’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library, Church Street, Searsport. $30 non-members, $25 members. All funds donated directly to PMM. Register online at http://knittingstranded.eventbrite.com or call 207-548-2529.
Mary Jane Mucklestone is known for her colorful and inventive stranded colorwork designs featured in Interweave Knits, Twist Collective. Her most recent book is 200 Fair Isle Motifs. Mary Jane has a BFA from Pratt Institute and studied and Textiles and Historic Costume at the University of Washington.

Saturday, April 6, 2pm
Dyes From Your Garden: The Natural Colors of Our Lives
Talk by Astrig Tanguay
Learn about bringing color into your home and to your clothing with plants from the garden and the shore. Lots of samples and many recipes will be provided. At PMM’s Main Street Gallery, 40 East Main Street, Searsport. Admission free.
Astrig Tanguay is the director of Fiber College of Maine, the largest annual event dedicated to Fiber Arts Education on the Eastern Seaboard. She has over forty gardens at Searsport Shores Ocean Campground, which she owns and runs with her husband in Searsport, Maine.

A selection of photographs from the Eastern Illustrating Collection featuring every town in Knox County with descriptive captions based on information received from the local historical societies and historians.

Now-April 28 2013

Vose Library
PO Box 550
Union ME 04862

Preview Online