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By Cipperly Good, the Richard Saltonstall Jr. Curator of Maritime History

Descendents of a local Searsport Sea Captain recently donated three account books to the Museum. At first blush, one might consider account books to be dry and of little use in telling interesting stories. I am about to prove that wrong.

The first account book includes accounts with the brig TANGIER as well as other vessels in which Joseph Park owned shares from 1842 to 1879. The 92' TANGIER was built in Searsport by masterbuilder Jeremiah Merithew (1792-1862) in 1842. It was jointly owned by Jeremiah Merithew (3/8 share), Elisha Sherman (1/4 share), Joseph Park (1/4 share), and Solomon Piper (1/8 share).

By Kevin Johnson, Photo Archivist

When Michael Crowley’s book Working the Sea was published last year by Islandport Press, we were very proud of it. It turns out we were not alone in our sentiments. The book, which draws from photographs of the National Fisherman Collection, was a Bronze Award winner by the Independent Publishers of New England. I was fortunate enough to be watching the awards ceremony with author Michael Crowley who spoke to the audience about the experience. Way to go Michael!! Now onto Volume 2 🙂

Another example of our photographs being put to work is in the recent issue of the ezine Maine Line Magazine. The man behind this publication, Joey Kelley, is an avid railroad enthusiast. While he has tapped the archives numerous times in the past, his recent discovery of the Harriet Hichborn Collection excited his inner Casey Jones, and he has used Harriet’s photos to illustrate his article on the Stockton to Searsport rail line development. His deep dive into the photos provided details and corrections to our database entries.

Several years ago, curatorial volunteer Deb Nowers donated her late husband Henry Peach’s extensive photographic equipment to the PMM Photo Archives. What we couldn't use ourselves, we sold to collectors with the proceeds benefiting the archives. This donation inspired two other gifts. Sara Hayes donated the Leicas that belonged to her father, Harry Kinsel. And, most recently, Marie Wange-Connelly donated more than 200 photography books and 50 antique cameras from the collection of her late husband, David Connelly, who served as Senior Photographer for Princeton’s Art & Archaeology Department for more than 40 years. I’d like to think that Henry, Harry, and David would be pleased to know their cameras and equipment have made such a meaningful impact on the PMM Photo Archives. A huge thank you to Deb, Sara, and Marie for their thoughtful generosity!

By Matt Wheeler, Digital Collections Curator

With sad hearts and fond recollections, we say goodbye to a friend of many years, Michael Simon, who died in December, around seven months shy of his 90th birthday. 



We met Michael sometime in late 2013 or early 2014 after he heard my colleague, Kevin Johnson, give an illustrated talk at the Belfast Library. Kevin is a true ambassador for the museum’s photo collections; Michael was a true ambassador for photography itself. Their introduction was a foregone conclusion, and soon after that, Michael started volunteering here, using one of our flatbed scanners to digitize glass plates and film negatives. This task never failed to engross him; uncovering old photos stoked the furnace of his curiosity. We consider conversations with our volunteers to be part of the job, and one we prize highly. Looking at photos during his hours here, Michael nimbly made connections between the medium of photography and history, politics, religion, and culture. His fascination was infectious, and he regularly drew us into meaty discussions on these topics, as if he was inviting us to cook and eat a five-course dinner with him. These exchanges always left us feeling more alive. 

We are launching a new family friendly blog and want your help naming it. Which option do you like best?

Looking for something for you kids to do during school vacations? We have options during February and April breaks, plus two weeks in July!