Not a member?

More Negatives Adopted!

By Kevin Johnson, Photo Archivist

A generous anonymous donor has struck again and adopted the negatives of the towns of West Newfield, Togue Pond, Buxton, West Falmouth, Bridgton, Auburn, Warren, Mattawankeag and Sabino! Wow! This anonymous person would really like to see this program completed and hopes to inspire you to join in the fun! We are so grateful for these donations! Can you help us keep our streak of town adoptions going?

Maynard Bray Collection: March 2023

By Matt Wheeler, Digital Collections Curator

This month, we salute the self-reliant boat owner by showcasing the practice of “grounding out”. When hull maintenance is needed and time, money, or patience are short, the DIY approach is to skip the railway and the travel lift, and wait for the tide to settle a boat onto a beach. The reverse can also work: tide launching cuts out the middle man between the skipper and the ocean. Of course, the only limitation of grounding out is the time pinch imposed by the tides themselves, which won’t wait for anybody.

Maynard is one of these independent spirits, so it stands to reason that he captured instances of the practice when he ran across them, and used it himself. Enjoy this sampler; note that we’re featuring some images from Maynard’s newly digitized Kodachrome slides, the first of his color photography to be published in our Onsite with Maynard blog.

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

While the traditional range of catboats has not typically included Maine, the Friendship Catboat has found its place in our waters. In 1925, English rusticator William “Billy” Kirkpatrick wanted a sailboat to train children. Summering on Davis Point in Friendship, Maine, he was surrounded by boatbuilders, and approached Archie Thompson and Gene Brown at Friendship Boatshop. Each of the men brought their own perspective and skills to the partnership. Billy Kirkpatrick was an artist and avid yachtsman, so had an eye for design and knowledge of what the boat should do. Gene Brown specialized in workboats and double-enders. Archie Thompson had built Friendship sloops in Wilbur Morse’s boatshop and worked as a foreman in a shipyard around New Bedford, Massachusetts before coming to work for Gene Brown. Together, they designed and built the distinctive Friendship Catboat.