From a discussion on the original Popham colony to a study on today’s alewife fishery in Woolwich, the six-week Town History Series at Patten Free Library has run the gamut of local history.
The public has responded to the series. An average of 75 people have attended the events, held in the library’s upstairs community room. Each presentation runs from 10 a.m. until noon. This year, the series begins Jan. 19.
Peter Goodwin is manager of the Sagadahoc History & Genealogy Room at the library. Goodwin recalls starting the Town History Series nine years ago, in order to obtain “little pieces of the history” of the six towns that have supported the library. Those towns include Arrowsic, Bath, Georgetown, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich.
Historical societies from the towns chose the topics.
“We’ve had a full range of, I think, very interesting tidbits,” Goodwin said.
The attendance reflects the popularity of the series.
“It’s been amazing,” Goodwin said. “When I started off, I didn’t anticipate anything like that. I got the community room after the first one.”
Denise Moore-Reynolds of Georgetown will be among this year’s presenters. Moore- Reynolds, a board member of the busy Georgetown Historical Society, will present a follow up on an article entitled, “Lest We Forget,” about local hero Herbie Campbell.
Campbell’s aircraft was shot down during World War II, but he was rescued by local people. He went on to join the French resistance, and was killed.
This year’s schedule:
— Jan. 19, West Bath, Avery Myers: “Top Secret Radar Tower in West Bath”
— Jan . 26, Woolwich, Allison Hepler and Tom Potter: “Alewives of Woolwich”
— Feb. 2, Georgetown, Denise Moore-Reynolds: “Lest We Forget”
— Feb. 9, Phippsburg Historic Preservation Commission: “Historic Houses in Phippsburg”
— Feb. 16, Bath, Ralph Linwood Snow: “Captain James K. Murphy and His Peripatetic Family”
— Feb. 23, Arrowsic, Jack Witham: “Very Early Arrowsic: An Indulgence in Speculation”
Raymond James & Associates provides funding for filming of the Town History Series, which also is aired on public television.
lgrard@timesrecord.com
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