Pejepscot Historical Society, which turns 130 years old in 2018, has released its program calendar for the winter and spring. The society offers History Happy Hours, a noontime lecture/slideshow series, and a book group.
“We’ve tried to put together an array of topics that address all three towns we serve — Brunswick, Topsham and Harpswell — and examine both local stories and larger contexts,” Larissa Vigue Picard, PHS executive director, said. “When you live in a region rich in history and have access to more than 100,000 collection items at your fingertips, it’s not hard to generate lots of fun ideas.”
History Happy Hour takes place at The Brunswick Inn at 165 Park Row. Programs are on the second Thursday of the month from 5-7 p.m. A $5 cover charge benefits PHS, while drinks are available for purchase at the Inn’s bar. Each program includes featured PHS collection items and a themed cocktail.
Happy Hour Topics
• Jan. 11: What a Difference the Women Make! Bowdoin Before and After Co- Education, with David Treadwell, Times Record columnist and Bowdoin Class of 1964
• Feb. 8: Local Food, Local History, with Sandra Holland, owner of Union Street Bakery & Cafe
• March 8: Sky-Hy and Ski Jumps: Winter Recreation in Topsham, with Dana Cary, PHS board member and co-founder of Topsham Historical Society
• April 12: 19th Century Schoolgirl Needlework, with Catherine Cyr, PHS museum services manager
• May 10: A Harpswell History Moment, with Sarah McMahon, Associate Professor of History, Bowdoin College
Brown Bag
Brown Bag Noontime Talks are held this year in PHS’s stunning Skolfield-Whittier House drawing room at 161 Park Row on the fourth Wednesday of the month at noon. Attendees may bring a lunch; PHS provides beverages and cookies. Admission is free to members, $5 general public. Topics include:
• February 28: Handcrafting
History in Maine on the Midcoast, with Katy Kelleher, author of Handcrafted Maine: Art, Life, Harvest & Home (book signing to follow)
• March 28: The Passion of Perfection: Gertrude Hitz Burton’s Modern Victorian Life, with June Vail, Professor Dance Emeritus, Bowdoin College
• April 25: King of the North: Martin Luther King’s Activism Outside the South, Brian Purnell, Professor of Africana Studies, Bowdoin College (commemorating the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination and his 1964 speech in Brunswick)
• May 23: The Significance of Scots-Irish Migration in Maine: 1718-2018, Rebecca Graham, Chair, Maine Ulster-Scots Project
Book Group
The PHS Book Group also meets in the Skolfield-Whittier House drawing room, on the fourth Sunday of the month at 2 p.m.. Readings include:
• Jan. 28: Ghostland, Colin Dickey
• Feb. 25: Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders
• March 25: Manhattan Beach, Jennifer Egan
• April 29: When We Were the Kennedys, Monica Wood
• May (date TBD): Transatlantic, Colum McCann
Participants must procure their own books, but discussion questions, additional short readings, and facilitation is provided. The cost is $15 PHS members, $20 general public, or $5/session. RSVP to director@pejepscothistorical.org to register.
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