WELLS — The Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit will continue its popular program, History Walk and Talk, through the spring and into the fall season with walking tours of places and spots of historic significance with historian and author Joe Hardy.

The History Walk & Talk: Our Farms presentation will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 5.

The cost is $5 and is free for HSWO Members. Last season, History Walk and Talk, at a cost of $5 and free for HSWO members was a big success for the organization.  It was well-liked, and encouraged people to join the Society’s membership.

Hardy is the author of History of a Maine “Little River,” “Settlement & Abandonment on Tatnic Hill: An Eclectic History of Wells, Maine, 1600-1900,” and “Four American Stories: Emigration and the Lure of the West.”

With his family, he has lived for many years on the Hill Road, the old “Way to Wells” from South Berwick. Joe Hardy also serves as a director on the Board of the Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit.

As an historian, he appreciates the importance of walking the land in order to get an authentic knowledge of the subject of which you write.

He says, “When Julia and I first got together last winter to design the Saturday “Walk & Talk” program, we had no way to anticipate the response of our membership—or the public—to the possible activities that were churning around in our heads.  We simply guessed at what topics might be of interest, and set a schedule, tempered by the availability of personnel to provide the needed expertise. Fortunately, we have not been disappointed. 

“In fact, we have been delighted with the response.  We had no fewer than ten, and as many as 20 people participate on each of the scheduled Saturday mornings,” he said. “Included were a number of families with children, and quite a few individuals who had joined us on earlier tours.  These tours, however, would not have been successful without the cooperation of a number of “outside experts,” including farmers Bill Spiller, Richard Chase, and Marilyn Stanley, the Town of Wells facilities management crew, and Ryan Liberty, who was our leader for the Wells Harbor tour.”

Nancy and Gary Wetzel of South Berwick became new members last year and speak highly of the program. 

“They enlivened the past,” they said. “We passed by farmstead foundations, sugar maples planted in a row 150 years ago, and came to grave sites that are maintained in honor of the deceased.”

The Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit, part of the historical landscape of the towns since 1954, became more visible in the late 1960’s when their headquarters became the 1862 Meetinghouse on Route One in Wells with the soaring steeple seen for miles from land and sea.

The Meetinghouse Museum collection of objects and artifacts tells the story of Wells and Ogunquit, which began as one town in 1640. Their displays of objects link us with past people and eras in a very immediate way through programs and events for all ages. 

The building is on the National Register of Historical Places, and a meetinghouse has been on this site since the year 1660, when the first settlers came to Wells, Maine. The organization opens the building up for “Historic Weddings” to take place in the Gothic Revival interior filled with original features, such as the 19th century chandelier, pews and wood floors.

Over the past seven years, they have engaged the community with their annual summer fundraiser, “Woodies in the Cove” Car Show & Parade, which is now the largest Woodie event in New England and possibly the entire East Coast. 

For more information, send an email to info@wohistory.org  or call 646-4775.