The Town History Series is a long-standing Patten Free Library tradition that brings together the library’s member communities to learn about and celebrate each town’s local history. The town of Arrowsic, Bath Historical Society, Georgetown Historical Society, West Bath Historical Society and Woolwich Historical Society each select a speaker to present on an aspect of their local history.

“We are so excited to welcome the community back for our Town History Series, both in person and on Zoom,” said archivist and Special Collections Librarian Mary Kate Kwasnik. “Over the last two years, we have seen our attendance numbers grow in huge ways since virtual platforms open up our talks to those who wouldn’t be able to attend in person. It is so nice to be able to stay available for those patrons but also open our doors for those who prefer to attend in person. We have a great line up this year and we can’t wait to see what everyone thinks!”

Programs are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Jan. 28, and Feb. 4, 11 and 18 and will be presented in person, live on Zoom, and recorded and streamed on Bath Community Television. “Sabino: An Historic Overview with Jay E. Paris Jr.” is Jan. 28; “Oak Grove Cemetery: A History, with Stories with Joe Minott” is Feb. 4; “Tide Mills of Georgetown with Harry Hopcroft,” Feb. 11; and “Good Health, Good Morals, and Training: Summer camps in Woolwich with Allison Hepler,” Feb. 18.

See more details and register for each individual talk at patten.lib.me.us/ths23/.

This year’s Town History Series is dedicated to Sheila Spear. Sheila volunteered for the History Room, indexing obituaries for the Memory database, and she was the first town administrator of Arrowsic until her retirement in 2022. At last year’s Town History Series, Spear represented Arrowsic and presented “Gift or Purchase? Relation to the Land, Arrowsic 1717.”