November 2010

The Acadians were people from France who settled on Acadia, now known as Nova Scotia, in the 16-17th century. In 1755 they were deported by the English Goverment to all points of North America and Canada. The Acadians who settled in the Saint John Valley had settled in St. Anne Des Pays Bas, Fredericton. When the Loyalists chased them off their land once more, they made their way up the St. John River and came to settle in St. David, in 1785.

The Acadian Village was built by the Heritage Vivant, our Living Heritage Society of Van Buren, in 1976 in order to preserve the heritage and history of the Acadians.

Waterloo Village is a completely recreated colonial town and an adjoining Indian Village. Learn how to make pottery and see how the Morris Canals changed the technology and way of life for settlers. The village hosts many concerts and activities, including the biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, the largest poetry event in North America.

People have been drawn to the rugged coast of Maine throughout history. Awed by its beauty and diversity, early 20th-century visionaries donated the land that became Acadia National Park. The park is home to many plants and animals, and the tallest mountain on the U.S. Atlantic coast. Today visitors come to Acadia to hike granite peaks, bike historic carriage roads, or relax and enjoy the scenery.

From late May to early October, park rangers present a variety of fun, interesting programs. Choose from boat cruises, hikes, talks, children's programs, evening programs, and more.

Founded in 1959 and now comprising four wings, more than 6,000 works, and more than 28,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Colby College Museum of Art has built a significant permanent collection that specializes in American and contemporary art.

The Farnsworth Art Museum offers a nationally recognized collection of American art in its elegantly appointed galleries. Such great names in 18th- and 19th-century American art history as Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully, Thomas Eakins, Eastman Johnson, Fitz Hugh Lane, Frank Benson, Childe Hassam, and Maurice Prendergast are represented in the museum's permanent collection entitled Maine in America.

The Sanford Museum offers a variety of educational programs for groups on various subjects including Astronomy, Geology, and Prehistory. The lower level of the museum tells the prehistory of Northwest Iowa that exhibits many fossils from Iowa's prehistoric sea. Public programs are given monthly at the planetarium which can include slides introducing the constellations of the night sky, and then a visit to the planetarium, where various objects and constellations in the night sky are located and discussed.

Fort Vancouver NHS and the McLoughlin House unit offer a variety of opportunities for people of all interests and ages.

Whether you prefer a solitary walk along a shaded historic pathway, the company of thousands of people at a special commemorative event, or an activity somewhere in between, Fort Vancouver NHS hosts many diverse activities and programs from which to choose.

The fort quickly became a center of activity and influence, supported by a multicultural village with inhabitants from over 35 different ethnic and tribal groups. The first hospital, school, library, grist mill, saw mill, dairy, shipbuilding, and orchard in the region were all centered at Fort Vancouver. The fort also served as the early end of the Oregon Trail for American immigrants, and later became a U.S. Army post. Today, demonstrations, exhibits, and archaeology digs help visitors connect to the site's people, stories, and resources.

Visitors are provided with an opportunity to learn about the role that Portland Harbor has played in shaping Southern Maine's economic, social, and historic character. The Portland Harbor Museum is located on the grounds of Fort Preble and has a scenic view over Casco Bay. The museum houses permanent exhibitions on a 19th-century wooden shipbuilding, a working lighthouse, and a 19th-century fort. The bow of the Snow Squall, the only surviving American clipper ship, is on display at this museum. PHM also features an annually changing exhibit interpreting Portland's maritime history.

Rufus Porter, an artist and inventor who lived from 1792 - 1884 and spent his boyhood years in the Bridgton, Maine area, helped to create an American culture. In his early years Porter painted small watercolor portraits from Maine to Virginia, then later moved on to landscape painting on walls of private homes throughout New England. His use of local landscapes with a vivid palette and broad, open brushstrokes was a departure from the styles and content of classical European wallpaper. Because most of his murals were unsigned, it was not until the mid 1930s that his body of work was authenticated through the publications of Jean Lipman.

The Rufus Porter Museum and Cultural Heritage Center celebrates the contributions of Rufus Porter to American arts and industry. The Center preserves a home on 67 North High Street in Bridgton, Maine, containing Porter murals painted in 1828. The Center proposes adding a structure to house the 15 Westwood, Mass murals, and to become an exhibition and teaching facility devoted to the creative arts and sciences of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Kingsland Homestead was built circa 1785 for Charles Doughty, the son of Benjamin Doughty, a wealthy Quaker who purchased land on the old turnpike in Flushing. The two-and-a-half-story Homestead was built in a style once common in the area – the Long Island half-house. The name “Kingsland” derives from Doughty’s son-in-law, British sea captain Joseph King, who bought the house in 1801.

In 1968, the Kingsland Preservation Committee saved the house from demolition and moved it to its present location in Weeping Beech Park. The park had been the nursery of famed 19th-century horticulturalist Samuel Bowne Parsons, who, in 1847, planted the first weeping beech tree in America in the park. This landmark tree survived for 151 years, and today seven direct descendants continue to shade Kingsland Homestead and their namesake park.