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KENNEBUNKPORT
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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NEW VOLUNTEER
OPEN HOUSE
Are you looking for fun ways to meet new people and give back to your community at the same time?
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NEWS FROM
THE ARCHIVES
Sharon Cummins and volunteer, Lisanne James, took some time last week to peruse our extensive clothing collection.
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KENNEBUNKPORT TRIVIA
How much do you know about our history in Kennebunkport?
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Are you looking for fun ways to meet new people and give back to your community at the same time? Consider joining our team of volunteers. We are hosting two open house dates in February: Thursday, February 22 @ 11AM and Friday, February 23, @ 4PM. Please stop by to find out about our volunteer opportunities. If those dates don’t meet with your schedule, please reach out and we would be pleased to meet with you privately.
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SAVE THE DATE!!!!
2024 SUMMER LAWN PARTY!
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Last summer, our 1920s Gatsby-inspired lawn party at White Columns was a sold-out success! We enjoyed delicious food, listened to era-inspired music, dressed up in period garb, learned about Kennebunkport’s history in the 1920s with stories, photographs, and videos, and had a blast! More importantly, we raised awareness about our mission as well as needed funds for our operations. So many of you have asked for another summer lawn party and wondered what decade we might focus on for the summer of 2024 while others have expressed the desire to repeat the Gatsby theme. We have narrowed it down and would like your feedback! We’re listening. Please cast your vote here:
Save the date for our Summer Lawn Party date: Saturday, August 3, 2024
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What decade would you like for the Summer Party?
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UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES |
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FAMILY FRIENDLY VALENTINE'S DAY EVENT
AT THE TOWN HOUSE SCHOOL
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Looking for an opportunity to have fun with the kids this Valentine’s Day? Join the KHS at the Town House School for cookie decorating and Valentine’s Day cardmaking on Saturday, February 10 starting at 11AM. We ask that attendees make reservations so we can control the flow of the day and be sure to have enough fresh cookies baked. Activities will include decorating boxes for the cookies, frosting and sprinkling cookies, and crafting hand-made cards for loved ones. We hope to see you and your family at the historic Town House School. |
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Sat, Feb 10, 2024 11:00 AM EST
Valentines Cookie Decorating & Card Making
The Town House School,
Kennebunkport
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Wed, Feb 21, 2024 7:00 PM EST
Cat Stevens/Yusuf
The Town House School,
Kennebunkport
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MID-WEEK MUSIC CONTINUES
AT THE TOWN HOUSE SCHOOL
Since the summer of 2021, musician Dana Pearson has appeared monthly at the Town House School with other talented local musicians and has established a tremendous following for his, “Mid-Week Music” concert series. Town House School concerts are BYOB-21 & over. Mark your calendars for upcoming concerts:
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SATURDAY HOUSE TOURS
AT THE NOTT HOUSE
Step back in time on Saturdays by taking a guided tour. Owned and loved by the same family for 130 years, the Victorian-era home has retained its old-world charm and still contains the home’s original furnishings. Docents will lead you through seven rooms of the stately home and share stories about three generations of the Perkins-Nott family that lived, loved and lost in this magnificent Greek revival mansion. The tour includes history of Kennebunkport, its shipbuilding and maritime traditions, and the intriguing story of the family that inhabited the home. We are offering tours every Saturday at 11am. Reservations required.
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Sat, Feb 17, 2024 11:00 AM EST
House Tour of White Columns
White Columns,
Kennebunkport
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LAST FALL AT THE KENNEBUNKPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY |
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LECTURE SERIES:
John Doelman
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In the past few months, we hosted three very different lectures at the Town House school. The first was a wonderful visit from New England author, John Doelman. John discussed his new book, Quetico Connection, which focused on his personal journeys in the wilderness. His experiences and deep connections with nature were expressed through introspective poetry and photography.
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LECTURE SERIES:
Katherine Rhoda
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Katherine Rhoda returned to share her collection of historic musical instruments. Her presentation included the history and demonstration of dozens of unique instruments. A testimonial from one of the attendees, “I am so very glad I was able to attend Katherine Rhoda's presentation of Marxophone & Beyond at the Kennebunkport Town House School. What an incredibly fun and educating program! This wasn't a lecture but instead an opportunity to view up close a huge variety of these stringed, play-by-number, musical instruments that were an affordable way after the turn of the century to bring music into the home. Katherine played them all and even sang for us. Thank you Kennebunkport Historical Society for bringing this engaging historical program to our area.”
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LECTURE SERIES:
Jim Stockman
In November, we were joined by Mr. Jim Stockman, KEMS Board President, who shared a wonderful lecture about the history of local organization, KEMS. Joined by some of the original members, we learned about their start, their impact, and their growth in our community.
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We encourage other local organizations to share their origin story with us. The history of local nonprofits and their good work in our community is important to share. Please reach out if you would like to nominate a local nonprofit for a presentation at the Town House School. |
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We invited the local community to put on their creative hats and celebrate October with scenes from Kennebunkport’s past. The scene of scarecrows lined the property and invited locals and visitors alike. We asked the community to vote for their favorite as a fundraiser, and the public did not disappoint. We even got evening news coverage. The winner of the contest was Christine Thorne whose response to hearing that she had won, “The woman I based my entry on was a kind and generous person who loved Kennebunkport and the historical society, her name was Sara Sinclair. She had generously donated over the years to make improvements to the gardens at the white columns location. There's even a lovely plaque in her father in-laws name there. She loved when she could visit & enjoy the beautiful gardens. Sara passed away in early September. To honor her memory, the family & myself would like to donate the contest winnings back to the historical society.”
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RENTING THE TOWN HOUSE SCHOOL |
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The beautifully renovated space at the Town House School is a wonderful place to host your next small event. Members will enjoy a 20% discount and will receive first priority.
We have recently added Wi-Fi, we have A/V equipment, and can easily accommodate a group for a business meeting, a children’s party, a bridal shower, a cocktail party, a memorial gathering, and more.
For more information about renting the space for your upcoming event, please visit our website HERE.
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January is the time that many of us clean out our attics and discover treasures. This was the case for one of our members, Stedman Seavey. His family is a long-time Kennebunkport resident and he brought a few boxes of fun finds to our archives. Among the gems were yearbooks, Bush buttons, and a walking tour tape from 1991, annual reports, and more. Historian, Sharon Cummins, was excited to sift through and find items that are perfect for our collection. Keep an eye out for upcoming silent auctions where duplicates of existing items may make a special appearance. |
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In a similar vein, Richard Woodman generously shared documents and photographs for us to scan from the Captain Dudley House. Mr. Woodman’s grandfather, Bernie Warner purchased the home in 1930. Featured in this newsletter are a few captivating photographs capturing Mr. Dudley and his home. |
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Sharon Cummins and volunteer, Lisanne James, took some time last week to peruse our extensive clothing collection. We are excited to share a glimpse of some exquisite items discovered during this exploration. To enhance accessibility, we are launching an internal project to digitize our clothing record books and photograph each item in the collection. We are actively seeking volunteers to lend their expertise to this exciting initiative. |
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Historian, Sharon Cummins, holds open hours at the Pasco Center for research support on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10AM-2PM. We welcome you to stop by and introduce yourselves to us during those hours. |
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THANK YOU TO THE MOONEYHAN FAMILY FOUNDATION |
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Once again, our friends at the Mooneyhan Family Foundation has upported our mission by generously donating to assist us with our educational goals. The Mooneyhan Family Foundation was established to honor the life of Dr. Jerry Mooneyhan by furthering his vision of building on a community’s strengths to improve life for all. Pictured here with our executive director are Dr. Mooneyhan’s daughter, Jocelyn Lacey and her husband, Board member, Steven Lacey. The Laceys are strong supporters of the mission of the Kennebunkport Historical Society. We are truly honored. |
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Welcome to two new members of the KHS Junior Board, Lauren Aube and Rosin Raymond. Pictured here with JB President, Gillian Camp, the new girls are helping to organize Christmas decorations in the attic of the Nott House. Isn't this one of the best views in town? |
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Christmas Prelude in Kennebunkport has become a tradition for thousands of visitors and we celebrate our town’s history through tours and special events. It is an important time.
DECORATIONS
The decorating theme for this past Christmas was very simply, “A Victorian Christmas”. Teams of volunteers spent hours and hours working on decorating the rooms. As we have done for the past few years, we have asked visitors to vote for their favorite space. The following volunteers are to thank for the decorating:
Irene Cluff, Denise Stevens, Andrea Rolleri, Christine Ryan, Bobbie Bell, Patti Tynan, Sarah Reagan Auer, Barbara Fuller, Jane Higgins, Ann Nevius, & Diane Emerson-Holm.
The winning room was the parlor, decorated by Irene Cluff, who very generously donated her winnings back to the Historical Society.
We are also so grateful to our friends and sponsors at Wallingford Farm for their support in decorating the front of White Columns for the holidays. They decorated the interior of our tent for our events as well.
Experts in historic gardening, Wallingford Farm will continue their partnership with us for the historic “Celia’s garden project”.
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Prelude kicked off as usual with a beautiful Christmas gala at White Columns. Talented photographer, Chelsea Hamilton of Captivating Moments captured the evening. Our team of volunteers both in the kitchen, in the tent, in the gift shop, with the silent auction were the backbone of the success of the event.
Please click HERE for our photo gallery from the event.
Password: Christmas23!
Download PIN: 2166
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MAINE MADE CRAFTERS FAIR: |
We welcomed several local artisans for our first Maine Made crafters fair during Prelude and it was a wonderful success. We are grateful for all of our vendors and visitors alike who made this first-time event fun for all. |
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COOKIE DECORATING WITH MRS. CLAUS |
Hundreds of children and their families joined us for both weekends to decorate Christmas cookies, visit with Mrs. Claus, and write their letters to Santa. Here are a few photographs to commemorate the day. |
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How much do you know about our history in Kennebunkport? Here are a few general questions. The answers will appear in the spring newsletter.
- What three names has our town had? What were the dates?
- During which war did the Battle of Cape Porpoise occur?
- When was the last large schooner build in the Clark Shipyard? What was it’s name? Who was credited as the builder?
- Cape Arundel was developed by what company?
- What is the oldest house in town? Who owned it? Where is it? What date was it built?
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SEEKING NEW MEMBERS FOR THE JUNIOR BOARD |
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Do you know of a local student (ages 11-18) who may be interested in joining a creative team of volunteers, passionate about local history and community service? Our Junior Board would be pleased to welcome new members. The KHS is hosting an Open House on February 15 at 6PM at the Pasco Center. 125 North Street. |
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A VISIT FROM STUDENTS AT THE NEW SCHOOL |
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High School students from the New School, as part of their studies in history and genealogy, visited our archives recently to learn about local history and how to find information about family lineage. Historian, Sharon Cummins, spent several hours helping the students learn about our collection and the role historical societies play in the study of genealogical research. |
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EXCLUSIVE MEMBER BENEFIT: |
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SHARON CUMMINS'
THROWBACK THURSDAY STORIES
Attention, valued members! As a token of our appreciation, you will now receive weekly emails featuring Historian Sharon Cummins' beloved "Throwback Thursday" stories.
These stories have been a vibrant part of our social media community conversations and are readily accessible on our website under the dedicated tab, "Historic Stories." We're thrilled to bring these captivating tales directly to your inbox, ensuring you're always in the know about Kennebunkport's fascinating history. We kindly encourage you to share these stories with your friends and neighbors, spreading the word about our rich heritage, and reminding them of the importance of supporting our mission by becoming members.
Your continued support fuels our dedication to preserving and celebrating Kennebunkport's unique history.
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WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR MISSION |
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Want to Become a Kennebunkport Historical Society Member?
Click here to learn more about our membership.
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KENNEBUNKPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY
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