The Freeport Historical Society is again offering Summer Tours of the Historic Pettengill Farmhouse and grounds as a way for the public to learn more about this remarkable homestead. These tours offer a rare opportunity to view and learn about the house, which is generally open only once a year, on Pettengill Farm Day. Join a docent as they describe the history of the farm and saltbox, built about 1800 and sustained over generations without the modern conveniences of central heating, running water, or electricity. The house resides on 140 acres that supported a saltwater farm and dairy, most recently by Mildred Pettengill and her brother Frank.
Participants can sign-up for a 90 min tour of the farm and house, which includes a viewing of the rare sgraffiti wall etchings of ships and marine life. The scheduled tours are as follows:
Wed June 26 at 1:00 PM
Thurs July 18 at 9:00 AM
Tues Aug 13 at 5:00 PM
Fri Aug 23 at 9:15 AM
Fri Sept 13 at 11:00 AM
Cost is $12 per person for the general public and $10 for FHS members.
Details:
Participants must register at least 24 hours in advance since at least 4 people (maximum 10) are required for the tour to occur. (Go to freeporthistoricalsociety.org or call 865-3170.) If the tour needs to be rescheduled due to rain (the event will feature a walk around the grounds) or because of too few participants, those signed up will be rescheduled to another date or their money refunded.
Attendees meet at the gate entrance at the end of Pettengill Road, and we will carpool to the site. Spontaneous participants are welcome to join in at the start location, but they should first confirm that the tour is happening. Please wear appropriate footwear for walking on uneven surfaces and bring along bug spray. If walking is difficult, participants can choose to remain near or in the house.
Tours are also available on request with a minimum of 4 participants. Contact Jesse at info@freeporthistoricalsociety.com or 865-3170 to schedule a time.
The Ghosts of Freeport’s Past
October 24th, 25th, and 26th at 6:15 and 7:00 pm
Mast Landing Cemetery,
Upper Mast Landing Road, Freeport
In the event of hard rain, tours will move to the First Parish Church and one combined show will occur at 7:00.
October 27th at 3:00 pm
First Parish Church
40 Main Street, Freeport
For the past 5 years, Freeport Historical Society has partnered with Freeport Players to bring you a series of Halloween-inspired, costumed tours of local cemeteries. This year, we will tell the stories of the ghosts of the historic Mast Landing Cemetery. Join us for a ghostly fall performance and sweet treats from Wilbur’s of Maine. Please note, this event is historical, not scary, and is appropriate for school-aged children.
We strongly recommend you purchase tickets in advance as we can accommodate only a limited number of participants in each tour.
You can purchase tickets online here for no extra service fee.
Adult tickets are $10 for members of the Freeport Historical Society and $12 for non-members. Kids 12 and under pay $5. We have a special 4+ family rate this year of $25 for member or non-members.
*Mast Landing Cemetery is on a steep incline. If you have difficulty navigating uneven terrain, please consider attending our performance at First Parish Church*
A Photographic Tour of Historic South Freeport
Community Hall at the South Freeport Church
Wednesday, October 16th at 6:30
Suggested donation: $5
Join FHS Executive Director Jim Cram for a photographic tour of South Freeport!
The origins of this presentation came from a box of photographs and oversize negatives that came from Jim’s grandmother’s attic.
Neva Star Soule was the daughter of Emily Soule and Josiah Soule. Born in 1875, Neva grew up in South Freeport. She married Fred Chase from North Yarmouth and they built a new house on Cumberland Foreside in 1900. Jim grew up in that house.
In that box were over 200 images and portraits, many of South Freeport Village taken from 1904 into the teens. These images are combined with others from the collection of the Freeport Historical Society to create a presentation which includes public buildings, including the church and two schools, the coming of the trolley system, Casco Castle, and background information of a few houses and the old post office. Many early images of the Harraseeket and the waterfront are included.
44th Annual Pettengill Farm Day
Pettengill Farm, 31 Pettengill Road
Sunday, October 6th from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM
Tickets will be sold at the door: $5 for adults, $2 for children
Join us at for a day of family fun at our pristine 140-acre salt water farm! There is always a lot to see and do on this 200+ year old farmstead as we celebrate rural life of the 1800s.
We will have activities including horse-drawn wagon rides, corn husk dolls, pumpkin painting, games, beeswax candle crafting, lunch, and fresh apple cider pressing. We will also have historic demonstrations including cooking, spinning yarn, and writing with quill pens. The original farmhouse will be open and guided tours will be available.
An Evening with the Collections
Harrington House, 45 Main Street
Tuesday, September 10th at 7:00 PM
Freeport Historical Society announces our 2nd Annual Evening with the Collections. Hosted by the Collections Committee.
Please RSVP to info@freeporthistoricalsociety.org
*Hors d’oeuvres & wine with a special showing and discussion of our latest, most spectacular collections!*
If you are interested in joining our Friends group, please contact Holly Hurd at library@freeporthistoricalsociety.org
Summer Garden Party
Harrington House, 45 Main Street
Thursday, August 22nd, 4:00-6:00 PM
Our garden is growing and so are we! The Freeport Historical Society cordially invites you to spend time in our lovely Harrington House gardens. Live music will be performed for your listening pleasure. We will welcome new members, provide docent-led tours of Harrington House, and enjoy drinks and refreshments. *Bring a friend*
This event has been generously sponsored by SKORDO
Announcing Our 2019 Gala Auction Items!
Eighth Annual Harraseeket Harborside Gala
Saturday, June 22nd at 6:00 PM
Strouts Point Wharf Co., South Freeport
Our 2019 Gala Auction items might just be our best yet!
Purchase tickets on Eventbrite to attend our 8th Annual Harborside Gala and get the chance to bid on these fabulous auction items:
- Rocking chair by Thomas Moser
- Cocktails & dinner for six aboard the Bolero
- Five works of art created by local artists and lessons with the artists themselves
- An oyster farm tour for six from Love Point Oysters
- Two Adirondacks and a table set from LL Bean
- One week stay private stay at a Sugarloaf condo
- Weekend stay for two at Grants Camps on Kennebago Lake
Even if you are unable to make it to the event, you can still enter to win our raffle item–a private helicopter ride for three to Halfway Rock!
Located halfway between Cape Elizabeth and Cape Small, Halfway Rock offers breathtaking sea views and is home to a historic lighthouse that has been meticulously restored to the 1950s era. Pack a picnic lunch and plan to spend an hour and a half exploring the lighthouse and enjoying the sunshine and views at this unique Maine landmark.
For $50 you can enter the raffle for your chance to win this amazing experience.
Purchase your raffle tickets online now!
If you are attending the Gala, you can pick up your raffle tickets at the Gala day-of. The winner will be announced at the event. For those unable to make it to the Gala, we will mail raffle tickets to the shipping address provided and notify the winner via email.
Raffle tickets can also be purchased over the phone with a credit card at (207)865-3170 or in person at Harrington House on Main Street with cash, check, or credit card until Friday, June 21st.
Join us for the 8th Annual Harraseeket Harborside Gala!
Strouts Point Wharf Company, South Freeport
Saturday, June 22nd at 6:00 PM
This spirited celebration of Freeport History will include live music, live and silent auctions, local beer, spirits, lobster rolls, oysters, and other local delicacies!
Purchase your tickets
$60 per ticket
or
Show your increased level of commitment to FHS by serving as a Steward of the Gala. For $250 you get two tickets to the Gala, four drink tickets, and special recognition in the Gala program. Stewards are encouraged to send checks directly to FHS to avoid processing fees.
Purchase your tickets online at Eventbrite.
NEW EXHIBIT at Freeport Historical Society
The Mast Landing: Industry, Commerce, and Its People, 1720s-1920
Co-Curated by Holly Hurd and David Coffin
Opening Reception May 23 at 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Exhibit opening is free and open to the public
May 24 – Dec 20, 2019, Tues- Fri 10:00-5:00 PM
Admission is $3 per person, 12 and under free
Our next exhibit focuses on Mast Landing, the area where large pine logs destined to become ship masts were hauled and loaded into the Harraseeket River during the 18th century. Abner and David Dennison moved to town in 1757 and soon after built a sawmill and vessel at the landing. This industrial activity marked the beginning of growth toward a village that would thrive, prosper, and decline as new modes of transportation changed the face of commerce. David Coffin is co-curating the exhibit, which will include years of work on the historic Mast Landing village as well as new information about the people who lived and worked there.
Annual Meeting of the Membership
Honored Speaker: Earle Shettleworth Jr.
Saturday, April 27th at 4:00 pm
Freeport Community Services: 53 Depot Street
Please join us for a brief business meeting to celebrate our 50th Anniversary, elect trustees, and present annual awards.
The meeting will be followed by “Roadside Freeport,” from Maine State Historian and son of a Freeport shop owner, Earle Shettleworth Jr.
Refreshments will be served before the meeting.
As automobile tourism expanded after World War I, overnight cabins, restaurants, and souvenir shops developed along Maine’s Route I. Beginning in the mid-1920s, Freeport experienced a proliferation of tourist cabins on two sections of Route I, the Yarmouth Road to south of the village and the Brunswick Road to the north. These cabins included the Dutch Village Motor Court, Half Moon Cabins, Maine Idyll Cabins, Roseland Cabins, Sims Overnight Camps, and the Wayside Inn. Of these, only the Maine Idyll remains in business today. In the 1950s motels such as the Casco Bay and the Eagle began to spell the end of the motor courts.
Maine State Historian Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. will illustrate his lecture on Roadside Freeport with period post cards and advertising brochures.
