Historian Joyce Butler to Speak at McArthur Library Stories at Hand: Thoughts of a Local Historian

Biddeford, Maine -  McArthur Library and Timber Point Center will host Joyce Butler, noted Kennebunk historian, archivist, curator, and writer at the McArthur Library at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5, 2014. In her presentation, Stories at Hand: Thoughts of a Local
Historian, Butler will discuss the importance of preserving local history, and touch upon the work currently being done in Biddeford. Butler’s talk will highlight the English factory workers who arrived in the 20th century to work in the Biddeford mills.

Joyce Butler was the Kennebunkport Historical Society archivist from 1975-1979, exhibit and manuscript curator at the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk from 1979-1995. More recently she curated exhibits at the Center for Maine History.

In 1990, Butler was appointed town historian for Kennebunk. She is well known in the historical society and museum world as a lecturer and consultant on manuscript preservation and cataloging.

Most notably, Joyce Butler wrote Wildfire Loose: The Week Maine Burned (1978) which was included in the list “Mirror of Maine: One Hundred Distinguished Books that Reveal the History of the State and the Life of Its People”. In 2013, she penned Kennebunk: The Evolution of an
American Town. Butler has authored numerous other titles.

Timber Point Center is working to preserve the National Historic Register eligible, architecturally, historically, and culturally significant buildings of Timber Point to create a low-impact gathering
place promoting educational, environmental, and creative endeavors. This effort would complement the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's mission by fostering an understanding and appreciation of the
ecosystems present at Timber Point, and to serve as a pioneering model of the attainable balance between conservation and historic preservation. This is the second joint program between McArthur
Library and Timber Point Center. Both organizations are pleased to play a part in bringing Joyce Butler to Biddeford.

Elements: Books Coffee Beer will be providing copies of Wildfire Loose for purchase and signing after the presentation. Attendees are welcome to gather at Elements following the talk. To pre-order a book please contact Michael Macomber at Elements 207-710-2011.

For more information about Timber Point Center please contact Josephine Powers at 207-841-6147. For more information about the program please contact Melanie Coombs at 207-284-4181.

Events at McArthur Library are free and open to the public.