Revolutionary War Maps and Documents Acquired in Coastal Maine

Searsport and Castine, Maine, October 3, 2013 - Penobscot Marine Museum and Castine Historical Society are pleased to announce the acquisition of two manuscript maps and twenty-one documents directly related to events of the summer of 1779 during the American Revolutionary War.  They reveal intriguing information and details about the Penobscot Expedition, a combined effort of Massachusetts Bay and the Continental forces to repel British troops at Majabigwaduce, now Castine.

The maps and documents were among several lots from the Dudley Saltonstall Papers, previously held in a private collection, that were auctioned August 17, 2013, at Northeast Auctions in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  The Castine Historical Society and the Penobscot Marine Museum, who bid separately on the items at the auction, will provide digital copies for access in each institution.  Plans are underway to create joint exhibits to share onsite and online.  The primary goal of both Penobscot Bay historical organizations was to bring these materials to public collections in Maine.  Financial support for the effort was pledged by several private donors eager to preserve the documents and make them available for research and display.

Liz Lodge, Executive Director of the Penobscot Marine Museum, said, “The history of the Penobscot Expedition is an area where the missions of the two institutions overlap.  We’re delighted to collaborate on highlighting this period of history and look forward to inviting researchers to work with us.”

The unique maps, both acquired by the Castine Historical Society, depict the Penobscot Bay area from Eggemoggin Reach to the Penobscot Narrows.  Joseph Chadwick, a noted 18th century surveyor, created the “Sketch of a Part of Penobscot” on July 9, 1779, to provide the leaders of the Penobscot Expedition with details about the immediate area then being fortified by the British. These fragile maps will receive conservation treatment in the coming months and then reside in the climate controlled archival storage space currently under construction at the Society.

The set of documents, acquired by the Penobscot Marine Museum, dates from the months directly following the Penobscot Expedition and relate largely to Commodore Dudley Saltonstall’s Court Martial proceedings.  Saltonstall’s leadership performance was in question after the combined naval, marine, and militia forces failed to oust the British entrenched at the mouth of the Bagaduce River, retreated up the Penobscot River and scuttled most of their ships to keep them from enemy hands.  The documents will be preserved, digitized for access and then stored in the Museum’s Stephen Phillips Memorial Library on its Searsport campus.

“The 1779 Penobscot expedition is considered one of the most decisive naval engagements of the revolution," said Jack Macdonald, current President of the Castine Historical Society.  “The acquisition of these original source documents markedly enhances the already extensive information available at CHS and PMM.”

The two organizations are grateful to Ron Bourgeault of Northeast Auctions for all his help and to Seth Thayer of Thayer Fine Arts in Northport, Maine, for his expertise and assistance.

For more information about the collections at CHS, call 326-4118 or email curator@castinehistoricalsociety.org and at PMM, call 548-2529 or email cgood@pmm-maine.org.  More information about the Penobscot Expedition of 1779 can be found at www.castinehistoricalsociety.org.

MMA STUDENTS TO STAFF CASTINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY EXHIBITS

MMA STUDENTS TO STAFF CASTINE HISTORICAL SOCIETY EXHIBITS

Castine, Maine – With its public exhibit season extended through October 15 this year, the Castine Historical Society is pleased to announce that Maine Maritime Academy students will be serving as exhibit docents on weekends throughout the fall.

This year’s seasonal exhibit at the CHS Abbott School location, “Schooner Bowdoin on the Greenland Patrol”, is co-sponsored with Maine Maritime Academy and tells the little known story of the National Historic Landmark schooner’s World War II service. The extended season at CHS will allow MMA students, parents, faculty and alumni – as well as local residents, visitors and school groups – to explore the Bowdoin’s arctic history from her first voyage north with Admiral Donald MacMillan in 1921 through more recent voyages as MMA’s flagship sail training vessel. With the Bowdoin recently returned to her home port from summer training voyages, visitors to the CHS exhibit will also have an opportunity to see the historic vessel at the MMA waterfront in Castine during the fall season.

MMA faculty members and Bowdoin exhibit co-curators Peg Brandon and Betsy Reese are continuing their research on schooner Bowdoin and her service on the Greenland Patrol. Five MMA students working with them on that research will join CHS volunteer docents in manning the exhibits during public hours in September and October. Visitors to the Castine Historical Society will have an opportunity to engage the students as they conduct their research, and learn more about the back stories of the officers and crew who served on the Bowdoin during WWII as well as how the arctic schooner came to be part of this historic engagement.

The public schedule for CHS exhibits this fall will be Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays 10:00am to 4:00pm, and Sundays 1:00-4:00pm. Arrangements can be made for school groups and others to visit the exhibits on other days by contacting CHS in advance at 326-4118 or by email at info@castinehistoricalsociety.org .

In addition to the seasonal exhibit on Schooner Bowdoin in Greenland in World War II, the Society offers a permanent exhibit on the Penobscot Expedition of 1779 at its location in the Abbott School at 17 School Street on the town common in Castine. For more information on the Castine Historical Society and its exhibits, visit CHS online at www.castinehistoricalsociety.org or call 207-326-4118.