Four Readfield History Classes Announced for Winter-Spring of 2018

Read to the end to see registration information...

#1) KENTS HILL: FROM FARMLAND TO VILLAGE                        

By Dale Potter-Clark
Thursday, February 15, 2018 6:30-8:30pm (snow date March 1^st)                                New!!  
When and how did Kents Hill village change from remote backcountry farmland to a cultural and educational center? Before 1775 there were very few people living on Kent’s Hill – the Packards and Kents were two of the first to stake their claims and buildings began to appear. The Packard men were housewrights so they built many of them. After the Revolutionary War others came – the most influential, who had a long lasting effect, was Luther Sampson. From 1790 until 1824 a meeting house and parsonage, grammar school, store, cemetery and Methodist Seminary were established and the hilltop called Kent’s Hill evolved from a handful of family farms to a thriving cultural and educational center. In this class you will learn about that evolution, hear more about the buildings and houses, and some of the people who lived in Kents Hill village.

 

#2) Local artists lost with time: Who were they and what were their claims to fame?
By Dale Potter-Clark
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 6:30-8:30pm (snow date March 22^nd)           
New!!  
This immediate area has produced many artists, with various talents, including the famed artist Wallace Nutting of Manchester; Robert Vance of Readfield who was one of the earliest daguerreotypists in the U.S.; sculpturer Ellsworth Crosby of Wayne; and famed violin maker Franklin Richardson of Mt. Vernon. You will learn about them and others in this presentation.

 

#3) Patriots of the Revolutionary War: “Johnny has Gone for a Soldier”
By Dale Potter-Clark
Wednesday, April 25, 2018 6:30-8:30pm                                
NEW!! 
Soon after the first shot was fired at Lexington, exactly 243 years ago, nineteen men from Winthrop, ages 14 to 46, picked up arms and marched off to fight for independence. Some had also fought in the French & Indian War. Several of them were living in the part of Winthrop that later became Readfield (1791) and North Manchester (1850).  Over the years more than ninety Patriots lived in Readfield and many are buried here. In this presentation you will hear some of their stories.

 

#4) The Civil War: Who were some of our Civil War Veterans?
By Dale Potter-Clark
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 6:30-8:30pm                                
NEW!! 
Between 1861 and 1865 the small town of Readfield bid farewell to one-hundred sixty men as they bravely left Readfield to serve in the Civil War.  Twenty-seven of them were killed or wounded.  In this presentation you will hear some of their stories and also about some of the War’s impact on Readfield. What better time to honor them in this way than during Memorial Day week?

TO REGISTER:

$40 for four presentations or $12.50 each (Those who paid for the fall Kents Hill presentation that was postponed to Feb. 15,^, 2018 would not be charged for the spring make-up class. They have the option to sign up for other three for $30). Proceeds from these classes will help establish a “Museum in the Streets®” in Readfield.  

To register contact Maranacook Adult and Community Education Phone: 207-685-4923 x 1065 or Register online using a debit or credit card. For details and to view all classes go to http://maranacook.maineadulted.org.