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Catine Hitoical Society’s

Exhibit f the Great Age f Sail

In its 2019-2020 special exhibit, “Risky Business: Square-
Rigged Ships and Salted Fish,” the Castine Historical Society in-
vites visitors to step back in time to the 1800s when Castine’s
working waterfront thrived on a global market. Shipyards and a
dozen active wharves stood along Castine harbor. Chandleries
Portrait of the Ship “Castine,” attributed to Francis Hustwick and sailmakers outfitted schooners and square-riggers amidst the
Courtesy of the Castine Historical Society
smell of tar, fish, and wood.
Captains, seamen, merchants, and their families accepted the risks of the commercial sailing business as they carried fish, cotton,

and salt to and from distant ports. The ships and people that visitors will meet in this exhibit dispel notions of a romantic seafaring life.
In the exhibit, visitors can immerse themselves in the artwork, first-hand accounts, logbooks, charts, letters, shipping documents, and
objects and leave with a new perspective on Castine’s and coastal Maine’s history.
The motivation for this exhibit is the extensive research and writings of guest curator Richard Ames whose family history served
as a catalyst for his study. The Castine Historical Society will publish and sell Ames’ fully illustrated book offering a fresh interpre-
tation of Castine’s booming 19th century maritime economy.

The Castine Historical Society is open daily June 10 - September 2, Mon.-Sat., 10-4; Sun. 1-4. September 6 - October 14,
Fri., Sat., Mon., 10-4; Sun., 1-4. For further information, visit www.castinehistoricalsociety.org or call (207) 326-4118.

The Wilson Mueum’s

multiple exhibits A view of the gallery

by Susan Dewey
photo courtesy of the Wilson Museum

Summer in Castine! Kids ride bikes up and down the street, stopping into the museum to check out a favorite exhibit. They
may look at one of the dioramas depicting prehistoric people in their daily life, or check out the old time fire engine. If it’s a Wednes-
day or Sunday, they may stop in to participate in one of the live demonstrations that engage visitors at the museum.

The Wilson Museum and Perkins House sit on a narrow tree-lined street at the edge of Castine Harbor. They are the cornerstone
of what makes up the Castine Scientific Society. Dr. John Howard Wilson was a world traveler and an enthusiastic collector of all
manner of oddments that spoke to the development of humans as tool users in their journey from being hunter-gatherers to colonial
times. As pieces of his collection threatened to overwhelm the family homes in Castine, Wilson’s mother provided land at the end of
her property for a place to consolidate the treasures. The museum was built in 1921.

The result is eclectic in nature, providing something for everyone from an ancient nose-picker that would be useful in modern
times designed to get around piercings, rings, and stones, to black smithing tools that were still in regular use in the 1960s. In the
attic there are looms.

In 1968, the Perkins House was purchased, dismantled, and rebuilt on the site next to the Wilson Museum. It has been restored
to its 1783 splendor and is open most of the year, except when it is used for the Perkins Family Reunion in June.

Over the years a collection of one-room buildings have been added to the Wilson Museum site. There are a blacksmith forge, a
wood shop that also houses a group of small working boats, and a barn that provides administrative and classroom space. Throughout
the summer, there are specialty demonstrations on Wednesdays and Sundays. Presenters may show how to dye with indigo or how
early tools were used. At other displays, visitors can pull the bellows as the blacksmith works at his forge, take a turn with the boat
races outside the boat building shop, or participate in the fireside cooking demonstration.

The staff that manages the Wilson Museum and associated buildings work with a local home school group to provide historic and
scientific programs for kids throughout the year. They run camps during public school vacations. More information on these activities
can be found on the website, www.wilsonmuseum.org.

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