Remembering the Kennebunks

by Ostrander, Kathleen

• ISBN13: 9781596297074
• ISBN10: 1596297077
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-06-24
• Publisher: History Pr

Summary

The Kennebunks the phrase evokes peace, ocean breezes and small-town pride. In this captivating collection of vignettes, Kennebunk town historian Kathleen Ostrander reveals another side of the area's allure: its rich and varied past. From an account of the amateur astronomer whose name now graces the Bates College Observatory to the origins of Kennebunk's encyclopedic Walker Diaries, Ostrander offers a tour of the area's historical highlights. She notes the mysterious creature once said to live near the mouth of the Kennebunk River, treasures hidden in fireplaces and under floorboards and the scandalous murder trial of 1866, during which the wife of deceased doctor, drunk and temperance supporter Charles Swett was imprisoned on the testimony of her own daughter. Through quirky tales and serious sketches, Ostrander offers an affectionate portrait of the Kennebunks sure to charm and inform.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 7
The Baxter Bible	p. 9
The House that Sank	p. 11
The Furbish Twins	p. 14
Buckskin Sam	p. 16
Hidden in the Fireplace	p. 18
The Way Way Shop	p. 20
The Butland Homestead	p. 22
Fought with John Paul Jones	p. 24
Hometown Baseball Stars	p. 27
Romance of the Sawdust	p. 30
Fear in 1940	p. 33
Elias Hutchins-The Old Sailor	p. 36
The 27th Maine	p. 39
Drakes Island	p. 40
Sea Creatures of New England Waters	p. 43
Old Bet	p. 46
Roscoe Stephens and His Telescope	p. 48
Scandinavian Influence	p. 50
Days of Prohibition	p. 53
Civil War Story	p. 55
The Walker Diaries	p. 59
Boon Island	p. 61
The Witch's Grave	p. 64
The KKK in Maine	p. 66
The Murder of Dr. Swett	p. 69
Tragic Death of Lizzie Bourne	p. 71
The Doc Snow Gang	p. 73
The Cat Mill	p. 75
The King's Marker	p. 77
The Real Scarlet Letter	p. 80
Keeping Up with Madelyn Marx	p. 81
Nelson Wentworth	p. 84
Robert Canney Sr.	p. 87
The Loss of the Thresher	p. 90
Two Mysteries in Eliot	p. 92
The Alfred Jail	p. 94
Twelve o'Clock High	p. 96
Vision of Mars	p. 99
Slavery in Maine	p. 101
Witch Trot Land	p. 103
William Barry	p. 105
The Kennebunkport Playhouse	p. 109
The Saco Drive-In Theatre	p. 111
Captain James Fairfield	p. 114
If Trees Could Talk	p. 117
Labor Day Remembered	p. 118
Our Native American History	p. 120
Remedies and Afflictions	p. 122
Odd Sayings and Their Origins	p. 124
About the Author	p. 127
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