250th Anniversary Schedule of Events
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Harpswell’s Celebration of 250th Anniversary of the USA Information as of April 6, 2026 April 26 at 4 pm: A presentation by Matt Gilley on the History of Fishing in Harpswell at Cundy’s Harbor Community Hall May 25: Memorial Day Parade – All are welcome to march or ride in the parade […]
Harpswell – An Appreciation
Harpswell – An Appreciation by David Sparks, HHS Board Vice President I grew up in Harpswell in the 1960s and 1970s. Not till later in my life did I realize how special a place Harpswell is. There are 30 miles of coastline from sandy coves to rugged ledges facing the power of the Atlantic Ocean, […]
Harpswell Yesterdays and Its Amazing Photos
Harpswell Yesterdays and Its Amazing Photos by Gerry York “Harpswell Yesterdays” is run by the “Cousins Lunch” group which has morphed into “The Harpswell Islands Genealogy and History Center” which is a long winded name for a non profit history collection on the Islands… NO we are not in competition with Harpswell Historical Society but, […]
The Battle of Cundy’s Harbor
The Battle of Cundy’s Harbor by Heather Logan and David Perrier As Harpswell begins its celebration and looks back on the community, Cundy’s Harbor Library also looked through its collection of historical documents with an eye to the 1770s. An adventure that caught our attention was that of Nathaniel Purinton. The Purinton family, some of […]
Family Ties and the Heart & Hand Artist
Family Ties and the Heart & Hand Artist by Deane VanDusen The origin of the American “family record” artwork began to appear around the Revolutionary War period and were a regional art form being produced in New England and eastern New York. These watercolor illustrations recorded the births, marriages, and deaths of family members and often […]
1928 Film about Rum-Running on the Maine Coast
1928 Film about Rum-Running on the Maine Coast “Ned McCobb’s Daughter” is a distinct film from the transitional era of Hollywood (late silent/early sound), released by Pathé Exchange in late 1928 and circulating through 1929. It is a melodrama that blends domestic struggles with the high-stakes tension of Prohibition-era crime. Here are the details […]
“Rum-Running” in Harpswell
“Rum-Running” in Harpswell By Connie Sage Conner On a moonless September night in 1929, a ship cautiously made its way toward Casco Bay and dropped anchor just beyond at the 3-nautical mile limit. Minutes later, a speedboat pulled alongside it, and the ship’s crew gingerly passed down box after box of illegal whiskey to the […]
Farewell to Ed Phinney
Farewell to Ed Phinney Former HHS board member Edward Bartlett Phinney passed away on March 12, 2023 at age 88. Ed had long ties to Harpswell, where his family had a cottage at the very tip of Potts Point for several generations and where Ed met his wife June at a dance at the Merriconeag […]
Farewell Pat Moody
Farewell to Pat Moody Patricia Barnes Moody, a longtime HHS supporter and former member of its Board of Directors, passed away on August 22, 2025 at age 92. She was a resident of Harpswell for most of her life since birth and taught for 38 years at the West Harpswell Elementary School. Her love for […]
Harpswell Historical Society August 2025 presentation
Harpswell Historical Society August 2025 presentation by Brad McFadden My great-grandfather, Nelson McFadden, grew up in Topsham, Maine. Through researching his family roots and genealogy, he found a deposition given by my 7th great-grandmother, Jane, in 1766, describing a site on Merrymeeting Bay where she and her husband, Andrew McFadden, were one of the first […]