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 […]
History Writ Large, and Small: Dave Hackett’s Harpswell Legacy
History Writ Large, and Small: Dave Hackett’s Harpswell Legacy An Appreciation from Lin Maria Riotto It is impossible to think about the Harpswell Historical Society Museum and Archives without thinking of David Henry Hackett III, who as president of the organization for 31 of its 46 years, has been preserving the past for the future […]
Harpswell Historic Park Gardens
Harpswell Historic Park Gardens by Becky Gallery An oasis of color from early spring through the summer, the gardens in Harpswell Historic Park are maintained by members of the Harpswell Garden Club. Several garden beds are dedicated to members of the club. The small park was originally named for Anne Frances Hodgkins, the club’s president […]
The Captain Johnson H. Stover Jr.’s Home in South Harpswell
The Captain Johnson H. Stover Jr.’s Home in South Harpswell by William McLin and Samuel McKeon The Capt. Johnson H. Stover, Jr. House is a nationally significant example of Federal style architecture, associated with one of the founding families of Harpswell. At the time of its construction, it would have been one of the largest […]
Where Exactly Is Cundy’s Harbor? Border Confusion
Where Exactly Is Cundy’s Harbor? Border Confusion by David Perrier Our library is called the “Cundy’s Harbor Library” because it exists to serve the people of Cundy’s Harbor. But what makes up Cundy’s Harbor? For many places, these questions are easily answered. Even the borders of Harpswell are well defined. But, the various areas within […]