Intergenerational Local History Scavenger Hunt (co-hosted by MML & YHC)

Fun for ALL ages! Stop by the library anytime on Monday, August 7th to pick up this scavenger hunt guide taking you around 7 fascinating sites all within walking distance of the library. This week-long local history scavenger hunt will come to an end with a mini-presentation and local history talk by Katie Worthing, Director of the Yarmouth History Center, at Royal River Park on Friday, August 11th at 2pm.

If you want to learn more about Yarmouth’s history, check out the short bibliographies Courtney has curated for each site as well as the fantastic historical blurbs written by Katie. All of this information is available IN PRINT at the library and at each of the 7 physical sites.

Images (L-R): YHC building, 1795 map of Maine & book cover (Yarmouth Revisited)

General Guidelines:

1. First and foremost, HAVE FUN! This is an unorthodox scavenger hunt…It’s very loose and relaxed.
2. Go in any order you want, start with ANY hint you wish. (Hints on pg. 2). This is low-key and (mostly) rule free. (As you can see, I like to rhyme).

Prize:

• Pick up a Summer Reading 2023 pin at Royal River Park (or stop into the library and ask for one for having participated in this fun and educational program). 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the Adult Services Librarian, Courtney Kleftis, at ckleftis@yarmouthlibrary.org. Enjoy this adventure.

Here are the hints for each site:

SITE 1:

• Red brick building on a street corner (a few blocks away from the library) with 4 tall chimneys on both sides of the roof; a building designed for studying AND living since 1841!

SITE 2:

• A beloved natural landmark; provided shade and shelter for numerous creatures; helped humans breathe clean and fresh air; a memorial (of sorts) is on display just across the street from the library!

SITE 3:

• Get ready for a trip on the Hogwarts Express (just kidding!); get out your Word Reference and translate from Spanish to English ferrocarril for more info. about where to find this site in the scavenger hunt. 🙂 This site is close to the library and is a great place to buy some local fresh veggies during the summer months.

SITE 4:

• Pirates, beware! This is a spot you may want to hide your contraband/stolen goods. 🙂 This white 19th century Italianate style home originally belonged to a Yarmouth-based ship’s captain. It’s just a few blocks away from MML and is currently a place to learn how to jam. The building has recently been renovated and expanded! The building has a beautiful lookout on top called a belvedere!

SITE 5:

• Check out the white Federal 2-story home of one of the most prominent original benefactors of NYA just down the street. Notice the four white brick chimneys on each side and corner of the roof. This was the home of an 18th-century medical doctor.

SITE 6:

• An old (18th-century) white building up a hill off of Main Street beside land where the town’s beloved dead “sleep” and a space for people to gather together as a community. It’s a TALL building with a steeple. 🙂 

SITE 7:

• What remains of a formerly massive complex of 19th-century brick buildings overlooking falls in Royal River Park where paper was mass produced for decades here in Yarmouth. Just five years after the factory closed down it was decimated by a devastating fire.

Note: While arranged in order from the closest to the library to the most distant (more or less!), you are welcome to go in any order you wish to. This is a pretty relaxed scavenger hunt. (For instance, SITE 7 is rather out of the way no matter what order you go in!)

Capturing Indigenous Voices in Maine’s History

To supplement the Summer Reading ‘23 Local History Scavenger Hunt (intergenerational fun!), I’ve curated a short working list of materials capturing indigenous voices in Maine’s history. While I was unable to find information specific to Yarmouth, there are abundant resources available both online and in print pertaining to this topic. I’ve compiled all this information because of the importance of celebrating and honoring the lives of indigenous people. While white settler/colonizer history is generally more well-documented this does not make it more valuable. 

Indigenous History of Maine (MML resources)

*Mawopiyane means “let us sit together” in Passamaquoddy (in this case the term is referencing a group of coauthors).

**The Talty book is a READ ME ‘23 title (sponsored by the Maine Humanities Council). Also, if you feel compelled to join, come to our library’s discussion about the book: Thursday, August 17th at 7pm.

Small Sampling of Digital Archival Resources (from Maine Memory Network):

• Waponahki Rematriation: A story by Sherri Mitchell Weh’na Ha’mu Kkwasset 
• Mali Agat (Molly Ockett) the famous Wabanaki “Doctress”: A story by Maine Historical Society from 1740-1816 
• Pauline Shay weaving a basket, Portland, 1923 
• Wabanaki participants at the Maine Centennial, Portland, 1920 
• William Neptune, Portland, 1920 
• Miniature rootclub, ca. 1850 *potentially a ceremonial club belonging to a Wabanaki shaman*
• Wabanaki beaded pouch, ca. 1860 
• Nation to Nation: Treaties and Legislation between the Wabanaki Nations and the State of Maine (Gr. 9-12 Lesson Plan)

Organizations Supporting Indigenous Mainers (Wabanaki Peoples)

• Abbe Museum (located in downtown Bar Harbor)
• Wabanaki Reach (located in Stillwater)
• YCARE (located here in Yarmouth) * Their website links to numerous others! 

MML will be hosting an event co-sponsored by YCARE and Wabanaki Reach (among others) on Tuesday, October 17th at 5:30pm. Stay tuned for more information as autumn approaches, especially in case any of the details change!

Documentaries

• Bounty (trailer avail. on website)
• Dawnland (trailer avail. on website)