Attached below is a 1907 article from Harper’s magazine titled “The Cruise of the Caribbee” written by Thomas Briggs of Robbinston. Don’t let the term “cruise” fool you- this was no island hopping vacation in the islands and while a lot of … Continue reading
If you had a nagging toothache back in 1847 you likely let it nag for as long as you could stand it but as the pain worsened you would have scraped together 15 cents, a lot of money in 1847, … Continue reading
According to Google Earth Calais is exactly 5210 miles from Honolulu Hawaii. The only two towns in the United States more distant from Honolulu are Eastport (5229 miles) and Lubec (5230 miles) so it is curious that Calais in the 1800’s had such close … Continue reading
Calais in the early 1800’s was a pretty rowdy town if the reports of drinking and brawling even during town meetings are any indication of the general behavior of some of the local citizens. This isn’t even taking into account … Continue reading
Nathaniel “Nat” Barker was born January 27, 1878 and grew up in Dresden, Maine. He was a good student and worked in his father’s ice business on the Kennebec River. The work of cutting ice and loading it onto ships for transport … Continue reading
The November 2017 newsletter included photographs from the 2017 Cemetery Tour, the continuation of John Gardner’s story by Brand Livingstone, the story of Archibald Rogers by Dorothy Rogers, and updates on officer news and the Holmestead porch project. November 2017 … Continue reading
We found a 1900 article from the Eastport Sentinel in our files the other day describing a confrontation between a streetcar and a horse on Hinckley Hill. The winner was – well, you know the answer already, and we’ll provide details later – but … Continue reading
1907 was, to be honest, not a very exciting year. There was little international conflict other than the dispatch of US troops to Honduras to fight another round in the “Banana Wars” on behalf of US commercial interests. The French … Continue reading
We were asked this week to provide some information to Lura Jackson, editor of the Calais Advertiser, about immigrants to the St. Croix Valley in days past. She is writing an article for this week’s paper. While doing some research … Continue reading
The tradition of sending Christmas cards began in the early 1840’s in England. The “Penny Post” system was instituted in England in 1840 and sending letters to friends and family became cheap and popular- so popular in fact that during … Continue reading