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P.O. Box 272

Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538

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Boothbay Region Historical Sketches, Volume III  

Barbara Rumsey, Editor $16.00

Published in 2006

This third anthology contains fifty-seven more of the popular "Out of Our Past" columns, first published in the Boothbay Register during the last eighteen years.  Each selection highlights facets of this unique, historic region. Subjects range from the ever-fascinating islands and lighthouses to the reality behind local legends, from early nineteenth rascals to characters from the 1950s, from fishing stories to profiles of shipyards and beloved local vessels.  The anthology closes with a short section on some pitfalls in dealing with local history.

Some of Boothbay's more memorable and colorful citizens, from both the remote and the recent past, are profiled in these pages. The dreaded Horn-Decker gang of the early 1800s, a teller of tall tales, several Boothbay Harbor eccentrics of the early 1900s, and memorable characters of East Boothbay and Ocean Point—all come to life. Stories of adventure at sea are covered in the fishing section, and local treasure stories are explained to the extent possible.

Most of the columns were written by local historian Barbara Rumsey, who also edited this as well as the first Sketches and Sketches II. Seven additional local authors, past and present, have brought their special areas of expertise and reminiscences to bear on their chapters: Carl R. "Chip" Griffin, Elizabeth Oakes Smith, David Dash, Flora Hodgdon Bishop, Ruth Newcomb Begin, Alden Stickney and Shirley Race. The authors' informal styles and strict insistence on accuracy combine to present history in an inviting, readable style.

Contents

Maps and Charts 

Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Section I:  The Outer Islands

            Introduction

            Island Naming

            Outer Heron

            Cavanor of Ram Island Light

            Fisherman's Island

            Damariscove

 Section II: Treasure and Shipwrecks

             Introduction

             Treasure at Pirate Cove

             The Sea Serpent at Boothbay Harbor

             The Baby that Washed Ashore

             Hendricks Head Light Log

             Treasure

             Outer Heron Treasure

Section III: Rascals and Characters

             Introduction

             The Horn-Decker Gang

             Matilda Hatchard

             A Dry State and a Dry Town

             That Ugly Old Son-of-a-Gun Clem McCobb

             John Henry Lake and Saralize

             King Stewart

             Sam Woodward Stories

             East Boothbay Stories

Section IV: Fishing

             Introduction

             Cap'n John Hodgdon Sea Stories

             The Jug Story

             The Heroism of Wilson Lewis on the Gertie Lewis

             Captain John Seavey

             Fishing with the Newcombs

             Poores on the Water

 Section V: Shipyards and Vessels               

             Introduction

             East Boothbay Boats

             The 1890 Elvira J. French Launching

             The Elizabeth Howard

             The Evolution of Shipbuilders Park

             The Medric and the Bowdoin

             Marine Railways in Boothbay

             The Steamer Enterprise

             The Enterprise Leaves Boothbay Harbor

             Locally Built Steamboats

 Section VI: Pitfalls in Researching Local History

             Introduction

             Visible Christians

             Grave Matters

             Vanished Boothbay Graveyards

             A King's Grant