HOSTED BY THE Lincoln County Historical Association, historian and author Lincoln Paine will be presenting a lecture titled “The Seductions of Maritime History” in Wiscasset on Sunday.
As part of a four-part winter lecture series, the Lincoln County Historical Association will be hosting historian Lincoln Paine this Sunday, who will be giving some insight into the maritime collections at the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath.
“Most people have no idea of the variety of materials tucked away in the museum, some of them on view, but a lot of them not — or at least not on permanent display,” Paine said Wednesday. “These tell us a lot, both about the history of the museum as a collecting institution, which is a fascinating story in and of itself, as well as about the nature of maritime enterprise and its role in our lives — not just mariners’ and sailors’ lives, but everyone’s.”
His lecture, titled “The Seductions of Maritime History,” will appeal to those unfamiliar with maritime history, as well as those who may need a new perspective on the topic.
“We have a two-fold challenge. One is to get people who have no interest in maritime history to find something to latch onto. It’s there, they just don’t know it — and neither do many of us maritime history evangelists,” he said. “The other challenge is to get people who are focused exclusively on one narrow aspect of the discipline to be a little more adventurous.”
Paine, who is a trustee of the Bath museum, is also the award-winning author of “Down East: A Maritime History of Maine,” and “The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World.” He currently lives in Portland.
“We’re very pleased to be able to present speakers like Lincoln Paine who can help us understand the people who make up Maine’s history,” said Christine Hopf- Lovette, secretary of the organization.
On Wednesday, Paine emphasized the importance of learning about maritime history, especially as Maine is “reemerging as a player in international trade” following “a century-long hiatus.”
“Maine certainly wouldn’t have been what it was in the 19th century if it weren’t for its ships,” he said. “Long before interstates and the Internet, Maine-built ships spun a worldwide web of international trade across the globe, and our ships crossed all the oceans and graced harbors around the world.”
Maine’s growing presence is also due to the decision of Icelandic shipping company Eimskip to make Portland its American home port, he said.
“These ebbs and flows happen for a reason, and it’s only by knowing some history and having a feel for the massive currents swirling around us that we can begin to get a handle on our destiny, either as individuals or as a country,” he added.
The event will take place at the communications building behind the county courthouse in Wiscasset at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, though a $5 donation is suggested. Coffee and pastries will also be served.
This event is the first of four winter lectures that will be hosted by the Lincoln County Historical Association, a nonprofit organization that is involved in the stewardship of three historic buildings — the 1761 Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, the 1811 Old Jail and Museum in Wiscasset, and the 1754 Chapman Hall House in Damariscotta.
For more information, go to lincolncountyhistory.org or call Christine Hopf- Lovette at (207) 522-6397.
dkim@timesrecord.com
• THE EVENT will take place at the communications building behind the county courthouse in Wiscasset at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, though a $5 donation is suggested.
• THIS EVENT is the first of four winter lectures that will be hosted by the Lincoln County Historical Association.
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