Roby Littlefield and Joseph Littlefield, circa 1940. Roby Littlefield was instrumental in the formation of both The Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit, and Beach Plum Farm at Great Works Regional Land Trust. COURTESY PHOTO
WELLS — On Saturday, Aug. 24, The Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit and Great Works Regional Land Trust will present “Sharing Histories,” as learning experience for the community hosted by these two cultural organizations.
The program starts at 10 a.m. and will be comprised of lecture, tour, and outside talk to honor Wells and Ogunquit history and the legacy of Roby Littlefield.
The program will take place at the Meetinghouse Museum at The Historical Society for a talk on the origins of the 1862 Meetinghouse, first settlers and the Littlefield family history, an overview of the Historical Society, as well as presenting items from the Roby Littlefield collection.
Littlefield farmed and sold vegetables from Beach Plum Farm starting in the 1920s. He established a tradition of community garden plots which the Land Trust has continued through this day. He is credited with spearheading the preservation of Ogunquit beach for public use, and served both in World War I and in the Maine Senate.
Participants will be guided to drive to nearby Beach Plum Farm, the headquarters of Great Works Regional Land Trust, for a walk and talk around the site, and a tour of their Roby Littlefield Museum.
All are invited to bring a bag lunch and picnic on the grounds. As space is limited to 40 people, reservations are required. The cost is $5 per person or free to HSWO and Land Trust members. To register, email the Historical Society of Wells and Ogunquit at info@wohistory.org or call 646-4775.
A slide show and lecture at the Historical Society will present the history of this landscape by Wells Town Historian Hope Moody Shelley.
Tin Smith, a resident of Wells and board member to Great Works Regional Land Trust will give a talk at Beach Plum Farm. Smith is a founding board member and helped lead the fundraising campaign to permanently conserve Beach Plum Farm.
An 1862 Meetinghouse is the headquarters of the Historical Society of Wells & Ogunquit. Along with ongoing programming, History Games for Families, and Tuesday Tours, the Meetinghouse Museum collection of artifacts from local families, fishermen, farms and businesses are on exhibit to tell the story of Wells and Ogunquit which began as one town in 1640.
The Meetinghouse is also the home of the Esselyn Perkins Library, one of the finest genealogical collections in southern Maine. The library contains family histories and town histories of Maine.
Great Works Regional Land Trust is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 to provide conservation options to the landowners of Eliot, South Berwick, Berwick, North Berwick, Ogunquit and Wells. The Land Trust is committed to saving the best of our region by protecting working landscapes and wildlife lands for current and future generations.
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