KENNEBUNK — Glimpses of life within the various villages — West Kennebunk, Lower Village, the Alewive District and the central portion of the town – are the subject of the bicentennial edition of “Kennebunk,” by Kathleen Ostrander Roberts.

The book, packed cover-to-cover with nearly 200 historical images of Kennebunk people, buildings and places from the collection of history buff Ken Joy, which she cataloged some years ago for Kennebunk Free Library, has a new chapter. It is an addition to the original volume that shows life in Kennebunk stretching back to the advent of photography.

History, of course is what the bicentennial is all about. Kennebunk was incorporated on June 24, 1820 — the same year Maine became a state, though its origins stretch back to the mid-1600s. The town, through its Bicentennial Committee, headed by Roberts, who was recently named the town historian for the second time, had planned a big celebration in June, but the coronavirus and the rules surrounding keeping it at bay have changed plans for community events statewide. Kennebunk’s bicentennial celebration was first moved to late August, and now to June 2021.

Roberts, whose origins are in New York state, said she inherited her fascination for the past from her father, whom she called “a history nerd.” Locally, her fascination was further sparked when, 30 years ago, she stumbled across a time capsule of items in the home she and her husband purchased on Winter Street. She found some relatively modern-day items, like Gumby and Pokey figures, a wing of a World War II vintage model airplane, an array of other items and in the bottom, a tiny news clipping that mentioned a family named Ostrander in Syracuse, New York.

“That’s where I am from, and it raised the hair on the back of my neck,” she said in a recent telephone interview. Roberts was never able to make a connection from those Ostranders mentioned in the clipping to her own family roots, but the discovery sparked additional interest in the house itself.

The Winter Street house, she said, was built by a family named Tvedt. Stripping wallpaper in the house one day, she found a Biblical reference to the book of Mark — as it turns out, Sam Tvedt, the brother of the home’s owner, was a preacher, as well as a house mover.

House moving is the subject of the new chapter — encompassing all of the houses in town Roberts knows of that have been moved from one location to another.

Her favorite story in the book is about “Colby” Jack Coombs, whom she described as a famous baseball player who had lived in the Alewive District.

Roberts, an artist and realtor as well as an historian, and author has a few other projects in the works — as town historian, she said she hopes to work with the Select Board on creating ordinances for town historical sites not covered by state mandates.

Over the years, she has researched records of freed slaves who lived in town, and the Bicentennial Commitee was able to perform a couple of archaeological digs, searching for artifacts. So far, they’ve found buttons, pottery and similar items, and a plan a talk about the narrative of slavery in Kennebunk.

Roberts said she’d like the committee to bring attention to what was once the poor farm, and to those buried there — and largely forgotten — over the years. Located off Cat Mousam Road, the farm cemetery holds the remains of more than 50 people, she estimated, including a veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar. Only one headstone remains, she said.

The first edition of “Kennebunk” was published in 2005 after Arcadia Publishing reached out to Roberts, who at that time had recently cataloged the Ken Joy collection of photos. She compiled the book from archives and records from the library and the Brick Store Museum. More recently, the publisher reached out again, and asked for a new chapter.

Arcadia Publishing plans to release the bicentennial edition on June 15.

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