Pejepscot History Center and Maine’s First Ship are two of 119 nationwide recipients of the 2023 Americana Corner Preserving America Grant award, which is providing more than $835,000 in funding to nonprofit, cultural organizations across the country for historic preservation and education projects. Brunswick’s Pejepscot History Center and Maine’s First Ship in Bath were the only two Maine recipients of the award.
One of the banners, showing the anchor symbol of the 9th Corps, in the set of 14 recently accessioned by Pejepscot Historical Society. Courtesy photo
One of the banners in the Pejepscot Historical Society’s set of 14. The Maltese cross represents the 5th Corps, which included the 20th Maine Regiment, led by Joshua L. Chamberlain. Courtesy photo
PHC will use the funding to conduct a professional conservation study of 14 19th-century Grand Army of the Republic regimental flags, each bearing the emblematic symbol of their respective regiment. The flags previously hung in Brunswick’s Old Town Hall Building from the 1870s until the building was demolished in 1961.
The fragile flags were salvaged in the 1960s, stored in a barn in the decades since, and recovered and donated to the center in November 2022. The historic collection includes a Maltese Cross flag, symbol of the Fifth Corps, made famous by General Joshua L. Chamberlain; and the 20th Maine Regiment for their victory on Little Round Top in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
PHC intends to conserve Chamberlain’s Fifth Corps Maltese Cross flag first, fundraising for which will begin once the assessment has concluded. To make a contribution toward this effort, visit pejepscothistorical.org/chamberlain/restoration.
Maine’s First Ship received $7,500 from the grant for equipment to outfit Virginia, their reconstruction of the 1607 pinnace built by the Popham Colony. These grant funds will support equipment essential for operating the vessel including life vests, life rafts and emergency equipment. This equipment is necessary for U.S. Coast Guard certification and needed for safely carrying passengers and students when sailing the ship.
The Virginia on the Kennebec River during sea trials in December 2022. Courtesy photo
“This grant will help get us closer to Coast Guard certification by providing safety gear for actually sailing Virginia with passengers,” MFS Executive Director Kirstie Truluck said in a prepared release. “We have been fortunate to have so many dedicated volunteers crafting Virginia, but there are certain elements that we need to purchase and those include a price tag. We are pleased to be recognized for our efforts to share this unique story in American history — that of the little-known Popham Colony — and to acquire this important equipment.”
The educational nonprofit Maine’s First Ship was founded in 1997 with a mission to use its recently launched (June 2022) reconstruction of the 1607 pinnace Virginia “to immerse the public in an exploration of the region’s early history, craftsmanship, and relationships, and their impact on our community and environment today.” For more information, visit mfship.org.
Americana Corner, an online resource founded by Tom Hand in 2020, is focused on the founding of our nation, and the Preserving America Grant Program was established to help other organizations tell the incredible story of America from its founding era through its first century as a nation.
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