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Demonstrations -
Events -
Beginning Genealogy Series
From there the road will lead to Emerson Hall on the following Monday at 1:30 p.m., where you'll find an investment in vital records and other resources pays off. On May 9th a visit to the Castine Cemetery will reveal the stone cold facts as well as what isn't written in stone. The question of "Have you lost your census?" will be answered at the Castine Historical Society on May 16th. And finally, the road will lead to the Wilson Museum on May 23rd where the trek will move to tech; technology, computers and the internet, that is. The full schedule is listed below:
Members' Reception - From Rum Punch to Cosmopolitans
Joseph Carlin, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a culinary historian; author; and nutritionist with the U.S. Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His is also the founder of Food Heritage Press, which markets scholarly books on food and cooking.
A Short History of the American Cookbook On Sunday June 12th, 3 p.m., the day following the Members' Reception, Joseph Carlin will give a talk for the general public and unveil a coordinating exhibit of cookbooks from his personal collection. Cookbooks have been around for almost two thousand years but until the nineteenth century they were scarce and highly valued possessions. Today, cookbooks are one of the largest categories of books published in the world. This illustrated lecture will trace the evolution of the cookbook from Roman times to the present with an emphasis on the American cookbook. Joseph Carlin, from Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a culinary historian; author; and nutritionist with the U.S. Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His is also the founder of Food Heritage Press, which markets scholarly books on food and cooking.
Kitchen Traditions Series
June 22 - English Plum Pudding, also known as Christmas Pudding, is related to both fruitcake and mincemeat pie. But, where are the plums? June 29 - Leaf Lard, Cracklings and Salt Pork have traditionally helped to make the best pies, chowders and baked beans. There's a fat lot of difference here to explore! July 6 - Tutti Frutti or brandied fruit was a way to preserve the short-seasoned, tender fruits of summer to be enjoyed throughout the year. August 24 - Sour Pickles, Mustard Pickles & Pickled Eggs are just a few of the many variations of the time-honored tradition of pickling. August 31 - Spiced Crabapples are a beautiful, elegant and delicious way to preserve these little gems of late summer.
What's a Ropewalk? Rope Making in the Nineteenth Century
On Thursday, June 23rd from 2:30 to 4 p.m., bring the family to the Wilson Museum to learn about these unique structures. Participants will use primary source documents, drawing, writing, and coloring to learn why rope was important 200 years ago, where it was made, and about the children who were paid to make rope. Then the real fun will begin as you get to make your own jump rope using our rope machine! Families with members of all ages are welcome for this free program. Parental involvement is required for children under the age of six. Please pre-register for this program by contacting 207-326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org. Watch for other Thursday Discover with Darren: the Summer Series programs throughout the summer by following the magnifying glass icon in our schedule.
Plein-Air Painting & Drawing Workshop
Leader Barbara Mallonee has been painting in Castine, on and off-neck, for over 40 years. Her work in oils, watercolors & pastels are in corporate and private collections in this country and abroad. For more information call 207-249-8210 or email barbmallonee@myfairpoint.net
 Discover with Darren: the Summer SeriesFlags for the Fourth
Families with members of all ages are welcome to join us for this free program. Parental involvement is required for children under the age of six. Please pre-register for this program by contacting 326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org.
Poems to Tickle the Tummy
Paula Dunfee is program support staff and docent at the Wilson Museum. She has a master's degree in English from the University of Maine and is a retired school teacher who resides in Castine.
Strawberry Jam
Songs catch the humor of life in fun and surprising ways. Strawberry Jam, an ad hoc group of musicians, will hold a jam session Wednesday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m. on the grounds of the Wilson Museum on Perkins Street in Castine. Highlighting a repertoire of traditional songs that refer to food, this jam session is sure to stir up memories. If you play an acoustic instrument, bring it and join in. Participation is encouraged including heavy listening, singing, toe tapping, and especially hand clapping. This event will be held outside, so bring a chair or blanket and enjoy! Rain location will be inside the Museum.
Incredible Edible Minerals
On Thursday, July 7th from 2:30 - 4 p.m., bring the family to the Wilson Museum to learn how we use minerals in our everyday lives. Participants will learn about these natural resources by playing games and studying rocks and minerals with a magnifying glass. Families with members of all ages are welcome for this free program. Parental involvement is required for children under the age of six. Please pre-register for this program by contacting 207-326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org. Watch for other Thursday Discover with Darren: the Summer Series programs throughout the summer by following the magnifying glass icon in our schedule.
Fireside Cooking
Ellenore and Grace Tarr are 13th generation descendants of early settlers of this area. The girls and their mother have been cooking on the hearth at the John Perkins House for the last seven summers.
Farm Animals of Colonial Days
Timberwyck Farm is located on the Shore Road in Castine. The farm is run by Emma Sweet and Colin Powell who strive to increase the public's knowledge and appreciation of farms and agriculture. For more information on this local business, visit their website at http://www.timberwyckfarm.com/.
Concert: Castine Town Band
In the late nineteenth century Castine's Town Band was a proud contributor to patriotic events and summer evening entertainments. Revived in 1998 by a group of like-minded musicians, the Band, by 2004, was recognized as one of the top four municipal bands in Maine. Membership in the Band is open to players of all ages and talent. It is a fine blend of locals, retirees and summer people who have one common interest - playing in the Town Band. As an agent for connecting the past to the present, the Museum is proud to host the Castine Town Band. In case of rain, concert will be at Emerson Hall, Court Street.
"Cocoa Ice" Cream
On Thursday, July 21st from 2:30 - 4 p.m., discover shipping and trade through a story and activity. Cocoa Ice, a book by Diana Karter Appelbaum, will be read by Education Coordinator Darren French. The story chronicles the shipping of cocoa and ice between Maine and Santo Domingo in the nineteenth century through the eyes of two young girls. After the reading, program participants will use the two ingredients mentioned in the story to make chocolate ice cream. Who knew history could be so delicious and refreshing! Families with members of all ages are welcome for this free program. Parental involvement is required for children under the age of six. Please pre-register for this program by contacting 207-326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org. Watch for other Thursday Discover with Darren: the Summer Series programs throughout the summer by following the magnifying glass icon in our schedule.
Create with Rackliffe Pottery
In a shady grove overlooking Blue Hill Bay, the Rackliffe family has formed native clay into objects of utility and charm for forty-two years. Glazes are their own formulas, and the pottery is durable, oven-proof, and safe for dishwashers and microwaves. For more information on this locally owned and operated business, visit their website: http://rackliffepottery.com/.
From Peas on your Knife to Peas on your Fork
Sandy Oliver began her involvement with food and food history in 1971 at Mystic Seaport Museum, where she developed a fireplace cooking program in an 1830s house. She is the author of Saltwater Foodways and the publisher and editor of www.foodhistory.com, a website for anyone interested in food history. She and her husband reside on Islesboro.
Toying with Colonial America What types of games did kids play 200 years ago? Video games? Electric battleship? Think again! Before batteries and electricity kids often made their own toys out of old clothing, tools, or scraps of wood. Visit the Wilson Museum on Thursday, August 4th from 2:30 - 4 p.m. and play an assortment of colonial games while learning about life over 200 years ago. Then, using string and things, make your own colonial toy - a whirligig! Families members of all ages are welcome to join us for this free program. Parental involvement is required for children under the age of six. Please pre-register for this program by contacting 207-326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org. Watch for other Thursday Discover with Darren: the Summer Series programs throughout the summer by following the magnifying glass icon in our schedule.
The Role of Food in Film & Literature
Harry Kaiserian has been cooking since he was eleven years old and was reading and going to the movies long before that. This presentation combines all three of these favorite activities. Though not a professional chef, Harry has visited kitchens around the world, sampling, preparing and enjoying a wide variety of cuisines. A resident of Castine, Harry is a weekly food columnist and teacher of cooking classes including an expanded form of this presentation to the Belfast Senior College and Colloquy Downeast.
Masks from Around the World
On Thursday, August 11th from 2:30 - 4 p.m. come to the Wilson Museum to discover the wide world of mask making. Explore the Museum's collection of masks during a scavenger hunt; then, get creative and make your own mask out of a paper plate. Families members of all ages are welcome to join us for this free program. Parental involvement is required for children under the age of six. Please pre-register for this program by contacting 207-326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org. Watch for other Thursday Discover with Darren: the Summer Series programs throughout the summer by following the magnifying glass icon in our schedule.
Sea Fare: Songs of Food & Drink for a Shore Dinner & a Ship's Mess
Stephen and Susan Sanfilippo will present a musical banquet of songs of seafood and strong drink Monday, August 15th at 7 p.m. in the main hall at the Wilson Museum, 120 Perkins Street in Castine. The duet will be accompanied on guitar, 5-string banjo, and Anglo concertina singing the praises of mussels, clams, eel, fish chowder and ale as well as the less than praiseworthy taste of chicken-on-a-raft, pisco and whiskey. Besides whetting the audience's appetite, the songs have great choruses for all to join in. Stephen Sanfilippo holds a Ph.D. in history and is a retired secondary and undergraduate history teacher. Susan Sanfilippo is a retired museum education director. Susan and Stephen have been researching and performing traditional songs of the maritime trades since the mid-1970s. They divide their time between Southold, New York, and Pembroke, Maine.
Powder, Potion, Poultise & Pill: Identifying, Prescribing and Administering Medicinal Herbs in Historic Maine
Susan Sanfilippo is a retired museum education director and certified Maine Master Gardener whose interest in herbs has inspired her work with historic sites in New York. She is currently a regional representative for Maine Museums and Archives as well as curator for the Pembroke Historical Society. Susan and her husband divide their time between Southold, New York and Pembroke, Maine.
What Shall We Do With A Drunken Whaler?
Stephen Sanfilippo, a retired secondar and undergraduate history teacher, is a nationally recognized researcher and performer of historic songs of the sea. He holds a Ph.D. in history from Stony Brook University. Dr. Sanfilippo and his wife divide their time between Southold, New York and Pembroke, Maine.
Eat Like a Civil War Soldier
On Thursday, August 18th from 2:30 - 4 p.m. enjoy a teeth shattering helping of hardtack (we'll give you something to dunk it in) while you learn why it was used during the American Civil War, and other interesting facts about life as a Civil War soldier. You will even be able to make your own hardtack dough to take home! Families members of all ages are welcome to join us for this free program. Parental involvement is required for children under the age of six. Please pre-register for this program by contacting 207-326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org. Watch for other Thursday Discover with Darren: the Summer Series programs throughout the summer by following the magnifying glass icon in our schedule.
Paleonutrition
Kristin Sobolik is a Professor of Anthropology and Climate Change and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Maine. Her research focuses on paleonutrition and archaeobiology (the analysis of biological remains from archaeological sites), and she has conducted analyses around the world but most significantly in the southwestern and northeastern United States.
Mainly Maine: Test Your Maine Trivia Knowledge
During this afternoon program, Museum Educator Darren French will lead a lively rendition of the Museum's very own mock game show "Mainly Maine." Visitors will be divided into teams for a fun-filled, fast-paced game. Categories will include famous people, famous places, and inventions. Objects from the Museum's collection will be used to enhance some of the questions. Following the game, celebrate the final Discover with Darren program of the summer with Maine-themed refreshments! Families members of all ages are welcome to join us for this free program. Parental involvement is required for children under the age of six. Please pre-register for this program by contacting 207-326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org.
1690s Living History Encampment
Ken Hamilton has been speaking and performing at Powwows and schools for many years, and he has also appeared in documentaries on the History Channel. He is well-versed in the field of Native American cultural studies, focusing on the Eastern Woodland Nations of the 17th and 18th centuries. The program is free and open to the public. During the weekend, the Wilson Museum will be open during its regularly scheduled hours of 2-5 p.m.
Heirloom Fruit Trees
Leslie Cummins and Tim Seabrook are MOFGA-certified organic orchardists whose 5 Star Nursery is located in Brooklin, Maine. There, Leslie and Tim raise and sell fruit trees, press wild organic cider and offer services such as tree maintenance, orchard design and consultation.
World War I Remembered
Samuel Cormier is a member of the 42nd Battalion of the Black Watch, Royal Highlanders of Canada, Living History Association.
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| HOME | WILSON MUSEUM | JOHN PERKINS HOUSE | BLACKSMITH SHOP CEMETERY RESEARCH | WILSON MUSEUM BULLETIN | CALENDAR OF EVENTS | TREASURES OF THE PAST |
| A non-profit organization, tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) IRS Code 120 Perkins Street, PO Box 196, Castine Maine 04421 (207) 326-9247 info@wilsonmuseum.org |
Woodturning
Ever thought about climbing your family tree? Now's your chance as the Wilson Museum goes on a road trip to learn about techniques and resources available in the community and beyond. A series of five one-hour sessions will begin at the Witherle Memorial Library on Monday, April 25th at noon for a Brown Bag Lunch, hands-on, work session that will get your started filling in a pedigree chart and a family group sheet.
The drinks of choice in taverns and inns throughout the thirteen colonies were rum punch, Madeira, and home-brewed English-style ale. These drinks reflected colonial dependence upon England and the triangular trade of sugar and molasses from the Caribbean, dried cod from the North Atlantic and slaves from West Africa. Joseph Carlin's lecture entitled "From Rum Punch to Cosmopolitans" will be presented at a special Wilson Museum Members' Reception, Saturday, June 11th, 6 p.m. at 120 Perkins Street in Castine. At the conclusion of his talk, Mr. Carlin will demonstrate how to make two classic Colonial punches. For information on becoming a member of the Wilson Museum, call 207-326-9247 or email 
Explore some traditional recipes with Wilson Museum Director Patty Hutchins in the kitchen of the John Perkins House at 1 p.m. on selected Wednesdays. Admission of $5 includes a guided tour.
What's a ropewalk, you ask? In colonial America, and into the 20th century, a ropewalk was a long walkway often enclosed in a wooden building where rope was made. Ropewalks were particularly important in coastal Maine in the early nineteenth century because rope was needed for the sailing vessels that were built in Castine and sailed worldwide.
Spend three days (June 23-25th, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) painting and drawing downeast on Penobscot Bay, in Castine, Maine - a beautiful little town on the coast which dates back to its beginnings as a trading post in the early 1600s. The Wilson Museum overlooking the harbor is the homebase from which the class will "paint the town."
There's no stronger symbol of American Independence than the United States flag. It's almost the Fourth of July, time for people of all ages to wave these complex markers of American freedom; don't be left without one! Prepare for the celebration of America's birth at the Wilson Museum on Thursday, June 30 from 2:30 - 4 p.m., during the latest Discover with Darren program. Learn the story behind the creation of our Nation's flag, what the flag stands for, as well as some basic flag etiquette. Lastly, make your own flag out of paper, plastic, and other craft materials.
"A good poem is like a good recipe..." it employs proper ingredients in the correct proportions with the ability to nourish mind, body, and soul. Food poems spanning the ages and many cultures, both serious and humorous, have been gathered together by Wilson Museum's Paula Dunfee and will be presented Sunday, July 3rd, 3 p.m. in the meeting room at 112 Perkins Street, Castine and again on Tuesday, September 27th, 1p.m. in the Main Hall of the Wilson Museum. Paula has enlisted the voices of friends and community members for this delicious offering of readings from poets such as Robert Frost, Ogden Nash, Pablo Neruda, Dr. Seuss, and many others.
Old Joe Clark, he had a house, 15 stories high, and every window in that house was filled with chicken pie!
All rocks are made out of one or more minerals and are found everywhere across the globe. The importance of minerals, however, goes far beyond being the building blocks of rocks. Did you know that minerals are found in hundreds of products we use everyday? It's true! For example, mica is used as insulation in electronics; talc is found in many cosmetics; and some minerals are even found in our food!
As you punch in the seconds on the microwave oven in your twenty-first century kitchen, have you ever wondered how our ancestors cooked in large open fireplaces and what kinds of foods they prepared? The kitchen of the John Perkins House will be the venue for such wonder when Joyce Tarr and her daughters demonstrate fireside cooking: July 13th, July 20th, July 27th, August 3rd, August 10th, and August 17th, from 2-5 p.m. The John Perkins House is located at 120 Perkins Street in Castine and is part of the Wilson Museum campus. Guided tours of the John Perkins House are $5 per person; visitors will enjoy some tasty morsels from the day's fare.
The past was much simpler, or so says the popular myth. In reality, much hard work went into meeting the basic needs of survival. In colonial America, some of those needs-food, drink and clothing-were often met by raising domesticated animals. On July 14th, 2:30 p.m., Timberwyck Farm will bring a goat, a pig, chickens, and a sheep to the Wilson Museum's John Perkins House where visitors will learn the importance of farm animals to the colonial era. During the event, the dining room and kitchen of the Perkins House will be open free of charge for a wool spinning demonstration.
The picturesque grounds of the Wilson Museum on Perkins Street, on the shore of Castine Harbor, will be the location of an outdoor concert by the Castine Town Band, Friday, the 15th of July, at 6 p.m. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy this free concert!
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Castine was a busy and bustling seaport trading with England, the West Indies, and other foreign nations. Food was just one of the commodities shipped between these countries.
Many Mainers make their living off the fruit of the earth, but some even do it with the earth itself. The talented artisans at Rackliffe Pottery take the clay from their land in East Blue Hill and turn it into creative and beautifully colored pottery. On Thursday, July 28, 2:30 p.m., at the Wilson Museum, Denny Rackliffe will talk about and demonstrate this process. Participants will have an opportunity to make their own pottery on Rackliffe's electric wheel; wares made during this program will be fired and glazed at Rackliffe Pottery and returned to the Wilson Museum for pick-up on Monday, August 15th.
Most of us expect to eat dinner with our own place setting of plate, knife, for, and spoon; and we expect a roasted chicken to have its claws and head taken off before it is presented on a platter. Dining wasn't always like this in early America. On Saturday, July 30, 7 p.m., at the Wilson Museum on 120 Perkins Street in Castine, Sandy Oliver will trace the story of how we learned more genteel ways of eating and cooking.
Food is frequently mentioned in literature and film. Find out why and what it adds to the plot, the setting and the memorability of a work. On Monday, August 8th, from 5-7 p.m. at the Wilson Museum in Castine, Harry Kaiserian will give a presentation entitled "The Role of Food in Film and Literature." Through a smorgasbord of clips and excerpts, learn, for example, what Holly had for Breakfast at Tiffany's and what might be the earliest recipe in Western tradition.
Masks have been made by people all over the world for thousands of years. There are many reasons people continue to make masks: trick-or-treating, getting married, playing sports, and much more! 
One of the great pleasures of living beside the ocean is enjoying fresh seafood. On the other hand, the food offered up to ordinary seamen historically has been, to say the least, unpalatable. Whether delectable or deplorable, food and the sea call for drink - strong drink.
Since the dawn of time humans have learned to use the essence and fibers of plants to comfort and cure the sick and injured. Susan Sanfilippo will share her research on the lives and works of Maine's herb doctors, Indian healers, midwives and other practitioners and botanists, real and fictional, who contributed to the knowledge of herbal medicine. Her talk will be on Tuesday, August 16th at 10 a.m. in the Wilson Museum, 120 Perkins Street, Castine. Attendees will have the opportunity to touch, sniff, and taste herbs, and make a packet of herbal tea.
Sailors drink, or at least the popular stereotype says they do. The truth, however, is a lot more complicated and a lot more interesting. Join us August 16th at 2 p.m. in the Wilson Museum on Perkins Street. "What Shall We Do With A Drunken Whaler," a presentation by Dr. Stephen Sanfilippo, based primarily upon sons and poems found in whalemen's journals of the 1840s, will show both the "jolly" side of drinking as well as the somber sober side. This presentation, which is intended for adults and teenagers, addresses a very serious subject. Listeners will gain insight into the conflicting attitudes of manhood found among whalemen, and the important place of alcohol within that conflict.
Ouch! That's probably what you'd say if you bit into a type of biscuit called hardtack without dunking it in liquid first. Hardtack is a mixture of flour and water that hardens to a rock-like consistency when baked. It was once used by sailors and soldiers because it lasted a long time without spoiling, and it was cheap to make.
We are what we eat, and what our ancestors ate for millennia. On August 19th at 3 p.m. the Wilson Museum will host a lecture entitled Paleonutrition by University of Maine Professor Kristin Sobolik. Professor Sobolik will focus on what is known about our ancestor's past dietary practices and how that diet has had a profound influence on human evolution. Her talk about prehistoric food, health, and nutrition will emphasize techniques and discoveries such as ancient DNA, the pre-biotic diet and vegetarianism.
So you think you know Maine - but do you really? Visit the Wilson Museum on Thursday, August 25th from 2:30 - 4 p.m. to test your Maine trivia knowledge!
Experience the sights, smells, and sounds of Penobscot Bay's storied past at the Wilson Museum on Saturday, August 27th and Sunday, August 28th. Throughout the weekend, Ken Hamilton and a team of re-enactors will eat, sleep and live as though it's the 1690s, recreating a French and Native American encampment on the Museum's picturesque grounds overlooking Castine Harbor. This type of gathering was common during King William's War when French and Native forces frequently coordinated at Pentagoet in Castine awaiting French supply ships. This living history demonstration will include 17th century equipment, clothing reproductions and an informal discussion on the history and culture of the period.
Black Horse, White Horse and Pippin; no, you don't ride them, but you might bake a pie with the fruit from these heirloom trees. The Wilson Museum will host a lecture on Sunday, September 25th at 2 p.m. by Leslie Cummins and Tim Seabrook of 5 Star Nursery Orchard and Cider House entitled Heirloom Fruit Trees. Not only will Leslie and Tim discuss horticultural topics such as grafting, pruning, and pest management, they will also discuss the identification of bio-diverse heirloom varieties. Featured in their talk will be the varieties of fruit trees planted in the mid-1820s by Dr. Joseph Stevens of Castine and listed in a record book now in the collection of the Wilson Museum. Rounding out the presentation will be a walking tour to identify some local heirloom fruit trees. If you are a Castine homeowner and would like the group to visit and identify your trees, please contact Wilson Museum at 326-9247 or 
The First World War was billed as the war to end war, yet we know it didn't. Samuel Cormier will give a talk on the causes and effects of the Great War as well as the life of a typical highland soldier 1914-1918, his weapons, equipment and experience in the trenches on Monday, October 17th, 2:30 p.m. at the Wilson Museum in Castine.