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Demonstrations -
Exhibits -
A special June exhibit in the main hall of the Wilson Museum celebrates the Castine Arts Association and their series The Art of Wood. Workshops featured in the exhibit include Lathe, Bowls & Candlestick Holders with woodturning instructor Temple Blackwood and Half Model building with instructors Don Small & David Wyman. Items created in these workshops are on display. This is a great opportunity to learn about the Castine Arts Association and their offerings in the visual, performing and literary arts.
SALVAGING THE PAST:
Events -
Does the American Revolution Look Different from the Penobscot River?
Liam Riordan has been a member of the History Department at the University of Maine in Orono since 1997. His central areas of research expertise are on religious, racial, and ethnic diversity in the Philadelphia region during the American Revolution and with Loyalism in the British Atlantic World. He is a board member of the Maine Humanities Council and the University of Maine Humanities Initiative and helps to organize the annual Maine National History Day contest for grades 6-12. This program is free and open to the public in conjunction with the Museum's summer exhibit on the Defence, a privateer lost during the Penobscot Expedition and excavated in the 1970s. Some of the items recovered during the excavation are on loan from the Maine State Museum.
Sailing, Stories & Songs: A Concert Aboard a Classic Yacht
The yacht will depart from Dennett's Wharf Restaurant in Castine at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27th. Pack a picnic lunch and be a part of the fun. Tickets are $65 per person and include a ticket to the Wilson Museum's historic John Perkins House, which is open for tours on Wednesdays and Sundays from 2 - 5 p.m. in July and August. For reservations or more information, contact Kate and Zander at 207-701-1421 or castoff@guildivecruises.com. The trip is limited to 5 people, so reserve your space early. The eighty-year-old Guildive is a fifty-six foot wooden yacht built in Brooklyn, New York by the Wheeler Shipyard. It's a comfortable and stable boat that's sure to delight young and old; the covered pilothouse offers excellent visibility for the scenic coast and an intimate setting for those seeking cover from the sun. Captains Kate and Zander have sailed much of the United States, Canadian Maritimes, Caribbean, and South Pacific, and they fully agree that Penobscot Bay is the finest sailing in the world. Stephen Sanfilippo, a retired secondary and undergraduate history teacher, is a nationally recognized researcher and performer of historic songs of the sea and 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. This program is a collaboration between Guildive and Wilson Museum and is a prelude to the 2nd Annual Storytelling by the Sea festival, August 8th and 9th.
Lost & Found: The History and Excavation of a Revolutionary War Privateer
David Wyman has worked as a Coast Guard Marine Inspector, a ship's officer, a Maine Maritime Academy professor, and a Naval Research Laboratory mechanical engineer. Today he designs and surveys all types of boats from his home office in Castine. He has a strong interest in maritime history and has done design and survey work on a number of historical vessels. This program is free and open to the public in conjunction with the Musem's Revolution Downeast program series and summer exhibit on the Defence. Items recovered during the excavation are on loan from the Maine State Museum.
Fireside Cooking
Maine Granite Industry: A Lecture and Demonstration
The Maine Granite Industry Historical Society works to collect and preserve any type of material pertaining to the granite industry, housing hundreds of tools used by quarrymen, blacksmiths, stone cutters, and stone carvers, as well as related documents, photographs, and memorabilia. This program is free and open to the public in conjunction with the Wilson Museum's summer Countdown to the Sculpture program series and Castine's involvement in the 2014 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium.
Cooking with Grace
Week one will address picky eaters with creative and fun maki and spring rolls. Allow your creative side to come out and explore the colorful and decorative fun of rolling maki rolls. A traditional Asian dish, maki rolls are rice wrapped in a seaweed paper and filled with smoked fish and veggies. spring rolls are a great summery treat - rice wrappers filled with lettuce, peanuts, chicken, basil, Thai sauce and rice noodles. Week two will feature grain-free and dairy-free desserts including chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, lemon curd and chocolate mousse. Bring a bag lunch with you and then you won't feel guilty sampling this day's decadent creations. Can you imagine summer without ice cream? don't let an intolerance or allergy to dairy foods keep you from enjoying this cool treat. Again this week, bring a bag lunch so that you can try all three flavors: peppermint, chocolate and ginger - guilt-free~! Pizza, a favorite food of just about everyone, can now be enjoyed by those allergic to grains and/or gluten in week four's lesson. Ground, roasted cauliflower mixed with cheese, egg and herbs will be used to create the crust. After prebaking, toppings will be added, then a quick broil and it's time to enjoy! Grace Tarr has participated in the Wilson Museum's Fireside Cooking programs since she was a toddler. A homeschool student and John Perkins House guide, Grace has taken cooking classes from local celebrity chef Harry Kaiserian.
Plein Air Festival Tours
Not only are the grounds of the Wilson Museum an extraordinary setting for painting, the Museum and John Perkins House are inspirational on so many levels. In addition to the Wilson Museum's regular hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 2 to 5 p.m. on weekends, the Museum is pleased to offer a special tour of the John Perkins House for the artists, their spouses and friends on Thursday, July 24th. The one hour tour will begin at 2 p.m. and is limited to 10 people with an admission of $5 per person. Please call ahead for reservations: 207-326-9247.
To Hazard Our Own Security: Maine's Role in the American Revolution
Raised in Maine, Michael Cecere now lives in Virginia and has taught U.S. History at both the high school and college levels for over 20 years. Cecere is an avid Revolutionary War reenactor, lecturer and author. Mr. Cecere is also the President of Historic Dumfries, VA. This program is free and open to the public in conjunction with the Museum's summer exhibit on the Defence, a privateer lost during the Penobscot Expedition of 1779 and excavated in the 1970s. Some of the items recovered during the excavation are on loan from the Maine State Museum.
74th Highland Regiment of Foot Encampment
The recreated 74th Regiment of Foot was started in the 1970s by a group of like-minded individuals who had a deep interest in the part that Scotland played in the American Revolution. The 74th Regiment is committed to a realistic portrayal of the Scottish soldier and camp follower, and all of their drill, clothing, and camp-life materials are documented to have been in existence during the years 1777-1784. This program is free and open to the public in conjunction with the Museum's Revolution Downeast program series and the summer exhibit on the Defence, a privateer lost during the Penobscot Expedition and excavated in the 1970s. Items recovered during the excavation are on loan from the Maine State Museum.
Crystal Gardens On Thursday, July 31 at 2 p.m. in the Wilson Museum, kids are invited to grow a special type of garden - one without seeds or plants! Using little more than hot water and Epsom salts, Rob Kufrovich will assist participants as they make their own crystal gardens. In nature, many rocks, including granite and marble, consist of crystals. That makes this program perfect for our summer focus on geology! A man of many talents, Rob Kufrovich has worked as a chemical lab analyst, an underground mining geologist, a professional musician, an artist and a science and social studies teacher. He currently works as a classroom Education Technician in the third and fourth grade classroom at Castine's Adams School and as a Docent at the Wilson Museum. This program is free and open to the public in conjunction with the Wilson Museum's summer Countdown to the Sculpture program series and Castine's involvement in the 2014 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium. Kids ages 5 and up are welcome to attend. Preregistration required.
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, by 2004, the Band 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 a common interest - playing in the Town Band. As an agent for connecting the past to the present, the Museum is proud to host an annual Castine Town Band concert. In case of rain, concert will be at Emerson Hall, Court Street.
2nd Annual Storytelling by the Sea
Storytellers featured in this year's Storytelling by the Sea include:
 Charles Stephens grew up in Wisconsin and became a Lutheran minister in 1973. He became a Unitarian/Universalist minister in 1981 and now serves the UU Congregation of Castine as their Interim Minister. Charles increasingly found that storytelling was an important part of the ministry. While in New Hampshire, he convinced the professional New Hampshire storyteller, Odds Bodkin, to teach a storytelling class for a group of ministers. For Castine's Storytelling by the Sea, Charles will tell several fascinating stories from the life of Virginia Chase. Virginia was the seventh child of a family long associated with Maine. She grew up in Blue Hill during the late 1800s, becoming a teacher, scholar and author.
A Comfortable House: Furnishing the Maine Frontier
Joshua A. Klein is a furniture restorer/conservator who operates Klein Furniture Restoration in Brooklin, Maine. A graduate of the National Institute of Wood Finishing, Joshua specializes in multiple furniture treatments addressing structure, finish, seat-weaving and upholstery. He divides his professional time between his restoration practice, studying historic American decorative arts, and most recently, researching the furniture production of Jonathan Fisher of Blue Hill, Maine. You can learn more about Klein's work at http://kleinrestoration.com/.
From Stone to Art: A Granite Sculpture Demonstration
With a Master's degree in design from Stanford University, Andreas von Huene's creativity melds together his experience in the fields of musical instrument making, engineering, landscape design, public art and sculpture. His fountains grace city parks and hospitals, and his sculptures can be found at sites all over Maine, including the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Maine Maritime Museum, and Acadia Hospital. Von Huene was a participant in the 2012 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium. This program is free and open to the public in conjunction with the Museum's summer Countdown to the Sculpture program series. Castine was one of seven communities chosen to receive a 2014 Schoodic International Sculpture Symposium sculpture which will be sited on the Wilson Museum campus.
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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
The Art of Wood
In the late afternoon of July 24th 1779, William Moody, a young drummer boy on the sloop Centurion, recorded in his diary the crack of gunfire signaling the fleet of American vessels to commence an expedition toward Majabigwaduce (now Castine) to lay siege and loosen the hold of the British building a fort there. Unfortunately, August 14th saw the capture of several American vessels and the destruction of the rest of the fleet as ship after ship was run aground and set ablaze or scuttled in the river to prevent capture. The Defence, a brigantine of 170 tons and built as a privateer, was one of those scuttled vessels. Artifacts from underwater excavations of the Defence, on loan from the Maine State Museum, can be viewed in the Wilson Museum's seasonal exhibit from May 27th through September 30th. Several programs related to the underwater excavations as well as this area's involvement in the American Revolution have been scheduled throughout the summer.
During the American Revolution, loyalty to one side or the other often tested town, family, and personal relationships throughout the Colonies. Were things any different along Maine's Penobscot River? On Tuesday, June 24th at 3 p.m. join Dr. Liam Riordan for Does the American Revolution Look Different from the Penobscot River? an illustrated lecture. He will explore the ambiguous allegiances of people in the sparsely settled "eastern country" of Massachusetts, with special attention to the British presence at Fort George and the disastrous Penobscot Expedition of 1779.
Join Captains Kate and Zander on the Guildive for an opportunity to sail with historian and musician Stephen Sanfilippo. Listen to two hours of songs and stories of the sea with the gentle rhythm from whence they mustered as Guildive sails upon Castine Harbor, one of the most sought after seaports from the Golden Age of Sail. 
History is near at hand. This is especially true in the case of the Defence, a privateer that sunk during the disastrous Penobscot Expedition of 1779 and still resides on the sea floor in Stockton Harbor. In the 1970s the site was excavated, and although raising the vessel proved to be impossible, many artifacts were recovered and much was learned. On Tuesday, July 8th at 3 p.m. David Wyman, a member of the excavation team, will present an illustrated lecture, proving that although the privateer was lost over two-hundred years ago, it is still accessible to the student of history.
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 fireside cooking is demonstrated on: July 9th, July 23rd, August 6th, and August 20th, 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 begin on the hour and are $5 per person; tour visitors may enjoy some tasty morsels from the day's fare.
Granite quarrying has had a long history in Maine, with Maine granite used in everything from the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument to today's kitchen countertops. On Tuesday, July 15 at 3 p.m. learn about this still important local industry with Steve Haynes, Director of the Maine Granite Industry Historical Society on Mt. Desert Island. After an illustrated lecture, Steve will invite the audience to help him break a block of granite using traditional techniques.
Cooking for your family can be a challenge especially with picky or allergic eaters. Grace Tarr will offer a series of four, hands-on, cooking classes with just such families and individuals in mind. Classes will be held on four consecutive Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon beginning July 22nd. Reservations for individual classes are $15/person for adults and $8/person for children 15 and under; or the entire series may be reserved for $55 adults and $28 children. Class size is limited, so please call or email to preregister: 207-326-9247 or info@wilsonmuseum.org.
The Castine Arts Association is hosting a Plein Air festival July 24, 25 and 26. The coastal town of Castine, Maine is the ideal setting for plein air painting. The town and surrounding Penobscot Bay area are endowed with a rich history of art and have been a popular destination for many of America's most famous artists for over 150 years. The area possesses a stunning collection of beautiful landscapes, rugged coastlines, historic architecture, and an abundance of New England charm. For more information on the Plein Air festival 
Most people know the major events of the American Revolution - or do they? Many important aspects of America's fight for independence are little known today, including the role that Maine played. On Thursday, July 24th at 3 p.m. Michael Cecere will explore Maine's contribution to the American Revolution in his presentation To Hazard Our Own Security. 
On Saturday and Sunday, July 26th and 27th, get a taste of revolutionary-era Castine. Throughout the weekend, a team of re-enactors will live as though it's 1779, demonstrating drills, marches, cooking, spinning, and weaving. The original 74th Regiment garrisoned Castine's Fort George from 1779 until the end of the War, and the encampment is presented to mark the 235th anniversary of British arrival and the Penobscot Expedition.
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, August 1st, at 6 p.m. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy this free concert!
Celebrate storytelling in all its forms at the 2nd annual Storytelling by the Sea festival in Castine, Maine, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday, August 8th and Saturday, August 9th. This family-friendly event will be packed with twenty-six performances and workshops. On Saturday evening, join us for a Pub Crawl, featuring three hours of storytelling, comedy, music, drinks, and food at some of your favorite Castine watering holes! 
Jennifer Armstrong returns as MC for Storytelling by the Sea. Jennifer tells traditional and personal stories from her Celtic-American heritage and plays the Scottish bagpipe, fiddle, banjo and guitar. She believes in audience participation and community celebrations, and she is a creative facilitator and performer. 
Margaret Eisenstadt learned the art of kamishibai storytelling while teaching at an elementary school on a U.S. Air Force station in Japan. After returning to America, she used these stories in day care centers and elementary schools in New York City. Her students, who came from diverse cultures and economic circumstances, all loved kamishibai. Donna Tamaki soon joined the team, and in 1992, with permission from Doshinsha, the Japanese publisher of the original kamishibai stories, Kamishibai for Kids was born. For Castine's Storytelling by the Sea, Margaret will be joined by Donna Tamaki for a morning workshop and an afternoon performance. 
Frank Gotwals is a singer-songwriter from Stonington, Maine who has been performing his subtle blend of folk and jazz for more than 25 years. Resonant baritone vocals and a strong guitar technique combined with a dry sense of humor have made him an increasingly popular performer on east coast stages. His thought provoking, sometimes humorous songs, often include images and ideas from his coastal home where he has been a commercial lobster fisherman for many years. His first solo CD, Dry Ice, was released in 1994 and he has recently released a second CD, Unfamiliar Sea. 
Randy Judkins is a unique storyteller presenting creative programs on laughter, change, stress, self-esteem and teamwork from stage to boardroom around the country as well as some television commercials and independent films in his native state of Maine. Clowning is a passion and Randy has instructed at the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Clown College in Florida and has served as a character consultant for Tri-Star Pictures. He has also taught a series of master classes in character and physical comedy at the Juilliard School of Drama in New York City. For Castine's Storytelling by the Sea, Randy will team up with fellow clown Kenny Raskin for a workshop and performance that's sure to keep everyone in stitches! 
Harry Kaiserian, a retired Navy Commander, is a resident of Castine, a weekly food columnist and teacher of cooking classes. A life-long learner and traveller, Harry picks up stories wherever he goes. 
Jude Lamb is an artist, writer and storyteller who often performs as her great-great-great-great grandmother, Eunice Lakeman Hoar. In 1817 Eunice and her husband, Luther, and their nine children were the first white settlers on what is now Rangeley Lake. Jude tells of the family’s dramatic journey, on foot, over the late winter snow. As Lamb family historian and genealogist, her goal is to bring to life family stories and inspire others to pass down family tales in creative forms. She is a member of LOONS (Lovers of Old & New Stories), LANES (League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling), and the National Storytelling Network. 
Hope Lewis, a retired teacher, is a storyteller and fiber artist from Seal Cove, Maine. She enjoys creating original stories, but also savors performing tales from a wide variety of traditions. Her stories are crafted to appeal to the entire family. Her repertoire includes wisdom stories, traditional folklore and environmentally conscious stories. She enjoys telling tales in Acadia National Park during the summer. 
Rob McCall is a naturalist, jounalist, and fiddler. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, he has served as the minister of the First Congregational Church in Blue Hill, Maine, since 1986. His writing has appeared in Yankee and Downeast magazines. His weekly radio commentaries are heard on WERU radio in Maine and worldwide at WERU's website. For Castine's Storytelling by the Sea, Rob will present some stories from the pages of the Awanadjo Almanack, including man meets weather, man meets his match, and man makes a fool of himself. Thanks to Sam Manning for the illustration of Rob used here.
Rev. Richard J. Messana (Pastor Rick) is an ordained American Baptist minister who was called into the ministry at the tender age of twelve at Boys Brigade Camp in Lovell, Maine. He pursued that call and has served in many churches throughout Maine for the past 24+ years. He has been involved in community theater projects in Standish, Buxton, Kennebunk and most recently at Livermore Falls High School. He has played Shem, Noah's eldest son in "Two by Two" and Rev. Shaw Moore in "Footloose;" but his dream role is Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof" from which he will be doing an excerpt for Castine's Storytelling by the Sea. 
LouAnna Perkins grew up listening to stories told by her mother and grandmother. She plays music and tells stories with her sister and mother (The Crain Sisters) at schools and other venues in California, Maine and wherever they can. A staff attorney for Maine Farmland Trust, LouAnna lives in Penobscot, Maine (telling stories with her grandchildren). 
Joy Pott came from Scotland to go to Wheaton College in Illinois. She and her husband raised their family in many places, but Castine was and is, the constant that still binds them together. Now retired, Joy was a teacher and founder of the Meadows Program at Melmark, a creative community for children and people with disabilities in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. Her tales are told in verse and vignettes of her 52 years of summers in Castine. They are, however, more than personal stories; they are the story of the town, places, people - all things Castine, under the elms and by the sea. 
Susan Poulin has created the character, Ida LeClair, "the funniest woman in Maine." Susan is a writer/performer who was selected by Portland Magazine as one of the "Ten Most Intriguing People in Maine." she has been a featured performer in theaters, festivals and as a keynote speaker from Maine to Minnesota. As Ida, Susan writes the popular Maine humor blog and podcast, Just Ask Ida at 
Jo Radner has been called "the Garrison Keillor of Maine." She's known for smart, wry, moving stories of odd folks who did things their own way and sometimes encountered hard realities. "Humor and gravity are good bedfellows," she says. Jo will perform stories from her western Maine heritage - perhaps including the tale of the eccentric ancestor whose quirks concealed a tragic secret; perhaps a story celebrating the little-known virtues of outhouses; or, perhaps her much-requested tale, "Mandatory Pie." You'll just have to come to her performance on Saturday afternoon to find out!
Kenny Raskin has, for the past thirty-five years, made a name for himself as a leading physical comedian, both in the United States and Europe, delighting audiences with a unique blend of theatrical pieces and clown characters. He starred as the lead clown, Everyman, in Cirque du Soleil's universally loved Nouvelle Experience, and originated the role of Lefou, the comic sidekick of the villain, Gaston, in the Broadway production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. For Castine's Storytelling by the Sea, Kenny will team up with fellow clown Randy Judkins for a workshop and performance that's sure to keep everyone in stitches! 
Antonio Rocha, storyteller, mime and children's book author, began his career in the performing arts in 1985. Rocha's unique fusion of verbal narrative and mime have received several awards, and he's been invited to venues such as the National Storytelling Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Graz Festival in Austria, and many more in fourteen countries on six continents. For more information on Antonio Rocha 
Donald Small was a mechanical engineer, teaching for 30 years at Maine Maritime Academy. Five years ago he joined a Castine writers group and has been writing memoirs, short stories, poems and travelogues. 
Johanna Sweet, a teacher for over 33 years, has been a storyteller for 30 years. Currently, she is an avid gardener and loves sharing stories with schools and community groups. She often performs traditional stories from around the world for both children and adults. 
Pedrick Sweet comes naturally to storytelling. The Castine resident was raised in the tradition of nightly family dinners and summers spent with family in Maine, he quickly learned to listen well to stories his relatives shared and to jump in with his own observations and recollections. He continues his family tradition of finding humor in every day events and delighting in the sharing of these tales. 
Donna Tamaki was a graduate school classmate of Margaret Eisenstadt and became the other half of Kamishibai for Kids when Margaret asked her to translate the stories into English. Kamishibai for Kids can be found in all 50 states and several other countries. They are loved by children, educators, parents - everyone who comes to know them! For Castine's Storytelling by the Sea, Donna will be joined by Margaret Eisenstadt for a morning workshop and an afternoon performance. 
Furnishing the homes of pre-industrial Maine was not the role of furniture-making specialists alone. While some of Maine's furniture was supplied by merchants from major style centers, a robust furniture-making tradition thrived within the State. Local farmer-artisans of various backgrounds and social influences utilized their resources to create furniture individually suited to themselves and their patrons. On Wednesday, August 13th, Joshua Klein will discuss this early furniture-making tradition, providing insights into the preferences, attitudes and abilities of these Maine craftsmen. The talk will also reference furniture currently displayed in the Museum's John Perkins House. Following the lecture, the Perkins House will be open for $5/person guided tours.
Stone-working is of historic importance in Maine, hitting its peak around 1900 with 3,500 workers employed at over 150 quarries. Although there are only a few active quarries in Maine today, the art of working stone is not lost. On Thursday, August 21 at 12 noon, Andreas von Huene will demonstrate the process of creating a stone sculpture. During this five-hour demonstration, the audience will learn about the tools involved in stone-working and assist von Huene as he transforms a block of granite into a work of art. Participants are welcome to stay for the entire program or stop by for a quick visit.
