Castine Historical Society

09/08/2026

Did you know Castine has a rich baseball history? People have been playing baseball here for generations! Teams played games inside Fort George and at other sites in town. Noah Brooks famously wrote about playing baseball as a boy here in Castine.

This image shows the Castine High School baseball team circa 1928, who posed on the town common.

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day! Castine has a proud tradition of industry, much of it associated with the waterfront. In the mid 1800s, sailmakers, sawyers, blacksmiths, riggers, rope-makers, and others would have been working at the town's twelve wharves, supporting the bustling maritime shipping and shipbuilding industries. The waterfront later featured sardine factries and canneries. Castiners were also employed as builders and construction workers through the later 1800s and early 1900s with the 'rusticator-era' explosion of hotels and summer homes. And of course Castine still features a long-running boatyard, courtesy of the Eaton family!

Pictured:
- Factory workers outside the J. W. Dresser Rope Walk
- Construction workers breaking ground on the Wilson Museum building
- Eaton's Boatyard
- Employees of Castine Bay Co. Sardine factory (operated 1919-1939 ; demolished 1945)
- Will Hooper and Fred Mills with horse at the Castine Coal Company wharf
- Interior of J. M. Dennett's Sail Loft

09/05/2026

Calling all mariners and sailors! Can you help us solve a history mystery? A great grandson of the man in the white shirt is trying to identify the location where this photo of his family having a picnic was taken, as well as the location where the black and white photo of the family on the water was taken.

From the grandson: "The first one is my great grandfather’s (Raymond B. Johnson) boat, Parson’s Folly. It was built for him at Eaton’s boatyard. He was a Unitarian minister in Hingham, MA and retired to Castine. The second one is my grandfather on the dock at Eaton’s. The third is my ggf and ggm and mom (blue shirt). The background is Castine and they must be on one of the islands nearby."

Do you recognize these locations? Does anyone remember Raymond Johnson or Parsons Folly? Comment below or send us an email at [email protected]

09/04/2026

The advent of steamships (and trains) in the 19th century was a major reason how Maine became the tourist destination that it is today. These faster forms of transportation meant that city dwellers from across the northeast could begin to travel to Maine to enjoy our beautiful coastline.

The Penobscot Bay area had many steamships and ferries that regularly brought passengers--both local and from away--to our communities, including the Steamer Penobscot, which was put into service in 1882 as part of the Boston-Bangor line of ships. While steamers went out of fashion in favor of other forms of transportation (like the automobile), these historic vessels were a vital part of Maine's burgeoning tourism economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

📸2001.3.10, Steamer Penobscot, ca. 1900, (c) Castine Historical Society

09/02/2026

We always enjoy looking through our collection to see how we can compare the past with the present. This photograph shows Perkins Street at the corner of Pleasant Street looking west. This is one of 22 glass negatives by photographer William George Sargent depicting scenes from Castine and vicinity from the later 1800s.

📸1998.40.1.5, "Perkins Street" by William George Sargent, ca. 1870-1905, (c) Castine Historical Society

09/01/2026

We recently acquired even more collections from Moss Acre, and are finding some real treasures in these archives, including these photographs ca. 1900-1910 of the Porter family. A young Polly poses on the stone porch with a fancy hat, and her brother Bill is depicted in a small rowboat with Moss Acre in the background.

We're so lucky to steward this incredible collection of Castine's history and that of the Porter-Dewson-Bourne families.

📸Ca. 1900-1910 glass plate images of Moss Acre and the Porter family, 2025.21.10, (c) Castine Historical Society

08/31/2026

Happy first day of school to the students and staff at the Adams School! We wish you all a safe and happy school year full of learning and fun.

These kids are now all grown up. Who do you recognize?

📸Adams School students on October 9, 1992 holding pumpkins sold for a CHS benefit plant sale, Gardiner Gregory (c) Castine Historical Society

08/29/2026

Volunteers, join us tonight at 4:30 at the Abbott School for some drinks and nibbles and then come to our traditional bean supper at Emerson Hall at 5!

All are welcomed to join us for our free bean supper at 5!

Join us for our first Bean Supper on Saturday, August 29 at Emerson Hall in Castine! We'll have all your traditional bean supper needs, including beans (of course), red hot dogs, brown bread, and desserts. This is a free event, though donations are gratefully accepted.

We would especially like to welcome our volunteers to join us! Directly preceding the supper, we invite our 2026 volunteers to join us at the CHS lawn at 4:30 for a cocktail party honoring your tremendous support this year!

To attend the bean supper, please RSVP here: https://www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/events/chs-bean-supper-and-volunteer-appreciation/

08/26/2026

Apparently today is National Dog Day! Here's a photo of ever-fabulous Dr. Alice North with one of her Dalmatians, Lucky. We'd love to hear any stories of Dr. North in the comments!

📸Dr. Alice North and dog Lucky, 1998.34.52, (c) Castine Historical Society

08/26/2026

Join us for our first Bean Supper on Saturday, August 29 at Emerson Hall in Castine! We'll have all your traditional bean supper needs, including beans (of course), red hot dogs, brown bread, and desserts. This is a free event, though donations are gratefully accepted.

We would especially like to welcome our volunteers to join us! Directly preceding the supper, we invite our 2026 volunteers to join us at the CHS lawn at 4:30 for a cocktail party honoring your tremendous support this year!

To attend the bean supper, please RSVP here: https://www.castinehistoricalsociety.org/events/chs-bean-supper-and-volunteer-appreciation/