Readfield Historical Society

06/13/2026

Rick Wilson is the docent at RHS today 10-2pm. He hopes to see you!

06/13/2026

ATTENTION all you "Readfield History Hour" enthusiasts. Since 94.5 Readfield Radio only recently began to stream last week, and 38 episodes had already aired, we started over with episode 1 last week. This week, episode 2 "Early Travel" is re-airing and then subsequent shows will re-air over the next few weeks. This so all the new listeners via streaming will be able to take in all the episodes to date. Follow the link below to access Readfield Radio online streaming. Readfield History Hour airs Saturday and Sundays at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and every weekday at 4:00 p.m. Hoping one of those times works for you. (photos AI generated by Dale Potter-Clark). https://sites.google.com/readfieldmaine.gov/readfield-radio/digital-streaming

06/07/2026

Congratulations to the folks in Fayette!! The "Starling Grange" (also known as Starling Hall) has received extensive work thanks to the Friends of Starling Grange and Maine Cabin Masters. The building was constructed in 1879 as a Grange hall. Maine Cabin Masters recently completed a major restoration to preserve its historical integrity and revitalize it as a community center. The Cabin Masters team worked on structural repairs replacing rotted sills, building a new entrance, restoring the exterior, and adding a handcrafted cedar flagpole. The second -floor hall features an untouched, century-old tapestry curtain that still advertises old three- and four-digit phone numbers for local businesses. The restoration was documented and featured on Season 20 of Maine Cabin Masters. Follow this link to read more and to see some before and after photos.

Note the “S” and “G” on the new porch railings, placed as a reminder that the building was originally the Starling Grange. If you’ve been following the story, you know…

06/06/2026

ATTENTION all you "Readfield History Hour" enthusiasts. Since 94.5 Readfield Radio finally began to stream this week, and 38 episodes had already aired, we will be starting with episode 1 this week, "The Whitter family" and re-airing subsequent shows over the next few weeks. This so all the new listeners via streaming will be able to take in all the episodes to date. See comments for the link to Readfield Radio online streaming. Readfield History Hour airs Saturday and Sundays at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. and every weekday at 4:00 p.m. Hoping one of those times works for you!

06/01/2026

Progress at the Readfield Union Meeting House is being made as the new/replacement spire is constructed and prepared for installation.

05/31/2026

WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT READFIELD RADIO 94.5FM is now streaming live and can be heard anywhere the internet is available. The Readfield History Hour airs tonight at 7:00 pm,

Digital Streaming - Listen LIVE!

05/30/2026

Thank you to antique car enthusiast, Bill Adams for bringing this to our attention! This Skene is one of only a very few Maine built automobiles known to exist. It was originally owned by an American (?Readfield) soldier who fought in WWI in 1917 in Europe and was killed. The car was then locked up in a barn in READFIELD, Maine, and rested there for 53 years until 1973 when Leslie Maynard Leighton, a noted Maine steam car collector, was able to purchase it for an English friend who arranged for the Skene to go to a Mr. Reg Parsons, in England, for restoration. The four Readfield soldiers who were killed in WWI were Ronald W. Newton (Kents Hill Cemetery) and Edwin Abbott, Ralph Gorden and Oramel Huntoon (Readfield Corner Cemetery). If anyone is aware of what barn this auto was salvaged from in 1973 PLEASE let us know!

Mr. Parsons subsequently purchased the car and eventually sold it to a Mr. Hugh Mothersole. Under both Mr. Parsons and Mr. Mothershole, the car participated in several British steam car meets, including London to Brighton Runs, the longest-running motoring event in the world. The Skene was acquired by the Richard C. Paine Jr., Automobile Charitable Trust in 2010, and after undergoing complete restoration by M.S. Harmon & Company of Georgetown, CT., was placed on display in the Seal Cove Auto Museum on May 19, 2014.The 1900 Skene was a rare, Maine-built steam automobile. Produced from 1900 to 1901 by the Skene American Automobile Company in Lewiston, Maine, the twin-cylinder, 5-horsepower vehicle featured tiller steering and a single-chain drive. Only a handful of these historical cars are known to exist. Today there is a Seal Cove Auto Museum cars and coffee cruise on Mount Desert Island.

05/30/2026

This week, as we continue to honor Memorial Day (remember the traditional was always May 31st?) the "Readfield History Hour" episode will be a repeat of episode #10, "The Hessian" about the Revolutionary War era. Readfield Radio is now live streaming so can be heard anywhere internet is available. https://sites.google.com/readfieldmaine.gov/readfield-radio/digital-streaming This episode will give some perspective from "the other side" of the war. The "Readfield History Hour" on Readfield Radio can be heard at 94.5 FM . on Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and next Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Random re-runs air at 4:00 p.m. on Monday-Wednesday-Friday which are always the same of one of the previous episodes from any given week and always a surprise

Hessian soldiers disembarking British ships in New York. )Au generated photo)

05/28/2026

RHS members, your issue of the spring-summer 2026 newsletter will be arriving in your USPS boxes soon. If you are not a member and would like to receive our newsletters and annual reports via the US Mail, the membership form is attached. Page 1, which includes the table of contents for this issue is also attached.