An overflow crowd at an Old Bristol Historical Society 2022 Summer Talk Series program. (Photo courtesy Old Bristol Historical Society)
The Old Bristol Historical Society’s 2022 Summer Talks attracted record crowds, with many folks having to be turned away due to fire department regulations. Now these popular presentations can be streamed free of charge on the society’s YouTube channel.
From shipbuilding and shipwrecks to the War of 1812 and witchcraft, Maine’s rich and long history comes alive in these illustrated talks. Click on youtube.com/@oldbristolhistoricalsociety to get started.
The following 2022 programs are listed under the “Videos” tab on the society’s YouTube homepage.
Down Memory Lane—Old Bristol in Color
Back by popular demand, Belinda Osier, OBHS Secretary, and Chuck Rand, OBHS Collections Manager, incorporated colorized lithographic postcards to talk about Bristol’s history from the late 19th century to the years before WWI.
Maine’s First Ship
Maine’s First Ship is a nonprofit organization devoted to building a replica of the pinnace Virginia. Built in 1607-08 near present-day Bath, the Virginia was the first English ship of its kind made in North America. A lifelong sailor and Maine’s First Ship board member, Dr. James Parmentier detailed the 11-year quest to rebuild the Virginia, which was launched this June.
The Storm: Pemaquid Point Shipwrecks of 1903
Journalist and author Wayne Reilly enthralled the audience with his retelling of the fateful storm in September 1903 that caught two fishing schooners in its gale force winds.
Witchcraft in Midcoast Maine
Everyone knows about the Salem Witch Trial, but Emerson “Tad” Baker connected the dots between Maine and this Massachusetts town. A professor at Salem State University and award-winning author, Baker elaborated on the Maine background of many of the accusers and the accused and how they came to be in Salem.
Life in Midcoast Maine in 1820
The 20 years leading up to 1820 were among the most tumultuous in Maine’s long history. Maine author Chip Griffin talked about the recessions and depressions, the War of 1812, and the Panic of 1819 that plagued Maine in the early 19th century.
