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Showing posts with label Gail J. VanWart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gail J. VanWart. Show all posts

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Bucksport, a Favorite Haunt


© Copyright 2011 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
Col. Jonathan Buck (1716-1795)
Founder of Bucksport, Maine, 1762 
Bucksport has always been one of my favorites among little Maine haunts. I have fond memories of it as a young girl during visits at my cousin’s house on the Duck Cove Road. After breakfast and chores, she and I would head off on foot and briskly walk the couple of miles into town.

At the edge of town we’d walk even brisker past the cemetery where the legendary Jonathan Buck Memorial stands with its leg and foot shaped defect that’s spawned a wealth of spooky folktales that mingle with and shroud the history of Bucksport’s founding father. We’d spend a good part of the day hiking over the bridge to Verona Island then crossing the Waldo-Hancock Bridge (which now stands vacant of travelers in the shadow of the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge) to end up at Fort Knox in Prospect. Lunch would follow our hike back to Main Street at Pop Hill’s, an absolutely “Happy Days” establishment serving burgers, shakes, and a jukebox full of the latest song hits to please its crowd of Marlboro and Lucky Strike packing teenagers who gathered there religiously. You would either leave Pop Hill’s with a class ring or a broken heart, it was guaranteed! A jaunt to the 5¢ & 10¢ store would complete our day’s plans then we’d meet up my uncle at the paper mill parking lot for a ride home when he finished his daily shift. I know I’ve dated myself with this little recollection, but the ‘50s and ‘60s were very cool in Bucksport.

© Copyright Gail J. VanWart All Rights ReservedToday Bucksport is as charming, if not more so, than it was back then. The community has relished its history and natural beauty the Penobscot River has provided it with. The Alamo Theatre, home to Northeast Historic Film, is a great example of this. Local residents have never forgotten their Alamo, built way back in 1916 when some folks actually arrived by boat to attend a show. In 1992, the Alamo was thankfully rescued from a state of deterioration and is now, not only, one of the oldest community cinemas currently in operation, it provides important archive and preservation headquarters for many of the historic films in the country.

Another example of community respect is the town’s historic Jed Prouty Inn and Tavern, which is now being remodeled as senior housing–saving the structure from disaster. The three-story building originally constructed in 1783 by a prominent Bucksport merchant was converted to an inn circa 1820. It has, according to history, played gracious host to four presidents and was made famous as the inspiration for a Broadway play.

© Copyright 2011 Gail J. VanWart All Rights ReservedPop Hill’s may no longer be there, but there are still quaint little shops and businesses which have withstood the test of time along Bucksport’s Main Street, such as the Dairy Port—its been serving ice cream for over fifty years!
© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart


Tucked in between other businesses along Main Street, is BookStacks, one of my most favorite bookstores in the entire state of Maine. It stocks over 5,000 book titles and 1,500 periodicals—plus provides free Wi-Fi, fantastic coffee and tea, a used book section, cards, gifts, and more. The “more” includes several groups of readers and writers who meet there regularly, and book signing events by local Maine authors. In fact, I, myself, will be there Thursday, August 16, 2012, 6-7pm, signing my collection of poetry, thoughts, and recipes, Life Raked In. Another Maine author, Jane Meade, will also be there signing her book, Glimpses.
Be respectful!
© Copyright 2011Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
Don't forget the ice cream!













There’s been a lot of effort put into the Bucksport waterfront and it has an absolutely beautiful walking trail, information center, historical society, as well as a public boat launch. Where else can you view Fort Knox and the majestic Penobscot Narrows Bridge so well? Blae loves it! He wants me to remind you to be sure to keep it clean and also not to forget the ice cream.

© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2012 All Rights Reserved

Bucksport Waterfront view of Fort Knox and Penobscot Narrows Bridge.
I suggest, if you are traveling through Maine on Route 1 from the Belfast area to Bar Harbor, take a few hours, or days, to explore Bucksport, Maine. It’s worth the detour.

Learn more about Bucksport: 







Bale and I are regular contributors to the theSCENECheck it out!

Friday, July 13, 2012

Nature’s Place; Holbrook Island Sanctuary on Cape Rosier, Maine


© Copyright Gail J. VanWart, 2011 - All Rights Reserved
Cape Rosier, Maine on the way to Holbrook Island Sanctuary

© Copyright Daniel B. VanWart, 2011 Many visitors to Holbrook Island Sanctuary believe it rivals the beauty of Acadia National Park, without crowds or park fee. Most simply treasure its tranquility and the opportunity to witness the wonders of its natural environment and will return again. All can agree, Holbrook Island Sanctuary in Brooksville, Maine is a place where everybody, including the family dog, can escape from modern day stresses and relax. It’s a part of the world situated on beautiful Cape Rosier that will remain unaltered by modern park facilities or management techniques as natural forces alone will, forevermore, determine its future.

© Copyright Daniel B. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved
Blae at Holbrook Island Sanctuary
Dogs must be on a leash no longer than four feet in length, that’s one of a few simple and easy to follow rules and regulations visitors are asked to abide by. Others state the native plants and wildlife are not to be disturbed and remind visitors fires are not permitted in the park, nor is overnight camping. Observing the rules is certainly a small price to pay for the privilege of experiencing this sanctuary from 9 a.m. to sunset daily—thanks to the foresight and generosity of Anita Harris.  The area resident acquired and donated 1,230 acres of Brooksville to the state in 1971 in order “to preserve for the future a piece of unspoiled Maine that I used to know.” What a gift she bestowed to us all. I for one have an overwhelming respect for both Anita and her priceless gift.

The park is maintained by the Maine Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands year round and can be enjoyed by cross-country skiers during the winter months, as well. You can also arrange for special group outings by calling 207-326-4012.


Kids can earn a free tee shirt at Holbrook Island Sanctuary. Here’s how:



For More Information:






You can read more about Maine events and attractions 
in an issue of theSCENEan entertainment magazine published monthly by 
Courier Publications LLC in Rockland, Maine.

Nosing Around Maine  © Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart  All Rights Reserved


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

In the Heart of Brooklin, Maine



© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
The Brooklin Inn - Early Spring 2012


Elwyn Brooks White, would often sit on its rocky beaches with his little dog, Minnie. The quiet man was far better known to the world as E. B. White and author of two of the most famous children’s tales ever written, Charlotte’s Webb and Stuart Little, as well as, the ever-so-handy Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style. Originally from New York, the serenity of Maine became home to him, as it has for many others. His son, Joel White became a navel architect and boat builder and owned the Brooklin Boatyard. 

There is no doubt E.B., his wife, Katharine Angell White, and their family has left their imprints on Brooklin’s history. E. B. White died in North Brooklin at the age of 86. History in this town is deeply embedded into its shores. Besides White, included in its timeline are the Red Paint People and the Revolutionary War. A trip to the Friend Memorial Public Library in the middle of town will provide you with a lot of information about Brooklin’s past inhabitants and even put you face-to-face with an original Garth Williams illustration for E. B. White’s book, Stuart Little.

However, this little blog isn’t really about E. B. White, it’s about Brooklin, a quiet place in a warp-speed world. Located on Maine’s Downest coastline, it’s surrounded by beautiful Blue Hill Bay to its east, Jericho Bay to its south, and Eggemoggin Reach to its southwest—a perfect place for great sailing, fishing, and lobstering, as well as relaxing and exploring nature.

Visitors soon discover, as they drive into Brooklin from Blue Hill, time seems to have lost about sixty or so years on the way there. Visiting Brooklin, is encountering life pretty much as it was in the 1950s. The center of town features a general store, post office, church, cafe, three inns, a library, small artist’s galleries and an antique shop. 
However, this quaint little community is also large enough to house Wooden Boat Magazine, Wooden Boat School, boat builders, artists, musicians, writers, and variety of people who simply enjoy being away from it all.

© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
Paella, Brooklin Inn Style
The Brooklin Inn, with its fine dinning, B & B lodging and Irish Pub, operates year round and is found right in the heart of town, across from the library. Chip Angell and his wife, Gail, operate the cozy inn. Folks, both first time and frequent dinner guests, seek it out for its classic old fashion hospitality, neighborly atmosphere, fresh Maine seafood and local organic fare that’s served with an international flare by their Cordon Bleu chef. Everything on Chef Tyson’s menu is as local and fresh as possible. Their collection of wines require a more than extensive list and are personally selected by Chip, the inn’s owner, specifically to compliment the meals served.

© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights ReservedYou can read more about the Brooklin Inn in the June 2012 issue of theSCENE, a monthly magazine, published by Courier Publications LLC in Rockland, Maine. View theSCENE online. 

You can also learn more from the Brooklin Inn directly.




Painting (left), pictured on the wall at the Brooklin Inn, is a provocative piece of artwork, and certainly a conversation piece, created by local artist, Daniel Snyder, who operates his studio at 29 Reach Road in Brooklin.



© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved




Sunday, April 29, 2012

Craig Brook, a National Treasure



According to the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, when Atlantic salmon return to Maine’s rivers after feeding for two to three years at sea in the cold waters off Greenland, they will always return to their own native river where they hatched four years earlier. If an Atlantic salmon can survive all its predators, it can repeat the fresh water and ocean migration cycle and spawn, several times, during its life span. In spite of this, the Gulf of Maine’s distinct population of Atlantic salmon is an endangered species and the last remaining population of its kind in the United States. My grandsons and I learned all of that in a short time through well presented educational displays and interactive learning aids at the Craig Brook Fish Hatchery and Museum situated on Alamoosook Lake in East Orland, Maine.

The facility’s hatchery was established in 1871 as the first of its kind in the United States. Its purpose then, as today, is to propagate and stock juvenile Atlantic salmon to support their population. Over time, the facility has expanded to include archives and resource center, a museum, seminar site, an Atlantic salmon living stream, boat launches, picnic area, beautiful nature trails and a volunteer group called Friends of Craig Brook. There’s so much more you can learn by visiting the link at the bottom of this blog. Right now, I’d like to give you a tour of Craig Brook through the eyes of my grandsons during their recent visits to this quiet out of the way National treasure. 

© Copyright Gail J. VanWart  2011 All Rights Reserved
"The Leaper" welcomes guests to Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery.



© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved

An interactive way to measure Altantic salmon survival rates.


© Copyright Gail J. VanWart  2011 All Rights Reserved 
Learning we can make a difference.
© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved

Discovering what's in a watershed.






© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved

Stages of growth and development of young Atlantic Salmon


© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2012 All Rights Reserved

© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved

A healthy habitat is everything an Atlantic Salmon needs! 




© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2012 All Rights Reserved

Adult Atlantic Salmon are housed in pens of water from their native rivers.



© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2012 All Rights Reserved

Adult Atlantic Salmon 



© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved

Artifacts from Ancient Fishermen at Alamoosook Lake

© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved

There's lots to see and do at Craig Brook, inside and out.

© Copyright Gail J. VanWart 2011 All Rights Reserved

Fun and education for everyone!


Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery does not charge admission fees and group tours for schools and organizations can be arranged. However, donations are always welcome to assist in the operation, upkeep, and future expansion of the facilities.  Leashed pets with responsible owners are welcomed on the outside grounds. 


For more information: (207) 469-6701 x 215 or http://www.fws.gov/northeast/craigbrook/

© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved








Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Place of the Rocks

© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart all Rights Reserved
Penobscot means "the place of the white shining rocks".


I can't tell you how many times I have passed by this place in the course of a routine day. It's the "place of the white shining rocks" situated conveniently by the on and off ramps of  I-395 on South Main Street in Brewer, Maine. At first glance, it seems like there are simply three huge rocks strategically placed in a rest area. A second glance will bring the realization there’s artwork carved on the front of the tallest center rock. But, as with most things, you really do have to take a minute to stop in order to appreciate everything you will never see just driving by. 

©Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved©Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved©Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved


A sign by the rocks, I had never read before, told me the story of why “the place of the rocks” exists. While discovering the artwork cleverly crafted on the other sides of the rocks not visible from the road, I also walked on bricks manufactured in Brewer a long time ago and artfully laid between the rocks in a pattern representing continuity. Since my husband’s grandfather, Bruce VanWart, had worked in a Brewer brickyard, I was touching a bit of family history at “the place of the rocks” as well. An old Bangor Daily News clipping (below) of an article by Lawrence Carroll Allin, published on October 21, 1987, tells the Brewer brick story extremely well. The reason we have the article today is because my mother-in-law spied Bruce VanWart in the1939 photo that accompanied it and she passed it on to my husband with an arrow pointing out his grandfather, a man he’d never met.


All in all, I decided this little rest area is a beautiful place on the Penobscot River bank to stop, whether you're traveling though the area or a local, like me, taking a moment to embrace the local scenery. I'm sure I'll stop here again to enjoy the tranquil beauty of the river and the pictorial story sculpted in the monumental Maine bluestone rocks of it's natural resources and haunting image of Penobscot Indian Princess Molly, all created by Carole Hanson and Andreas Von Huene to commemorate Brewer's Centennial in 1989.  

Beyond all else, it's simply a nice place to walk a dog and imagine what the river was like when the bricks, that lay there now, were made.

Nosing Around Maine  © Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved.






Monday, April 9, 2012

Bass Harbor Head: My Guiding Light


Bass Harbor Head Light 


© Copyright 2012  Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
Bass Harbor Head Light Tower
Last year I revised a t-shirt design I had created in the 1990s of Bass Harbor Light. Several months after, I was amazed to discover Bass Harbor Head Light is going to be featured as the quarter in the United States Mint 2012 America the Beautiful Ouarters® Program. I couldn’t have planned the timing of things any better than this accident of fate. I took it as a sign to poke around Bass Harbor a little bit more and Blae was hungry for some salt air.
Photo © Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
Blae at Seawall Park
SW Harbor, Maine

© Copyright 2012  Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
© Copyright 2012  Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
Around 1860, when the Bass Harbor Head Light was fairly new, more people inhabited its surrounding islands and coastline and one in five Maine residents were mariners. Maine’s lighthouses were key to survival in many instances. In modern times, our U. S. lighthouses are sort of like castles in Europe, each stands tall with its own unique history and mystique that draws visitors from near and far, year after year. Maine’s lighthouses, in many cases, are still functioning and useful, as well.

Bass Harbor, Maine is on the southwestern portion of Mount Desert Island known as the “quite side”. Its lighthouse was erected in 1858 to mark the bar across the eastern entrance of Blue Hill Bay. In 1974 the light was automated by the U. S. Coastguard and is now a private residence with outside access to the light tower and a walking path leading you to an excellent view of its front side from the ledges below. That is if you are up to a steep and somewhat challenging climb over the rocky incline tangled with weathered tree roots clinging to the cliff. It is a beautiful, but rugged, trail.
© Copyright 2012  Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved 
© Copyright 2012  Gail J. VanWart All Rights ReservedBy car, you can reach this out-of-the-way destination via Route 3 in Ellsworth, turning right onto Route 198, then turning right again on Route 102. The lighthouse can also be observed from Maine State Ferries and other vessels operating out of Bass Harbor and Frenchboro.

© Copyright 2012  Gail J. VanWart All Rights ReservedJohn Thurston was the first keeper to light the beacon at Bass Harbor Head on September 1, 1858. Until the US Coast Guard automated the lighthouse in 1974, twenty-two “wickies” in all had taken a turn at keeping the steadfast light glowing by their manual efforts for 116 years. Some stayed less than a full year, others two or more. Joseph M. Gray served as a keeper there from 1921 to 1938. When I read that on a sign at the lighthouse, I thought to myself how he must have really loved his job in spite of fog horns and clanging bells on those numerous days without enough visibility for the beacon’s light to do its job for those in the water depending on its guidance. My next thought was a curiosity wondering if I could locate him in my Gray family tree, since my mother’s maiden name is also Gray. Thanks to Ancestry.com and my copy of Descendants of Joshua Gray compiled in 2005 by the Gray Reunion Committee and published by Downeast Graphics & Printing Inc., Ellsworth, Maine, I soon had my answer. This lighthouse keeper is my fourth cousin two times removed. Though I never had a chance to meet him, as his life ended before mine began, I did want to know more about him.  Back on the Internet through a link to Lighthouse Digest, I learned quite a bit. He was actually Captain Joseph M. Gray who spent a total of 40 years of lighthouse service at Crabtree Ledge, Mt. Desert Rock, Great Duck Island, Marshall Point, and Bass Harbor—after his six years of fishing off Grand Banks and before retiring to a small cottage in Tremont. A very nice newspaper article by Henry Buxton published in May 1938 and reprinted by Lighthouse Digest in 2005 about lighthouse keeper Capt. Joseph M. Gray tells a compelling tale and portrays a man I can certainly be proud to have among the branches of my family tree. Again, when fate leads you somewhere, its best to take advantage of the trip.  Seems my fascination with Maine’s lighthouses has not only inspired my creativity over the years, it has guided me to some family roots along the way.
© Copyright 2012  Gail J. VanWart All Rights Reserved
Side view of Bass Harbor Head Light 

A partnership between the U. S. Coast Guard, State of Maine and American Lighthouse Foundation intends to increase awareness of Maine’s maritime heritage and the rich history of its lighthouses and lighthouse keepers by offering visitors the opportunity to go inside many of Maine’s historic beacons on Open Lighthouse Day, which will take place on September 15 this year.

For more information about the 2012 Bass Harbor Quarter, my Bass Harbor QRtee™  
t-shirt, Maine’s lighthouse history and events, or the memories of Captain Joseph M. Gray, please check out the following links.







Sunday, March 25, 2012

Low's Bridge

Nosing Around Maine - Low's Bridge
Low's Bridge spans 182 years of history on the Piscataquis River.
Ice chunks flowed under it on March 22, 2012.
Photos by Gail J. VanWart

Maine’s Historic Wooden Covered Bridges; Nine Left, Guilford Claims One of Them


Guilford claims to be the Chickadee and Lilac Capital of Maine and is a town known for its efforts to promote its natural resources to create green economic opportunities, beautification and recreation. The town has been hosting a River Festival for more than half a decade and the community prides itself for the development of the Guilford Memorial River Walk that provides a place for community members and visitors to experience Bald Eagles, Osprey, Blue Heron and other natural wonders along the banks of the Piscataquis River.


Nosing Around Maine - Marker at Low's BridgeAs you travel through Guilford along Route 15 it is the Piscataquis River and a wooden covered bridge, which suddenly pops into view, that captures your attention. The Maine Department of Transportation has provided a picnic area and turnout so you can stop and appreciate the amazing structure and learn about its historic significance to the area. There is something about its presence that makes you hope it will remain long into the future, and, looking at its history, I get the feeling others have had that same hope over the past 182 years. Nosing Around Maine - Low's Bridge, Guilford, ME

In 1830, the original covered bridge was built at this location, adjacent to land once owned by an early Guilford settler named Robert Low, to provide an easy commerce route between the towns of Guilford and Sangerville, The Piscataquis River, which it spans, took the original structure down in a flood in 1832. It was rebuilt and again destroyed by floodwaters in1857. In that same year, it was reconstructed by Isaac Wharff, who hauled granite by oxen team from Guilford Mountain (over seven miles away) and Leonard Knowlton who used mathematical calculations and a patented Long-truss design to develop a sturdier bridge. The third bridge lasted for 130 years, but the river still proved to be stronger when it once again washed the bridge away in a flood on April 1, 1987. The bridge now standing in its place is a replica in appearance, but even studier to meet today’s building standards. It was designed and constructed off site then placed on the original stone-masonry abutments which were raised about three feet in hopes to avoid possible flood damage in the future. Only time will tell if it was worth the effort. Let’s hope it was.

At one time, more than 120 covered bridges graced waterways throughout the state of Maine, today, there are only nine left standing. In 1985 the Maine Department of Transportation was given the authority to maintain and preserve the states historic bridges. This included the remaining wooden covered bridges (Babbs Bridge, Hemlock Bridge, Low’s Bridge, Robyville Bridge, Watson’s Settlement Bridge, Bennett Bridge, Lovejoy Bridge, Porter Parsonsfield Bridge, and Sunday River Bridge), as well as, four other historic bridge structures (Bailey Island Bridge, Grist Mill Bridge, Sewall’s Bridge, and Wire Bridge).




© Copyright 2012 Gail J. VanWart
All Rights Reserved

If there is a place in Maine you'd like me and Blae to sniff out for you, just send us an e-mail to peakedmtfarm@me.com with "Nosing Around Maine" in the subject line, cause you can get the-ah from he-ah.