Landmarks

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was first constructed in 1827 and still sends its beam out seventy-nine feet above sea level. Light keepers kept the lanterns burning from the 1820s through the 1930s, but they could not prevent every tragedy. Ships have crashed on the rocky shoals, taking sailors to their watery graves, while many others have been swept off the rocks by the powerful surf. Despite advances in technology and automation, the shore around the light remains a dangerous place. Author and historian Trudy Irene Scee uncovers the fascinating story of this iconic Maine lighthouse, its keepers and their families, from the construction of the first light through the present day.

Families, teenagers, friends and sweethearts piled in their cars and filled the lot of Maine's first drive-in on opening night in 1939. A newsreel and cartoon rolled before the feature presentation, Forbidden Music," cast the first outdoor movie spell over the town of Saco. Families came for the fresh-air movie experience, while visitors in the 1950s and '60s enjoyed the dimly lit privacy. The community rallied to save the Saco Drive-In in 2013, voting to fund the transition to digital projection. Now, families and couples of the future can continue to enjoy cinema under the Maine sky. Join local author Camille Smalley as she recounts the history, films and memories of the Saco Drive-In."

Winslow has grown up around Fort Halifax in its many, many incarnations. Beginning as a French and Indian War garrison and trading post, the fort welcomed historic figures from Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr to Paul Revere and Chief Joseph Orono. Reduced to one small blockhouse in the 1800s, Fort Halifax hosted archaeologists, travelers, artists, politicians and students. The Flood of 1987 swept away the blockhouse, leaving the fort and its supporters to fight an uphill battle for reconstruction. Throughout varied iterations, uses, trials and tribulations, Fort Halifax has remained the symbol of a community. Join historian Daniel J. Tortora in this engaging narrative of Fort Halifax's fight for survival. Meet the famous visitors to the fort, the local residents who have cared for it and the figures who have kept its memory relevant and its future hopeful.

Founded in 1844, Laurel Hill Cemetery was one of the first to follow the rural cemetery movement that began with Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These park-like arboretums provided peaceful, natural places to bury and visit the deceased. Nearly everyone who played a significant role in local history, as well as numerous less well-known people who led typical but historically revealing lives, has a grave in the cemetery. Authors Leslie and Emory Rounds chronicle the history of the cemetery and the fascinating stories of those buried there.

These park-like arboretums provided peaceful, natural places to bury and visit the deceased. Nearly everyone who played a significant role in local history, as well as numerous less well-known people who led typical but historically revealing lives, has a grave in the cemetery. Authors Leslie and Emory Rounds chronicle the history of the cemetery and the fascinating stories of those buried there.

A window into the past of Historic Eastern Cemetery, illuminating centuries of Portland's history through the stories of those laid to rest.

Eastern Cemetery holds more than 350 years of Portland's rich history. From bank robbers and murdering mutineers to Quakers and war heroes, the lives of those interred offer a window into the past. Within the sacred burial ground rest settlers who struggled with the natives over resources, citizens who had to choose their allegiance to the king or independence and abolitionists fighting for the end of slavery. Author and cemetery guide Ron Romano tells the fascinating tale of this historic landscape, illuminating centuries of Portland's history through the stories of those laid to rest.

Wood Island Lighthouse is the fifth-oldest lighthouse in the state, and it has cast its beacon into the Gulf of Maine for more than two hundred years. Its myths and legends have passed through the generations as it set the scene for murders, suicides, shipwrecks, ghosts, heroism and even humorous events. The lighthouse keepers, their families and even their pets have helped shape a unique patchwork of history at this lonely outpost. Local historian and board member of the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse Richard Parsons reveals the fascinating human history behind this welcoming light.