Over 130 years of preservation and study of
Kennebec County history (1891-Present)
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KHS June 2023 Program:
"Escape from Bunker Hill"
By Dale Potter-Clark

Dale Potter-Clark’s new historical novel, Escape from Bunker Hill, tells a
story about a native Maine couple who move to Jacksonville, FL to help slaves escape north. Four of the refugees pass through Portland, Hallowell, Manchester, Winthrop and Readfield among other towns and cities along 1,500 miles of the eastern seaboard.  “Although the main characters Dr. Joseph and Myra Mitchell existed, their tale comes from my imagination,” Potter-Clark related. “I was inspired when researching their ‘real’ home in Readfield and evidence led me to suspect they’d been involved in the Underground Railroad.
It is challenging to find proof that most anyone was involved in the secretive
and dangerous movement so I did not find confirmation that Mitchells were – even after speaking to some of their descendants – but their story would not leave my head and this novel is the result.” Potter-Clark further explains that a thirty-five page appendix, with pictures, provides information about the real Mitchells plus actual abolitionists, events, places, publications and organizations she included in the novel.

KHS presenter, Dale Potter-Clark, is a retired nurse who currently spends her days (and sometimes nights) doing genealogical and historical research. She is
a born “Mainah” who has loved this State’s history for as long as she can remember. Her family has lived in Readfield for ten consecutive generations, where her mother is town historian and whet Dale’s appetite at a young age to learn more about her roots. Dale started coordinating Readfield History Walks
in 2012 and she has written articles for area newspapers and Discover Maine Magazine as well as several books, monographs and web sites pertaining to Readfield’s history. Dale is a founding member of Readfield Historical Society and currently sits on the board of directors. Her four books include: The Founders and Evolution of Summer Resorts and Kids’ Camps on Four Lakes
in Central Maine, co-authored with Charles Day, Jr.; The Paupers and the
Poor Farms in Readfield, Maine 1791-2018; Brief Biographies c 1900 pertaining to some residents of Readfield; and Escape from Bunker Hill.

The Kennebec Historical Society’s June presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted) and will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday,
June 21, 2023, at the Augusta City Center, located at 16 Cony Street in
Augusta. If you have any questions about the program, please call
Scott Wood, executive director, at 622-7718.
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July 2023
The Maine State Library & the
Kennebec Historical Society Presents

Up For Grabs:
Timber Pirates, Lumber Barons, and the
Battles over Maine’s Public Lands

KHS and Maine State Library speaker, Thomas Urquhart, was born in
London, England, brought up in New York City, and received his secondary education in London. He has an M.A. in Geography from Oxford University.
As well as his trans-Atlantic background, his career has been similarly split between the arts and wildlife conservation. After nine years working for performing arts organizations (two symphony orchestras and a theater company), he worked at the Massachusetts Audubon Society and Birdlife International in Cambridge, England. In 1988, he became the executive director of the Maine Audubon Society, and he has lived in Maine ever since.

His most recent book, Up For Grabs, was published by Downeast Books in 2021. Subtitled Timber Pirates, Lumber Barons, and the Battles over Maine’s Public Lands, the book relates the long and twisted history of how, beginning under colonial and then Massachusetts rule, Maine sold or gave away its 20 million-acre public domain; and how it succeeded in clawing back 600,000
acres, which today make up the state’s much-loved Public Reserve Lands.

Throughout his career, Mr. Urquhart has written for numerous publications in Europe and America on environmental, wildlife and cultural topics. He is a frequent reviewer of books for the Maine Sunday Telegram. He has also consulted internationally, for the World Wildlife Fund (Geneva) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris). He has traveled extensively including most of the European countries; Mali, Botswana, and Nigeria in Africa; Peru and French Guyana in South America; and various islands. A father of three, he and his wife, children’s author Amy MacDonald, divide their time between Vinalhaven and Portland.

The Maine State Library and the Kennebec Historical Society’s July
presentation is free to the public (donations gladly accepted) and will take
place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, 2023, at the Maine State Library's temporary location, 242 State Street in Augusta. If you have any questions
about the program, please call Scott Wood, KHS executive director,
at 622-7718.
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