My sister Anni Black comments on the last column, "I remember eating pollock at home a lot, no idea how mom prepared it! I
do remember some considered it not human food!!"
Yes, I remember that, too. It was known as "harbor pollock," and I suppose even in those pure and pristine days of the
remote past, it was susceptible to the effects of pollution. But it was caught, sold, and eaten, and here we all are, as
hale as can be expected, all things considered!
Long ago last year I asked, What is the significance of the date December 22, 1807? That was the date of Jefferson's super
Embargo, when all coastal U.S. shipping was prohibited from venturing out of harbor. It was, understandably, a most
unpopular measure, and set back mercantile progress of the new republic seriously. Wiscasset was heavily hit by its effects
and never really regained its former prominence, although it was dispatching clipper ships through the 1830s.
So here is your next quiz question: What local animal gave Jefferson's embargo its colorfully negative nickname, and why was
it appropriate?
All this to announce my Big News Story: The Fort Edgecomb Bicentennial will be celebrated in 2009, not 2008. This is
because the construction was finished in 1809! We might as well celebrate a whole and entire building. This will give us
all a lot more time for planning and fundraising.
So, gather around, everyone interested in this celebration! The following plans are in the works, and need manpower:
- The First Maine Wine and Cheese Tasting cum Arts and Crafts Fair, tentatively scheduled for late May, either the
weekend of the 24th or the 31st. Becky Benton ( becky@redravenco.com;
882-7157) and Susie Stephenson ( susies@gwi.net, 633-2907) are gathering auction
items from the creative community, so please get in touch with them if you wish to donate an example of your work,
or participate as a volunteer. I am tracking down the many wonderful cheesemakers of Maine, and a growing number of
winemakers, including a couple who specialize in mead! It is high time Maine's entry into the American wine industry
is highlighted! Volunteers on this front will be greeted with cries of joy! My contact data is at the bottom of
this column.
- Bicentennial Day: The weekend of June 17 and 18, 2009, at the Fort Edgecomb State Historic Site on Davis Island.
Please contact me if you are interested in developing menus of Federal Era foods or organizing light entertainments
to embellish the day! We need serious help in designing this celebratory day, so if you are good at shoving people
around in efficient, effective ways, please climb on board!
- Small Ships Event: Anyone with sail or motorboat, who would like to show it off and at the same time salute Fort
Edgecomb, is welcome! We invite the many boatbuilders, large and small, along the Sheepscot River to participate in
this big boat parade! Needed most urgently are volunteers with expertise on navigation of that part of the river vis
a vis a sight of Fort Edgecomb, tides, currents, etc.
- Lecture series: This aspect of the Bicentennial, sponsored by the Edgecomb Historical Society, does not depend on
timing; the series will start in 2008 and go through 2009, with the possibility of additions annually thereafter. We
have a growing line-up of historians and folklorists who will address various facets of living in the Greater
Edgecomb Region in the post-Revolutionary and Federal eras, 1780s to 1820. Maritime historian Josh Smith is planning
a publication of these works.
- Historic Garden: Becky Benton is planning a border of flowers and herbs popular in the Federal Era, to put in place
on the Fort Edgecomb grounds, possibly as a container garden which can be removed when the site is closed for the
winter, and replaced in the spring. Please get in touch with her at the contact info given above, if you are
interested in helping out with this.
See? History can be fun! Looking forward to hearing from you all at 234 River Road, 633-2978, jocam@midcoast.com. This column appears in several local papers, and at
www.Edgecomb.org.
