Waterville Public Library

The Taconnett Falls Chapter of the Maine Genealogical Society, the Waterville Historical Society/Redington Museum, the Waterville Public Library, and the Winslow Public Library declare that the history of Waterville and Winslow is interesting, compelling, and worthy of your attention. 

These organizations invite every individual to join them in celebrating and sharing the history of our communities in a three (3) day community history festival.  

Ticonic Tales of the Colonial Era: 1700-1800 will be held on Friday, September 19 to Sunday, September 21, 2014. This festival will offer community members of all ages opportunities to learn more about how and why the communities of Waterville and Winslow began along the Messalonskee Stream, the Sebasticook River, and the Kennebec River. 

 Highlights of Ticonic Tales of the Colonial Era: 1700-1800 include “William Shirley: The Man, the Politician, and the Military Strategist,” a lecture by Patricia Violette, Executive Director of the Shirley-Eustis House Museum and Carriage House Learning Center (Boston, MA). Violette, a former Curator and Interim Executive Director of Fort Western (Augusta, ME), will discuss stories from the life and career of William Shirley, Royal Governor in the mid-1700s, when the English sought to expunge the French and Indians from Massachusetts and the Province of Maine from 1731 to 1756. Shirley’s personal motivation for erecting Fort Western and Fort Halifax, both built in 1754, will be examined in detail.  

An Open House with free docent-led tours will be held at the Redington Museum, located at 62 Silver Street in Waterville.  2014 marks the 200^th anniversary of the Museum’s building, which is owned and maintained by the Waterville Historical Society.  The historic structure was built by Revolutionary War veteran Asa Redington .  Redington, who served as a member of General Washington’s elite personal Honor Guard, built the first dam at Ticonic Falls on the Kennebec River, harnessing the power of the water and making possible the mills and shipyards that enabled Waterville and Winslow to prosper and grow. 

Other activities and programs of Ticonic Tales of the Colonial Era: 1700-1800 include a question and answer session about proposed Fort Halifax Park improvements and enhancements, special exhibits and displays at the Waterville and Winslow Public Libraries, a lecture on Fort Halifax by Professor Dan Tortora (Colby College), an Open House at the Taconnet Falls Genealogy Library, a presentation by Stan Mathieu on the rebuilding of Fort Halifax following the 1987 flood, and a guided walk of the Revolutionary War veterans’ tombstones in Pine Grove Cemetery, including a monument to Asa Redington.

All events are open to the public and free, unless otherwise indicated. 

A full listing of events can be found at www.facebook.com/ticonictales.

For more information, please contact Meta Vigue, Librarian, Waterville History Project @ the Waterville Public Library, mvigue@watervillelibrary.org or 872-5433.