HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2 STATE HOUSE STATION AUGUSTA , MAINE 04333-0002 ( 207 ) 287-1400 TTY : ( 207 ) 287-4469
Sarah Pebworth PO Box 347 Blue Hill , ME 04614 Cell Phone : ( 207 ) 479-4741 Sarah . Pebworth @ legislature . maine . gov
May 24 , 2021 I am writing to illustrate my strong support of the designation of a DownEast Acadia National Heritage Area for Hancock and Washington Counties .
I came to appreciate the heritage of DownEast Maine through my purchase of a small business in 2007 — an 1830s inn in the historic district of Blue Hill . With the help of the local historical society , I was able to trace the history of the inn and see her place in the community , filling a binder of details , photographs , and stories to share with guests . Inn bookshelves featured local authors such as Mary Ellen Chase and E . B . White and about local authors such as the first minister , renaissance man Jonathan Fisher , and early businesses such as Rowantrees Pottery .
Looking to increase the autumn “ shoulder ” season of our tourist activity and celebrate the history and future of our writers , I helped start a literary arts festival , Word ( wordfestival . org ). This October , in a covid-delayed Maine bicentennial event , Word hosts a community theater production of a commissioned work based on Mary Ellen Chase ’ s life . This year ’ s festival also includes Maine ’ s poet laureate and a member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe .
A community group of boat builders , historians , and singers have created the Blue Hill Maritime History Festival ( bhmhf . org ), which takes place on the town dock , with boat building demonstrations , traditional boats on display , and boat rides . Historians in period clothing and musicians offering sea shanties and fiddle tunes add to the atmosphere . This all takes place on a working waterfront , graced by " The Window of the Sea Wind " sculpture by Hitoshi Tanaka , one of 34 outdoor exhibits of the Maine Sculpture Trail ( schoodicsculpture . org ). The Shaw Institute ( shawinstitute . org ) participates with scientific research of Blue Hill Bay . The Historical Society ’ s Holt House offers an exhibit on lives of sea captains and Blue Hill Public Library supplies historic films and lectures on local maritime history . This festival is truly a collaborative celebration of DownEast Maine .
For me as a state representative , one of the most exciting developments is the restoration of our alewife fishery . Brooksville , Sedgwick , and Penobscot , in collaboration with Maine Coast Heritage Trust and the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries ( coastalfisheries . org ) among others , are improving the fishways in and the health of the Bagaduce River watershed . Alewives are an important food source for freshwater and marine life — including as bait for lobster and halibut — but numerous areas of their spawning routes had been destroyed over the years by mills and culverts and their numbers were depleted . Last year , the third of five projects , located on Walker Pond , at the former location of a mill at the head of the Bagaduce River , was completed . The groups involved restored the fishway that runs around the dam , created public access and education , stabilized the dam , and added a hydrant for the Brooksville and Sedgwick fire departments . These efforts are highlighting a heritage fishery with economic implications , improving the ecosystem of the whole area , and offering citizen scientists a chance to support the restoration efforts of a species that has been in Maine waters for thousands of years .
Efforts such as these — just the tip of the iceberg with which I have personal experience in the last few years — show that this area is ripe for a National Heritage Area designation .
If I can be of any further assistance , please let me know .
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2 STATE HOUSE STATION AUGUSTA , MAINE 04333-0002 ( 207 ) 287-1400 TTY : ( 207 ) 287-4469
218 District 133 : Blue Hill , Brooklin , Brooksville , Castine , Sedgwick , and Surry