Book Club: The Real James Bond by Jim Wright

A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue, and Ian Fleming. James Bond: author, ornithologist, marksman, and . . . identity-theft victim? When James Bond published his landmark book, Birds of the West Indies, he had no idea it would set in motion events that would link him to the most iconic spy in the Western world and turn his life upside down. Born into a wealthy family but cut off in his early twenties, James Bond took off to the West Indies in search of adventure. Jim Wright is an author, blogger, freelance writer and birding columnist for The Record in northern New Jersey.

History Happy Hour is back! Gather over good eats and good times while learning more about the dark side of Bar Harbor.

On October 22 at 5 pm we will gather at Ledgelawn Cemetery for a free walking tour with Jennifer Pictou of Bar Harbor Ghost Tours then gather at Atlantic-Midtown for a brief trivia game over dinner and drinks.

Chebacco Author program: Join us Tuesday, September 24th at 5:30 p.m. for the virtual program "Learning from LaRue Spiker" with Jenna Jandreau. This online program is a collaboration between the MDI Historical Society and the Southwest Harbor Public Library. Jenna Jandreau, author of the article “Learning from LaRue” published in the 2024 edition of Cbebacco, will talk about LaRue’s prolific writing and photography in the area, and the impact both her creativity and conscience had on the people and places of Mount Desert Island. Follow the link for more information and to register.

Join us on Friday, September 20th Noon-1:30 pm at the Bar Harbor Oceanarium for a brown bag lunch and tour of the sea level rise trail during the king tide.

Affordable and available housing has reached a crisis on MDI and difficult conversations are taking place in every community about possible solutions. How did we get here?

Join us on Thursday, September 19 at 5:30 p.m. for "A History of Housing with Thoughts for the Future" with speakers Raney Bench from the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, and Susanne Paul and Noel Musson with the Housing Solutions Initiative. The program is offered in person. Register at: https://forms.gle/r53GMmhsAqsKpiM98

Join author and historian Mac Smith for a discussion and signing of his latest book “Plain Madeleine: Mrs. John Jacob Astor in Bar Harbor” documenting Madeleine Astor’s life and the Astor presence in Bar Harbor,  putting her story in the context of Bar Harbor's Golden Age. Follow the link for more information and to register.

Join us on August 28 at 5:30 pm for a discussion with University of Maine lecturer and MDI Historical Society Collections Manager Patrick Callaway about his 2024 Chebacco article 'The Mount Desert Island Committee for Peace, 1962-1966.’ Follow the link for more information and to register.

Mount Desert Island’s shipbuilders, sea captains, and sailors hold a special place in our collective memory. Hardworking and self-reliant, these men (and occasionally their wives) created a living from the sea. But historical records also show that trading Maine-made products like salt cod and barrel staves for rum, sugar, and molasses brought MDI seafarers into economic partnership with the slave-holding plantations of the West Indies. The cruelty and injustice of the slavery-based Caribbean colonies was in sharp contrast to the determined independence we assign to the celebrated New England mariners. Drawing on historical collections from Mount Desert Island, archival newspapers, and first-person accounts of enslavement and resistance in the West Indies, we will explore the MDI-Caribbean trade during the early nineteenth century. Follow the link for more information and to register.

Join Ella Kotsen for a discussion of her research and inspiration for her 2024 Chebacco article Ruth Moore’s Microcosm: Narratives that Deconstruct Notions of Inside and Outside. The program is free and will be offered in-person and via Zoom. Follow the link for more information and to register.

The Tracy party, as it was known, is often cited as the first summer visitors to the island. Charles Tracy’s diary – what he called his Log Book – recounts the visit in wonderful detail. John Taylor will discuss the Log Book and its history of publication including the 1997 edition, edited by Anne Mazlish, and a new forthcoming edition.

Follow the link for more information and to register

Chebacco article-based program with Raney Bench, Susanne Paul, and Noel Musson

Affordable and available housing has reached a crisis on MDI and difficult conversations are taking place in every community about possible solutions. How did we get here? Follow the link for more information and to register.

The 2024 issue of Chebacco explores how summer and year-round residents have changed Mount Desert Island through initiatives that broaden and enhance living and visiting here. The Wild Gardens of Acadia, located at Sieur de Monts Springs, is one such initiative. In her Chebacco article, Anne Kozak, a volunteer since 1972, recounts the history of the Gardens. Follow the link to learn more and register.

Join Carl Little on Wednesday, June 12 at 5:30 pm for a slide talk based on his 2024 Chebacco essay, Mary Cabot Wheelwright’s ‘Journey Towards Understanding.’ The program will be offered in person and via Zoom. Follow the link for more information and to register.

Chebacco Author Program with Mollie Cashwell. In 1915 Albert Eugene Gallatin, trailblazing critic, collector, and curator of modern art, launched an influential, four-year stretch of art display at the Jesup Memorial Library. The “Print Room at Bar Harbor,” was the only art collection open to the public on Mount Desert Island.

Join Mollie Cashwell, co-director of the Cultural Alliance of Maine and board member of the MDI Historical Society and Jesup Memorial Library for a talk about the Jesup Memorial Library's Print Room and her research while writing her article for the history journal Chebacco. Follow the link for more information and to register.

Online-only Zoom event. Part of the on-going "Landscape of Change" collaboration, join speakers Raney Bench, Catherine Schmitt, and others to share your observations of sea level rise and its impacts, and learn how to get involved.

A collaborative effort to document and understand sea level rise on MDI continues with new partners and new initiatives, as the island contends with the significant damage to coastal ecosystems and properties seen this winter. Click to register and learn more.

In observance of Earth Day and Earth Day month, Green Ellsworth, the Ellsworth Historical Society and the Ellsworth Public Library will present a program entitled Landscape of Change. On April 29 (7:00PM) in the Riverview Room of the Ellsworth Public Library (20 State Street), Raney Bench, Executive Director of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, will provide an illustrated talk on this ongoing project which is operating at the intersection of history, science, and the imagination. Click for more information.

The local history of the American Revolution and the War of 1812 is shrouded in mystery for many audiences. On the island, we may be familiar with the Margaretta incident in Machias, or the Penobscot Expedition of 1779 during the revolution, or perhaps the War of 1812 through the story of the Tenedos raid of 1814. However, these seemingly isolated moments conceal a longer and more detailed plan for downeast Maine that envisioned the creation of a new royal colony under British rule. Examining how British authorities saw the region and interacted with Mainers in peace and war reveals a different picture of the past when we view local history through British eyes. Register for this event.

Join us at 6:30 on Wednesday, April 10 at the Northeast Harbor Library for a discussion asking new leaders on MDI to share their vision for the future and thoughts on how we can come together as an island in the face of growing challenges.

EVENT SOLD OUT

Join the MDI Historical Society and Brent Richardson for “Tales of Lightning” an evening of storytelling from 20th century Mount Desert Island, a time when horse and buggy travel was still commonplace and dairy farms dotted the island.

Are you reliant on the sea for your livelihood or recreation? Our goal is to foster casual conversation among the island's west-side fishing community and those businesses that rely on it, supporting your connection to each other, the waterfront, and our shared history.

Are you a master of historical trivia, a fan of fantastic island stories, or a novice know-it-all? Join us at 5:30pm on Thursday, February 29 at Jack Russell’s Steakhouse & Brewery for the MDI Historical Society’s History Happy Hour with special guests from the Bar Harbor Historical Society.

Join us on February 26 at 6pm to discuss Murder with an Ocean View: A Robin's Nest Mystery by Rob Lawton.

Robert and Robin Lawton are a husband and wife team who publish under the pseudonym, Rob Lawton. They live on Mount Desert Island, where they plot murders daily. The product of their combined imagination has manifested itself in the form of plays, mystery weekends, novels, novellas, and short stories.

To join or receive updates about Book Club, please email Raney at raney@mdihistory.org

Maine is known for bad weather. Explore the impacts of some of our worst weather and learn more about how climate change is accelerating storm severity and sea level rise. Bring your curiousity!

Offered via Zoom and in-person at MDI High School Fee: $10 REGISTER HERE

Join historian Raney Bench to discuss the rise and fall of the Ku Klux Klan in Maine during the 1920s.

Offered via Zoom and in-person at MDI High School

Fee: $10

REGISTER HERE

Join us at MDI High School for the first in-person Bean Supper since 2020! The 13th Annual Baked Bean Supper is a beloved community gathering featuring dozens of volunteer cooks and their varieties of beans, pies, and all the fixings. The supper is followed by a concert and dance hosted by the Bagaduce Northern New England Ensemble. $10/adults. $5/children