Located on the scenic Maine coast, Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site is one of New England’s earliest European settlements, rivaling that of Jamestown, Virginia. The site originally was used as a seasonal settlement, if not year-round, by Native Americans and later was colonized as a fishing station and then as a village in the early 17th Century.

Three forts were built at the site starting in 1677 and English soldiers were garrisoned there. This treasure trove of history, located on the Pemaquid peninsula, still exists today to educate visitors, through programs for young and old alike, about a time and a place so significant in the European development of the New World.

The Friends of Colonial Pemaquid are pleased to announce the summer 2016 calendar of events scheduled to take place at this historic site. Programming centers on the theme of Pemaquid’s Place in the Colonial World, using the site as a touchstone for further investigation into our collective past. Living history events and lectures throughout the summer will explore different aspects of Pemaquid’s “place,” from a bagpipe concert to a lecture highlighting the connection between Pemaquid and the Maine Frontier and the Salem Witch Trials.

Also scheduled are informative talks on the role of alcohol in local 18th Century communities and economies and the 1699 Treat of Mere Point (the end of King William’s War in Maine). Additional presentations during the summer will explore patriotism and the Declaration of Independence and the French and Indian Wars in Maine, as well as the archeology of Colonial shipbuilding along the Damariscotta River.

Guest lecturers will also consider early settlers and the old roads of Midcoast Maine and the mystery of the “Spanish Fort” at Pemaquid. To round out the calendar of events, there is a lively living history re-creation of the pirate Dixie Bull who attacked and sacked Pemaquid in 1632. The season will end with an outdoor concert of Celtic music by popular musical duo Castlebay.

Most living history events take place outdoors, and while there is no charge for these events, other than the customary state park fees if touring the museum and the fort. History lectures take place at the adjacent restaurant, Contented Sole, on Mondays at 7:30 p.m., with a $5 admission. The Friends of Colonial Pemaquid, the volunteer arm supporting the state historic site, works tirelessly to guarantee a slate of quality summer programs and welcomes fellow history lovers to join them in continuing this effort.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site offers a glimpse of English frontier settlement life in the New World during the 17th and 18th centuries. The park is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p..m from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Park personnel and interpreters are available to answer questions and to direct visitors to the site’s museum, historic structures and permanent exhibit entitled, “Guns, Politics and Furs” and a unique exhibit of coins found on the site.

Also on display since 2011 is a 380-year-old horsehide trunk that survived a 1635 shipwreck in Pemaquid Harbor, caused by one of the most terrific storms ever to occur along the Maine coast.

Reservations for school or group tours can be arranged with the park manager at 207-677-2423.

For directions, more information about individual events and about Colonial Pemaquid in general, please visit our website at www.friendsofcolonialpemaquid.org . You may also contact the park manager at 207-677-2423.