Transcribing Peter E. Vose
2025-09-30 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Lincoln Memorial Public Library, 17 King Street, Dennysville, ME, 04628, United States
Note: Scroll to the end for the Zoom link to this meeting
On Tuesday, September 30, at 6:30 p.m. the Dennys River Historical Society will present the story of the community as seen through the eyes of a local nineteenth century teacher, storekeeper, selectman, magistrate, deacon and family man.
For forty-six years, Dennysville resident Peter E. Vose wrote nearly every day in his diary. He was a careful observer of life in Washington County, Maine and commented on local, state, national and international events and personalities. Starting in 1853, Vose filled three volumes totaling more than 1,500 pages. At an average of 500 words per page, the Dennysville selectman and Congregational Church deacon penned some three-quarters of a million words.
The Dennys River Historical Society (DRHS) has made a digital copy of the page-images of the diary. The images are in digital format, but they are not digitized, meaning they cannot be searched by names or keywords using a computer. What is needed to make the diaries truly searchable is a transcription of what Vose wrote by hand transcribed into a computer document. The task of transcribing 1,500 pages of difficult-to-read handwriting is daunting. As an experiment, DRHS member James Oberly has applied a machine-learning/artificial intelligence computer program to transcribe the images of Vose’s sometimes blurry handwriting into a text document. Oberly will share what he learned about using artificial intelligence as a tool for the DRHS and other local historical societies in Maine, as well as what he learned by searching Vose’s diaries for insights into Dennysville and Washington County history.
ZOOM LINK:
https://networkmaine.zoom.us/j/88944550352

A Chance to View The Great "She"Bible
2025-10-28 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | Lincoln Memorial Public Library, 17 King Street, Dennysville, ME, 04628, United States
Most people have heard of the King James Bible, but how many have actually seen an original copy? Translated by a team of seventy scholars from Oxford, Cambridge and Westminster in England under the authority of the newly crowned King James I, this famous edition became the standard Bible for the English-speaking world for nearly four hundred years.
On Tuesday, October 28, at 6:30 p.m., a full-sized original printed edition will be on display during a presentation by the Dennys River Historical Society at the Lincoln Memorial Public Library in Dennysville. Source of many common phrases like “an eye for an eye”, “by the skin of our teeth”, “a thorn in the flesh”, “let there be light,” the story of how this book came to be published in 1611 will be the subject of the evening’s program.
One of about 250 complete copies still extant today, this issue of the first edition is known as “the Great She Bible” because of a misprint on a page of the Old Testament. Acquired by Pembroke resident Sidney Bahrt, it was originally placed at the Moulton Library of the Bangor Theological Seminary, to be available to anyone from Washington County who wanted to see it. When the seminary moved to Portland, Maine, Mr. Bahrt turned to the Washington County Association of Congregational Churches with help of the Dennys River Historical Society to become the custodians of this bibliographical treasure.
The general public is welcome to attend this free program to see this King James Bible for themselves.

Annual Show & Tell Event, Feb. 24, 2026, 6 PM
2026-02-24 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Lincoln House Woodshed, 49 Main Street (Route 86), Dennysville, Maine, 04628
The annual DRHS Show and Tell event has come around once more. Hope to see you at what is always a fun meeting. Learn the story of these cannonballs and more

Film NIght: Episode 2 of Ken Burns' American Revolution
2026-03-31 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Lincoln Memorial Public Library, 17 King Street, Dennysville, ME, 04628, United States
Join us for Episode 2 of Ken Burns’
epic story of the American Revolution
“An Asylum for Mankind “
This episode refers to the Battle of Machias (also known as the Battle of the Margaretta) in June of 1775, although the town is mentioned only in passingd only in passing in the show. Inspired by the resistance at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, a few dozen Sons of Liberty, lumbermen and fishermen of the area, captured the British cutter Margaretta, which was escorting British ships into Machias Bay. Armed primarily with pitchforks and axes, and helped by the seeming incompetence of the British sailors, the patriots’ efforts represented the first naval battle of the American Revolution.

The American Revolution Down East
2026-04-28 18:00 - 19:30 UTC | Lincoln Memorial Public Library, 17 King Street, Dennysville, ME, 04628, United States
Join us for a discussion of the events leading up to the first naval battle of the Revolution near Machias in 1775, and the aftermath. Learn how a handful of patriots took matters into their own hands, the fateful raid on Fort Cumberland, and leadership of Colonel John Allan and his Passamaquoddy allies when the British returned in 1777 seeking revenge.

Wabanaki Petroglyphs
2026-06-30 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Lincoln Memorial Public Library, 17 King Street, Dennysville, ME, 04628, United States
Did you know that the Downeast area has one of the richest and oldest concentrations of petroglyphs—a form of rock art—in New England? Over three thousand years ago Wabanaki ancestors carved hundreds of animals and human figures, called anthropomorphs, on rock faces around the Cobscook and Machias Bay region. These pictographs were created by pecking out designs with a chiseling stone into softer rock surface and have endured to this day.
On Tuesday, June 30, Passamaquoddy tribal historian Donald Soctomah will present the story of these petroglyphs in a public program at the Lincoln Memorial Library in Dennysville at 6 p.m. An expert on Passamaquoddy history, he is uniquely qualified to share the story of this ancient art form and historical record-keeping. Soctomah runs the Wabanaki Heritage Center and Museum in Indian Township, where he developed a stunning collection of Passamaquoddy tribal artifacts and displays.
This program, sponsored by the Dennys River Historical Society, is one of series on the early history of the area, and is free to the public. Participants can expect to see these unique images in remarkable reproduction. Refreshments will be served.
Call 207-726-3905 for more information about this exciting event. Hope to see you there!
Tribal Historian Donald Soctomah and DRHS President Ron Windhorst at the Wabanki Cultural Center, Indian Township, ME

Summer Outing: Guided Tour of the Ruggles House
2026-07-15 10:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | Lincoln Memorial Public Library, 17 King Street, Dennysville, ME, 04628, United States
Join us for a tour of the Ruggles House in Columbia Falls on Wednesday morning, July 15. We will leave from the Lincoln Memorial Library parking lot in Dennysville at 10 o’clock, for a guided tour of this finely featured historic house, built in 1818, by Judge Thomas Ruggles and his wife Ruth Clapp Ruggles.
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One of the finest examples of Federal architecture in Eastern Maine, the house features a wonderful flying staircase, a handsome Palladian window, and many original furnishings. Admission is five dollars per person. We plan to stop for lunch in Machias at West Branch Farms on the return trip to Dennysville.

You can learn more about the house and museum at www.ruggleshouse.org, or call the Dennys River Historical Society at (207) 726-3905 for details. Please plan to arrive early at the Dennysville library parking lot so we can leave at 10 a.m sharp for our 11 a.m. guided tour.

We hope you will be able to join us!
