I’m working on a series of lectures about the history of Kennebunkport. Even though each is about a different part of town I find the research overlapping in interesting ways. The names of some people who lived here before the Europeans temporarily abandoned Cape Porpus in 1689 are still in frequent use today.

Turbat’s Creek and Batson River were named after Peter Turbat and Stephen Batson. They were both among the 12 Cape Porpus men who submitted to Massachusetts on July 5, 1653. The first town records were lost at abandonment, but we still have access to early deeds and court records. We know where they lived, who they loved, and the kind of trouble they got into with the law. Luckily for us, the earliest European settlers were a litigious bunch.

Peter Turbat and his son John owned land that bordered the creek that adopted their name, of course. Peter was the first European known to have owned the 200-acre lot in 1647 including Walker’s Point and Kennebunk Point that today is called Cape Arundel. Peter, his father in-law John Saunders, and his brother in-law John Bush also bought a tract of land (now Lyman) from Sosowen, Indigenous Sagamore of Cape Porpus. That deed was later confirmed by Sosowen’s son Fluellen.

Stephen Batson, for whom Batson River is named, lived in Saco in 1637. He was living at Drake’s Island in Wells by 1641. Batson witnessed the Wadleigh Indian Deed to Wells in October 1649. John Wadleigh obtained a quitclaim from sagamore Thomas Chabinocke and his mother, Ramanascho, of all the territory within the bounds of Thomas Gorges’ grant to Wheelwright and others.

In 1662, Stephen Batson sold 300 acres of land to Peter Oliver. The lot along what we now call the Batson River was bounded “as far westerly as the logg house formerly built and now standing there.” This is said to be the first mention of a log house in New England deeds.

The deed from Batson to Oliver also included a house, a stage, and 2 boat rooms all “upon Stage Island.” Historian Charles Bradbury identified Stage Island as the part of town first occupied by European fishermen before 1630.

Hope to see you in person at one of my slideshows this year.