Cape Porpoise had been informally settled for decades by 1653, under the King of England’s proprietorship of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. After Gorges died, the neighboring colony of Massachusetts Bay began imposing their jurisdiction ever northward. The towns of Kittery and York submitted to Massachusetts in 1651 but the commissioners, wary of continuing upon such a primitive road, temporarily returned from whence they came. They braved King’s Highway into Maine again two years later but were only able to get as far as Wells. Twelve Cape Porpoise men were persuaded to make the trip to Wells, take the Freeman’s Oath and sign the Act of Submission on July 5, 1653. The town of Cape Porpoise, later known as Arundel and eventually as Kennebunkport, was formally born.

The 300th Anniversary of the incorporation of Cape Porpoise as a proper Massachusetts town was celebrated in 1953 by folks some of you might remember. Fortunately, local photographers were around to capture some of the festivities. I recently scanned these colored slides that have been stored away in a box for at least half a century. Please speak up if you see anyone you know.

The weekend of July 4th, 1953, was especially festive. The handsome crew of the destroyer, USS Knapp, in town for the celebration gave tours of the destroyer on Friday. On Saturday afternoon, they marched in their sailor suits with the parade that ran down Maine St. to Green St., to Ocean Ave., to Ocean Bluff Square. On Sunday July, 5th, the town traveled old style to Wells to reenact the signing to the Submission to Massachusetts.