Throwback Thursday

In 1824, a new Meetinghouse was built overlooking the Kennebunk River to accommodate the growing population in Kennebunkport village. It was open with tall box pews, a two-story pulpit, wide galleries or balconies on three sides, with the organ and choir in the rear. The tower clock, which came to be known as the town clock, was made in Boston by Aaron Willard Jr. and was a gift from Eliphalet Perkins, Joseph Perkins, and Simon Nowell. A new congregation was formed in 1838 and the Meetinghouse was renamed South Congregational Church. By 1843, due to a severe drop in membership,...

The new owners are doing a beautiful job with the Nowell/Clark House. It was built in 1854 for George W. Nowell. His estate sold the house to Shipbuilder David Clark in 1873. The Kennebunkport Historical Society has the spyglass that Queen Victoria awarded to Captain Nowell for his humanity to her subjects.

More from the Cecil Benson Collection. At the present location of Alisson’s bar room, there used to be a single story building known at various times as Union Store, Palmer Twambly’s Store, Benson’s, Miracle Market, Smith’s Market Dock Square Market, etc. The little building originally housed an academy that stood on Elm St. It was moved to Dock Square around 1850 and was the only building on that side of Dock Square to survive the 1877 Fire. Cecil Benson writes, “This is the restaurant that Dad [Cecil Benson, Sr.] and the family ran during the summer from 6 AM till...

Beginnings A toll drawbridge bridge was first built here by subscription in 1810 to accommodate growing Kennebunk River shipping and shipbuilding industries. The drawbridge was made free in 1831 when the dirt path that extended from either side of it was designated a County Road. Since then, damaging storms have occasionally necessitated repairs, but most of the major bridge rebuilding projects there have enjoyed the benefit of advance warning. During one freshet on March 1, 1896, the old wooden drawbridge unexpectedly collapsed with a reverberating crash when huge chunks of ice rushing downriver on a violent ebb tide cut through...