KHS News

Sculptor, Artist, Shipwright, and community friend, Frank Handlen is turning 105 years old at the end of September and the Kennebunkport Historical Society is honoring his commitment to our community with a lecture followed by an open house reception and fundraising auction at the Townhouse School. On Friday, October 1, 2021, former Society President and long-time stakeholder, Peter Whalen, will honor Frank Handlen with a lecture about his life, his work, and his long-time commitment to the Kennebunkport community. The Society will flank the schoolhouse with its collection of Frank Handlen original pieces as an exhibit. Frank has generously offered...

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Dear Kennebunkport Historical Society Members, Please mark your calendars for the Society’s Annual meeting 2021: Wednesday, October 6, 2021 135 North St. Kennebunkport, ME 04046 6:00 PM All participants must wear a mask regardless of vaccination status. A postcard invitation has been mailed to all up-to-date members. Our email list includes members whose memberships may have lapsed. If you are wondering if your membership is up to date, please give us a call at the office. We are in the process of switching over database systems and want to make certain that our records are pristine so kindly let us...

Dear Kennebunkport Historical Society Members, It is with humility, gratitude, and excitement that I join the team at the Kennebunkport Historical Society. I appreciate how many of you welcomed me. I look forward to stewarding the mission of preserving Kennebunkport’s history and begin by asking for your support. This year has been challenging for so many, and nonprofits are no exception. The Kennebunkport Historical Society ceased operations, fundraising events were canceled, and the newly renovated schoolhouse was never utilized for private functions, live music, and lectures. Through these troubled times, our team pressed on. It is with gratitude to so...

The Kennebunkport Historical Society is pleased to announce an intergenerational video project designed to capture the oral history of Kennebunkport by interviewing its oldest citizens. “We are so excited about this project and all of its possibilities,” shared Kristin Haight, executive director, “by collecting oral histories and connecting with Kennebunkport’s elders, we will be able to deepen our understanding of recent history and create valuable first-hand stories and images for future generations.” The project will launch in September 2021 with the call for citizens over 100 years old. Frank Handlen, for example, a beloved Kennebunkport artist, sculptor, and community friend...

Kennebunkport Historical Society Selects New Executive Director   For immediate release, the Board of Directors of the Kennebunkport Historical Society have selected their new Executive Director to lead the day to day and operational activities for the society.  Kristin Lewis Haight, a local Kennebunk resident, bringing 30 years professional experience, has accepted the challenge. Haight is very familiar with Southern Maine. Originally from Massachusetts, spent her summers as child in Ogunquit, raised her children in York, and today is happy to call Kennebunk her home. Her experience and accomplishments over the years include co-ownership of the award-winning Clay Hill Farm restaurant in...

A Message from the Board of Directors, Kennebunkport Historical Society: July 13, 2021 Dear Members, We are aware that a group of members is planning to meet tonight and wanted to provide you with updated information to alleviate any pressing concern. The e mail sent to Membership on June 29 was intended to share our decision making process, which we took very seriously. We felt it was a sound business decision while keeping the stewardship of the Society top of mind. This includes 1) to protect and honor the mission of the Society to preserve Kennebunkport’s social, cultural, and architectural...

At the May 2021, monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Kennebunkport Historical Society, a motion was put forward to sell the Pasco Center, the administrative headquarters of the Historical Society.  The motion to sell Pasco Center was predicated upon a year-long study and discussion by the Directors to determine whether it was in the long-range, financial best interest of the Society to own the number of buildings it currently maintains.  The motion was based solidly upon unanimous agreement among the Directors that it would be in the long-range, financial best interest of the Society, especially in this challenging, post-pandemic...

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (April 29, 2020) – The Corning Incorporated Foundation has made an Employee Vibrant Community Grant of $1,000 to the Kennebunkport Historical Society. Arundel resident Denise Stevens, who works at Corning as a cell culture lab technician, has volunteered for the Society since 2014. Stevens applied for the one-time grant in January. “It would be impossible for the Kennebunkport Historical Society to deliver its programs and services without the support of our loyal volunteers, members and donors,” said Executive Administrator Kirsten Camp. “This grant from the Corning Foundation has come at a particularly critical time, as the economic impacts...

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (April 14, 2020) – The Pandemic of 2020 will go down in the annuls of history as a time when people’s lives were upended and forever changed. The Kennebunkport Historical Society is creating a record of how our local communities coped with the crisis, by collecting stories of what everyday people are doing in response. “History is more than just dates and facts,” said Kennebunkport Historical Society Executive Administrator Kirsten Camp. “What makes it fascinating are the personal stories that help to paint a picture of daily life and bring the past alive. They are a critically important...