– Events –
In 2026, you're invited...
Members are admitted free to events at the Museum (excluding KAE courses). Members are also welcome to attend all monthly Trustee meetings (usually the fourth Tuesday evening of the month). These occur year-round. Please contact us for time and place of the next meeting. To become a Member, click here.
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A Winter Lecture Series
Last Thursdays — January thru April — 7:00 pm
— at Kittery Community Center (Star Theatre) -
"History Talks" is an annual series of four lectures featuring expert speakers, who share the stories of local people, places, and times in Maine's oldest town.
See dates and details below.
Location: Kittery Community Center (120 Rogers Road in Kittery, Maine).
Admission: Members of the Kittery Historical & Naval Society = FREE. Non-members = suggested donation of $5.
So... become a member today and attend the lectures for free!
Thanks to our program sponsors: Kennebunk Savings Bank and The Fabulous Find.
The Kittery Historical and Naval Society is pleased to offer these talks during our off-season. Also watch for our museum opening, later in the Spring!
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"The Forgotten Kittery & Portsmouth paintings of Fitz Henry Lane"
Thursday, January 29 — 7:00 pm
— at Kittery Community Center (Star Theatre) -
The work of 19th century American maritime artist Fitz Henry Lane (1804–1865) is known throughout the world. His career took him from the cold waters of Penobscot Bay to the sunny climes of Puerto Rico in a quest to capture bustling harbors and ships with unerring fidelity. But long overlooked were his ventures to the Kittery/Portsmouth waterfronts... until now. Join us as Lane scholar and biographer James A. Craig reveals Lane's forgotten masterpieces depicting our local waters.
James A. Craig is the author of "Fitz H. Lane: An Artist's Voyage through Nineteenth-Century America" – a book that changed the way many viewed paintings by this world famous painter. Mr. Craig's books have been featured in the New York Times, The Boston Globe, and on PBS. He has written about Kittery artists John Haley Bellamy ("American Eagle: The Bold Art and Brash Life of John Haley Bellamy") and George Savary Wasson. In addition to writing and research, Mr. Craig has served as Curator at the Cape Ann Historical Museum, Director of the Albacore Park Museum, and Director of the Rockport Art Association and Museum. He lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
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"The Lady Pepperrell House and Gardens"
Thursday, February 26 — 7:00 pm
— at Kittery Community Center (Star Theatre) -
The Lady Pepperrell House of Kittery Point is noted as one of the most high-style pre-Revolutionary Georgian houses in Maine. The house boasted significant landscapes over time, as did the family houses of William Pepperrell and Nathaniel Sparhawk. Shifting political winds and the fortunes of nearby shipping and coastal resources would propel the economic rise, fall, and resurgence of each ownership era. Anne Mankin Masury, historic horticultural scholar, will talk about the house, the gardens, and Lady Pepperrell.
Anne Mankin Masury has a master's degree in plant sciences from the University of Connecticut, where she completed a program in historic landscape restoration. For many years Ms. Masury was Landscape Director and Director of Field Schools in Historical Preservation at the Strawbery Banke Museum. She continues her work in historic landscapes, consulting for museums through her business (Fletcher Hill Gardens). She resides in Kittery Point.
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"The History of Wood Island and the US Life Saving Service"
Thursday, March 26 — 7:00 pm
— at Kittery Community Center (Star Theatre) -
The Wood Island Life Saving Station Museum opened to the public in the summer of 2025, with visitors learning about the life, the mission, the hardships, and the history of this iconic Kittery Harbor building. Learn from Sam Reid, head of the Wood Island Life Saving Station Association, of the Life Saving crews who risked their own lives to save those who would otherwise perish at sea, and of the "rescue" of the Life Saving Station building from decay and disintegration to become a new Museum to honor those crews.
Sam Reid has been President of the Wood Island Life Saving Station Association (WILSSA) since its founding in 2011. He has worked extensively in public service, in New England and in Washington, and on historic restoration projects in Maine and Rhode Island. His involvement with Wood Island parallels his interest in the history of life saving stations (precursor to the US Coast Guard) in the Seacoast area, and the brave men in wooden boats who risked their lives to rescue sailors from the perils of storms and rocky shores. He lives in Kittery Point.
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"The Infamous Isles of Shoals"
Thursday, April 30 — 7:00 pm
— at Kittery Community Center (Star Theatre) -
Investigate the lore and legends of the Isles of Shoals and determine the truth behind stories of pirates, treasure, ghosts, and murder just 10 miles off the coasts of Maine and New Hampshire. Learn of the isolated village of Gosport and the seemingly peculiar behavior of its residents. Educator, Isles of Shoals historian, and occasional Isles tour guide, Ann Beattie will talk about the tales and legends and these isles – you can decide what is fact and what is legend.
Ann Beattie is an educator with a fascination for the Isles of Shoals and its rich history. She combs through historical records, old recipes, and journals of Shoalers to capture the stories that bring that history to life. Ms. Beattie is former President of the Isles of Shoals Historical and Research Association (ISHRA), and currently serves on the Board of the Portsmouth Athenaeum. She leads tours of the Shoals and hosts history programs on Star Island.
(Co-sponsored with the Isles of Shoals Historical and Research Association)
History Talks
History Talks
History Talks
History Talks
History Talks
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In the Spring
Enjoy the Winter while we work on
— the Museum! -
Although we are closed in the winter, we are still here and available by appointment. We also publish our informative, quarterly, four-season, beautiful, year-round newsletter for Members of our Society. You can get it by becoming part of something historic. Join today!
And look for our free booklet — "A Brief History of Kittery" — in several places around town.
And more to come...
We are about Kittery history
We seek to create greater awareness of the history of Kittery, its role in American history, and our cultural
and maritime heritage. We welcome suggestions for events and exhibits consistent with our mission.
Thanks for supporting the Museum!