The Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation Research Collection Photo Show auction is coming to a close. This Thursday is your last opportunity to bid on one of the great photos that have been on display at the Opera House photo gallery during the months of August and September. The Penobscot Marine Museum (PMM), and the Boothbay Region Historical Society have partnered with the Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation (BRMF) in creating a research collection of commercial working waterfront photos including historical and contemporary photos of fishing and boat building in the Boothbay Region. PMM is leading the digitization effort and work has begun digitizing photos from the Boothbay Region Historical Society, the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, the Department of Marine Resources, the Boothbay Register and individuals from the community. The upstairs gallery at the Opera House is open from 10-2, Wednesday through Friday and to ticket holders on the evenings of performances. This exhibit is made possible by a Maine Community Foundation Grant. 

This is a community sourced collection that relies on individuals and organizations from the Boothbay region for photos as well as background information. Donors to this project may wish to donate their photos and artifacts to the Penobscot Marine Museum or the Boothbay Region Historical Society. Otherwise photos loaned for the project will be returned to their owners. PMM has many additional photos in their collections that relate to this project and they have been linked to the BRMF collection. We hope the interested public that reviews these images will share background information through the feedback feature that is part of the online archive.

The Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation was formed in 2018 and its mission is to preserve working waterfront and the maritime heritage of the Boothbay Region. BRMF is excited about this opportunity to work with PMM, and local historical societies to preserve and provide access to photos that are of vital importance to the region’s culture and identity. This is a unique opportunity for people to share their photos while still maintaining ownership of them and for the community to work together to create a digital photo archive reflective of our way of life. This is an ongoing project.

The Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation, Preserving Working Waterfront and Our Maritime Heritage. For more information, visit their website at https://www.boothbayregionmaritimefoundation.org/ LINK