On Tuesday, May 16, at 4:30 p.m., local ship modeler Jon Dunsford will present “Brigs and Bowdoin: Built in Boothbay” at the Boothbay Region Historical Society. Dunsford will display two of his models of brigs which were built in Boothbay and discuss the era of ship building in Boothbay from 1823 to 1855. He will also share his new research into how and why the famous Arctic schooner Bowdoin was designed, and why it was then built here in Boothbay.

The schooner Bowdoin, currently owned by Maine Maritime Academy, is the Official Vessel of the state of Maine and the flagship of Maine Maritime Academy’s Vessel Operations and Technology Program. The Bowdoin, built specifically for Arctic exploration, was launched in 1921 and made 28 voyages north of the Arctic Circle.

Dunsford has been studying the vessels of Boothbay and building models for nearly 10 years. He is a retired engineer and recreational sailor who has been an enthusiastic student of the maritime history of New England most of his life. Dunsford’s talk “Brigs and Bowdoin: Built in Boothbay” is part of the Boothbay Region Historical Society’s annual meeting.

Admission is free, doors open at 4:15. Seating is limited. For more information email us at brhs@gwi.net or call us at 207-633-0820, and Boothbay Region Historical Society is located at 72 Oak Street in Boothbay Harbor.