From the region’s rich maritime tradition—then and now—to the geology of the Maine coast and even Pemaquid’s own singing cowboy, Old Bristol Historical Society (OBHS) has scheduled another informative and entertaining Summer Speaker Series. The following presentations will be at the Bristol Congregational Church in Bristol Mills, Sunday evenings at 7 (with the exception of July 27 which will be at the Learning Center at Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park.) Admission is free for OBHS members and youths under 18 and $5 for non-members. OBHS thanks Aves Appraisal and Hammond Lumber Company for sponsoring their 2025 Summer Speaker Series.  

June 29: Martin Van Buren Fountain: Unwitting Witness and Recorder of History, 1863-1864. OBHS’s Collection Manager Chuck Rand will take a deep dive into the journal of Bristol sailor Martin Van Buren Fountain’s round-trip voyage from New York to West Africa. It will be a journey with political implications related to the settlement of Liberia, a journey further hindered by tornadoes, squalls, becalmed seas, heat and humidity and a journey that tested his physical and mental limits. Rand will answer who was this Bristol sailor and why is his journal so significant. 

July 13: Rusty Rogers, the Pemaquid Cowboy. The speaker this evening will be Patty Kempton who was married to Rusty Rogers, the Pemaquid Cowboy—from 1978 until he passed in 2013. For 20 of those years, Kempton also managed his show business, including his gigs and award-winning TV show, “Rusty Rogers: Tribute to the American Cowboy.” This musical pioneer was inducted into the Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island Country Music Halls of Fame.  

July 27: Bristol Sailors Lost at Sea. Tracing his Maine roots back many generations, Craig Elliott is well versed in Maine’s legendary seafaring history, including the sagas of the area’s sailors lost at sea. Please note: this talk will be at the Pemaquid Lighthouse Park Learning Center.  

Aug. 10: Life at Sea, Then and Now. Captain Scott Pendleton will share stories of his lifelong career working at sea.  

Aug. 27: The Geology of Pemaquid and the Maine Coast. Henry Berry and Steve Dickson have a combined eight decades of geologic experience on the Maine coast, primarily as professional geologists with the Maine Geological Survey. The first part of their presentation will focus on the Pemaquid area, looking closely at the rocks themselves, finding clues to their origin hundreds of millions of years ago. And in the second part, they will share how the modern landscape has been shaped and is still changing.