2016 NASOH Conference Events and Banquet
by Warren Riess, local arrangements chair
We organized the conference to balance events with some free time to explore a bit of Portland. The schedule includes:
Wednesday:
1500–1700 hrs.: Registration in the Hotel Lobby (also every morning @ conference)
1700–1900: Welcome reception at Allison & Lincoln Paine’s home, overlooking Casco Bay. There will be light hors d’oeuvres, wine, and beer.
1900–2100: The NASOH Council meeting will be directly after the reception, on the second floor. Sandwiches available for council members.
Thursday:
1800-2100: Reception sponsored by the Naval Historical Foundation and Texas Christian University in the Connecticut/Rhode Island joined rooms. They are on the first floor of the conference center. Hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar.
Friday:
1300–1700: Field trip to the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Buses will leave at 1300 sharp. The museum staff will be showing us their new exhibits and give a collections tour of their ships’ medicine chest collection. Don’t miss the bow of SNOW SQUALL, the only extant American clipper ship.
Evening on our own. There are some great restaurants, pubs, and microbreweries within walking distance of the hotel.
Saturday:
1330–1530: A cruise of Portland Harbor, with our own Dr. Jim Millinger as tour guide. You may know his academic career, but did you know he also has been a ferry boat captain in Casco Bay?
1600–1900: Awards Banquet. We will have a cash bar and very light hors d’oeuvres before a buffet banquet. Dr. Josh Smith, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, a longtime active NASOH member, will be the banquet speaker.
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There are many great places to visit before and after the conference. Some that are pertinent to conference attendees:
Lighthouses: http://www.visitmaine.net/page/38/lighthouses Maine has sixty-five historic lighthouses. The Pemaquid lighthouse is on the reverse of the Maine quarter.
Maine Historical Society, Portland: https://www.mainehistory.org After the state archives in Augusta, the Historical Society is the primary repository for research about the people of Maine.
Maine State Museum, Augusta: http://mainestatemuseum.org This excellent museum curates the entire artifact collection from the Revolutionary War privateer DEFENCE, and a section of the Down-easter ST. MARY.
Osher Map Library, Portland: http://oshermaps.org An outstanding collection of uncommon and rare historic maps and books.
Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport: http://penobscotmarinemuseum.org A fine museum, library, and archives in the hometown of so many 19th-century sea captains.
Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum & Arctic Studies Center, Bowdoin campus, Brunswick): http://www.bowdoin.edu/arctic-museum An excellent small museum and archive.
Portland Observatory: http://www.portlandlandmarks.org/the-portland-observatory Unfortunately it will not be open and it is too small for us to have a tour, but it is worth a walk around the outside to note its unique design. It is at 138 Congress Street, Portland.
Darling Marine Center, Walpole (South Bristol): https://dmc.umaine.edu The DMC is a great place to take a writing retreat. Members Kevin Crisman and Gene Smith have spent summers there writing. Warren Riess’s office is there. Ask any of them for details if you are interested.
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Freeport, home of LL Bean’s flagship retailing and wholesaling. If you haven’t been to Bean’s hometown retail store you are in for a treat. The sales people are knowledgeable in their department. They are required to sign out equipment, etc. to try in the field. For example, interested in fly fishing? All the people in that department have fished with all of that equipment. Hiking boots? All of the salespeople in that department are avid hikers and know the boots they sell from wearing them on long hikes in different parts of the world. They are open 24/7, so a late night/early morning visit is fun.
Monhegan Island, Bristol: http://monheganwelcome.com/ This rugged island, available only by ferry, is a mecca for painters and photographers. There is something about its coast, natural setting, and light. This is strictly a walking island, with trails along the rocky shore and through the forest, where there is a centuries-old tradition of children (and now grown children) making fairy homes along the paths.
