
THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
OF WELLS AND OGUNQUIT
PRESERVING THE PAST FOR TWO MAINE TOWNS
Event Calendar
Visit our Video Archive for recordings of previous programs and events.

Mystery Monday!
So you think you know Wells and Ogunquit? We like to post a variety of challenging questions on our Facebook page. Here is the latest one:
​
In the spring of 1865, following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Wells Congregational Church created a memorial to the fallen president. It is our earliest image of the Meetinghouse interior and much of the furniture pictured here is still in the museum.
A recent visitor asked an excellent question: how many stars are on the American flag pictured here?
​
Scroll to the bottom to see the answer.
Mornings at the Museum
Children's Programs - Free!
​​
Bring the kids for Mornings at the Museum, where they can enjoy a fun program of stories, activities, a scavenger hunt, and a craft to take home. Every program has a unique theme... and admission is free!


Sponsored By
-
Thursday May 11
-
Thursday June 8
-
Thursday July 20
-
Thursday August 10
-
Thursday September 14
-
Saturday October 14
-
Saturday November 11
-
Saturday December 9

Lecture & Cemetery Tour with author Ron Romano
Saturday, Oct 7, 2023, at 10 am
Starting at the Meetinghouse (938 Post Road in Wells)
SOLD OUT
​Cemeteries hold some of the most enduring art and symbolism in our communities. Join us as we visit historic Ocean View Cemetery and see this rich heritage first hand. Author and cemetery historian Ron Romano will highlight these funerary symbols and discuss the unique "billboard" monuments found throughout New England. We'll gather first at the Meetinghouse for a brief lecture, then reconvene at the cemetery, where Mr. Romano will lead another of his popular walking tours. Ocean View Cemetery is located at 1485 Post Road (US Route 1) in Wells, across from the Middle School. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes!
HSWO Annual Meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023, 5:30-7 pm
At the Meetinghouse (938 Post Road in Wells)
Free Admission
​
Calling all HSWO members! Please join us for our annual membership meeting, where you can enjoy some light refreshments and hear all about the Society's activities over the past year and our plans for the future. Our featured speaker will be Tatnic resident and author Joe Hardy, who will talk about his latest book, The Year Without a Summer. Please contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Millenium Granite Quarry Tour
Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, 10am - Noon
50 Quarry Road in Wells
$10 members, $12 non-members
-
Space is limited -- Reservations required
-
Please contact us to reserve your spot
​
Back by popular demand! Please join us for a fascinating walking tour of the Millenium Granite quarry on (where else?) Quarry Road in Wells. Granite is one of New England’s iconic building and memorial stones, and this Wells quarry has supplied many important projects around the nation. Come along and learn about its history, operations, and impact on architecture, both near and far. (And be sure to wear comfortable shoes!)
Wells has been known as a regional source of granite since the 19th century. Builders and craftspeople first identified areas of exposed granite ledge, called “motions,” which could be accessed in local hillsides. Slabs of granite were removed from these ledges using hand tools, leaving distinctive marks which can still be seen in local foundations and stone walls today.
​
Formerly known as the Quarry at Bald Hill, and first owned by both the Swenson and Miniutti families, the Millennium Granite quarry opened in the early 20th century. Newly developed power tools and machinery vastly improved quarrying operations, and the business employed local residents for decades.
Known for its colorful pink hue, this high-quality granite can be found in many landmarks nationwide, including the Pentagon, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Statler hotel in Washington, DC, and the Tiffany and DePinna stores in New York City.


Learn about the rich history of Wells quarries and see how Millennium Granite Quarry & Stoneworks provides superior uncommon soft-pink granite and other fine stones to architects, landscape architects and designers across the country.
Uncommon Threads: Wabanaki Textiles, Clothing, and Costume

Saturday, November 4, 2023
10 am at the Meetinghouse
Members $10, Non-members $12
-
Cash or check at the door
-
Reservations not required

Last year, author and Maine State Museum curator Laurie Labar gave us a fascinating talk about her book on the history of Maine quilts. This year we'll hear about a book she co-wrote with Bruce Bourque that celebrates the textile arts of the Wabanakis, the Indigenous people living between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Gulf of Maine.
For millennia, textiles have played a vital role as Native communities have expressed and maintained their identity. This large and distinctive body of Wabanaki artifacts challenges stereotypes about Native textiles and clothing that are based on more familiar styles from better known regions of North America.
For Wabanakis, textiles have long been a rich and important medium. They record how, beginning in the seventeenth century, an indigenous people coped with a rapidly expanding alien culture that surrounded them. The Wabanakis defined their view of this new world through their clothing and costume. For all cultures, important occasions and life events demand special clothes that communicate messages to the viewer. By examining Wabanaki costume, including specific styles and decorative ornament, one can find information that illuminates the history of the Wabanakis, their means of communication, and the ways they coped with a rapidly changing world.

The Ancient Ones: Paleoindian Life in Wells
Linda Littlefield Grenfell
Saturday, November 18 at 10 am
At the Meetinghouse (938 Post Road in Wells)
Members $10, Non-members $12
-
Cash or check at the door
-
Reservations not required
​
Join us at the Meetinghouse as Linda Littlefield Grenfell tells us about the Paleoindians who first populated this area 10,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence at numerous sites statewide, including the Spiller Farm Paleoindian Site in Wells, hints at what life might have been like for these earliest Native peoples.
Ms. Grenfell is the Environmental Educator at Wells Reserve. For information about her presentation, please contact us. We hope to see you there!
Holiday Market at the Meetinghouse
Sunday, December 10, 9 am to 2 pm
938 Post Road (US Route 1) in Wells
Free Admission
​
Join us for our Holiday Market at the Meetinghouse as part of Ogunquit's festive Christmas by the Sea weekend. Browse all the wonderful local vendors for crafts and other goodies, and enjoy hot cocoa, doughnuts, and popcorn. Our historic 1862 Meetinghouse is the perfect spot to watch the start of the Wells Christmas Parade at 2:00pm.
​

Woodies in the Cove
August 2024 (Date to be announced), 8:30 am to 2:00 pm
974 Post Road (US Route 1) in Wells
​
Our 2023 show was a big success and we're already looking forward to next year! In the meantime, we encourage you to visit our sponsors and thank them for their support. The Woodies show is our biggest fundraiser of the year and we couldn't do it without our generous sponsors throughout the community. Click here for the list of sponsors!
Warrior Sports Through the Years
At the Meetinghouse, date to be determined
​
Join us as we team up (pun intended!) with the Wells High School Alumni Association to present a fun and fascinating program tracing the history of school sports in Wells and Ogunquit. Do you have any photos, stories, or newspaper clippings that you're willing to share for the program? If so, please contact us. Thank you!

Mystery Monday!
And the answer is...
​
Either 35 or 36 stars. The 35-star flag came into use in 1863 when West Virginia separated from Virginia (due to West Virginia’s support of the Union). The 36-star flag was created when Nevada was added to the Union in 1865. It had not yet been made official when President Lincoln was assassinated. It is said that Lincoln’s head was cushioned with the new 36-star flag after he was wounded at Ford’s Theatre.