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The Homesteading Series

For centuries, Mainers have sustained themselves and their families through hard work and self-reliance. They were the original DIYers and their homesteading traditions offer great insight into the way they lived and how we might use those skills today.  Join us as we present The Homesteading Series, where we hope to bring our community back to its roots.

The Homesteading Series was inspired by local photographer and HSWO Board member Rachael Kloss Pawlik. Rachael and her husband, Ogunquit police officer Neal Pawlik, along with their young daughter, have been renovating an historic homestead in Wells since 2018. This led to an interest in traditional skills, like gardening and raising livestock, which have been a part of homesteading in Wells for generations.

Historically, homesteads in Maine and across New England were complex operations that involved every member of the family. In addition to barns and cultivated fields, dooryards were busy places where poultry and swine roamed, while the family maintained a rich kitchen garden. An orchard was typically not far away.  Our photograph archives are full of images of homesteads in Wells and Ogunquit, where you can see the relationship between home, farm, and garden landscape, so common in New England.

 

The series kicked off in April 2022 with Raising a Backyard Chicken Flock, followed in May by a class on Growing Your Own Vegetables.  More programs are in the works, including perennial gardens and foraging.  Visit our Event Calendar for all the details!

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