Town History Series 2025

The Sagadahoc History and Genealogy Room announces the twenty first annual Town History Series!

The Town History Series is a long-standing Patten Free Library tradition that brings together Patten Free Library’s member communities to learn about and celebrate each town’s local history. 

The town of Arrowsic and the historical societies of Bath, Georgetown, West Bath, and Woolwich each select a speaker to present on an aspect of their local history.  All programs take place at 10:30 a.m. and will be presented in person and streamed live on YouTube

New this year, registration is required to attend in personYou must register for each individual program, and walk-ins will only be accepted if there is space in the room at the time of the program’s start.  Register at the link  to the individual programs below or call The History Room at 207-443-5141 x1018.

Click on the individual listing below to learn more and register online. Recordings will become available below and on the Town History Series playlist the week after they are live.

 

Saturday, January 18: Bath
Roy Lawrence’s Bath: Past & Present
 
Saturday, January 25: Arrowsic
One House’s Journey Through Arrowsic History Revisited
 
Saturday, February 1: Georgetown
Josephine Newman: The Woman and her Sanctuary
 
Saturday, February 8: West Bath
Stink or Swim: The New Meadows Lake
 
Saturday, February 15: Woolwich
Route 1 v2.0

 

Stream on YouTube

 

Design Contest Winners

Congratulations to the winners of our Design Contest!  The winning design by Tiffany McFarlin will be featured on new merchandise, which will be available for purchase next month.  The designs by the runners up will be saved to be used in future projects.  You can see all the terrific entries we received on display at the library through December.

Winner: Tiffany McFarlin

Runner Up: Gus Ahalt and Rory Levesque

 

Runner Up: Elida Dunn-Francis

Runner Up: Chalk Smith

 

Staff Picks Poetry Month: Favorite Children’s Room Selections

My absolute favorite collection of children’s nature poetry is Outside Your Window by Nicola Davies with illustrations by Mark Hearld.

If you’re a cat lover, you need to pick up The Maine Coon’s Haiku and Other Poems for Cat Lovers by Michael J. Rosen with illustrations by Lee White.

Lastly, one of my favorite classics for springtime, is Flower Fairies of the Seasons by Cicely Mary Barker who has gorgeous illustrated fairies that accompany her seasonal poems.

-Gia, Children’s Room

History Room: Spring & Summer Hours

Bath Daily Times exhibition
To celebrate reaching our $10,000 goal for our Bath Daily Times microfilm digitization project, we have a small exhibit on the publication in the case outside the History Room on the second floor. Come learn about the project and see some highlighted collection items! Stay tuned for updates and the first batch of digitized issues in July!
 
2023 Spring and Summer History Room Hours
(April 24 – September 5)
Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 12-4
Wednesday: 12-4
Thursday: 12-4
Friday: 12-4
Saturday: 12-4 (10-1 Memorial Day to Labor Day)

9th Annual Writing Contest Winners

Congratulations to this year’s Writing Contest winners!  This year there were more than 50 entries in every category, and we welcomed creative non-fiction submissions for the first time ever. Judges, who included Patten Free Library Staff, the PFL Teen Library Council, and community members, were excited about the caliber of pieces submitted this year. With support from the Friends of the Patten Free Library.

Click the title below to read the winning pieces.

 

7-9 Grade Non-Fiction

First Place: Me by Franny DeGeer

Second Place: Peaks Island Vignette by Harper Nelson

 

7-9 Grade Fiction

First Place: Nightmare in Disguise by Rory Leeman

Second Place: The Excavator by Ivey Strickland

 

10-12 Grade Non-Fiction

First Place: Writing to Remember by Zoë Brush

Second Place: A Perturbed Portrait by Grace Tetreault

 

10-12 Grade Fiction

First Place: The Snow on Her Lips by Aurora Guzzetti

Second Place: Anne’s Final Day by Naomi Fidler

 

Adult Non-Fiction

First Place: Dear Jennifer by Jennifer Tinker

Second Place: The Forgotten Voice by Ellen A Endter

 

Adult Fiction

First Place TIE: Birds that Sing in the Dark by Arwyn Sherman

First Place TIE: The Hunt by James M. Wright

 

JPS Event

Bath Customs House with Nathan Lipfert

November 5, 2pm to 4pm at Patten Free Library.

This special event is reserved for our John Patten Society members, Board of Trustees, and Major Benefactor donors.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Poetry Walk 2022

Poetry Month may be over, but you can still view the Poetry Walk virtually.

With support from Mid Coast Hospital and Now You’re Cooking.

Teen Library Council

Let your voice be heard and help shape the future of Teen programming! Plan Library events, make friends, and enjoy our beautiful Teen Space. Grades 6-12.  Meets the first Thursday of the month at 3 p.m.

PAWS for Reading

Sign up to read with Finnegan the therapy dog! 2nd and 4th Saturdays from 10-12 for ages 5-12. Please call the Children’s Room at 207-443-5141 extension 1016 to schedule your time to read!

2021 Writing Contest Winners

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the Patten Free Libraries 8th Annual Writing Contest.  This year there were more than 40 entries in all but one category, and we welcomed adult submissions for the first time ever.  Judges included Patten Free Library Staff and members of the Teen Library Council.  Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to everyone who entered! 

Read the winning entries here.

 

7-9 Grade Memoir

First Place: Chewonki Saltwater Canoe Trip by Huckleberry Huber-Rees

Second Place TIE: A Trip Down the Sheepscot River by Noah Arbuckle

Second Place TIE: Seaglass by Sinead Bowdish

 

7-9 Grade Short Fiction

First Place: How To Romanticize the Cruel and Unholy by Aurora Guzzetti

Second Place: Forgetting by Acadia Guiliani

 

10-12 Grade Short Fiction

First Place: An Onyx Sandstorm by Emma Beauregard

Second Place: The Tall Man by Beau Haddad

 

Adult Fiction

First Place: The Essence of True Love by Larry Bartlett

No second place

 

Adult Memoir

First Place: The Poet’s Well by James M. Wright

Second Place: Maine by Susan Landry

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