The Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation (BRMF) is partnering with the Penobscot Marine Museum (PMM) and the Boothbay Region Historical Society to gather historical and contemporary photos of fishing in the Boothbay region. These photos will be digitized for an online collection titled, “The Boothbay Region Fisheries Collection”. Individuals are invited to bring their artifacts and photos to one of the scheduled digitizing sessions that will be held at the Boothbay Region Historical Society during the next several months. The first session is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 16 from 2 to 5 p.m. Photos will be digitized on site by Kevin Johnson and Matt Wheeler, professional photo archivists from PMM, and returned to their owners. Artifacts will be photographed for the collection. Appointments may need to be scheduled for larger collections, otherwise they will be digitized on a first come, first served basis. Donors will be asked to sign a release, allowing the photos to appear online. Donors will also have the option of donating their photos and artifacts to the Penobscot Marine Museum or the Boothbay Region Historical Society.

Public access

The Penobscot Marine Museum, located in Searsport, has an extensive digital archive of 130,000 images, now available online for public viewing. This database includes photo collections from the well known trade publications, National Fisherman, and Atlantic Fisherman as well as photos from marine photographer Everett L. “Red” Boutilier who frequently photographed the Boothbay Region. The Boothbay Region Fisheries Collection will become part of this extensive archive and will be accessed from the Penobscot Maritime Museum website as well as from the Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation website.

Phase two of this project will include documenting current industry practices for fishing related occupations. This will include photographing lobstering, oyster farming, and kelp farming in the area in order to educate others on the processes involved in bringing seafood to the plate.

The Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation is excited about this opportunity to work with PMM, and local historical societies to preserve and provide access to photos that are of vital importance to the region’s maritime heritage. This is a unique opportunity for people to share their photos while still maintaining ownership of them and for the community to work together to create a digital photo archive reflective of the local fishing industry.

If you would like to volunteer to be part of this project please contact BRMF at the address below. More information can be found at the BRMF website, https://www.boothbayregionmaritimefoundation.org/

For more information about the PMM photo collections, visit their website, https://penobscotmarinemuseum.org/photography-collections/

The Boothbay Region Maritime Foundation was recognized by the state of Maine as a nonprofit organization in 2018. Their mission is to preserve the maritime heritage of the Boothbay Region and provide educational opportunities for the public. For questions about this project and the Foundation’s work contact them at BRMaritimeFoundation@gmail.com