The recently published Fryeburg, Maine: An Illustrated History is a 400-page visual journey.  In the process of gathering evidence, the story begins at a time of erupting volcanoes as the landscape evolves. The remains of a volcanic ring dike are not far from Fryeburg.  Ice-age plants have been identified here as well as evidence of a woolly mammoth washed down the proto-Saco. The Abenaki left an imprint that grows larger over time as our understanding of who came before us expands. The Pequawkets defined Fryeburg, and themselves, as “pushed up through hill,” which describes exactly a geological event of a granite dome of magma that plainly stands as sentinel at the center of town.

The town was founded by soldiers from the French and Indian War fighting with the British and then in 1776, against them. Loyalties were questioned. Settlers left a few decaying cabins that contained timber from old-growth forests. Riverdrivers orchestrated timber down the Saco. The ones who came to preach and teach were from Harvard and Dartmouth Colleges, well versed in the classics. You can imagine these scholar-farmers quoting the Greek poet Hesiod, as they tilled their fields.  Hesiod began the first farmers' almanac three thousand years ago, describing the daily events of life and death. The tradition was carried on by James Walker, William Wentworth, and others in the early days of farming. The Historical Society has these diaries in its collection.

Here in Fryeburg, a 3-year-old child prodigy learns Latin, studies Greek, and goes on to publish the great writers of our time, Dickens, Whitman, and Twain to name a few. His sister becomes a well-established poet, growing up on Main Street in the village. A religious movement is sparked briefly but significantly. The early settlers left monuments, letters, and artifacts that continue to be interpreted. Glass plate negatives and acetate film strips found in old cabinets around town have emerged. The fragile film from a wide format camera reveals the day the center of town burned in an inferno, images never seen before and unknown until now. For over forty years a man lived here who was kidnapped from his homeland in Africa. He is buried in the town cemetery and he is memorialized in verse, on his tombstone, with the words of a Scottish poet.  

It is with these photographs and graphics that this book brings back a historical narrative along with anecdotes, news clippings, quotes, and excerpts from diaries and short stories of talented writers. Artists, poets, painters, and writers came and stayed long enough to leave a legacy to be explored. 

The story of Fryeburg is the story of Maine and the book gives a roadmap both literally and figuratively to its origins. The author took on this project at the invitation of the Fryeburg Historical Society. With small donations and grant applications, it has succeeded beyond expectations. The proceeds go to benefit the ongoing growth and preservation of the collection in the Society’s Library and Museum collection. 

This book serves as an opening onto Fryeburg’s past, as a testament to all that came before, and as a place marker for future generations to come. May it spark the imagination and foster a deeper appreciation for the rich history that surrounds us. 

"In the Abenaki sense: this ôjmowôgan (history), refers to a process of telling a collective story, an ongoing activity in which we are engaged." 

Lisa Brooks, Our Beloved Kin, 2020.