About the Arts
Great for a family visit...
Interesting historical and naval artifacts in Kittery museum
By Rose Safran
KITTERY - Just north of the Kittery traffic circle, on the easterly side of Route 1 at its junction with Rogers Road is the Kittery Historical and Naval Museum, a seasonal non-profit museum honoring Kittery's past as a naval vessel building center during the American Revolution.Opened in 1976 and staffed largely by friends and volunteers, this small museum is a people-friendly place that makes for an enjoyable visit, especially for families with children who, through its exhibits, have an opportunity to gain insight concerning various naval artifacts of earlier times as well as to learn about the town of Kittery, which was founded in 1623 and is the oldest incorporated town in the state of Maine.
I recently visited this pleasant museum to note anew some of the more interesting items in its collections. Of course, its number one antique remains the Boon Island Fresnel Lens, which still occupies the corner area where I first saw it shortly after its acquisition by the museum some six years ago when it came to the museum from the United States Coast Guard.
Named after its inventor, the Frenchman Augustin Jean Fresnel, the Fresnel Lens looks like a glass beehive, with glass magnified, refracted and bent so that a concentrated layer is sent out through a lamp inside the lens. In the early 19th century (around 1822), the Frenchman Augustin Jean Fresnel developed this lens for lighthouses - and it was quickly reported superior to any previously used ones. Manufactured were seven sizes (or orders), numbered one through six, along with a three and one-half order. Order was determined by the distance of the flame from the lens which is known as the focal distance
The first order lens had the greatest focal distance. Hence, the second order lens, which is the one on view at this museum, is among the more far-reaching lights built. Augustin Jean Fresnel first tested his lens in France where the largest rock lighthouse in the world is located. He died without establishing a patent to his famous lens, thereby leaving the world this remarkable gift.
Also on view an impressively large model of the 18th-century sloop of war, The Ranger. This model was built in 1936 and is on loan from the Old York Historical Society. The Ranger was the first naval vessel built in Kittery and was launched from Badger's Island in 1777. The famous naval officer who fought on the side of the colonies, the Scottish-born John Paul Jones, was its skipper and it was noted for capturing many vessels.
Its history is detailed as is the fact that on June 12, 1800, after many more sturdy ships such as The Ranger had been launched in Kittery, the Department of the Navy purchased Kittery's Dennett's Island and established the first government shipyard in America.
The museum also contains examples of the work of the famous Kittery carver, John Haley Bellamy, whose famous carved eagles are today very much sought after by collectors and museums and are also copied by contemporary artisans.
Bellamy buffs are aware that the restless carver who sometimes traded his carvings for bottles of liquor, produced animals, furniture and decorative pieces for ships as well as a countless number of eagles, and held patents for many carved pieces, including devices such as rowlocks. An illustrated Peter Randall book on Bellamy, who was born in Kittery Point's Pepperell Mansion, is available. York auctioneer Hap Moore recently sold some items by Bellamy and offered a very large carved eagle which seemed like a Bellamy, but couldn't be authenticated at the time of the auction and failed to find a customer.
Other interesting artifacts consist of a divers' suit, naval uniforms, ancient tools, a ship's wheel, sailmaker's gear, a tool chest, a sea chest, a machine gun carried aboard ships, early cooking utensils and old photographs of some of Kittery's notables - including Sir William Pepperell, William Whipple (signer of the Declaration of Independence) and others. Among the more curious artifacts I noted was a moulage kit, a medical training aid used aboard ships.
Among the relatively new displays were digitally reproduced pictures that once hung in the function room below Dan's Star Market. These copies of originals, which were 35 by 59 inches in size (and became yellow over the years), are about one-fourth of the original size, but the reproduced images important in the town's history are now clear and the reduced size works in this museum.
Historical information about Kittery includes a video, information about the town's founding in the 17th century and subsequent historical highlights .There is a full size, full-dressed reproduction image of Sir William Pepperell who was born in 1696 and whose mansion is one of the town's most impressive houses.
The Kittery Historical and Naval Museum is open to visitors Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment through Columbus Day.
There is a small gift area at the entrance where postcards, bookmarks, artifacts and books relevant to Kittery and the museum exhibits are available for sale.
Entrance fees are minimal, compared to most museums today. Children under the age of seven are admitted free, children ages seven to 15 are $1.50 and adults are $3.
For further information, 439-3080.
