Bruce White will deliver a talk on "The Multicultural World of a Westport Whaler" at the Bell School, 25 Drift Rd., Head of Westport, on June 8, a Wednesday, at 7:30 P. M. Bruce White, a New Zealander of Maori, American and Scottish ancestry, is a university librarian with a long-standing interest in history. This interest has led him to his own New England heritage, and to an interest in the Westport Manufacturing Company, with which one of his ancestors was affiliated. His talk will concentrate on that company, but will include reference to whaling and whalers.
White's research on the Westport Cotton Manufacturing Company is based on a series of land transfer documents that reveal the scope of the operation and perhaps some of the reasons for its failure. He will touch on the cotton mill boom of 1805-1815, particularly at the beginning of the War of 1812. He will look closely at some of the individuals involved, particularly Job White, concluding with an account of some of the people involved after the collapse of the original company.
Please call the Society at 508-636-6011 for reservations.
On May 19, Thursday, Loraine Kohorn will give a talk: "One Hundred Years of Botanizing Westport: Plants tell of Changes to the Land." The talk will take place at the Bell School, 25 Drift Rd., Head of Westport, at 7:30 PM. The event is free - though donations will be cheerfully accepted - and Sue Smith of Noquochoke Orchards will provide refreshments. For reservations call 508-636-6011.
Loraine's roots in Westport stem from her great-grandfather Charles Cuthbert Hall, who built Synton House in 1896. His wife, Jeannie Stewart Hall, was an enthusiastic amateur botanist, and also passed a love of nature on to her children. It is on notes from Jeannie, and from Jeannie's son Basil, that Loraine will base her talk.
As a child, Loraine spent her summers and weekends at Westport Point, and she has frequently returned to Synton House, which now belongs to her and her siblings. She has had a long career as an educator in the field of biology, and she is currently teaching at Bates College in Lewiston ME as a visiting instructor in the Biology Department.