A Century of Stories
Worth Saving
Some organizations exist to preserve the past. Others become part of it. The Fort Kent Historical Society, now celebrating its 100th anniversary, has managed to do both.
Founded on December 4, 1925, the society got its start the way a lot of great things do in northern Maine: a small group of determined people who refused to let their community’s story disappear. At the time, they were incorporated as a literary society and for village improvement, which sounds modest. But what that original group built has lasted a century and is still going strong.
We are proud to be displaying their photographs at Lonesome Pines this season, and we wanted to take a moment to tell you a little about who they are, what they stand for, and why their work matters so much to this corner of Maine.
Where It All Began
Fort Kent sits at the very top of U.S. Route 1, at the confluence of the St. John River and the Fish River, in Maine’s wild and beautiful St. John Valley. The valley has long been home to a proud Acadian and Franco-American culture, shaped by farming, logging, and a deep connection to the land and river.
The town itself grew out of conflict. In 1839, a border dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom over the boundary separating Maine from New Brunswick nearly erupted into open war. The confrontation, sometimes called the Aroostook War or the Pork and Beans War, led to the construction of a blockhouse fort at the confluence of the St. John and Fish Rivers. Federal troops arrived, no battles were fought, and the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 eventually settled things peacefully. The blockhouse was named for Maine Governor Edward Kent, and the town that grew around it took his name too.
That blockhouse is still standing today. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a National Historic Landmark. And the very first project the Fort Kent Historical Society ever took on, back in 1925, was to restore it.
The Founders Were a Remarkable Group
The people who came together to form this society were not exactly a predictable bunch. Among the founding members was Dora Bradbury Pinkham, a Republican who served as the society’s first secretary and holds the distinction of being the first woman ever elected to the Maine Legislature, serving in both the state house and senate. The society’s first treasurer was William J. Audibert, a Democrat who had actually run against Pinkham for a state legislature seat just two years earlier.
Catholics and Protestants, Democrats and Republicans, rivals and neighbors, they set aside their differences and built something together.
“A team of misfits got together and they founded something that has lasted 100 years.”
— Chad Pelletier, historian & former society presidentAlso among the founding members was Paul D. Thibodeau, whose grandson Jim Thibodeau now serves as the society’s president. When asked how he got involved, Jim’s answer was simple: “I got involved about 15 years ago, after my parents passed, because they were involved.” That kind of intergenerational commitment runs all through this organization.
What the Society Preserves
Today, the Fort Kent Historical Society maintains six buildings near the old train station in the heart of town. Each one tells a different chapter of Fort Kent’s history.
The centerpiece is the former Bangor and Aroostook Railroad station, built in 1902 by the Fish River Railroad and in service until 1979. When the railroad finally ceased operations, the station was donated to the historical society in 1980. Inside, visitors can explore the original baggage room, the station agent’s office, and the separate waiting rooms that once divided passengers by gender. The society’s collections focus heavily on lumbering and agriculture, two industries that defined this part of Maine for generations.
Nearby stands the Daigle-Dube House, an Acadian log home built in 1840 and moved to its present location in 1864. It reflects a style of domestic life that traces directly back to the French Acadian settlers who first put down roots in the St. John Valley in 1785. The society is currently working to continue its restoration.
There is also a replica one-room schoolhouse, a barn filled with farming and logging equipment, a railcar building housing two-person rail machines that were once used for track transportation, and the Paul D. Thibodeau Visitors’ Center, named in honor of the society’s founding member and dedicated in 2014.
The society has about 200 members and an active 11-person board. Open during the summer months, typically Thursday through Sunday, it runs entirely on fundraisers, membership dues, and donations, generating between 5,000 and 0,000 each year.
100 Years of Preservation, Honored by the State of Maine
This year’s centennial is not going unnoticed. The 132nd Maine Legislature issued an official sentiment jointly from the Maine Senate and House of Representatives, congratulating the society on reaching its 100th year. The recognition was introduced by Senator Sue Bernard of Caribou and cosponsored by Representative Lucien Daigle of Fort Kent. It was signed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.
“This recognition is not just for the Society,” said Jim Thibodeau at the time of the honor. “It’s for every family, volunteer, and neighbor who has shared their story, donated an artifact, or supported our mission.”
That says everything about what this organization is. It is not a building or a collection. It is a community effort, sustained by people who believe that where they come from is worth remembering.
A Fitting Stage: The LoggerFest Museum Exhibit
This year, the Fort Kent Historical Society is also featured in an exhibit at Logger Fest in Fort Kent. That connection could not be more fitting. Logger Fest celebrates the forestry industry that has shaped northern Maine’s economy and identity for more than a century. Maine is the most forested state in the nation, and the St. John Valley has long been at the center of that story. Lumbering was one of the original drivers of Fort Kent’s growth, and the historical society has always treated that heritage with the care it deserves. Their collections include logging equipment, photographs, and artifacts that bring those years vividly to life.
Their Photos, on Display at Lonesome Pines
We are grateful and honored that the Fort Kent Historical Society has allowed us to display their photographs at Lonesome Pines. These are not just old images. They are portraits of real lives, real labor, and a real community that has been shaped over centuries by the rivers, forests, and fields of northern Maine.
When you stop to look at one of these photographs during your visit, you are looking at history that has been carefully collected, protected, and shared by a group of volunteers who have been at this work for 100 years. That is worth pausing for.
If you would like to learn more about the Fort Kent Historical Society, visit them on Main Street in Fort Kent during the summer months, or find them through the Maine Memory Network, where many of their archival photographs are available to explore online.
Please consider joining your local historical society in order to keep preserving the living history of the communities that you live and work in. What is new today will one day be part of a story worth preserving!