Among my modest collection of Wiscasset literature is a slim book compiled years ago by a man named Allton Dunsford.  It’s titled fittingly enough, “Wiscasset, Maine” and although it’s just a little over 50 pages, it serves as an enjoyable introduction to “Maine’s Prettiest Village." I’ve done other columns about Wiscasset literature and before getting into the contents I normally start by telling something about the author. This proved to be a bit of a challenge in this case because I could find almost nothing about the author.  Who was Allton Dunsford? What prompted him to publish a book about Wiscasset, and why did he choose to donate proceeds from its sales to Wiscasset Public Library, where copies of the book can still be purchased?    

I began with an online search, expecting I’d easily find some background information on Mr. Dunsford. What I discovered first was his book has been digitally scanned and can be read online. The digital version is actually the second edition of the book, which I’ll explain more about in a moment. In short, Mr. Dunsford hadn’t bothered to copyright his work, which explains why it’s now in the public domain. He also omitted the date when he published his work, where it was printed and included no information about himself. All of this seemed well … pretty unusual and led me to visit Pam Dunning, the librarian at Wiscasset Public Library.  

“Yes, I know the book, we’ve been selling copies of it here for years. They’re five dollars each,” began Pam. “The ones we have on hand are actually the second edition; it’s the same one that was digitally scanned and available online.” Pam told me back in the late 1990s a committee was formed to update the original book resulting in a thousand copies of the revised version being printed for the library to sell. She didn’t know who Allton Dunsford was, or why he donated proceeds from his book to the library. “That was long before I became the librarian and I’ve been here 31 years.” Pam thought we might turn up something on Allton Dunsford in the library’s Archive Room and we did find Allton Dunsford’s name in the card catalog. Unfortunately, the file on him has gone missing. Not to be deterred, Pam then did a search on Ancestry.com learning Allton Dunsford was born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Oct. 20, 1910 and died May 5, 1978. More internet research on my part indicated he was a WWII Navy veteran and spent much of his working career designing pleasure boats and sailing vessels. He had son Peter and a daughter, Carol Jane, who in June 1968 married a music teacher, Douglas Walter Anderson, at All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Chelmsford.  Peter had gone to Rhode Island School of Design to study marine architecture. All of this is interesting but didn’t explain anything about the book.

It would have been helpful if I could have gotten in touch with one of the five committee members who revised it 37 years ago.  Susan Blagden of Wiscasset clearly remembered her mother Marion Lowndes helping edit the second edition with another Wiscasseter, William Glennon, a noted antique dealer and playwright.  Both have since passed away, and Susan couldn’t recall anything about Allton Dunsford other than he’d very generously donated his book proceeds to Wiscasset Public Library.   

I eventually learned Allton Dunsford and his wife had summered on the Boothbay peninsula.  Next, on the advice of my old friend Kevin Burnham, managing editor of the Boothbay Register, I got in touch with Boothbay Region Historical Society, and they led me to Jon Dunsford, a nephew to Allton Dunsford. 

Jon was kind enough to fill in some of the gaps for me, which are best told in his own words. "My Uncle Allton retired here in the early 1980s. He had lived in Dunstable, Massachusetts much of his later life. After his kids moved out and his wife died, he lived with his sister Gwen in Topsham. He was so proud to write that book. He was losing his sight about the same time, so it was great that he got it done,” wrote Jon in an email to me.  Jon said Allton was the youngest in the Dunsford family of five brothers and a sister. The family resided in Massachusetts, first in Georgetown and later Chelmsford. He recalled his uncle had family connections in Damariscotta where his brother Reuben, Jon’s father, lived.

Jon didn’t know what prompted his Uncle Allton to compile his Wiscasset book but theorized it might have had something to do with the changes taking place on the waterfront here. He wrote his book about the same time plans were underway to remove Wiscasset’s beloved timber pile bridge, replacing it with a more modern concrete structure.  “… There was quite a sense of feeling one had reached a borderland driving through downtown Wiscasset, then seeing those two schooners, and then crossing that old bridge,” Jon wrote. Allton Dunsford clearly loved the sea and was deeply interested in Wiscasset’s vibrant past. Jon thought it was like his uncle to use his skills to research and write a book of a historical nature and then contribute his work to the community.

In a subsequent email, Jon told me he’s been coming to Maine since he was a youngster and recalls many happy occasions visiting his aunt and uncle. Before retiring, Jon spent his working career as an engineer traveling the world. He now resides in Boothbay Harbor, where he devotes many hours to Boothbay Region Historical Society. “I spend much time researching our shipyards and the arctic, participating in making exhibits and giving talks, as well as building ship models mainly of Boothbay Region vessels.”

Now finally to the book itself. The front cover of the first edition features a drawing of the Lincoln County flag, the banner carried by 70 militia volunteers who fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 and is still flown at Lincoln County Courthouse.  Under the flag is the book’s title, and below that a pen and ink drawing of Wiscasset’s famed schooners, Hesper and Luther Little. Those and the other illustrations within the book were drawn by artist Barbara E. Tappan. Allton Dunsford took all the photographs. 

The author begins with a brief history of Wiscasset, Shire Town of Lincoln County since 1794. “It seems apparent that the name Wiscasset is the anglicizing of Whichacascke,” he writes, explaining this was the spelling used in 1664 during the conveyance of a tract of land by the Wawenock natives of the Abenaki Nation to Englishman George Davie. He devotes 12 pages to Wiscasset’s seafaring days including reproductions of many early sailing ships, introducing the reader to Moses Carlton and Abiel Wood, two famous 18th century shipowners. He also retells the story of the old schooners, which were still a prominent part of Wiscassset’s waterfront. From here, Dunsford features photographs and descriptions of eight historic homes and buildings. A village map drawn, presumably by Tappan, shows where the buildings are to be found on a walking tour. The book concludes with brief histories of Wiscasset Fire Society and Wiscasset Female Charitable Society, both formed in the early part of the 19th century and still going strong today. It’s good reading and a great introduction to Maine’s Prettiest Village. Now be aware the second edition is somewhat different in its content than  the original book.

It’s possible Mr. Dunsford's book was published by Wiscasset Public Library posthumously.  I'm basing this on the premise he died in May 1979, and the book wasn't printed until the early 1980s. I bought my copy in 1984. Here’s something I do know: The first edition of "Wiscasset, Maine" includes a brief history of Wiscasset Female Charitable Society. Mr. Dunsford notes the organization founded in 1805 was then celebrating “174 years of continuous existence." This is an important clue as to when the book was published, suggesting he was writing it in 1979. In the second edition, published nine years later, the editors updated this information stating the Female Charitable Society had been in existence 183 years.   

Phil Di Vece earned a B.A. in journalism studies from Colorado State University and an M.A. in journalism at the University of South Florida. He is the author of three Wiscasset books and is a frequent news contributor to the Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper. He resides in Wiscasset. Contact him at phildivece2@gmail.com