Lecture series includes Nequasset Lake as resource
The original Nequasset Lake dam in Woolwich. Trevor Hunt, superintendent of Bath Water District, believes the photograph was taken around 1920 and shows the dam’s rear side. Courtesy of Bath Water District
The original Nequasset Lake dam in Woolwich. Trevor Hunt, superintendent of Bath Water District, believes the photograph was taken around 1920 and shows the dam’s rear side. Courtesy of Bath Water District
Nequasset Lake’s development as a regional water source is among topics of this winter’s Town History Lecture Series hosted by Patten Free Library inBath and co-sponsored by Bath Historical Society.
Trevor Hunt, longtime superintendent of the Bath Water District, will share his research on the Woolwich lake’s development Saturday, Jan 20. Doors in the library’s community room will open at 10 a.m.; the program begins at 10:30 a.m.
According to Hunt, Nequasset Lake replaced Thompson’s Brook as a source for Bath’s drinking water in the late 19th century. The transition began in 1893 just a few months before the city’s Great Fire of 1894.
In an email to the Wiscasset Newspaper, Hunt stated he’ll begin by telling of the formation of the original Bath Water Supply Company in 1885.
“I will be sharing some significant events and decisions that eventually led to the development of Nequasset Lake as the primary source of water for the region,” he wrote. Hunt will illustrate his talk with rare photographs chronicling the Bath water department’s expansion and growth over the decades.
Nequasset Lake is fed by the Sasanoa River. It’s located almost in the center of Woolwich and is enjoyed by boaters, fishermen and bathers. Hunt estimates it has a surface area of 512 acres. It’s also a major water source for three communities, Bath, Woolwich and Wiscasset but also serves residents of West Bath, East Brunswick and Arrowsic, according to Hunt.
The lecture series begins this Saturday, Jan. 13 when Rich Start shares history about Georgetown’s Parker family. On Jan. 27, Nathan Lipfert will discuss Bath’s long maritime history in a lecture titled, “Rare Shipbuilding Tools Recently found in the North End.” Madelyn Hennessey will discuss “William J. Hennessey: The First of the Hennesseys in West Bath” on Feb. 3. The series concludes on Feb. 10 with Malcolm Persen’s, “One House’s Journey through Arrowsic History”
As in past years, White Mountain Wealth Management, a part of Raymond James Inc., will be the financial sponsor. The library is located at 33 Summer St., Bath. For more information log on to http://www.patten.lib.me.us/
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