Area business owners, community leaders, and other advocates for local journalism gathered at the Boothbay Railway Village Museum for the Boothbay Register’s Business After Hours event Aug. 6. The evening drew around 75 people from around the region.   

The village town hall was lined with more than just food to entertain the crowd. Register staff compiled handpicked editions from the archives to display the area’s rich history and how reporters have covered it. Newspapers featured the Washburn and Doughty fire in 2008, President John and Jackie Kennedy’s 1962 visit, the filming of the 1956 movie "Carousel,” and more.  

“During COVID, over 30% of newspapers went out of business. We have been here for 150 years and would like to be there for another 150. What we do is important,” Operations Manager Sarah Morley later said.    

Morley thanked the Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce for organizing the Business After Hours series and those who came. She said she was pleased to see the crowd and many new faces who haven’t normally been part of the series. She also spoke about the newspaper’s newest campaign: “Your history, your story.”   

In partnership with Boothbay Region Historical Society, the Register launched the campaign to celebrate 150 years of Boothbay region journalism since the paper’s founding in 1876. The goal is to digitize the newspaper, creating an easily searchable, electronic catalog that can be used to research history, genealogy, and more. Morley said the newspaper and historical society are now looking for volunteers and supporters.  

“We are seeking support, and we believe that documenting and digitizing our archives is important for the entire region, not just the community,” she later said.   

If you are interested in learning more about volunteering, contact the society at (207) 633-0820. For more information on the campaign, or to support, visit www.boothbayregister.com/historic-digitizing.