Boston-based author and photographer Susan Mara Bregman will share stories about the history of Route 1 in an online talk at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 28 sponsored by Lincoln County Historical Association (LCHA). Stretching from Fort Kent, Maine, to Key West, Florida, US-1 is the longest north-south road in the country. Bregman's newest book, “Along Route 1: Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts,” explores the history of the familiar road first designated as a federal highway in 1926. 

With its tourist courts, diners, amusement parks, and colonial fortifications, the roadway offers an unapologetic mix of historic gravity, mid-century kitsch, and modern Americana. The highway is home to family-owned businesses still going strong after 50, 75, or 100 years, but just as often the opposite is true. Mom-and-pop proprietors decide to retire after a lifetime of hard work, and suddenly a beloved local institution – maybe a drive-in theater or a bowling alley – is replaced with a car dealership. A lonely dinosaur overlooks the highway in Saugus, Massachusetts, the last remnant of a miniature golf course, while a giant cactus up the road is no longer attached to the restaurant it made famous. 

This online talk is free and open to the public with donations gratefully accepted to support LCHA's ongoing program offerings. Preregistration is required. For more information and to register or donate, please visit lincolncountyhistory.org and click on Events.

Lincoln County Historical Association is a non-profit organization that provides stewardship for the 1754 Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta, the 1761 Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, and the 1811 Old Jail and Museum in Wiscasset.  For more information, please visit www.lincolncountyhistory.org or Facebook at Lincoln County Historical Association (Maine).