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Share Old York cares for 16 buildings, 20 properties, more than 20,000 artifacts, 50,000 archival objects in the library, and serves thousands of people annually through tours, educational programs, exhibitions, and special events.
Description
The Pepperrell family of Kittery Point was one of the wealthiest families in colonial North America. William Pepperrell, Sr., arrived at the Isles of Shoals around 1676. There he established a fishing and trading business. His son, William Pepperrell Jr., continued the business, and amassed thousands of acres of land holdings in Maine. He also distinguished himself as the leader of the New England troops in the siege of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, in 1745. In recognition for his achievements there, he was granted the title of Baronet from the British Crown (the first American to receive such an honor), and became known as Sir William Pepperrell. The extended Pepperrell family owned numerous houses in Maine, including Sparhawk Hall, a 1740s mansion in Kittery Point built for Sir William’s daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband Nathaniel Sparhawk.
In this talk, Thomas Hardiman of the Portsmouth Athenaeum, along with Joel Lefever, of Old York Historical Society, explore the far-reaching legacy of the family in Maine. Hardiman explains the family’s impact on the economic, political, and social landscape of the region, and Lefever highlights the family’s fine furnishings and decorative arts, including a newly-restored Boston bombé desk-and-bookcase, once part of the furnishings of Sparhawk Hall, and now in the collection of Old York.
Date & Time
Thu, Apr 14, 2022 6:30 PM