KENNEBUNK, Maine —
The Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk has opened an annual exhibit showcasing one of Maine’s worst natural disasters in history.
“The Fire of ‘47: 75th Anniversary Retrospective” opened on Oct. 1 and will stay open through December.
For two weeks, from Oct. 13 to Oct. 27 in 1947, a collection of over 200 fires burned from Bar Harbor to Kennebunkport and Goose Rocks Beach. A quarter of a million acres of forest and nine towns were destroyed.
The exhibit showcases works by Ted Dyer (a Portland Press Herald photographer at the time), photographs by Edward Hipple, a quilt by Paul Libby, and more.
“Some of the best parts are the oral histories. A lot of people have shared their stories over the years of the fire and the experience. So, you can read a lot of different stories [from] the firemen to just people trying to escape the fire.” Leanne Hayden, collections manager of the Brick Store Museum, said.
Maine Historian Joyce Butler wrote a book on the disaster called, “Wildfire Loose: The Week Maine Burned,” which is for sale at the Brick Store Museum.