Coin Exhibit Tells of English Trade at Colonial Pemaquid

Kate Raymond, Colonial Pemaquid researcher, points to the Queen Anne period jetton on display at the Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site museum at New Harbor.

A new, expanded coin exhibit has been unveiled at the Museum at Colonial Pemaquid. Read all about it in a press release from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.

Memorial Day at Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site

Memorial Day Weekend is a time of family gatherings, parades, and festive occasions, but it is also a solemn reminder of sacrifice and loss. Here on the grounds of Colonial Pemaquid, much of the 17th and 18th century was marked by conflict between Europeans and Native Americans, with hardship, deprivation, and loss of life on both sides. King Philip’s War, for instance, struck this area in 1676, and in 1689, Fort Charles, a wooden structure, was burned to the ground with great loss of life. In 1696, Fort William Henry, partially reproduced here in the early 20th century, was captured and destroyed; and its successor, Fort Frederick, was attacked several times. This was the frontier after all, and like all frontiers, life here was difficult and dangerous.

Of course, wars have occurred throughout history, and have been fought for different reasons, but one fact should never be forgotten. Regardless of the military or political rationale, it is the soldier who is always placed in harm's way - therefore one should never confuse the warrior with the war. So here today, amidst this peaceful setting by the waters of John's Bay, let us not forget the reason for this holiday.

Let us take a moment to pay tribute to those countless men and women who served in all wars, and to their families who have borne and still bear the burden of sacrifice. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, “We may occasionally be tempted to ask ourselves what we gained by the enormous sacrifices made by those to whom this memorial weekend is dedicated. But that was never the issue with those who marched away. No question of advantage presented itself to their minds. They only saw the light shining on the clear path to duty. They only saw their duty to resist oppression, to protect the weak, to vindicate the profound but unwritten Law of Nations. They never asked the question, “What shall we gain?” They asked only the question, “Where lies the right?” As the poet Whitman has said:

“With music strong I come, with my pipes and drums,
I play not marches for accepted victors only –
I play great marches for conquer'd and slain persons.
Have you heard that it was good to gain the day?
Battles are lost in the same spirit in which they are won. . . .
Vivas to those who have failed!

And to those whose war-vessels sank in the sea!
And to those themselves who sank in the sea!
And all overcome heroes!
And to the numberless unknown heroes equal
to the greatest heroes known.”

- from remarks read by Don Loprieno, vice president of the Friends of Colonial Pemaquid, and chair of the Living History Committee, on Saturday, May 29, 2010, in observance of Memorial Day.