The narrator is my friend Peter Thomas (Thumbnail photo), famous for Forensic Files and hundreds of other films.

I spent 25 years living and working in the small town of Rockport, Maine. It was a wonderful experience. I made this film to honor Rockports 150th anniversary, although it tells the story of one small town, in meaningful ways, it matches the story of many of Maine's towns and villages. My friend Ellen Starr performed the music while watching the film I had made.

When telling the story of Rockport, you have to start with the fighting that took place between Rockport and its neighbor Camden, Maine, and their split into two separate towns. The feud between Rockport and Camden simmered for years, fueled by disagreements over land rights, economic development, and local governance. Tensions reached a boiling point during a contentious town meeting held in the late 1800s, where heated arguments erupted between residents of the two communities.

Camden, with its larger population and more significant economic influence, dominated discussions and decisions that affected both towns. Rockport residents felt marginalized and believed that their town's interests were being neglected in favor of Camden's.
As the arguments escalated, tempers flared, and physical altercations broke out among the attendees. Fists flew, chairs were overturned, and voices rose in anger as the once-civil gathering devolved into chaos.

In the aftermath of the brawl, residents of Rockport decided that they could no longer coexist harmoniously with Camden under the same governance structure. They petitioned the state government to grant them independence and establish Rockport as a separate town. The 1891 split left a lasting legacy of division and rivalry between the two towns. While they continued to share geographic proximity and economic ties, the animosity that fueled their separation persisted for generations, serving as a cautionary tale of the consequences of unresolved conflict and the importance of compromise in community relations.

Maine is the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi River. More than four-fifths of its total land area is under forest cover. Maine is an economically depressed state, yet the rugged beauty and challenge of its climate and landscape and the character of its people have given Maine an importance beyond its economic and political power.

The Rockport area has a small but beautiful harbor and was a shipbuilding center, and in the 19th century, became an important center of ice harvesting and the extraction of lime. The extraction of lime stone and marble brought new industries to the town.

Midcoast Maine was inhabited for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. The original settlers included the Penobscots. In 1605 Captain George Weymouth of the ship Archangel first sighted the Camden Hills. He sailed up Penobscot Bay and anchored. It was not until 1769 that other settlers arrived.

Camden had a steady growth in population and a prosperous economy. The 1870 census recorded a population of 4512. Numerous industries supported the population including shipbuilding, an anchor factory and the lime industry.

In 1892 a fire destroyed nearly all of Camden’s business district. However, Camden citizens quickly rebuilt the downtown area using brick instead of wood, thus leaving a legacy of permanence and grace that exists to this day.

The turn of the century brought a new era to Camden as its natural beauty began to attract some of the wealthiest families in the country. These families built large summer “cottages” to rival those in Bar Harbor. Wealthy families not only built beautiful estates but their generosity to the community resulted in the elegant public library and Amphitheatre, Harbor Park, the Village Green, the Camden Yacht Club 

Edna St. Vincent Millay, who grew up in Camden, achieved world-wide recognition for her poetry and won the Pulitzer Prize. The movies came to Camden in 1957 when the controversial film, Peyton Place, was filmed there. Hollywood used the Camden area for the locale of many more movies in later years.

Throughout the 20th century Camden & Rockport became both resort towns and retirement communities. Because of its natural beauty-mountains, lakes and ocean,– many summer visitors come to enjoy this area. In 1965 a road was built up to the top of Mt. Battie through the Camden Hills State Park enabling thousands of people to enjoy an expansive view of Penobscot Bay as well as Megunticook Lake.

I loved the time that I lived in both Camden and in Rockport and during the summer (since being a Californian, I'm not so good at cold weather anymore) I visit to see old friends and rekindle memories.

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