Hamilton House is one of 36 historic properties owned and operated by Historic New England, a region heritage organization.  The garden and grounds of Hamilton House are open to the public year round, dawn to dusk.  Tours of the house are given Wednesday through Sunday from 11a.m. to 5 p.m, June 2 through October 15 or by special arrangement.  Admission: $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $4 for children.  For more information, please call the Southern Maine office of Historic New England at 207-384-2454.

Thursday, September 10 at 5:30 p.m., co-authors Theresa Mattor and Lucie Teegarden will offer an illustrated presentation on Maine’s rich heritage of designed landscapes, at the Hamilton House Garden Cottage, 40 Vaughan’s Lane, South Berwick. Copies of their book, Designing the Maine Landscape, will be available for purchase and signing by the authors. The talk is free and open to the public.

Designing the Maine Landscape was drawn from a ten-year survey of Maine’s historic designed landscapes. The book, a collaborative effort between the Maine Olmsted Alliance for Parks and Landscapes and Down East Books, celebrates the history and legacy of Maine’s historic landscapes and showcases familiar parks open to the public, private estates, golf courses, designed neighborhoods, rural cemeteries, and school and college campuses. Among the featured landscapes are two local favorites, Hamilton House and nearby Berwick Academy. The authors’ presentation at Hamilton House will include historic and contemporary photographs of a sample of Colonial Revival gardens in Maine, including those at Hamilton House. For additional information about Hamilton House please visit  http://www.historicnewengland.org.

Theresa Mattor is a landscape architect and author based in Greater Portland. A native of Laconia, New Hampshire, she received a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Oregon. Since moving to Maine in 1988, she has enjoyed a design career that focuses on historic and contemporary landscapes, with a specialty in residential sites. She lectures frequently about contemporary landscape design, native plants, and historic landscapes. She lives in Hollis, Maine, with her husband and son.

Lucie Teegarden is a writer and editor who has spent more than 35 years producing college, university, and museum publications and books. She holds a B.A. in languages from the College of New Rochelle and an M.A. in French from Yale University and is director of publications emerita at Bowdoin College. She enjoys editing French and English as a Second Language (ESL) materials as well as books on art, history, gardening, and other subjects. Before moving to Brunswick, Maine, in 1983, she lived in Kenitra, Morocco, and in the suburbs of Boston, New Haven, and New York City.

Admission: Free to Garden and Landscape members, $6 Historic New England members, $12 nonmembers
Please note: Registration required

Take part in a special opportunity to learn about the landscape and gardens at Hamilton House with Historic New England’s Piscataqua Region Landscape Manager Gary Wetzel. Imagine the changes in the land as wilderness yielded to a busy commercial waterfront, then to farming, and finally, to formal gardens. Learn about the flowers, trees, and other plants at Hamilton House and hear how Wetzel and gardeners Mimi Demers and Kathy Gray create and maintain the beautiful formal gardens. Garden and Landscape tours available for private groups by special arrangement. Call 207-384-2454 for details.

Powderhouse is the only lift served ski hill on the Seacoast and one of the oldest in the country.  Last season was a banner year for Powderhouse.  Record-breaking snowfall and a makeshift grooming device led to a season when the hill was open 49 out of 56 scheduled days.  “The whole purpose of a hill like this is to get as many kids as possible outdoors, exercising, and learning a sport they can enjoy for the rest of their lives”, says club member Bill Page.

As a new member of Powderhouse last season, Page realized that with some sort of grooming, the snow would be better for beginners to learn on.  After one failed attempt, he created a makeshift device that could be pulled behind the club snowmobile to smooth and pack the snow on the hill.

“The thing worked pretty well but it’s far from perfect.  The sled overheats without fresh powder to cool it and we can’t impact all conditions with the present set-up.  We’d really like to get our hands on a used traditional groomer so we can keep the hill beginner friendly regardless of what Mother Nature throws at us.  I keep threatening to have a bake sale to get the ball rolling but can’t seem to find the time.  It’s time we started an official fund-raising drive I think.  If anyone’s interested in helping with the effort, please contact me day or night”, said Page.

Regular hours of operation are Wednesday & Friday nights from 7-9 pm and Saturday and Sunday from noon-4pm.  Lift tickets are just $5.00 per person.

Powderhouse Hill first opened in 1939, has 3 trails, an 800-foot long rope tow and 150 feet of vertical drop.  The hill is operated by volunteer members of the non-profit Powderhouse Hill Ski Club.  At the base of the hill is a warming lodge with a woodstove and snack bar.  “The hill is small, but steep enough to be fun for all ages, said Martin.  It’s a perfect place for children to learn the sport.”

For more information on Powderhouse, call their Snow-Phone at 207-384-5858, email them at powderhousenews@comcast.net, or visit their website at www.powderhousehill.com.

Check out these media stories about Powderhouse:

Powderhouse Hill Ski Area Opens For Season
WCSH-TV, ME (Watch the video on the right)
Last weekend’s snowfall has made for some great skiing all over the state, including at what’s perhaps Maine’s smallest ski …

Powderhouse perfect spot for local winter fun
Foster’s Daily Democrat
In small bursts between falls, five-year-old Jordyn Cook slowly made her way down Powerhouse Hill on her new …

Laudholm Farm at the Wells Reserve in Wells offers a wonderful alternative to all that.  It is an easy trip from South Berwick on Route 4 to Route 9 to Wells and then just a short jaunt up Route 1, there is plenty of parking, and then the real draw: a 2200 acre area with seven miles of hiking trails through woodlands, fields, wetlands, beach, and dunes with no crowds. You can walk through the open fields of this historic saltwater farm and take in the long views of the coast.  Walk through the marsh on boardwalks and watch and hear multitudes of birds or take the walk down to the beach which is likely to be sparsely populated by an assortment of swimmers, surf casters, beach walkers, and birdwatchers.

We headed over to Wells to meet up with some friends at Laudholm Farm one morning of the July 4 weekend.  It was sunny and hot at the top of the hill.  We took the beach walk through the fields where the smell of beach roses scented the air and the ripening blueberries attracted birds.  As we went through the marsh toward the beach we entered the mist that, when lit by the sun, accentuated the colors of the water and vegetation and brought a welcome coolness to the day.  We then walked the whole length of the beach from north to south, taking us from the calm and quiet of the Laudholm beach at the north, to the beach atmosphere at the breakwater at the entrance to Wells Harbor.

Laudholm Trust is a nonprofit organization formed to protect Laudholm Farm and to support research, education, and management activities at the Wells Reserve. The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve investigates coastal environments and enhances understanding of their ecology. Reserve facilities are located at Laudholm Farm and include the Maine Coastal Ecology Center.

Laudholm Farm trails are open every day, 7 am to sunset.  Trail maps are available at the entry kiosk.  Admission fees are in effect from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day. Fees are $1 for ages 6 to 16 and $3 for those over 16. Members of Laudholm Trust get free admission (except some special events) and program discounts.

Visitor Center and Maine Coastal Ecology Center Exhibits  are open Jan 16 to Dec 15: Mon-Fri, 10-4 and on the weekends from Memorial Day to Columbus Day: Mon-Fri, 10-4; Sat, 10-4; Sun, 12-4.   There are also an array of special events and programs  for nature lovers of all ages.  You can download a pdf version of their calendar.

For over four decades, local families have been placing historic objects in the care of the Old Berwick Historical Society, who own and operate the museum in a textile factory building dating to the 1830s.

Now on display is a bridal gown of the wife of the minister of South Berwick First Baptist Church, Rev. Elisha Sanderson, who lived from c. 1863 to 1939. Their daughter, Abby Sanderson, became a missionary in Asia, and one of her hymn books is on exhibit.

Other mementos pertain to St. Michael’s Church and St. Michael’s School, the latter run in the early 1900s by the Sisters of St. Joseph. St. Michael’s Church was recently purchased by the town of South Berwick. The display also includes an old-fashioned lightning rod sold by a resident of Academy Street, models and relics of gundalows, and a typewriter used at the Cummings Shoe Factory over 100 years ago.

Another exhibit at the Counting House is devoted to the Humphrey and Lucy Chadbourne family, among the first settlers to ever live in present-day South Berwick, about 350 years ago. Remains of the family’s household items and tools from their sawmill are on display.

The Counting House Museum is also a small local history research center offering thousands of documents, photos, and historic objects gathered by local residents. The collection is under the care of local amateur historians or professionals who donate their time and will assist visitors in doing research.

Volunteers are needed to staff the Counting House Museum on occasional afternoons throughout the summer and fall. Previous experience is not required. More information is available at www.obhs.net, by calling (207)384-0000 or by writing info@obhs.net.

Landscape and Garden Tour, Hamilton House, South Berwick, Me.
Wednesday, June 11, 10-11:30
Phone: 207-384-2454
Admission: $8 Historic New England members, $12 nonmembers
Take part in a special opportunity to learn about the landscape and gardens at Hamilton House with Historic New England’s Piscataqua Region Landscape Manager Gary Wetzel. Imagine the changes in the land as wilderness yielded to a busy commercial waterfront then to farming and, finally, to formal gardens. Learn about the flowers, trees and other plants that surround Hamilton House and how Gary and his gardeners create and maintain the beautiful formal gardens. Pre-registration required.

Sarah Orne Jewett Walking Tour, Sarah Orne Jewett House, South Berwick, Me.
Wednesday, June 11, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Phone: 207-384-2454
Admission: $5 Historic New England members, $10 nonmembers
Celebrate the life and works of Sarah Orne Jewett with a walking tour of her former haunts. With the Jewett Memorial Committee’s new Sarah Orne Jewett Walking Tour Map in hand join this guided tour on an exploration of the streetscape of downtown S. Berwick. Imagine what life was like during Sarah’s lifetime with stops at places Jewett family members knew and frequented.

It is a wonderful day for a stroll around Hamilton House.