Category Archives: Places

Sorting Letters at the Cemetery

Posted on November 12, 2025 by Don Taylor

While visiting Dunstan Cemetery, cemetery historian Ron Romano noticed unusual initials—“IMP’D O.R.M.” and “T.O.T.E.”—on Millard Whitten’s grave. They revealed Whitten’s membership in the Improved Order of Red Men, a once-popular fraternal organization. Romano explores these symbols and others found on Maine gravestones, uncovering how fraternal orders once shaped community and remembrance. Continue reading →

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Preserving History:The Blue Point Church Bell Finds a New Home

Posted on November 2, 2025 by Don Taylor

When the mount for the historic Blue Point Church bell began to fail, Eagle Scout candidate Ben Kildow stepped up to preserve a beloved piece of Scarborough’s history. With help from the Historical Society, the bell found a new home beside Alger Hall—protected, restored, and celebrated once again. Continue reading →

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A Glimpse of the Southgate House in Dunstan Village

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Don Taylor

The Southgate House has been a landmark of Dunstan Village, Scarborough, Maine, since the early 1800s. Built around 1805–1810 by members of the Southgate family, the house served as an inn and tavern for travelers along the Portland Road—today’s U.S. … Continue reading →

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Knight’s Furniture: A Dunstan Village Landmark

Posted on July 7, 2025 by Don Taylor

Knight’s Furniture was once a beloved family-run business at the heart of Dunstan Village in Scarborough, Maine. Located on U.S. Route 1, the store served generations of local families with quality furniture and home goods, all within a converted barn … Continue reading →

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Scarborough Town Farm Cemetery

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Don Taylor

Ron Romano’s The Graves of Scarborough’s Paupers: The Town Farm Cemetery, 1867–1891 offers a moving, thoroughly researched account of Scarborough’s 19th-century approach to caring for its poorest citizens. When the town purchased the Brackett Farm in 1867, it became a … Continue reading →

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