The Sail, Power, and Steam Museum will host a talk on “The History and Controversy of the George Waymouth Light Horseman” on Wednesday, October 19 at 6:30pm in the museum building at 75 Mechanic Street in Rockland, Maine. Admission is Free.
In 1605, Waymouth and a crew of 28 sailed along the coast of Maine aboard their vessel, the Archangel. Waymouth then left his anchorage at the entry to Penobscot Bay to explore the local coastal areas. For years it was thought that he had traveled with a rowing crew up the St. George River aboard a kit boat called a “Light Horseman” but later theories had him traveling up Penobscot Bay and into the Penobscot River. Taking descriptions of the vessel, a reproduction was designed by Same Manning and built at the Apprentice Shop in Rockland, and a group of modern-day explorers took on the task of tracing Waymouth’s travels to help answer the question of where his trip had taken him.
Ben Fuller, maritime history expert and former curator at the Penobscot Marine Museum will talk about the reproduction, Waymouth’s travels, and the roll that the reproduction played in understanding this historic trip.
The museum is home to the Light Horseman replica which is on display in the Wing On Wing Boathouse.