Discovering Midcoast Maine | Betsy Wyeth, Henry Knox, and Summer Strawberries

An art exhibit that changed the way I see Andrew Wyeth’s work, a Revolutionary War hero, back-road surprises, and a delightful Maine maker. Last week reminded me that there is always something new to discover here in Maine.

Hello! I missed you last week, but I had a wonderful time with my sisters, my dad, and his friend.

Their annual visit has become one of my favorite weeks of the summer. We enjoyed many of our traditions—a visit to the lighthouse, happy hour and home-cooked meals, local walks, Beth’s Farm Market, and, of course, lobster rolls at McLoon’s Lobster Shack.

I also took them to a few of my favorite spots they hadn’t been to before, including St. George Pizza, the Alna Store, and The Lost Kitchen. But some of the highlights were new discoveries for all of us, which is always fun after living here for ten years.

Today I’m sharing a wonderful summer exhibit at the Farnsworth Art Museum, my first visit to the General Henry Knox Museum, a day spent traveling the back roads, and a delightful small Maine business.

Won’t you join me?

By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth

There are new summer exhibits at the Farnsworth Art Museum, so we went to check them out. My favorite (not surprisingly) was By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth.

Betsy James Wyeth was a true partner to her husband, artist Andrew Wyeth. She worked tirelessly behind the scenes to support him and his career — serving as the “final eye” on his paintings, naming each piece, and acting as curator.

Betsy also had a direct hand in forming Andrew’s artistic vision. She is the one who introduced him to Christina and Alvaro Olson the very first day they met . Over the next 30 years the Olsons and their saltwater farm became the subject of some 300 works of art, including the iconic painting Christina’s World.

Andrew Wyeth’s Art Through the Lens of Home

But on a different level (and one that resonates deeply with me), this exhibit shows that Betsy was, truly, an artist in her own right — using architecture and home design to create the spaces which were both the muse and subject matter of her husband’s work.

This exhibit encouraged me to explore Andrew’s art from a different perspective. To take in the paintings with my design eye, noticing the small details in a room, some of which are part of my home too. The peaceful slumber of a dog curled up on a bed. Geraniums in a sunny window. A scattering of shells on a shelf. Binoculars at the ready for whatever might catch my attention out the window. A painted floor and a sailors-valentine-type frame. Seaweed mocha yellowware in a cabinet.

It all felt very familiar and very Maine. It deepened my connection to both Andrew Wyeth’s art and this place I call home.

If you can’t make it to the Farnsworth, this video, created as part of the exhibit, provides an excellent look at Betsy’s unique influence.

The Farnsworth exhibition is part of a collaboration with Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, ME and the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, with each museum focusing on different Wyeth properties. I definitely plan to make a trip to Colby to see their exhibit as well.

There is also a beautiful companion book to the exhibitions.

For more information, visit the Farnsworth website.

General Henry Knox Museum

My family and I also paid a visit to the General Henry Knox Museum.

Who is Henry Knox?

Never heard of Knox? You’re not alone. Let me tell you about this brave patriot, who sacrificed so much for our country.

General Henry Knox was a trusted friend of George Washington and one of the most important military leaders of the Revolutionary War. At the start of the war, he led the extraordinary transport of 59 cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston, helping force the British to evacuate the city without a battle. As Chief of Artillery, Knox fought in and directed operations in numerous significant battles. After the war, he became the nation’s first Secretary of War before settling with his wife, Lucy, on her family’s land along the Georges River in Thomaston, Maine.

There he established a number of businesses and built a grand 19-room mansion known as Montpelier. Sadly, the home fell into disrepair after Knox’s untimely death in 1806. It was demolished to make way for the railroad in 1871.

The Daughters of the American Revolution couldn’t let Knox and Montpelier fade into oblivion, though. In the early 1900’s they spearheaded a movement to rebuild the historic mansion just up the road from where it once stood. The General Henry Knox Museum opened in 1930.

Finally Visiting Montpelier

The Knox house now sits on a hill at the intersection of Route 1 and the lone road that goes down the peninsula. So I have driven by it thousands of times — literally. But I had never been inside.

With our nation’s 250th birthday just days away, it felt like time to learn more — and, wow, it was fascinating.

I love old homes, and while this Montpelier is “new” (though still almost 100 years), it was built as a replica of the original. That means wallpapers that were copied by the same French company from salvaged fragments. An impressive oval-shaped main room and magnificent semi-flying double staircase. And remarkably, around 70% of the items in the home actually belonged to the Knoxes themselves.

There is hand-written correspondence from George Washington, a well-used fork that Henry carried with him throughout the war, and a gentleman’s travel set in a wooden case — a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette. Perhaps my favorite item was a small cardboard box containing, remarkably, a lock of George Washington’s own hair.

There is a new volunteer curator (the museum is entirely volunteer-staffed), and he has been working to bring many of these artifacts out of storage for display. There is also a capital campaign to raise money for repairs and upgrades to the building. This museum only seems to be getting better.

I left with an appreciation for a key figure from our nation’s infancy — one I had known nothing about before — and a better understanding of events early in the Revolutionary War. It was also, as always, interesting to get a peek into what life was like back then.

Even after 10 years here, Maine never ceases to surprise me.

The Knox Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00-3:15. Visits are by guided tour on the quarter hour. This summer, in honor of our bisesquicentennial (that’s the fancy word for 250 years), the museum is hosting a series of lectures and special events. See their website for all the details.

A Day Traveling the Back Roads

My sister’s and I spent a fun day traveling the back roads, stopping whenever something piqued our curiosity.

The Lost Kitchen

We began the day with a destination — the weekly farmers market at The Lost Kitchen in the tiny town of Freedom. I have written about this world renowned restaurant before.

Despite checking online, we discovered when we arrived that the farmers market is not being held this summer. Not to worry, there was still plenty to explore.

We started out in the retail shop — full of practical-but-beautiful things for the kitchen, table, and home. Many of the items they sell are the very things they use in their kitchen and dining room. My sisters and I each bought a wooden tool for stirring oatmeal called a “spurtle”. You’ve gotta love a highly specific cooking implement! I also picked up a set of small French bistro tumblers and a peeler with a wooden handle.

Can’t make it to Freedom? Visit their online shop here.

If you do happen to be in the area, but were unable to snag one of their highly competitive dinner reservations, you can still get a taste of the Lost Kitchen experience. Light lunch, sweet treats, and beverages are now being served on the back patio beside the mill pond.

We opted to grab a few baked goods (delicious!) to go, and continued on our way. Before we left, I was able to capture a photo of founder Erin French at work in the kitchen. Definitely a fan girl moment for me!

The Lost Kitchen shop and cafe are open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-2:30pm. They warn that you can expect a long wait to sit down and eat.

A little Europe in Maine

We decided to make our way home via Beth’s Farm Market in Warren. (I have written about this source for the most beautiful local seasonal produce multiple times.)

That day, we never made it to Beth’s, though. Coming around a bend on a country road, I spied Morse’s Sauerkraut up ahead and had to pull over. I had wanted to bring my sisters to this place for several years, but it is rather, ahem, out of the way.

Morse’s is another of Maine’s unexpected delights. What started out in 1918 as a humble operation on a family farm selling homemade sauerkraut and pickles, has grown into a full-blown gourmet grocery store. Stepping through the front door you are immediately transported to a European emporium, the shelves stocked with specialty pastas, sauces, snacks, sweets, teas, and more. Looking for spaetzle? They have several options. English biscuits and German chocolates? Check and check. They also have a full deli and still sell their original pickles and sauerkraut.

Morse’s is located at 3856 Washington Road in Waldoboro. They are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10-4. (Are you noticing the trend that Maine seems to close down on Sundays and Mondays?)

The Best Strawberries

When I was checking out at Morse’s, I mentioned we were on our way to Beth’s, and the guy behind the counter recommended we visit a nearby small farm for strawberries instead.

So back down the road we went. Wilson Family Farm is a classic Maine self-serve market—just a field and a small shed beside a humble home, where they sell produce grown right on the property. At the moment that is the juiciest, reddest, most flavorful strawberries you have ever tasted.

Wilson Family Farm is located at 895 Waldoboro Road in Washington. Open 9am-6pm. Strawberries will be winding down soon, but from their Facebook page, it looks like there is more beautiful produce to come.

Maine Meets Jaipur

After I dropped my family at the airport on Saturday, I stopped in Freeport to do a little outlet shopping.

Home to LL Bean (I wrote all about that Maine icon here), Freeport is always bustling in the summer. The parking was extra tight when I pulled in, though, and I noticed there was some kind of festival going on, with food trucks and vendors.

As I walked through the booths on my way to the store, my eye was drawn to one full of colorful blockprint fabrics. You needn’t look at my home too closely to see that I have a definite thing for blockprint designs.

These weren’t the typical blockprint patterns, though. There were lobsters, mussel shells, and fiddlehead ferns covering napkins, tablecloths, pajamas, shirts, and more. Charming!

When I learned that this small Maine business, Starboard and Co., was founded by three sisters, I was all in. Anne, Maggie, and Mary create the Maine-inspired designs and then work with artisans in India who use the heritage hand block technique to print the textiles. It is a partnership where Jaipur, India, meets coastal Maine.

When Anne, who was manning the booth, realized that I was Molly-in-Maine, she gifted me the lovely table cloth I already had in my hands to purchase. Thank you for your kind generosity!

It was hard to choose (the lobster print in blue is so fun!), but I went with the more subtle mussel shell border. I styled it for the July 4th holiday with pops of red. It will be nice through the summer too, paired with just my signature blues and tans.

You can shop online here, or if you are in Maine, visit their new shop which just opened this week at 535 Cottage Road, South Portland.

This Week Into Next

I am sure many of you are already busy ahead of the holiday weekend, and I myself am prepping for friends who arrive on Saturday.

But before I go, I’d like to leave you with one final thought — something that is, truly, the undercurrent of all that I share here.

The politics in our country can feel like a lot these days. But I hope that you can take some time, this weekend in particular, to think about all that unites us as a country. To appreciate all that is good. Art found in the everyday. The heroism of a patriot who fought for this country. Entrepreneurs taking a risk and following a dream. A surprise found around a corner on a country road. Family farms. Summer strawberries. The generosity of a stranger. Time with family and friends.

That’s it, friends. Be safe and Happy 4th!