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March 27, 2014 - Art on Wheels: The Story of the Grace Darling Omnibus, c. 1880-2014

7:30 pm (Berwick Academy)

One of the most remarkable and gorgeous horse-drawn carriages in any museum collection in the United States, the Grace Darling omnibus, first used in 1880, transported tourists in style in South Berwick until 1904. The Long Island Museum's Chief Curator Joshua Ruff discusses the history of this beautifully-painted twenty-three foot long vehicle, now a star of his museum's collection.

Sponsored by the Old Berwick Historical Society, the program will be held on Thursday, March 27, starting at 7:30 pm at Berwick Academy's Jeppesen Science Center on Academy Street. The public is invited and volunteers will serve refreshments.

A Bicentennial History

1814: South Berwick Comes into Its Own

by Norma Keim

February 12, 1814 was a momentous day for the village of Quamphegan. Located on the site of an ancient Indian village still bearing its name, it was the commercial center of the town of Berwick, which then included today’s South Berwick, Berwick and North Berwick. James Sullivan, Massachusetts’ governor from 1807–08, had apprenticed at Quamphegan as a law clerk, and in his 1795 "The History of the Province of Maine," identifies Quamphegan Landing as the "great Landing place," located at what is now the Counting House Park on Liberty Street in South Berwick.

The Placenames of South Berwick

NEW - Updated second edition for South Berwick's Bicentennial

With a special introduction "1814: South Berwick Comes Into Its Own: a Bicentennial History"

by the Old Berwick Historical Society

“You won’t find a more historic walkable village in New England than South Berwick. Now you can find everything when you get there with this much-needed, carefully researched guide.”
– J. Dennis Robinson, SeacoastNH.com

South Berwick Time Line

History of South Berwick, Maine, from the age of discovery to the 21st Century

Based on the Maine School Administrative District #35 Timeline of Eliot and South Berwick History - March 16, 2001

From our new bicentennial exhibit - South Berwick Town Hall

Becoming South Berwick:

Surviving the Revolution

by Cari Quater

Berwick Established: In 1713, the same year that ended of Queen Anne’s War- a war dominated by conflict with the French and their Indian allies -- the town of Berwick officially separated from Kittery.

On June 9th, Berwick became the 9th incorporated town in Maine. It included current day South Berwick, Berwick, and North Berwick.

At this time, Berwick was the most inland settlement towards Canada, and though the war was over, the inhabitants lived in a constant state of alarm.

In 1702, a new Congregational church was formed, and a new meeting house was built at Old Fields on today’s Old South Road near Brattle Street. The first school house was completed nearby in 1718. There was a tavern at the intersection. There were two saw mills in walking distance, and a maritime port near today’s Hamilton House. Old Fields was the commercial center of Berwick.

Ask Norma

Got a question about local history of the Berwicks, the Salmon Falls River area and southwestern Maine? If you write us at info@oldberwick.org, our volunteers will do their best to find answers in the Counting House Museum archives and reference books.