Learn the History of Maine’s Roosevelt Trail on This Self-Guided Tour

The first-ever Roosevelt Trail Maine history tour is happening on Saturday, September 6. It's your chance to take a self-guided tour of Maine's past from Westbrook to Harrison.

Start at the Westbrook Historical Society

According to the Windham Eagle, the Roosevelt Trail Maine History Tour features eight historical sites that will be open to the public, and admission to all sites is free.

The route can be driven by car or on a bike and starts at the Westbrook Historical Society. You are free to take a self-guided tour, with some of the locations having open houses.

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Boyhood Home

One of those stops is at the Hawthorne House in Raymond, the boyhood home of author Nathaniel Hawthorne. The building still stands today, but the interior has been changed significantly and is used today as a function space. In 1969, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Rufus Porter Museum of Art & Ingenuity

The Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgton has a stunning staircase
and a mural that you have to see for yourself. The museum was dedicated to the life and works of Rufus Porter, a muralist between 1825 and 1845 who decorated over 150 houses and inns throughout New England.

Here's a complete list of the stops along the route of the tour:

• Westbrook, Maine Historical Society, 426 Bridge St., Westbrook
• Windham Historical Society, 234 Windham Center Road, Windham
• Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Boyhood Home, 40 Hawthorne Road, Raymond
• Quaker Ridge Meeting House, 141 Quaker Ridge Road, Casco
• Raymond Casco Historical Society, 1 Shadow Lane, Casco
• Naples Historical Society & Museum, 19 Village Green, Naples
• Rufus Porter Museum of Art & Ingenuity, 121 Main St., Bridgton
• Scribner’s Mill & Homestead, 244 Scribner’s Mill Road, Harrison

For more information on the tour, visit the Windham Historical Society website.