inside - Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve

spring 2011 volume 28 issue 1
The exhibits were designed by Main Street Design and built by Mystic Scenic Studios with
guidance from an ad hoc committee led by education associate Hannah Wilhelm.
The Changing Landscapes exhibits were funded by generous donations from Charles and
Rebecca Richardson, the Virginia Hodgkins Somers Foundation, and Laudholm Trust, plus a
grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In planning for the new exhibits, we determined that the historic Laudholm farmhouse
would not be significantly altered. But it was also clear that something needed to be done
to improve the flow through exhibit rooms. The solution was to make a simple change: An
under-used doorway became the new
Visitor Center entrance. The necessary
short walkway and set of steps were
made out of pink granite from right
here in Wells by Millenium Granite
Quarry and Stoneworks.
The new exhibits include
touchable features like
wave-worn stones and
a paleo-Indian tool-kit,
an enclosed threedimensional
model of
Laudholm Farms circa
1925, and baskets of toys,
games, puppets, and
books for kids.
7
changing
landscapes
The Wild Landscape
14,000 years ago to 1400s
The story begins with the weight
of a mile-high glacier pressing
down upon what is now the Maine
coast. The end of the last Ice Age
led to colonization of the coastal
landscape by Wabanaki people.
The Economic Landscape
1600s to 1800s
Subsistence lifestyles began to fade
away as Europeans settled in the
region, bringing a market-based
approach to the landscape. The
Industrial Revolution contributed
to a decline in farming throughout
New England.
The Domesticated Landscape
1925
A “gentleman’s farm” flourishes
under unique circumstances as
Laudholm Farms embraces the
progressive farming movement,
but when the Great Depression
strikes a blow the farm never
regains its former glory.
The Protected Landscape
2010 to Present
With roots firmly planted in the
conservation movement and
strengthened by environmental
legislation, people take responsibility
for preserving and protecting
landscapes for future generations.
The Wells Reserve at Laudholm
models and supports such efforts.