V. F. Thomas Co. P. O. Box 111 - Shawmut, Maine  04975 info@vfthomas.com

All of the material posted on this website is for the free use of anyone who wishes to use it, with the requirement that no one using this material will ever charge anyone for access to it, either online or in print or in any other form.

LIVING ON THE EDGE A guide to Tide Pool Animals, Seaweeds, and Seaside plants. For more information or to order, please click here.

ANCESTRAL PLANTS, VOLUME 2 This book by Arthur Haines covers more than 100 species of plants, with at least two color photographs for each species, and has introductory chapters (different from those in volume 1) to provide important information for those interested in foraging, herbal medicine, and wildcrafting. For more information or to place an order, please click here.

NATURAL HISTORY The former MAINE NATURAL HISTORY PROJECT is now curated by Maine Natural History Observatory.

CULTURAL HISTORY Cultural history in the sense used on this website is what is commonly called just “history”. Here the adjective “cultural” is used to distinguish the history of humans from “natural history” (see above), the study of non-human organisms. This cultural history project needs to be taken over by preferably a nonprofit, which will have a lifetime that is longer than the person who has compiled the information. The hope is that what now exists will be a framework for much more information about Maine’s history, and will be added to over time. MAINE CULTURAL HISTORY PROJECT Information about Maine’s cultural history that will be of use to casual visitors to the state as well as to serious researchers and students of history. You may click on the link above for an overview of the whole project or on one of the links below to explore a specific topic. My favorite of the following projects is the one about cemeteries. However, driving to these cemeteries and driving from a prominent place in each town to these cemeteries during the process of preparing directions to each one is costly, both in money and in the effect on the environment from the automobile exhaust created. Therefore, only when I have to travel somewhere or when someone sends me locations/directions for posting will I add to the cemeteries web pages. cemeteries | census records | cottages | land grants and deeds | genealogy | Maine history | markers, monuments, and memorials | postal history | tours | town histories | town records CANTON CULTURAL HISTORY Canton, Maine, will celebrate its 200th anniversary as a town in 2021. In preparation for that event, the web page linked to here includes dates of important events in Canton’s history as well as information about Canton’s cemeteries; census records; deeds; markers, monuments, and memorials; and postal history. More will be added as it becomes available. MOUNT DESERT ISLAND MYSTERIES On Mount Desert Island, some early trails have been discontinued, and early roads have been overlaid with newer ones. There are cellar holes and foundations, as well as iron rods and stone posts that presumably mark(ed) property boundaries. This page serves as a clearing house for questions about the significance of a feature found and about the location of features that have not been found, although they are shown on early maps or in older guidebooks.

MISCELLANEOUS RECOMMENDED LINKS Here are some websites that I think are worthy of your attention.    Wilder Waters Community - a nonprofit in Canton, Maine, which is (1) conserving the surrounding forests and water for honorable, truly sustainable use based on ancestral practices; (2) protecting the land from destructive, unsustainable use and providing healthy, productive land for future generations; and (3) maintaining land where a rewilding community can flourish and sharing the model with new or already existing communities elsewhere through educational events, social media, and various other outlets.    Delta Institute of Natural History - a school for small group instruction on a diversity of natural history topics, with focus on plant taxonomy and primitive technologies.