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.

A NEW PATH This book by Arthur Haines takes a candid look at the contemporary lifeway of humans in an attempt to reinstate our biological norms-patterns of living that define each species on the planet. For more information or to place an 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 Natural history is the study of non-human organisms and can be interpreted broadly to include geology, hydrology, and other phenomena. MAINE NATURAL HISTORY PROJECT A record of the natural history of the State of Maine and the immediately adjacent ocean. This is an expansion of the previous Champlain Project, whose focus was restricted to Mount Desert Island and adjacent ocean. For much of at least 2020, this project will show the transition from a focus on Mount Desert Island to the wider focus on the State of Maine.    Currently there are three organizations in Maine that focus on specific groups of organisms: Josselyn Botanical Society (plants), Maine Mycological Association (fungi), and Maine Entomological Society (insects). I envision the creation of a nonprofit organization, perhaps called the Maine Natural History Society, that will be the natural history equivalent of the Maine Historical Society. The new organization would, among other things, (1) have its own website, (2) maintain/update the checklist data reported here, (3) develop a newsletter, (4) provide scholarships to help students and adults attend various natural history camps and programs, (5) create displays for libraries, schools, and other interested groups, and (6) create and/or support natural history collections.    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. checklists  BOTANICAL LATIN Here you will find a botanical Latin glossary of words used in Latin descriptions and diagnoses of plant species, as well as a list of links to translations of Latin descriptions and diagnoses.

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. 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 | deeds | genealogy | 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.