Memoryscape
I’m writing with a special invitation to join us on Saturday, September 13th for The Freeport Memoryscape Walk, a focused scavenger hunt-style event where small teams will span out across different parts of Freeport to examine the commemorative landscape before regrouping to share our findings over a community meal.
If you have kept up with my blog, you may recall that I am working as the Volunteer Coordinator for this year’s WHERE events. This event in Freeport on September 13th is organized by Freeport residents with the support of Atlantic Black Box in partnership with The BTS Center and with funding from the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership. It is part of the Walks for Historical and Ecological Recovery (WHERE), a series devoted to grassroots truthseeking and transformation.
As Meadow, Atlantic Black Box Founder and Director, writes:
”Communities encode memory, pride, and power into the built environment in a variety of ways. The Memoryscape Walk offers a chance to gather alongside other folks with a shared connection to this place and take on the role of community historians, collaborating to survey the town’s commemorative landscape. As we examine the monuments, plaques, street names, symbols, and other historical signifiers all around us, we will ask: Whose stories are being told here, whose are missing, and how might these partial narratives impact this community today? We will also bring our awareness to the natural environment, recentering the non-human residents of this place and identifying instances of "terraforming,” a practice through which European settlers reshaped the environment and erased Indigenous ecologies, cultures, and lifeways.
By collectively looking at the messages and values embedded in the built environment, we will develop connections, deepen our understanding of the ways public memory is formed and perpetuated, and launch an ongoing dialogue about what it would take to ensure the memoryscape is more accurate and reflective of those who have contributed to shaping this community over the centuries.
A few important details:
This WHERE Walk is a daylong event; we encourage folks to plan on attending for the duration. The program will include compelling speakers, memoryscaping in small groups, and a robust processing of our findings.
We are excited to share a potluck-style meal together.
The “scavenger hunt” aspect of this will require some carpooling and driving (the various sites are scattered across Freeport.) We’ll share additional details in a confirmation email closer to the event.
We look forward to walking with you!”
Meadow & the Memoryscape Walk organizing team
The Memoryscape Walk
Saturday, September 13, 2025 | 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
South Freeport Church Community Hall
98 South Freeport Rd, Freeport, ME
Program schedule
9:00 a.m. Welcome & refreshments at South Freeport Church Community Hall
9:20 a.m. Setting the historical context
10:00 a.m. How to survey the Memoryscape
10:30 a.m. Teams assemble & disperse to survey Freeport
1:00 p.m. Regroup at South Freeport Church for lunch & observation stations
2:00 p.m. Small group discussions & community dialogue
3:15 p.m. Closing circle
3:30 p.m. Event ends
The Memoryscape Walk is part of the Walks for Historical and Ecological Recovery (WHERE), a series convened by Atlantic Black Box devoted to grassroots truthseeking and transformation. WHERE is funded in part by The Mellon Foundation, Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust, Maine Humanities Council, Maine Community Foundation, Sewall Foundation, and from many generous donors.