TALK: Martin Van Buren Fountain: Unwitting Witness and Recorder of History, 1863-1864

“Doing nothing with nothing to do, lazy as the devil and getting lazyer [sic],”wrote local Bristol sailor Martin Van Buren Fountain in his journal in August 1864 after completing a trading voyage to West Africa that he recorded in the very same journal. The round-trip voyage from New York to West Africa began on December 15, 1863 and ended on July 14, 1864. It would be a journey that had political implications related to the settlement of Liberia, a journey hindered by tornados, squalls, becalmed seas, heat and humidity, and a journey that tested his physical and mental limits. But who was this sailor who liked to be called Van?

Chuck Rand, OBHS Collections Manager, will be sharing Fountain's story which is recorded in his diary and which is preserved in the OBHS collections. Chuck brings extensive experience in museums, libraries, and archives to OBHS, having held positions at the Smithsonian, the Political Commercial Archives at U of OK, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Maine Historical Society, and at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community. Chuck is also a former OBHS Board member having served from 2014–2021, including four years as Co-President and nine years as volunteer collections manager before a paid position was created.

Non-members: $5 Members and youths under 18: Free