The Maritime Marauder: Captain Henry Mowat

Join us for a talk by author Harry Gratwick about one of Portland’s most infamous characters, Captain Henry Mowat, a British sea captain who sailed into Portland’s harbor and bombarded the town by cannonball for much of the day on October 18, 1775. This act resulted in the destruction of more than two-thirds of the town and was a punitive measure against patriot activities during the Revolution.

Harry Gratwick’s talk is titled The American Revolution Comes to Maine: The Henry Mowat Controversy--was he truly the scoundrel of Revolutionary Maine?

Gratwick, a lifelong summer resident of Vinalhaven, is a retired secondary school history teacher who taught for 45 years mainly at the Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. He has written extensively for the Working Waterfront and the Island Journal is the author of seven books on a variety of topics related to Maine's history. He is a graduate of Williams College and holds a Master’s degree from Columbia.

The lecture will take place in the beautiful backyard and garden at Tate House from 6:45- 8:15 pm. The first 30 min will include a book signing by Mr. Gratwick. Copies of his book will be available for sale and the lecture begins at sundown, 7:15 pm.

Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the ambience of Tate House overlooking the Stroudwater River. In the event of rain, the lecture will be moved indoors. Visit our website for details if the weather is questionable.

Also check out other Arts events in Portland, Literary Art events in Portland.