This view from aboard the schooner Mary E on the Kennebec River in Bath would have been familiar to Captain Zina Lewis and other Black sailors who worked on the waters of Lincoln County in the 18th and 19th centuries. Korinne Tanzer photo
Lincoln County Historical Association plans to shed light on Black sailors of the the 18th and 19th centuries with an online lecture, “Good Grit: Black Sailors of Lincoln County,” presented by Korrine Tanzer at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14.
Korrine Tanzer will deliver the lecture “Good Grit: Black Sailors of Lincoln County” online Thursday, March 14 as part of a lecture series offered by Lincoln County Historical Association. Submitted photo
Tanzer will discuss a few of the Black sailors — free and enslaved — who worked the waters of the Kennebec River or spent time at sea, helping shape Lincoln County’s past. Tanzer’s talk will introduce early enslaved men who were forced to sea by their enslavers, as well as free men like Zina Lewis, who, full of “good grit” as reported by one local newspaper, made a name for himself as a successful Black captain on the Kennebec, according to a news release from the Wiscasset-based association.
Tanzer tells of the determination and grit of men whose stories have been hidden but who left an important mark on Maine’s rich maritime tradition.
Tanzer, a blogger who focuses on maritime, Maine, and queer history, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history at Arizona State University. As an active volunteer for the association, Tanzer serves on LCHA’s Board of Trustees as well as the Wiscasset Old Jail Stewardship Committee and conducts research into the lives of inmates held at the Old Jail in the 19th century.
The lecture is open to the public and free, but advance registration is required at lincolncountyhistory.org.
A suggested donation of $5 will help support LCHA’s ongoing history programming.
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