Speaking on the mast trade, South Portland, April 30

For those in Southern Maine: I'll be giving a special talk for the Tate House Museum's Annual Event this Saturday, April 30, at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland.

My program, Maine and the Mast Trade: Strategic Resources, Geopolitics, and the Clash of Empires, tells the story of a half century period when Maine found itself at the center of a global trade in a scarce resource vital to military power and what we today would call national security. The Tate House (1755) -- the oldest structure standing in Portland -- was a major node in this vital trade in masts suitable for the battle line-suitable warships on which the security of the British (and Dutch, French, and Spanish) empire depended.

The event, a fundraiser for the Tate House, starts at 6pm, includes dinner and a cocktail reception, and costs $100 per person or $160 per couple. For more information, please call 207-774-6177 or email info@tatehouse.org.

(All of my speaking engagements are posted here as they are scheduled.)