The town of Harpswell, Maine has 216 miles of coastline, the longest of any town in the state. It is made up of two peninsulas. One peninsula is connected to the mainland, and the other is made up of three islands: Great Island, Orr’s Island, and Bailey Island, which are currently all connected by bridges.

Once home to the Abenaki tribe, Harpswell was purchased from them in the mid-1600s. However, due to ongoing disputes and conflicts, the area remained unsettled until the Treaty of 1725 brought about a truce and a return of settlers in the 1730s.

Less then a mile from my studio, there exists an old saltwater farm that was built in 1780, long before any bridges connected Great Island to the mainland. And overlooking the farmhouse meadow that reaches to Laurel Cove, a pear tree was planted.

In 2018, Jeff, the current owner of the farmhouse, had to have the tree cut down. It was a hard decision given that he was very fond of it, as well as the fruit it bore in autumn. However, climate change had started to affect the trees on the coast of Maine. The milder winters were unable to deter two destructive, foliage-feeding caterpillars of the brown tail and winter moths, and the old tree did not have the resilience to survive.

Being a woodworker himself, Jeff contacted me, and we talked about the best way to slab up the tree and dry it properly. After drying for a couple of years in his outbuilding, I brought some slabs over to my heated shop, but still waited another year before making 12 flower presses from this beautiful wood.

Curious as to its age, Jeff and I attempted to count the rings once the stump was exposed. Our observation showed that the tree had been in decline for a long time. Despite a lot of center rot and missing rings, it appeared to be at least 150-200 years old. Could it be that it was planted not long after the house was built?

Thanks to Jeff’s generosity, I am so happy to have had an opportunity to work with this beautiful wood. And as is true with all my Heirloom Flower Presses made from historic woods and imbued with rich histories, it will always be hard to sell the last one...

Press dimensions are 11.5”W X 11.5”D X 13.5”H.

Cardboard inserts are 11.5” X 9”.