The History of Just History
Introductory Remarks Presented by Bill Grabin at the Kennebunk Just History WHERE walk on November 8, 2025
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis. Protests quickly spread across the country. Here in Kennebunk, a dramatic demonstration was held. Hundreds of people walked the length of Main St. (as we’ll be doing today) and then lay down prone on the pavement for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the same length of time it took for George Floyd to lose his life, pinned beneath the knee of that officer. It was an extremely powerful experience for all who were there.
Following those events, a group that was interested in our history (and also interested in creating a lasting and meaningful response to those events) began to meet regularly, exploring connections between our local history and the current state of our country. Eventually, at my wife Monica’s inspired suggestion, we adopted the name “Just History” for our group. The pun was intended… our focus was to provide a measure of justice for those whose lives have been lost to history, but also that it’s just history: we weren’t interested in fabricating or contorting history to support a chosen agenda, but rather in just presenting our history.
One goal had been to create a database of all the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who had lived here. We chose to define “here” as what today comprises the towns of Wells, Ogunquit, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel. There are many projects like this throughout the parts of our country that had been settled by the 18th century, but most of them are focused only on the people who were enslaved. We also wanted to tell of the white people who had ties to these people, as well as the Wabanaki people who had lived here before their lands were stolen.
As we collected the many stories, my focus shifted to developing a website for the database, and we found perfect partners in the Brick Store Museum and its director Cynthia Walker, who indicated that the museum would be delighted to work with us on this, as it very much aligned with their mission.
Early this past spring, we were able to launch the Just History project on the Brick Store Museum website. It includes both the database and a growing collection of articles. And I’m excited to report that we’re planning to launch a second half of the website next year that Monica has been working on. It will focus on what was known as the “West Indies trade.” She was able to locate the Kennebunk Customs House Impost Book, which recorded all the ships and cargo that landed here from 1800 to 1867. This trade was integral to all aspects of the lives of those who lived here, involving shipbuilders, traders, bankers, carpenters, retailers, farmers, lumbermen, fishermen and countless others. Fish, lumber, hay and other products were shipped to the Caribbean, and very large quantities of sugar, rum, molasses, coffee and salt were transported here, virtually all produced by brutally enslaved people.
The Just History website has already been extremely well received. It includes most of the stories that you’ll be hearing today, and many, many more. So please take a look at it when you get a chance. The site can be accessed at www.brickstoremuseum.org/justhistory/.
But the other point that I’d like to stress is that this is all a work in progress. We’re committed to keeping it alive and growing, and we’d be delighted if any of you have something to contribute. If you know of any history, if you have some records or stories that have been passed down in your family, please share them with us. You can speak to staff at the Brick Store Museum at any time to let us know, or email us at JustHistory@brickstoremuseum.org.
