Community Calendar

 Come hear the true story of the scandalous 1894 trial that pitted a U.S. Congressman against his mistress of ten years who sued him for failure to make good on his promise of marriage. Dr. Elizabeth De Wolfe, professor of history and chair of the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of New England, will discuss her upcoming book about the trial, The Congressman, the Mistress and the Girl Spy: Scandal and Secrets in the Gilded Age. The lecture will be held in the Nickels-Sortwell House Barn, 121 Main Street in Wiscasset. The barn entrance is on Federal Street. Admission is $5 for members of Historic New England, $10 for nonmembers. Pre-registration is recommended. To reserve a place, call 207-882-7169 or visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org.

Congressman William Breckinridge of Kentucky was a five-term Democratic congressman with aspirations to higher office when his (30 years younger) mistress, Madeline Pollard, sued him for failure to make good on his promise of marriage. The story of their relationship and trial is surprising, complicated and sounds just like some of today’s tabloid headlines. The most surprising element, though, is the involvement of a girl from Wiscasset, Maine – Jennie Tucker – who was hired by the Breckinridge camp to spy on Ms. Pollard. Jennie was the youngest daughter of Captain Richard Tucker, Jr. and his wife, Mollie. She was working away from home at a time when, for the first time in history, American women were beginning to have choices of employment and careers. Come hear the amazing story of how she became involved in this intrigue from Dr. De Wolfe, a specialist in women’s history and one of Maine’s most interesting historians.

For a full program calendar and more information on their collection and thirty-six historic house museums across five states, visit www.HistoricNewEngland.org.

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