Holding an integral place in Maine’s community, the story of its early taverns and tea rooms is an important account of commerce and political and social life. From famed Revolutionary War incidents to Civil War generals, stagecoaches and the story of rum, the history of Maine’s early taverns is captivating. The tea rooms of the early 1900s were just as interesting and important. They played a large role in the national tea movement, the temperance and suffragette movements and the promotion of women’s independence, and they also symbolized Maine’s culture and sophistication. Join local authors Kathy and Bill Kenny as they unveil the stories, characters and history of these establishments over the past four centuries.
Kathy is a retired librarian whose deep love of books, history and antique quilts has led her to a second career as a quilt historian, educator and lecturer. Her extensive vintage antique quilt collection allows her to enhance the different periods of America’s history for her audiences and give them a closer, more hands-on approach to learning about various events in our nation’s history, such as the story of tea and tea rooms during the years of the women’s suffrage movement. She has been featured in several magazines and been the featured speaker for a vast number of historical societies and women’s groups from Maine to Colorado. Presenting a bit of history from a woman’s perspective in this, her first book, reflects her many years of collecting stories of historical interest.
Bill Kenny is a former career U.S. Air Force logistics war planner, Joint Special Operations commander, intelligence officer and Gulf War veteran, as well as a retired adjunct university professor who taught international economics, public affairs, organizational leadership and other courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has always had a keen interest in history, especially Maine history. This is his second book; his first book released by The History Press in June 2020, titled A History of Maine Railroads, was a great success. Bill has traveled across the state and via Zoom to talk about this important time in Maine’s history. You can visit their website at www.historymaine.com.