Unmarked Graves and Forgotten Lives: The Enslaved Persons of Color in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel and Wells, Maine

For over twenty-five years, historian Kathleen Ostrander Roberts has devoted her life to uncovering the lost and often erased history of Maine’s enslaved and freed persons of color. In this groundbreaking work, she brings to light the forgotten community of “The Ridge”—a settlement of formerly enslaved men and women who once lived, labored, and died in the coastal towns of Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Arundel, and Wells, Maine.Through meticulous research, archaeological discoveries, and rare historical records, Roberts reconstructs the human stories buried beneath centuries of silence. From early colonial slavery and manumission to the modern efforts of historians and archaeologists seeking truth, this book connects readers to the enduring struggle for dignity and remembrance in New England’s hidden past.Featuring photographs, archival documents, and firsthand accounts, Unmarked Graves and Forgotten Lives stands as both a historical revelation and a moral reckoning—a testament to those whose lives were denied recognition but whose presence shaped the foundations of their communities. Read more