Exhibits Around Town

South Berwick Public Library: Our Stories: The Hasty/Warren/Young Families

Learn about life in the northeastern corner of South Berwick, where farming families have populated the landscape since the settlers of the early 1700’s. Meet the Hasty/Warren/Young families, and learn about farming, mills, and the unique Tatnic landscape. This exhibit touches on the lives of the people of Tatnic- past and present- through maps, journals, deeds, photos, artifacts and stories.

South Berwick Town Hall: Talking About Tatnic

Tatnic, the name, first appears in 17th and early 18th-century records as “Totnocke,” “Tottnocke,” “Tatnooke,” “Tatnack,” “Tatneck,” “Tatnax,” “Tatnack,” or “Tatnick.” It is possible that the word is derived from the Abanaki language, where tot or tat means “quaking,” and acke or ocke means “place of.” Derivation may also be from the native word “tatamuckatakis.”

The Tatnic Marshes were used as boundary markers in the 17th century for the old towns of York, Wells and Berwick. Those marshes contain peat bogs, or “heaths” that are covered with vegetation that will feel spongy or “quaking” to a walker.  Where it lies, exactly, is a matter of dispute to this day. The Tatnic area features a volcanic caldera, dramatic granite ledges, wetlands and forests. Tucked away in the ancient landscape there are remains of original farmsteads.