Maine State Library and Kennebec Historical Society Host Talk on Maine?s German POW Camps

Augusta - Between 1944 and 1946, more than 4,000 German prisoners of war called Maine home. How they arrived, and the lasting impact that they had on the people who encountered them is one of Maine?s most interesting and obscure stories.

On Wednesday, August 24 at 6:30 PM, the Maine State Library will host David Greenham of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center to share the lively and surprising tale of this interesting chapter of Maine history. It is a story of cooperation, kindness, and enemies who became colleagues, and even friends.

The program is sponsored by the Kennebec Historical Society and is free and open to the public. The Maine State Library is located at 230 State Street in Augusta.

David Greenham is an adjunct professor of Drama at the University of Maine at Augusta, works as a grant writer and Program Manager for the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine (HHRC). He spent 14 years as the Producing Artistic Director of The Theater At Monmouth, and has been a theater artist and arts administrator for more than 25 years. In 2013, David was the creator and performer of Maine at Work, a touring program commissioned by the Maine Humanities Council. He has also been seen as a performer with Everyman Repertory Theater, Bath Shakespeare Festival, Camden Shakespeare Festival, and Capitol City Improv in Augusta. In 2013, David created the exhibit Maine Boys Overseas, and German Boys in Maine for the HHRC. The exhibit and the research to create it was the inspiration for the POW Camps in Maine program that has been presented for several community groups in Maine. He continues to research the project with the goal of writing a book about the topic in partnership with several historians.

For more information, contact 207-287-5600.