Pejepscot History Center Presents:
Remembering Pejepscot Village: Stories from Families Who Grew Up There

with Ren Bernier, Joanne Falvo, and Sharon Panek

Thursday, October 13 at 6:30pm at Topsham Public Library

Descendants of French and Slovakian families share memories from a thriving and cultural diverse community largely forgotten by time. Pejepscot Paper Company created the town of Pejepscot, Maine, on the western end of Topsham, around its paper mill, built in the 1890s. Complete with housing, a school, church, and store, Pejepscot was a cozy, connected community. Featured in PHC’s current Immigration Stories exhibition, the village contributed richly to the region’s history.

Rene “Ren” Bernier grew up Pejepscot, Maine. His French-Canadian family members worked in the mill. Ren is a longtime Lab Instructor and the Manager of Bowdoin College’s Science Center and Laboratory Safety. He is also the self-taught banjo player and vocalist for the popular local Americana-Folk band Pejepscot Station, founded in 2011, and an antique jeep enthusiast.

Joanne Falvo’s grandparents, Michal and Katarina Lukac, emigrated from eastern Slovakia (then Austria-Hungary) between 1900 and 1910 to Pejepscot, Maine. Her parents, Joseph and Lillian Lucas, brought up their three children thanks to the paper mill. Joanne remembers an idyllic childhood in the village where “no one had to lock their doors.” Her daughter, Sharon Panek, who has fond memories of going to the village to see her grandparents and great-grandparents, joins her mother to reminisce.

Tickets: $8 PHC Members; $12 General Admission