Legacy Rockport - Rockport, ME

Legacy Rockport

Legacy Rockport is an independent 501c3 nonprofit established in 2009 that looks for capital improvement projects that enhance the vitality and sense of community within Rockport’s five villages – Rockville, Simonton Corner, Glen Cove, West Rockport, and the Harbor Village.

Opportunities exist to enhance our harbor, coastal waterfronts, lakes, ponds, and to connect our citizens with paths, trails, and parks.

Recent examples of projects accepted include: restoration of the Community Hall at Simonton Corner; creation of a connector trail from Erickson Farm to eventually the top of Beech Hill; and restoration of the Andre the Seal sculpture at Marine Park.

The mission of Legacy Rockport is to find community investment projects which will preserve the past and secure the future growth of our citizens. We build upon:

Rockport’s abundance of cultural assets, a vibrant community and natural beauty. We believe that this sense of place sets Rockport apart from other communities.
Working closely with the town government, Legacy Rockport looks to target community investment in assets that enhance the quality of life for Rockport residents and visitors now and into the future.

2022 Agendas and Minutes

2021 Agendas and Minutes

2020 Agendas and Minutes

2019 Agendas and Minutes

The Beauty of Rockport Harbor

The Beauty of Rockport

About Legacy Rockport

Legacy Rockport Projects

Lime Kilns restoration

The lime kilns at Rockport Marine Park are the last remaining multiple-kiln collection on the Maine coast. In the late 1800s, hundreds of similar kilns burned limestone to produce a critical ingredient in plaster. The plaster produced in the kilns in Rockport, Rockland, Thomaston and other towns along Penobscot Bay were used in virtually every major building erected from Boston to Washington, D.C.

Legacy Rockport recently contracted with Gartley & Dorsky to re-survey all six of the existing kilns to determine if any movement or shifting has occurred since the earlier survey was performed about 10 years ago. We are pleased that all the kilns are stable and that no shifting or settlement has occurred. This was the first step in determining what our priorities should be.

As a result of the survey, Legacy Rockport decided to prioritize the work involved in the preservation the lime kilns located in the Marine Park.

Our efforts are, for now, concentrated on the two kilns closest to the Harbor Master’s building, otherwise known as Kilns #2 and #3 (#1 was in the vicinity of the Harbor Master’s Building and was removed so the building could be constructed).

The majority of the effort is focused on Kiln #2, the one closest to the Harbor Master’s building. The preservation efforts include adding a roof to shed water and shield the kiln from the worst of nature’s impacts, removing any vegetation growing inside and into the walls, removing the deteriorating mortar and replacing it with lime-based mortar (recent stabilization efforts used new mortar which is actually weakening the facing stones).

When work on Kiln #2 is complete, efforts will shift to Kiln #3 where the same effort is needed, though on a smaller scale. The triple kiln (#s 4, 5, and 6) and the older granite kiln (#7) are in considerably better shape, thanks to extensive work done in the 1980s on the triple kilns. That is not to say work isn’t needed, but for now removal of the invasive vegetation is all that is anticipated to those four kilns.

Vulcan locomotive rehabilitation

The 100 year old Vulcan locomotive that rests in the heart of the Rockport Marine Park served as an important part of Rockport's history, a representation of the trains that transported limestone from the local quarries to the Rockport Harbor for processing in the lime kilns.

The Vulcan needs a cosmetic restoration to restore its earlier beauty and to preserve it for future generations. Legacy Rockport has committed to helping to lead this restoration on behalf of Rockport. Specialty work will be performed by several local craftspeople with volunteers helping to clean and paint the locomotive. The plan is to complete the restoration during 2021.

Simonton Corner Community Hall

Erickson Farm Connector Trail

Andre the Seal repair