Carol Gardner speaks about her newly released book, The Divided North at Alna’s historic 1789 meetinghouse

When you think of slavery’s role in American history, Maine is probably not the first state that comes to mind. Yet Maine was bitterly divided over slavery, and her citizens played key roles in supporting and undermining the institution.

The Divided North chronicles the lives of two families from Portland, Maine: the Rubys, who were well-known anti-slavery activists and Underground Railroad operatives, and the Gordons, who were prominent ship masters—among them the only American executed for participating in the transatlantic slave trade. The experiences of these families reveal what it meant to live in a free state during the age of slavery.

Author, and Alna resident Carol Gardner earned a Ph.D. in English from The Johns Hopkins University, and taught at Johns Hopkins, Wake Forest, and Florida State Universities.  She speaks about her latest book at Alna’s historic 1789 meetinghouse on Saturday, June 7th, at 4PM.  No charge for admission, though donations to support the maintenance, preservation, and restoration of Alna’s historic buildings will be gratefully accepted.