A bronze plaque will soon mark the site of a historic cattle pound in Harpswell Center, after the Harpswell Board of Selectmen approved the idea.
The board approved the request from the Brunswick Rotary Club on Thursday, June 23.
The original cattle pound was constructed in 1793, making it one of the oldest cattle pounds in the state, according to a history of cattle pounds on the website of the Harpswell Historical Society. About half of the original structure remains, while the rest was rebuilt in the 1980s or 1990s.
Early residents used cattle pounds to enclose stray animals and protect gardens and pastures from damage. The pound is on the east side of Harpswell Neck Road, between the Elijah Kellogg Church and the Historical Society.
David Taft, a Harpswell resident and member of the Rotary Club, presented the request to the select board and said that the club will provide the plaque. The club has installed 15 such plaques since 1995, to commemorate historic sites that might otherwise escape notice.
The town will approve the wording and install the plaque. The plaque will provide basic information about the cattle pound. More information will be available on the Rotary Club’s website, brunswickmainerotary.org.
The plaque should be ready to mount by the end of the summer, according to Taft.
