Sam Lemonick

Harpswell resident James "Jim" Henderson, a lifelong public servant devoted to preserving Maine's history and making it publicly accessible, died on April 18 at the age of 83.

Renowned furniture maker Thomas Moser died March 5 at his house on Dingley Island. His Shaker-inspired wooden chairs have supported presidents and popes. And although his widow, Mary, says they were not deeply ingrained in the Harpswell community, this place was Moser's home for 35 years.

With no municipal sewer system, almost all of Harpswell's homes and businesses rely on septic systems to handle their wastewater. But a few dozen properties that are too small or too rocky for conventional septic systems still use what are called overboard discharge systems, even as the state and town governments work to replace them.