ARCH to Honor Emerson “Tad” Baker with Heritage Award
The Association for Rollinsford Culture and History (ARCH) has chosen to honor Dr. Emerson “Tad” Baker with the 2025 ARCH Heritage Award. The award will be presented to Dr. Baker at the annual ARCH dinner and auction on Saturday, November 15 at Spring Hill in South Berwick, ME.
A nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of Rollinsford and the lower Salmon Falls region, ARCH maintains the circa 1701 Colonel Paul Wentworth House as an educational and cultural center for the community. The ARCH Heritage Award is given annually to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the preservation of the history, heritage and culture of Rollinsford and the lower Salmon Falls region.
A professor of history at Salem State University, Dr. Baker is the award-winning author or co-author of six books on the history and archaeology of early New England. The majority of his scholarship has focused on 17th century Maine and New Hampshire and he has served as consultant and on-camera expert for multiple historical documentaries and TV programs. Additionally, for thirteen seasons Dr. Baker directed archaeological excavations at the Humphrey Chadbourne site, a 17th century trading post and sawmill in South Berwick, Maine. These excavations recovered 40,000 artifacts which shed light on the lives of early English colonists in the Salmon Falls region. More recently, Dr. Baker co-led this summer’s archaeological field school at the original site of the Wentworth House in Rollinsford.
“To have a scholar of Dr. Baker’s stature and reputation in our corner as we embarked on the Wentworth House archaeology project was enormously important,” said ARCH board president Lucy Putnam. “His early enthusiasm for the project coupled with his opinion about the potential significance of the site were instrumental in encouraging public support even before the work began. Thanks to his scholarship and leadership, we have a clearer understanding of the early years of English settlement in the Piscataqua region.”
The ARCH dinner and auction on November 15 is the main source of funding for programs and operations at the historic Wentworth House. Major sponsors of this year’s event are The Fabulous Find, Kennebunk Savings Bank, and DF Richard Energy, with additional support from Back Channel Canvas, Civil Works NE, Janco Electronics, Katzman Dental and White Mountain Pool and Spa. For more information about ARCH, including how to purchase tickets to the dinner and auction, consult the ARCH website at www.paulwentworthhouse.org or send an email.