Join friends and neighbors at this year’s 2nd Jane’s Walk, which will be held on Saturday, May 2. Building on last year’s great success, this year’s event will be led by Libby Bischof, Ph.D., Gorham resident, USM professor of history and university historian, and executive director of USM’s Osher Map Library. The walk will focus on buildings on USM’s Gorham campus. Participants will meet, rain or shine, at 1 p.m. at Corthell Hall.

Dr. Bischof will share an historical and architectural timeline of Maine’s educational cornerstone, originating from 1806 as the Gorham Academy. It became a pioneering teacher-training institution (Gorham Normal School) in 1878, with the campus now part of the National Register of Historic Places in one of Gorham’s Historic Districts. 

Some of the sites included on the walk are Corthell Hall, the McLellan House, the Civil War Monument, Russell Hall, the Arboretum, the President’s House and several historic homes on College Avenue. Research conducted about the Academy Building will be presented by Gorham High School History Department students.

The walks are named in honor of Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), a writer and activist with innovative beliefs about urban planning. She believed that communities, whether urban or rural and of all shapes and sizes, are strengthened and enriched by sharing history, face to face with neighbors. This year, on the first weekend in May, over 500 walks will be held in communities around the world to honor and build upon her vision.

Each Jane’s Walk is community-driven and thus is unique in each participating location. Yet each walk shares some commonalities. Organized by volunteers, the walks recognize that “hometowns,” whether a large city or a small village, are living ecosystems with a past, a present and a future and that communities benefit when neighbors have an opportunity to share ideas and history face to face.

The event is open to the public and will be held rain or shine. Refreshments will be provided courtesy of USM. Jane’s Walk Parking passes will be available for participants.