“The Changing Industrial Waterfront: 1980 – 1990”. Megan Pinette, historical society president, will present the changes to the Belfast harbor and waterfront during the decade which saw the end of the poultry industry and the rise of arts and cultural activities. One of the major changes which helped spur the revitalization of the downtown was the removal of the lower Main Street grain storage mill which had served the industry. Once removed, the city was able to apply for revitalization grants for downtown. Our current sidewalks, traffic nodes, benches and trees are a result of those efforts.
Megan Pinette is President of the Belfast Historical Society and Museum and also serves as curator of the Belfast Museum. She has been active with the historical society for the past twenty one years, and has worked on such projects as “The Museum in the Streets” - the thirty interpretive panels set along the waterfront, downtown and residential streets, the two architectural and history walking tours, and creation of exhibits at the museum.
She is a presenter of Belfast-related history programs throughout the year and at historical society programs open to the public at the Belfast Free Library.
She was photograph editor, working with authors Jay Davis and Tim Hughes for their History of Belfast in the 20th Century,2002
In 2020, she and co-author Jane McLean published Images of America- Belfast with Arcadia Publishing Company.