Maine fire destroys Jamie Wyeth paintings, guts historical buildings

Robert Besser
03 Oct 2023, 16 GMT+10

A fire destroyed several waterfront buildings in Maine on September 29, including an art gallery with several paintings by Jamie Wyeth and an illustration by his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth
The fire, which started late on September 27 and spread to several buildings, including the Maine Wyeth Art Gallery, destroyed original paintings and illustrations
The Jamie Wyeth paintings that were destroyed were "Snapper," "With Green Peppers" and "Red Tail Hawk," and N.C. Wyeth's illustration was from Henry David Thoreau's book, "Men of Concord"

SAINT GEORGE, Maine: A fire destroyed several waterfront buildings in Maine on September 29, including an art gallery with several paintings by Jamie Wyeth and an illustration by his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth.

The fire, which started late on September 27 and spread to several buildings, including the Maine Wyeth Art Gallery, destroyed original paintings and illustrations, along with several signed prints, books, and photographs, said Linda Bean, who owned both the art gallery and the Port Clyde General Store, which also burned down.

The Jamie Wyeth paintings that were destroyed were "Snapper," "With Green Peppers" and "Red Tail Hawk," and N.C. Wyeth's illustration was from Henry David Thoreau's book, "Men of Concord."

The state fire marshal said that the fire started in the Dip Net restaurant and quickly spread to three businesses in the village of Port Clyde, part of the town of Saint George.

All three buildings were destroyed, and firefighters remained at the scene until the next day evening, but there were no reports of injuries.

Magan Wallace, planning and assessing clerk, said, "Everybody in town has at one point worked at the general store, myself included."

Bean, whose grandfather founded the retail giant L.L. Bean, said on September 29, "My hope is to restore the premises and resume its businesses and jobs there as fully and as soon as possible."