Plein air painting, I was standing on the property of the Finnish Congregational Church just south of the farmhouse in S. Thomaston, Maine.  

             In search of a better life, the Anderson family left their native Finland and settled in South Thomaston in the early 1800s. Generations of the family farmed the fertile soils along the St. George River for more than 200 years. Many locals remember dairy cattle grazing the hills and lowlands of the Anderson Farm, but with family members now scattered across the country, the family chose to transfer this heritage to the Georges River Land Trust through a series of transactions beginning in 2013. Most recently, the conservation organization purchased the 38-acre “Anderson West” parcel in October.

Jean Mullen Carmean, granddaughter of John Anderson, spoke with Land Trust representatives last week, “I am pleased that our family's property and Finnish heritage is being preserved for the local community and future generations.”