On the Waterfront: The Photographs of Mode Rathbun

JOIN US: Wednesday, September 17, 2025
7:30pm—Special Exhibition and Program
On the Waterfront: The Photographs of Mode Rathbun,” by John Wilbur
The Latham/Chester Store, 108 Main Street, Noank

Moses “Mode” Rathbun (1881-1965) was a native and lifelong resident of Noank. He was also an avid photographer who was fascinated with the village, particularly the waterfront. A collection of glass-plate negatives discovered at his former home on Front Street has yielded dozens of exceptional images of Noank in the early 1900s. Prints from these negatives provide a rare window into a version of Noank that is both familiar and unrecognizable. They capture the village at a time when the Palmer Shipyard was still producing large wooden ships, when there was still a substantial offshore fishing fleet, and when the shoreline was still cluttered with fishing shacks, lobster pots, buoys, marine railways, boat shops and coal docks. Join us September 17 for a special exhibition of these photographs and a lecture explaining their historical significance by NHS historian John Wilbur.