#  Brewster reading event at Wells Reserve 

 





An evening with William Brewster

Tuesday October 20, 2026 7:00-8:30 PM

Wells Reserve at Laudholm in Wells, ME

organized by Dianne Ballon, sound artist



 

October 19, 2026

 

 

 [ April Collins ](/people/april-collins) 

- [ Blog ](/news-categories/blog)
 
 

 

 ![An Evening with William Brewster poster](/sites/g/files/omnuum6411/files/2026-10/William%20Brewster%20Poster-Final.jpeg)

 

[*Join York County Audubon and bird watcher Dianne Ballon for readings from the journals of ornithologist William Brewster!*](https://wellsreserve.org/event/92338/an-evening-with-william-brewster-readings-from-the-journals-of-an-ornithologist)

This program will be presented in-person in the Mather Auditorium, and will also be live-streamed via Zoom. It will be free and open to all ages, and no registration is required for attending the program in person. To view via Zoom, you’ll need to [register in advance](https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BzbK_hTARDaHEQy9Zybjtw).

## Brewster's life in brief

The noted ornithologist, William Brewster, was born in 1851 in Wakefield, MA. He co-founded the Nuttall Ornithological Club and the American Ornithologists’ Union and was the first president of Mass Audubon. He produced over 300 publications including *The Birds of the Cambridge Region of Massachusetts* (1906). From 1885-1919 he was a curator at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. He also created a private museum of ornithology and bequeathed his extensive collection of over 40,000 specimens to the MCZ. His 300-acre property, October Farm, in Concord, MA is now partially preserved as the [Brewster's Woods Wildlife Sanctuary](https://www.massaudubon.org/places-to-explore/wildlife-sanctuaries/brewster-s-woods) and the [October Farm Riverfront](https://www.concordland.org/land/october-farm-riverfront/).

## Brewster’s Archive at Harvard University

Diaries (1865-1919): 31 vols  
Journals (1871-1916): 33 vols  
Field Notes (1865-1919): 10 vols.  
Correspondence (1862-1919): ~8,800 letters  
Photographs: ~2,458 photos  
Notes on birds, arranged systematically (1883-1910): 57 vols  
Lake Umbagog journals (1871-1916): 19 vols  
Miscellaneous items: 59 vols, 3,770 pgs

[William Brewster Harvard Library CURIOSity digital exhibit](https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.ERESOURCE:WILLIAMBREWSTER)

## Crowd-sourced transcription

[Sign up for an account](https://auth.ala.org.au/userdetails/registration/createAccount) with [DigiVol](https://volunteer.ala.org.au/#/expeditionList) to transcribe Brewster's writings as well as other natural history materials.  
Or explore other opportunities to contribute at [FromThePage](https://fromthepage.com/harvardlibrary).

Brewster's digitized writings and much more are available on the [Biodiversity Heritage Library site](https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/collection/WilliamBrewsterPapers), the world’s largest open-access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives.

Many Thanks to [Dianne Ballon](https://dianneballonsound.com/) for organizing this event!



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ William Brewster ](/blog-categories/william-brewster)
 
 

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