SEARSPORT — Searsport’s long and storied connection to the sea gained a striking new landmark this weekend as residents gathered downtown for the unveiling of a bronze sea captain statue, an idea rooted in childhood memory, carried through years of friendship and loss, and ultimately realized by the collective determination of an entire community. The crowd, which assembled at Curtis Hall before walking together to the corner of Church Street and U.S. Route 1, watched as the covering fell away to reveal a figure meant to stand for the hundreds of shipmasters who once launched their careers from this small Penobscot Bay town.
For Dr. Karen Kelley, the project’s leader and guiding force, the ceremony marked completion of a journey that began decades earlier. As a young girl growing up in Searsport, Kelley received a small figurine of a sea captain from her mother. The gift sparked the belief that her hometown, renowned worldwide in the nineteenth century for producing ship captains, deserved a real monument honoring the men who shaped its maritime identity. It was a child’s dream then, but one she never quite let go of.
Years later, while chairing Searsport’s 175th anniversary committee, Kelley mentioned the idea again to her friend, Natalie Knox, who was serving on the committee with her. Their official committee planning never reached full fruition due to the pandemic, but the two women continued talking about what they might create that would offer something lasting to Searsport. When Kelley told her about the sea captain idea, Natalie immediately replied, “Let’s do it,” setting the project into quiet but determined motion.
The pair spent time scouting possible sites for a future statue, imagining how it might look and where it might best honor the town’s seafaring roots. But life shifted in difficult ways, and the project paused.
Natalie passed away in 2022, and Kelley soon found herself caring for her own husband during his illness. She later admitted a lingering guilt, that the statue had remained incomplete while her friend was alive. Even then, Kelley’s husband encouraged her, telling her simply: “You’ll do it.”
After he, too, passed away, those words stayed with her until one day she made a decision that would set everything in motion. “I can do this,” she told herself. “I don’t know how, but I can do this.”
What followed became a testament to small-town determination. Kelley began gathering names, numbers, and ideas from people she thought might help. One of her first calls was to Belfast businessman and longtime civic volunteer Mike Hurley, who immediately embraced the vision. Known for his knack for making ambitious community projects happen, Hurley dove into the logistical maze, finding a sculpting firm in Hong Kong, handling communications across language barriers, and working through rounds of revisions as Kelley fine-tuned the statue’s appearance. What began as an overwhelming task slowly became a reality.
Meanwhile, the community rallied. Donations flowed through the Searsport Historical Society, through small fundraisers, and from residents who simply wanted to help. The Penobscot Marine Museum offered support and encouragement as the project timeline shifted past hopes of a summer unveiling. Tariff delays and shipping complications added hurdles, but none proved insurmountable. Volunteers formed a group — fondly called “All for Nat” — to keep momentum alive in honor of the friend whose enthusiasm had helped spark the project in the first place.
Then, early this October, the bronze statue arrived in Searsport. Kelley remembers the moment she saw it for the first time. “We were astounded,” she said afterward. “It is just spectacular.” With installation plans finalized and the town agreeing to maintain the statue, preparations began for the Nov. 1 dedication.
When the veil finally came off during the ceremony, the crowd reacted with a mixture of pride, emotion and astonishment. The figure, gazing outward with the confidence of a seasoned mariner, embodies the spirit of the more than 200 Searsport men who once captained vessels around the world. Its placement along Route 1 ensures that residents and visitors alike will be reminded daily of a heritage that shaped not only the town but the global journeys of countless families.
For many attending the unveiling, the moment represented something deeper than the installation of public art. It stood for the grit of a small coastal town, the endurance of community memory, and the power of one person’s determination to fulfill a promise made to herself, her mother, and her friend. It was also a recognition that Searsport’s maritime history is not simply preserved in museum exhibits or old logbooks; it lives on in the pride and stories of its people.
Kelley spoke at the ceremony about the long path that brought the statue into being. She described how many residents had supported the dream, how volunteers had stepped in when the project felt overwhelming, and how the town, true to its reputation, had shown up when something meaningful needed doing
“If Natalie were still here,” she said with a smile, “we would have had this sooner; she’d have been on my back about it. But she would have loved it. My mother and father would have loved it, too. That’s what kept me going.”
As the crowd lingered after the ceremony, taking photos and studying the new monument from every angle, Kelley looked on quietly. What had once been a small figurine in a childhood bedroom was now a life-size bronze statue standing proudly in the center of the town she has always called home.
“My little girl’s dream came true,” she said — a simple reflection on a project that now belongs not just to her, but to Searsport’s past, present and future.
