The Sidney Historical Society’s April public presentation “A History of Camp Keyes” will begin at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, at Sidney Grange on Middle Road in Sidney.
For more than 100 years, Camp Keyes has been known as the headquarters for the Maine National Guard in Augusta. But how did that site on the hill come to be chosen? Who is it named for? Who trained there and why?
Capt. Jonathan Bratten, historian for the National Guard, will answer those questions and describes the role that Camp Keyes has played in five different conflicts for generations of Maine soldiers and airmen, according to a news release from the historical society.
In this capacity, Bratten has produced multiple articles on the history of Maine’s soldiers, appearing in such publications as “the New York Times,” the Washington Post,” “Army History,” “On Point” and “Army Magazine.” He has also appeared in a Smithsonian channel documentary, “Americans Underground:Secret Cities of WWI” and served as a historian in France for the the Army’s WWI Centennial commemorations.
Bratten is the commander of the 251 Engineer Co., and a veteran of Afghanistan. He and his wife live in Portland.
For more information, call 242-6913.