The History of Pumpkinlight Cove

1691-Present

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IN 1691, AN ABUNDANTLY WEALTHY man by the name of Rudyard Addams arrived on the shore of Massachusetts with the intention of founding a township that could be sustained through farming, shipping, and light industry.

But he felt overwhelmed by the bustle of Boston, and desperately wanted to remain well clear of the recent and potentially spreading turbulence associated with Salem.

In time, he ultimately settled upon a large expanse of land at the southernmost coast of what is now Maine. And through his massive wealth and the assistance of several hundred volunteers, he established a thriving community of respectable size, known as Rudyard’s Cove.

Furthermore, the village charter was officially granted to Mr. Addams by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the spring of 1697. And with it, a growing population and prosperity for all.

The Turn of Events

Circumstances began to change in 1701. Despite the aforementioned prosperity, he felt his new home was becoming rather eerie due to recurring, intermittent fog as well as a seemingly perpetual existence of wind, rain, or lightning storms.

Naturally, the hitherto booming population began to show signs of unease.

Fearing his village would collapse from mass retreat, he began longing for calmer times. In doing so, he remembered the captivating gourds he saw being grown in and around his original landing spot in Massachusetts.

(Despite what the history books say, the carving of pumpkins began much earlier than what historians claim!)

Which is why Mr. Addams began growing pumpkins—tons of them, seemingly innumerable.

Once ready for harvesting, he picked them, carved amusing faces large enough to emit light, and placed candles within. He then positioned the pumpkins along the perimeter of the village and throughout its interior, hoping the cozy light and ridiculous facial expressions would calm the minds of his fellow residents.

A New Generation

Fortunately, the pumpkin-light remedy had both a calming and captivating effect on the people of Rudyard’s Cove. So much so that it not only became a tradition to grow pumpkins en masse, so the village could be illuminated all year, but residents actually began to embrace the eerie nature that lingered.

In time, they augmented life in the Cove with decorations, costumery, festivals, and the like. And Rudyard’s Cove eventually added a tourist element to their local economy, for colonists far and wide travelled from locals far and wide to see this magical place. And so it was that peace, and prosperity, would remain in the village.

. . .

Mr. Addams passed away in 1738. To pay tribute to his tremendous contribution to their village, the Cove’s governing council decided to amend the charter in honor of Mr. Addams.

In 1738, Rudyard’s Cove officially became Pumpkinlight Cove.

PRESENT DAY | You’re probably wondering how the village fares today. Well, the easiest way to find out is by way of storytelling—books and broadsides, and live storytelling events. These experiences will speak of people (and non-people) and circumstances that all take place in our large but peculiar Maine community.

The tales—though real in the eyes of our citizens, they will undoubtedly seem fictitious to the common outsider—are being meticulously constructed by our village’s resident storyteller, The Curious Mr. Blend™. They shall be published (or conducted) over the next several years and beyond.

But let it be known that Mr. Blend is working hard to recount not only stories from the recent past—in third-person perspective—but those that are unfolding at this very moment! (All whimsically peculiar and playfully macabre, but appropriate for K-7 families.)

. . .

So, discover for yourself—step into the shadows of Pumpkinlight Cove!