History of the Appalachian Trail in Maine
Part I: The Avery Years, 1927-1952

Appalachian Trail historian, David B. Field provides a thorough account of the development of the trail in through Maine based on written records and his own knowledge.

The series included below is grouped by period and based primarily on nearly 13,000 documents housed in the Myron Avery Appalachian Trail Archives collection in the Maine State Library. Other sources include correspondence between George T. Carlisle and Myron Avery, given to Field by George C. Carlisle; records from John W. Clark, who succeeded Avery as Overseer of the Trail in Maine, donated by his son Larry; records from Roy Fairfield, who succeeded Avery as MATC President in 1952; and letters from Old Speck Mt. fire warden Dan Wight, loaned to Field by his son Dan. In 1983, Field also received a first-person account from Shailer Philbrick of his recollections of the 1933 expeditions, and added those to the 1933 material.