A scene depicting a War of 1812 naval battle was the inspiration of the poster promoting Boothbay’s 250th anniversary celebration. The promotional poster is a copy of a work of art painted by nationally known and local artist Carlton Plummer.

The painting shows people gathering at Kenniston Hill watching the battle between the Boxer, a British two-masted brig, and the USS Enterprise. The spectators gathered on Kenniston Hill to watch the American vessel defend the U.S. coastline.

The battle occurred 30 years after the American Revolutionary War ended and 10 years before Maine became a state. Plummer was chosen to create the poster by the Boothbay Civic Association. Dawn Gilbert, who is the chairperson of the 250 Celebration Committee, said that Plummer was the right choice for the project.

“He is one heckuva of a good artist and we all knew he’d do a good job,” Gilbert said.

Plummer’s paintings have been widely published. His work can be seen in galleries along the eastern seaboard. He has won more than 250 national and international awards, many of which were gold medals and best of shows, according to his biography.

Plummer wanted to create a scene from the town’s past — which led him to researching Boothbay’s history. He discovered the duel between the two warships happened on Sept. 13, 1813 in Pemaquid Point. His research also showed that people assembled on Kennison Hill to watch.

British warships, like the Boxer, were for years harassing the Maine coastline. The U.S. responded by dispatching the USS Enterprise from Portland Harbor.

The two ships exchanged several rounds of fire before the Enterprise gained the upper hand. The Enterprise fired continuously into the Boxer’s broadside before it was a complete wreck. The Boxer was towed into Portland harbor. Both warship commanders died during the battle. They were both buried side-by-side on Munjoy HIll. A funeral was held for both men with full military honors.

In creating the painting, Plummer overcame many challenges in depicting the scene. The painting needed to show a group of people who climbed Kenniston Hill to watch the battle. He researched what people wore in those times. He also needed to make the scene visually compelling from the high vantage point, looking down onto the sea battle. This required Plummer to improvise and invent ways of solving the problems of recreating the historic scene. He overcame one challenge by using slopes leading down from the high vantage point showing the treeless terrain which showed depth.

“It was difficult to find visual material involving this particular sea battle,” he said. “Adding drama will always attract attention to the poster. A variety of horizontal bands becoming closer together in the distance gave depth to the sea. A suggestion of the ships in the distance was the final touch.”

Plummer’s original painting will be sold during the 250th anniversary celebration, during Aug. 22-24. The BCA is holding a silent auction to sell the painting, among other items.

The BCA is also selling commemorative prints of the portrait. Those proceeds will also go towards moving the Kenniston Hill Inn.

The proceeds will be used transport the inn or parts of it to a new location at the Boothbay Railway Village.