Bethel, Maine
Today’s “Kenneth Roberts in Current News” comes from The Bethel Citizen and a piece titled “Locke’s Mills” by Betsey Foster in which, it appears, Ms. Foster provides tidbits of news from the surrounding area. In today’s piece, Ms. Foster makes mention of Kenneth Roberts. What I found interesting about Ms. Foster’s piece is that Kenneth Roberts would visit a local farm of a friend to do some of his writing for the Post.
Kenneth Roberts, author of the novels “Arundel,” “Rabble in Arms,” “Northwest Passage” and more, came to an old farm in Ketchum to write his columns for The Saturday Evening Post and other magazines. As the story goes, Roberts’ friends, who owned the farm, would drag him up here from Kennebunk, Maine, for a “sobering” few days so he could get the article written.
I find such tidbits of information fascinating, as it gives us a glimpse into the goings on of Kenneth Roberts – stuff you won’t find in scholarly works or biographical works.
Filed under: K.R. Current News | Tagged: Bethel, Locke's Mills, Saturday Evening Post, The Bethel Citizen |
Kenneth Roberts - The Unofficial Site 
I believe Roberts mentioned getting away to a friend’s to write because everytime he sat down to write at his Kennebunk Beach home there was either someone coming to visit or there were folks literally in his back yard who were playing in the golf course surrounding his house. Having tried to write when surrounded by distractions I can completely understand his predicament.
Yes! When he built Rocky Pastures, he had two signs that tried to keep away visitors. He definitely enjoyed quiet when he was writing. I like the little blurb on Roberts in The Bethel Citizen because it tells of where he would go before the days of Blue Roof and Rocky Pastures.