AUBURN — The Androscoggin Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22, when Jonathan P. LaBonte will discuss the remains of an 18th century village that lie beneath the Androscoggin River. The village, a part of Turner, disappeared when the Gulf Island Dam was built in the 1920s.

LaBonte, executive director of the Androscoggin Land Trust since 2008 and a county commissioner, will talk about this and other valley tales that link the landscape with the region’s history.

LaBonte also will discuss how land conservation and recreation are opening new doors to telling the history of the river and its communities. The trust conserves more than 4,650 acres, including more than nine miles of frontage along the Androscoggin River.

LaBonte grew up in New Auburn. He went to St. Dominic Regional High School, then to the University of Maine, where he received a degree in chemical engineering.

He spent two years working in the Boston area, then returned to Maine to work in the field of public policy. Prior to his work with the land trust, he worked for the Maine Turnpike Authority.

The meeting will take place in the society’s headquarters on the third floor of the county courthouse, corner of Court and Turner streets. The public is invited. An elevator is available. For more information, call Doug Hodgkin, 782-3072.

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