MARION — Greta Agnew, a second grader from Pennsylvania who comes to visit her grandparents in Marion every summer, would spend her days riding bikes with her relatives and noticed many unique and historic buildings in town.

So, Agnew combined her love of biking and of the town’s history and created a ‘Kids Historical Bike Tour’ guide for Marion.

The tour begins in the garden next to the Sippican Historical Society on Main Street. It continues through 19 stops which includes old homes in many different traditional styles that were built as far back as 1680. 

During the summer, Agnew became interested in the homes and started to research their history. She decided for a summer project, with the assistance of her family, to create the bike tour guide so that other kids and people could use it to learn about local landmarks as they bike around town.

The scenic tour includes stops at the site of the Sippican Hotel, Marion Art Center, Town House, Elizabeth Taber Library, the Music Hall, Marion General Store, a stop to view Bird Island Lighthouse and many other unique locations throughout town known for their character and landscapes.

Greta worked on the project over the course of six weeks with her mother, Julia while the family was staying in town for the summer. It certainly helped that Greta’s grandmother is Meg Steinberg, the Chair of the Marion Historical Commission.

“It humored me,” Steinberg said.  “It was really enjoyable to see them doing it.” 

Greta was interested in topics like the underground railroad and people like Elizabeth Taber, so the many historical books that Steinberg had at home helped with the research.

“We can all stand to learn something about” the history of Marion, Steinberg said, so it’s good for kids to have the tour as a way to take ownership of the town’s history and help guide them in the future by looking back at the past.

And the town appreciates the tour, too.

"Marion has many historic buildings and sites with unique histories and architectural styles," Town Administrator McGrail said. "We are excited that Greta took an interest in our town and its history. We appreciate the time she took to learn about and share information about these sites by putting together this guide so others can enjoy biking in Marion while learning about its rich history."

A printable guide for the ‘Kids Historical Bike Tour’ can be found here.

For more information on the tour, visit kidsbikemarion.wixsite.com/mysite.