This has been my experience as well. As famous as the schooners were, almost no-one knows their history and that they were bought and owned by the railroad. In fact, one might make a case that surviving artifacts from the schooners are the property of the W&Q! (Although I suspect such a claim would raise a lot of hackles.)
Anyway, we should be more proactive in telling our part of the story of those two ships, who for many, many -- locals and tourists alike -- are the most notable memory of Wiscassett.