Bass, George H.

(1843- c. 1926) In 1911 Wilton was a thriving community whose merchants and factories supplied a wide variety of goods and services from automobiles to granite and steel. Like many of its contemporaries, Wilton had a free public library, an electric light and power company and a private academy. The town’s development was greatly facilitated…

Bates College

Historic Hathorn Hall (2016)

  Bates was formerly the Maine State Seminary. It changed its identity and was incorporated in 1855. Located in Lewiston, it is recognized as one of the nation’s finest colleges of the liberal arts and sciences. In the U.S. News & World Report 2002 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” Bates was ranked 22nd among 218…

Bath Historic Register

“The Sewall Mansion,” 963 Washington Street, was built in 1844, in a late Federal Style. Redone in 1894 by John Calvin Stevens in Colonial Revival Style. (2013)

National Register of Historic Places – Listings Photos, and edited text are from nominations to the National Register of Historic Places researched by Maine. Historic Preservation Commission. Full text and photos are at https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp  Bath Historic District [Roughly bounded by High, Beacon, and Court Streets, U.S. 1 and Kennebec River] In this area Bath’s prospering…

Baxter, James Phinney

James Phinney Baxter, courtesy Maine State Museum

(1831-1921) moved to Portland from Massachusetts with his family when he was nine years old. He had a varied education in academies around Portland and Lynn, Massachusetts, including classical and legal training. Baxter, in partnership with William G. Davis, established dry goods and wholesale businesses which prospered and led to their founding the Portland Packaging…

Beston, Henry

Grave Markers for Elizabeth, left, and Henry, right (2008)

Publications A Volunteer Poilu (1916) Full Speed Ahead (1919) Firelight Fairy Book (1919) Starlight Wonder Book (1921) The Living Age (Editor, 1921) Book of Gallant Vagabonds (1925) The Sons of Kai (1926)The Outermost House (1928) Herbs and the Earth (1935) American Memory (1937) Five Bears and Miranda (1939) The Tree that Ran Away (1941) Chimney…

Biddeford

Early settlers from Biddeford in England may have given the area its name. Biddeford was destroyed during Queen Anne’s War, but was resettled beginning in 1714. Lumbering was the major industry until the early 19th century; textiles dominated for 100 years from mid-century. First Irish, then French Canadians came to work in the mills. See photos.

Books About Maine

The Maine Reader: The Down East Experience 1614 to the Present Day. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston 1991. Edited by Charles and Samuella Shain. 524 pp. Maine: A Literary Chronicle. New York 1968. W. Storrs Lee. Funk and Wagnalls. 487 pp. The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier. Colin Woodard. Viking. New…

Bowdoin College

Massachusetts Hall (2002)

is a liberal arts institution located in Brunswick. In June 1794 Massachusetts Governor Samuel Adams signed an act to establish Bowdoin College promoted by James Bowdoin III, who gave financial support to its formation and named it in honor of his father, James Bowdoin II. Massachusetts Hall, Bowdoin’s first building was constructed, with delays, between…

Brown, Harrison Bird

Harrison B. Brown House (2015)

Harrison Bird Brown was a widely recognized 19th century marine and landscape painter. Born in Portland in 1831 and orphaned at an early age, he was apprenticed to a house and ship painting firm. His best work dates from the 1860’s and early 70’s when his style was delicate and detailed and his colors rich…

Brownfield

Named for Captain Henry Y. Brown, who received a land grant for service in the French and Indian Wars, the town sits between the New Hampshire border and the Saco River. The Stone Mountain Arts Center, with excellent attractions and food, brings visitors from long distances. See photos.