Lewiston Historic Register

Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston (2001)

National Register of Historic Places – Listings – Lewiston Photos by James Henderson, and edited text are from nominations to the National Register of Historic Places researched by Maine. Historic Preservation Commission. Full text and National Register photos are at https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp Androscoggin Mill Block [269-271 Park Street] Due primarily to demands for an increasing labor…

T1 R4 WELS nya

Macwahoc Stream upstream of the Bridge in T1 R4 WELS (2016)

Also known as North Yarmouth Academy Grant Township, it lies just east of T1 R5 WELS. It has no settled village. Macwahoc Stream and an associated bog dominate the northeastern portion. The only improved roads are U.S. Route 2 in the west (where the town line photo was taken in 2014) and U.S. Route 2A…

Black Bridge

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The 1909, 318-foot long truss bridge was built by Pennsylvania Steel Company of Steelton, Pennsylvania, replacing an earlier double-decker bridge.  It spans the Androscoggin River between Brunswick and Topsham. According to the website HistoricBridges.org: This double deck bridge is one of the most unusual and unique bridges in Maine due to its suspended highway deck…

T3 Indian Purchase Township

Bridge over Waterway linking Elbow Lake with Quackish Lake (2014)

The Township wraps around the southern, eastern and northern portions of Millinocket. T4 Indian Purchase Township is adjacent west of T3. The Golden Road and Route 11 from Millinocket are the two improved roads in the township. Bridge over Waterway linking Elbow Lake with Quackish Lake (2014) @ T3 encompasses all of Elbow Lake and…

Cold River Canoe Trip

Deer Hill Road Bridge (2014)

The Cold River Canoe Trip begins in the White Mountain National Forest in Stow, Maine, then to Fryeburg. The river has frequent twists and turns, channel blocking fallen trees, producing several “opportunities” for short portages. Follow Route 113 north from Fryeburg or south from Gilead to Deer Hill Road.  In less than a mile, the…

Bridges

Penobscot Narrows Bridge (2007)

Bridges may be classified by several factors: span, travel, form, and material. Five basic forms are arch, beam, cable-stayed, suspension, and truss. Of course, each form may serve several uses, including road vehicles, railroads, and pedestrians. Here are some examples in Maine. Bridge Forms The brief discussion of the basic forms below only begins to…

Kennebec Bridge

New Kennebec Bridge (2016)

This bridge, built in 1931 by the American Bridge Company was slated for replacement in 2013, and was described in the Federal Infrastructure Projects web site as noted below. The project replaced an 80 year-old movable span truss bridge at the end of its service life with a high level, fixed bridge over the Kennebec…

T3 R11 WELS

Ripogenus Gorge

This township is located east of the southern portion of Baxter State Park.  Both the Golden Road and the West Branch of the Penobscot River span its width.  Ripogenus Dam, Lake, and Gorge are major geographic features. [See related Chesuncook]                              …

Golden Road

The Golden Road, privately owned and mostly unpaved, extends from Millinocket west over 100 miles to the Quebec border at township T5 R20 WELS, a four hour trip.  It was established in the 1970’s as a transportation conduit for raw wood to feed the hungry Great Northern Paper Company mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket.…

Glenwood

Glenwood contains most of Wytopitlock Lake (the balance is in T2 R4 WELS) and Orcutt Brook, which empties into it. In 2004 only a few camps were scattered along the rocky shore. The Bureau of State Parks and Public Lands owns and maintains a boat launch in the shallow outlet cove, located in Glenwood. Wytopitlock Stream is the outlet and the start of a popular canoe trip. Glenwood is subject to the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, which has identified critical natural areas in the plantation.

Yarmouth

Yarmouth is a coastal town northeast of Portland on I-295 and U.S. Route 1. See photos. It is home to the Delorme Mapping Company and North Yarmouth Academy. Cousin’s Island is home to a large, oil fueled electric power plant known as Wyman Station. The Island has ferry terminal for Chebeague Island.

Waterville

Waterville is a regional service center for northern Kennebec and southern Somerset counties. See photos. Its downtown and the Kennedy Memorial Drive commercial strip provide business and professional services. It has been home to several U.S. Senators and Maine governors. Colby College is here.

Verona Island

is located on an island in the Penobscot River between the towns of Prospect and Bucksport. The Island is bounded by the Main and the Eastern Channels of the Penobscot. The Eastern is supplemented with the outlet of the Orland River. The old Waldo-Hancock Suspension Bridge provided the link from the Town of Prospect as U.S. Route 1 and Maine Route 3 pass through the town to Bucksport, then “Downeast” to Bar Harbor and Calais. The bridge was replaced by the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge in 2007.

Vanceboro

Sunset over Small Stream in Vanceboro (2013)

At the easternend of Maine Route 6, Vanceboro lies across the river from St. Croix, New Brunswick where 24-hour per day customs stations manage border crossings. See photos. A hill in the village overlooks the main street. With the large houses, the veterans hall and memorial, it appears to have been an important neighborhood in the history of Vanceboro. The local school of recent vintage is located there. Trains from Maine pass through Vanceboro to Canada.

Van Buren

Located across the St. John River from St. Leonard, New Brunswick, the town is at the junction of U.S. Routes 1 and 1A. See photos. Its economic development message is “Gateway to the St. John Valley.” Named for the eighth U.S. President, Martin Van Buren, the area was a haven for Acadians escaping the British oppression of 1755. In 1791 they settled near Keegan, a village just north of the main settlement. A model “Acadian Village” is near Keegan village.

Topsham

Recently the downtown (see photos) has witnessed a renewal with modern buildings. Topsham has been a very rapidly growing community both in population and in commercial development.The area of the Topsham Fair Mall is located adjacent to Interstate 95. Pejepscot Village was once an active community when the Pejepscot Paper Mill was in full production. Falls in the Androscoggin River between Topsham and Brunswick encouraged the development of paper and textile mills which dominated the economy into the 20th century.