Bowdoinham

settled originally as early as 1623, but Indian raids precluded a permanent presence. Reportedly named for Dr. Peter Bowdoin, an early proprietor, it occupies the western shore of Merrymeeting Bay. The Cathance River runs through it and into the Bay. A fast growing community, Bowdoinham has attracted commuters and retirees to its still rural open spaces. See photos.

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…

Brewer

Brewer Along the Penobscot (2003)

Year Population 1970 9,300 1980 9,017 1990 9,021 2000 8,987 2010 9,482 Geographic Data N. Latitude 44:46:44 W. Longitude 69:25:29 Maine House Dists 128,129 Maine Senate District 8 Congress District 2 Area sq. mi. (total) 15.6 Area sq. mi. (land) 15.1 Population/sq.mi. (land) 628.0 County: Penobscot Total=land+water; Land=land only  Brewer is a city in Penobscot…

Columbia Falls

Location Map For Columbia Falls

Year Population 1970 367 1980 517 1990 552 2000 599 2010 560 Geographic Data N. Latitude 44:40:23 W. Longitude 67:42:49 Maine House District 138 Maine Senate District 6 Congress District 2 Area sq. mi. (total) 24.7 Area sq. mi. (land) 24.5 Population/sq.mi. (land) 22.9 County: Washington Total=land+water; Land=land only [kol-UM-bee-ah FALLS] is a town in…

Salem Township

                Salem, in Franklin County, was first settled by Benjamin Heath, who cleared land in what was then a portion of Phillips, Maine in 1814. The following year, Heath returned with two other men, who cleared additional lots, and permanently settled with their families in 1816. By 1821…

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…

Harpswell, North

Otter Brook Preserve Trails in North Harpswell (2018)

In Harpswell, this is the northern most village on Harpswell Neck, the others being West and South Harpswell. It centers on the intersection of Route 123 from Brunswick and the Mountain Road, which links North Harpswell to the islands via the Ewing Narrows Bridge. Near the intersection: the Merriconeag Grange, the Vegetable Corner grocery, a…

South Freeport

South Freeport is on the broad Harraseeket River leading to Casco Bay. Once a shipbuilding center, it now hosts the town’s public wharf, a marina, a boatyard, and the Harraseeket Yacht Club. Winslow Park on the Bay provides recreation and camping opportunities.

Stroudwater

Cumberland and Oxford Canal with Maine Historic Civil Engineering Landmark recognition

Stroudwater, a neighborhood in the City of Portland, lies west of the railroad tracks to the Westbrook border. Several locations of historical significance include the Tate House Museum, a portion of the Cumberland & Oxford Canal, and an old dam on the Stroudwater River. It is a highly developed residential and commercial area.

Cundys Harbor

A Summer Day at Holbrook

Cundys Harbor is a village within the town of Harpswell, in the area known as East Harpswell. It is located in the southeastern portion of this sprawling coastal town, on Sebascodegan Island. In 1985 the Maine Historic Preservation Commission described it thus: “Cundy’s Harbor is a small fishing village on a narrow peninsula of hilly…

Abandoned

Abandoned Farmhouse in Westfield (2003)

Relics of farmhouses hint at the glory days of Maine’s agricultural tradition. In remote villages, scenes of abandoned homes, churches, and vehicles mark changes in communities as populations ebb. The landscape is littered with these ghosts of Maine’s past, recalling a lost civilization but evoking questions of their secrets.            …

Brookton Township

Panoramic View from U.S. 1 in Brookton (2013)

    Panoramic View  of wind turbines from U.S.  Route 1 in Brookton (2013)   Brookton is an unorganized township just south of Danforth on U.S. Route 1, one of its only two improved roads. The other, Forest City Road in the southeastern corner, passes by Brook Lake, half of which is in Brookton. A…

Harpswell Center

Widgeon Cove Trail in Harpswell Center (2014)

During Harpswell’s early settlement and before a bridge connected it to the rest of the town, Harpswell Neck was the site of several small villages.  Harpswell Center hosted a church, the 1759 meetinghouse (later the town office), a 200-year plus old cemetery, and a 1793 cattle pound. The cemetery is  the site of “The Witch…

Silver Ridge TWP

Logging Truck on 07-00-0, a dirt road in Silver Ridge off the 6000 Road (2014)

Silver Ridge was, once a plantation from 1878 to the 1950s, in Aroostook County, immediately south of Sherman and east of Benedicta Township. Its small and declining population was likely a major factor in surrendering its organization. It is now an unorganized township.  Township population counts are not usually separated from other nearby townships. Both…

Benedicta Township

Plunkett Pond, locally known as Perry Pond, in Benedicta (2015)

Benedicta is located in southern Aroostook County. It was established as a plantation on February 1, 1873 with a population of about 400. Just over one-hundred years later, in 1987, it surrendered its plantation status and became an unorganized township administered by the State.     By 1970 it had reached a historic low of…

York

1787-1794 John Hancock Warehouse and Wharf in York (2018)

Most of the town’s inhabitants are located between U.S. Route 1 (inland) and U.S. Route 1A which runs along the coast. Its population has more than doubled in the past thirty years, and grew by nearly 31 percent between 1990 and 2000. Beaches and cottages characterize the coast.

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.

Woolwich

Woolwich Shore on the Kennebec River from Thorne Head in North Bath (2010)

Woolwich, across the Kennebec River from Bath and with long shores on Merrymeeting Bay, is home to two nature preserves. Settled in the 1600s, it has several historic buildings. Alewives have been a historic part of the community.