A woolen mill, erected in 1835, started an industry that lasted for over 150 years. See photos. Recent manufacturing firm closings contributed to the decline in population in the 1990-2000 decade. Settled 1800, incorporated 1816 in Penobscot County, it is the birthplace in 1888 of legislator, congressman, governor, and U.S. Senator Ralph Owen Brewster.
in the Baskahegan valley, is the northernmost town in Washington County, The village is at U.S. Route 1 and Maine Route 169 at the end of Crooked Brook Flowage. The majestic, historic 1888 Union Hall clock tower dominates the village. See photos.
Since the demise of textile and shoe manufacturing, Brunswick has become a service center for the region and a residential community for commuters to the greater Portland area. With Bowdoin College, Maine State Music Theater, Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance, Pejepscot Historical Society, and many historic buildings, it is a powerful cultural magnet. AMTRAK service to Boston resumed in 2012. The town has a 66 mile ocean shoreline and 12 miles along the Androscoggin River.
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.
Lithgow Library, 2017 Addition to the 1896 StructureRegister of Historic Places – Augusta 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 Much of Augusta’s history is tied to…