Gannett, Guy

Guy P. Gannett (1881-1954) was born in Augusta and was a successful entrepreneur. He assisted his father, William H. Gannett, in publishing Comfort magazine. William H. Gannett was a major force in the mail-order and publishing business during the late 19th and early 20th century. Based in Augusta, his Comfort was the first magazine in…

Smith, Seba

was born in 1792 at Buckfield in western Maine.  He graduated in Bowdoin College’s  class of 1818 and went on to establish Maine’s first daily newspaper, the Portland Courier. Smith created Major Jack Downing, a character he used in his quest to satirize the American political class.  He was an advocate for Maine statehood, using…

Wood, John

(1813-1864) a U.S. Representative was born in Minisink, New York on November 17, 1813. He attended the common schools. Wood engaged in railroad construction in New Jersey, moved to Portland in 1846, and was one of the contractors in the construction of the Atlantic & St. Lawrence Railroad. He also engaged in banking. A member…

Winthrop

Maranacook Lake in Winthrop (2013)

n addition to its recreational attractions, the town is a suburban community serving both the Augusta and Lewiston-Auburn areas. See photos. Winthrop is the birthplace in 1899 of Delphia Louis “Del” Bissonette, who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Willis, Nathaniel P.

Selected works American Scenery, Or, Land, Lake And River Illustrations Of Transatlantic Nature, Vols. I and II (1840) Canadian Scenery Illustrated (1842) The Convalescent (1859) Dashes At Life With A Free Pencil (1845) Famous Persons And Places (1854) Fugitive Poetry (1829) Fun-Jottings, Or, Laughs I Have Taken A Pen To (1853) Health Trip To The…

Wiggins, James Russell

James R. Wiggins, United States Mission to the United Nations photo

(1903-2000) former editor of The Washington Post, served briefly as ambassador to the United Nations, then retired to Ellsworth, where he continued to work at the Ellsworth American, a weekly newspaper he owned from 1966 to 1991 until his declining health forced him to stop in 2000. Coming off a Minnesota farm, he never got…

Somes, Daniel E.

Daniel Elton Somes (1815-1888) a U.S. Representative was born in Meredith (now Laconia), New Hampshire on May 20, 1815 where he received an academic education. Somes moved to Biddeford in 1846 and established the Eastern Journal, later known as the Union and Journal; and engaged in the manufacture of loom harnesses, reed twine, and varnishes.…

Smith, Clyde Harold

Clyde Smith (1939)

Clyde Harold Smith (1876-1940), husband of Margaret Chase Smith, a U.S. Representative was born on a farm near Harmony, on June 9, 1876. He moved with his parents to Hartland in 1891 and attended the rural schools and Hartland Academy. Smith taught school; served in the Maine House of Representatives (1899-1903 and 1919-1923). He engaged…

Smart, Ephraim Knight

Ephraim Knight Smart (1813-1872) a U.S. Representative, was born in Prospect (now in  Searsport) September 3, 1813. He attended the common schools, completed preparatory studies under private tutors and attended Maine Wesleyan Seminary (now Kents Hill School) at Readfield. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1838 and began his practice in Camden.…

Severence, Luther

Luther Severance (1797-1855) a U.S. Representative, was born in Montague, Massachusetts on October 26, 1797. He moved with his parents to Cazenovia, New York in 1799 and attended the common schools. He learned the printer’s trade in Peterboro, New York, then established the Kennebec Journal in Augusta in 1825. He was a member of the…

Perry, John J.

John Jasiel Perry (1811-1897), a U.S. Representative, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on August 2, 1811. In 1812, he moved with his parents to an area of Hebron that is now in the town of Oxford, attended the common schools and Maine Wesleyan Seminary (now Kents Hill School in Readfield). A deputy sheriff of…

Newspapers

The history of the early press in Maine is marked by a decided lack of stability. Publishers often started a newspaper, formed a partnership, then moved on to begin another paper. Some of the papers endured, but few in their original form; many disappeared after several years. Almost one hundred years after New England’s first…

Murch, Thompson Henry

Thompson H. Murch (1838-1886) a U.S. Representative, was born in Hampden on March 29, 1838 and attended the common schools. He spent his early life at sea, learned the stonecutter’s trade and engaged in that occupation for eighteen years. He became editor and publisher of the Granite Cutters’ International Journal in 1877 and secretary of…

Lynch, John

(1825-1892) a U.S. Representative, was born in Portland on February 18, 1825. He attended the public schools, was graduated from the Portland High School in 1842. Lynch engaged in business and was manager of the Portland Daily Press in 1862. A member of the Maine House of Representatives 1862-1864, he was elected as a Republican…

Lagrange

While growing slowly, this still small community retains its rural, farming and home town identity. Lagrange was named for the estate of the Marquis de La Fayette, the French friend of the American Revolution. See photos. A section of Maine Public Reserved Land is in the southwest corner of the township, managed for recreation and sustainable forestry.

Hinds, Asher

Asher Crosby Hinds (1863-1919) a U.S. Representative, was born in Benton on February 6, 1863. He attended the public schools and Coburn Classical Institute, was graduated from Colby College in 1883. He began newspaper work in Portland in 1884. Hinds became clerk to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1889-1891), and clerk…

Hawley, Jean Gannett

(1924-1994) was one of Maine’s most influential media figures. As publisher and chair of the board of Guy Gannett Communications, she controlled a company whose assets included newspapers, television channels, and multi-tenant broadcast towers. As a successful and visible citizen, Jean Gannett Hawley used her influence to raise awareness for many artistic and charitable organizations.…

Blaine, James G.

James G. Blaine, courtesy Maine State Museum

James Gillespie Blaine (1830-1893) was a major political force in Maine and the U.S. Congress. A Representative and a Senator from Maine; he was born in West Brownsville, Washington County, Pa., January 31, 1830. He was graduated from Washington College, Washington, Pa., in 1847, taught at the Western Military Institute, Blue Lick Springs, Kentucky. He…

Fairfield

Fairfield Center, with its impressive church and grange hall, is at the crossroads of routes 23 & 104. The old Lawrence High School is near the veterans park with its gazebo and shade trees. See photos. In the fall, a popular destination for apples and pumpkins is The Apple Farm. Fairfield, incorporated in 1788 in Somerset County, now hosts Kennebec Valley Community College.