the most westerly town in Kennebec County, was named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French nobleman who helped the Americans during the Revolution. Settled permanently beginning in 1781, it was incorporated in 1795. The town has substantial frontage on several large ponds: David, Tilton and Parker in the northeast, Echo and Lovejoy in the east, and Mosher Pond in the northwest near Twelve Corners.
(1812-1893), a U. S. Senator from Maine and cousin of Owen Lovejoy, was born in Unity on February 24, 1812. He attended the common schools; taught school (1832-1833), moved to East Thomaston in 1834, and was involved in the manufacture of lime and in shipbuilding. Later, Farwell became a master mariner and trader, studied law,…
From a trading center in the late 18th century, it saw rapid growth through the Civil War, largely with designation as the shire town of Franklin County, arrival of a few manufacturers, and founding of several educational institutions. It boasts a highly rated small college: the University of Maine at Farmington, near downtown. Originally the Farmington State Normal School, it was established in 1864. The town is the birthplace of renowned vocalist Lillian Nordica; the home of inventor Chester Greenwood and U.S. Representative Robert Goodenow.
On the Kennebec River just north of Gardiner, it is a residential community serving the Augusta-Gardiner capital area. Several large homes overlook the Kennebec River. See photos. West of the main street, in a suburban-rural area, it touches on Jamies Pond Wildlife Management Area at Jimmies Pond near the Outlet Road.
(1817-1880) a U.S. Representative was born in Newcastle on August 29, 1817. He attended the common schools and was graduated from Bowdoin College in 1836. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Newcastle. A member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1843 and 1851-1853, he was then elected as…
is in Falmouth and hosts the Baxter School for the Deaf, public reserved land, and the former summer home of Governor Percival Baxter. Approximately 100 acres, it is connected to the mainland by a causeway at the mouth of the Presumpscot River. While human influence has greatly altered the natural environment on the Mackworth Island…
In 1658, a town named Falmouth was created but was destroyed by Indians in 1689. In 1718 a town was again established. Much of the original area was later distributed to new towns: Cape Elizabeth, Portland, and Westbrook. Falmouth is a rapidly growing suburban community, having increased over 35% in population between 1990 and 2000. Percival Baxter donated Mackworth Island to the state, now a nature preserve in the town.
2018 Acton Aug 23-26 Augusta Athens Aug 7-9 Bangor State Fair July 27-Aug 5 Blue Hill Aug 30 – Sept 3 Clinton Maine Farm Days Aug 22-23; Lions Fair Sept 6-9 Common Ground (Unity) Sept 21-23 Cumberland Sept 23-29 Farmington Sept 16-22 Fryeburg Sept 30 – Oct 7 Harmony Free Fair Aug 31 – Sept 3 Houlton June 30-July…
(1797-1847), a U.S. Representative and a Senator from Maine, was born in Saco on January 30, 1797, attended the Saco schools, Thornton Academy, and Bowdoin College. He studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1826, and began his practice in Biddeford and Saco. Appointed a trustee of Thornton Academy in 1826, Fairfield served as…
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.
Prior to 1975 known as the Department of Health and Welfare, the mission of this executive department is to protect and preserve the health and welfare of Maine citizens. More recently known as the Department of Human Services, it is now the Department of Health and Human Services. The change reflects the fact that the…
This was the name of the former Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, now merged with the Department of Health and Human Services. (Even earlier its functions were embedded in the old Department of Mental Health and Corrections.) See an early “Maine Insane Hospital” at Kennebec Arsenal Its pre-merger mission statement was described as…
The governor heads the executive branch of Maine government, which is composed of the Executive Department and the various specialized departments. (The other branches are the judicial and the legislative.) Executive agencies have been frequently “reorganized” with mergers, divisions, and occasionally abolition. See some resources describing the history of “government reorganization” efforts in the Additional…
Uncharacteristic for most Maine towns, Exeter has neither a lake, pond or mountain of note. Maine combined Routes 11 and 43 zigs and zags in a generally east-west direction through the town. The economy is a mix between agriculture and work in the Bangor area service industries.
Established by the City of Portland in 1854, the cemetery was designed by Charles H. Howe as a rural landscape with winding carriage paths, ponds, footbridges, gardens, chapel, funerary art and sculpture. It also includes extensive wooded wetlands. Evergreen was modeled after America’s first rural cemetery, Mount Auburn in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The popularity of garden/rural…
In 1775 the area had been the scene of Benedict Arnold’s march to Quebec. He was accompanied by Col. Timothy Bigelow, who returned to the area and for whom Bigelow Mountain is named. Eustis village in the north of the township, is on the North Branch of the Dead River and is the smaller of the two villages, the other being Stratton.
Etna Campground, since disbanded, was the site, at Etna Pond, of annual summer meetings of spiritualist beginning in 1876. In 1928 Camp Katahdin for boys, founded by Douglas W. Crate, Sr., opened at the pond. The town, in Penobscot County, incorporated in 1820
Francis (1849-1918) and his twin brother Freelan (1849-1940) Stanley were born June 1, 1849 in Kingfield. They formed the Stanley Dry Plate Company in 1883 to manufacture dry plates for the photographic process invented by Francis. After 22 years, they sold the company to Eastman Kodak in 1905. Their interest had turned to steam-powered automobiles.…
(1858-1937) was a gifted early 20th century photographer. She was born on December 30, 1858 in Kingfield, the only daughter of Apphia and Solomon Stanley Emmons’s seven children. Chansonetta was nicknamed Netta, because her French-inspired name meaning, “little song” was too difficult for Mainers to pronounce. Apphia died when Netta was only sixteen. Being the…
(1948- ) a U.S. Representative was born in Rockland on September 1, 1948. He attended public schools, and earned a B.S. from Worcester (Massachusetts) Polytechnic Institute in 1970. Emery served as a Representative in Maine Legislature from 1970 to 1974. Emery was chairman of the Rockland Republican city committee, 1972, delegate to Maine State Republican…