was the United States battleship that steamed past the lighthouse in Havana (Cuba) Harbor in January, 1898. In a few weeks the U.S.S. Maine was destroyed there on February 15, 1898 by an explosion. A memorial is in a small park in Bangor. The event, which killed 260 men, sparked a national debate and outrage…
For county Quick Facts, use the menu bar above, clicking on “Government,” then “Counties.” See also population. People QuickFacts Maine USA Population, 2010 1,328,361 308,745,538 Population, percent change, 2000 to 2010 4.2% 9.7% Population, 2000 1,274,923 281,421,906 Persons under 5 years, percent, 2010 5.2% 6.5% Persons under 18 years, percent, 2010 20.7% 24.0% Persons 65…
Interest in the origin of the name “Maine” continues since, to date, there is no one, clear answer. The name first appears in writing in 1622 as a province, in a charter of the Council of New England granting land to Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain John Mason. The portion which came to be Capt.…
is a college located in Castine created primarily to educate and train students for service in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Former Governor Kenneth M. Curtis, once its President, is a distinguished graduate. According to the statute establishing Maine Merchant Marine Day each May 22nd, “The purpose of commemorating the United States Merchant Marines is to…
Named for the Malecite Indian word for “caribou,” it is located on the New Hampshire border, with substantial frontage on Umbagog Lake and on Upper and Lower Lower Richardson Lakes. A section of Maine Public Reserved Land sits just north of the Lake Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge on that lake’s Sunday Cove. The plantation is accessible from Maine Route 16 in Lincoln Plantation.
was named for the river whose Indian name means “having its outlet among the reeds” and “worn out grass (land).” A monument marks the landing of the Acadians. Its main street, U.S. Route 1, is dominated by Fraser Paper Company, whose plant straddles the border with Edmunston, New Brunswick. Agriculture remains a significant portion of the economy. Most residents in this heavily Catholic community are fluent in French and have extended family members in Canada.
The name (the Indian term for “bog” or “wet ground”) is appropriate since the main village lies at the north end of a bog on Molunkus Stream. See photos. The township has some frontage on Molunkus Lake. A 485 acre section of Maine Public Reserved Land is here.
(1896-19??) was born in the rural and forested community of Enfield on August 16, 1896, the son of a master carpenter. His father had emigrated from Scotland and, in the “new world” had evangelical ministry. His mother was Nellie Rosilla Guptill of Cherryfield, Maine, a descendent of that town’s first settler, a millwright by the…
(1815-1869) a U.S. Representative, was born in Limerick on April 8, 1815. He received an academic education, studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1837 and began his practice in Biddeford in 1837. A member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1841, 1842, and 1845, he served as speaker in 1845, then served…
The Canada lynx is a forest cat of northern latitudes and high mountains. While Maine has long been a home to the Lynx, experts believe relatively few have inhabited the state until recently. It is listed as “threatened” under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, about…
(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…
Earlier called Swansfield, it was named after Theodore Lyman of York, a successful businessman and Boston merchant. Goodwins Mills is a village straddling the town lines of Lyman and Dayton. The first saw and grist mills were located there in 1782. Lyman’s United Methodist Church was established in 1840. Dotted with ponds, the area is a rural commuter community with easy access to Sanford and the Biddeford-Saco areas..
From earliest European presence, the Maine woods have been a source for masts, boat building, housing, and other structures. Later, the paper industry and recreational hunting, hiking, and camping, broadened its importance. Still later, people saw its role in absorbing greenhouse gasses, providing wildlife habitat wildlife, and protecting water resources.
This “half-township” (New Limerick occupies the other half of the original township) lies just west of the northern portion of Houlton. Ludlow is an agricultural community in the heart of southern Aroostook potato county. The soybean in the article is an example of the continuous, historic attempts to diversify the county’s farm economy.
Lubec contains the easternmost point in the United States: West Quoddy Head, on which the famous lighthouse of the same name sits. See video and photos. A State Park is nearby. Lubec is the birthplace of Myron Avery, a key to the creation of the Appalachian Trail and a founder of the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. The sardine industry important in the late 19th & early 20th centuries.
Joshua Adams Lowell (1801-1874), a U.S. Representative, was born in Thomaston on March 20, 1801. He attended the common schools, taught school, studied law, was admitted to the bar and began his practice in East Machias in 1826. A member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1832, 1833, 1835, and 1837, Lowell was elected…
The relatively new town office and community center is in East Lowell on Route 188 near Vinegar Hill Road. See photos. The village is at Eskutarsis Road, Tannery Road and Route 188, known as West Main Road and East Main Road. Mill Stream, the outlet from Eskutarsis Pond, once hosted a grist mill. A piece of its machinery sits on the bank. Lowell has been a high growth town, adding to its population at an average rate of 24% in each census since 1970, though not close to an urban center.
(1824-1906) was born in Lovell and began his career in Boston as an apprentice in a lithographic shop, designing title pages for books and sheet music. He was the son of Philip C. Johnson, Secretary of State for Maine. He worked in a lithographic establishment in Boston in 1840 and after a year went to…
The town is named for John Lovell (or Lovewell), the hero of the Battle of Lovewell’s Pond in 1725, in which he was killed but the remaining Abenaki people abandoned the area. See photos. One of the lodges at Kezar Lake was owned by stage and screen star Rudy Vallee. Center Lovell, in the shadow of Sabattus Mountain, is the primary village, located on the shore of Middle Bay.
has been a fundraising device for public purposes in Maine for at least 240 years. A tradition brought from England, Harvard College and George Washington both approved them for construction projects. In 1758 the York County Lottery was promoted to build bridges across the Saco and Presumpscot rivers. In the 19th century the Cumberland and…