River Otter

River otters are water-adapted mammals, with long, streamlined bodies, short legs, webbed toes, and long, tapered tails. Their short, thick fur is a rich brown above, and lighter, with a silvery sheen, below. Adult males average four feet in length, with the tail, weighing 20 to 28 pounds. Females are somewhat smaller. Seldom seen, they…

Livermore

Livermore, the main village, fronts on Brettuns Pond. A boat launch is located off Route 4. Near Livermore village several old community buildings suggest an earlier location for the village center. North Livermore village is centered on twin water bodies, Round Pond and Long Pond. North Livermore Baptist Church graces the community, just north of “The Norlands” a living history center.

Ground Observer Corps

GOC Distance Finder large

This citizen volunteer program was intended to fill a gap in the country’s air defenses.  Begun during World War II, it ended its mission on January 31, 1959.  In the mid-1950s, 350,000 volunteers from 16,010 observations posts reported to forty-nine “filter centers” across the country. In a letter to the New York Times dated January…

Lambert Lake Township

Sunset over Lambert Lake (2013)

is located south of Vanceboro in eastern Washington County.  The St. Croix River is its boundary with Canada. Two improved roads, Route 6 and Loon Bay Road, and a rail line, intersect near Lambert Lake and its small village.               Loon Bay and Bull Brook roads extend north-south serving…

T3 R4 BKP WKR

Location Map for T3 R4 BKP WKR

T3 R4 BKP WKR This township hosts the Long Falls Dam on the Dead River. That dam maintains the level of Flagstaff Lake, but required the removal of the village of Flagstaff, which was flooded as a result of its construction.. There was a small natural lake at Flagstaff. In 1950, Central Maine Power Company…

Parlin Pond Township

Parlin Pond (2004)

The township is just south of Jackman on U.S. Route 201. It is the only improved road, except for about two miles of Hardscrabble Road on its town line with Johnson Mountain Township to the south. Parlin Pond, the water body, is a two-mile long pond along U.S. Route 201 in the southern portion of…

Crossword History

History Crossword Layout

Although Maine’s history of human settlement goes back 12,000 years, and evidence of Norse visits date from about 1000 AD, written documentation begins in the late 15th century when John and Sebastian Cabot visited explored the coast. This puzzle focuses on that history. Search the Encyclopedia for answers as needed. Print pages 1 and 2…

Weymouth, George

Weymouth Cross on Allen Island in the Georges Islands group in St. George (2006)

Weymouth Cross on Allen Island in the Georges Islands group in St. George (2006) Weymouth, sometimes spelled “Waymouth,” was an early English explorer of the Maine coast. In 1602 he led an expedition of two vessels for the newly formed East India Company, to find a northwest passage to India.  He did enter the Hudson…

Conventional Wisdom Quiz

Test your assumptions underlying public policy in Maine. Choose the answer closest to your own, then check yourself below. 1. Percent of the Maine population in Fiscal Year 2010 that were State employees (in the Executive, Legislative and Judicial departments) ___ a) 1-4% b) 5-10% c) 11-15% d) 16-20% e) over 20% 2. Percent of…

Crossword Governors

Governors Crossword

This crossword puzzle focuses on Maine governors, their impact and backgrounds. Search the Encyclopedia for answers as needed. Print pages 1 and 2 for puzzle and clues. – – __Across 2.     The governor’s office is located in the __________ 6.     Republican governor, then U.S. Senator, who lost his Senate reelection bid to Edmund Muskie 7.    …

Grindstone Township

East Branch of the Penobscot River in Grindstone Township (2005)

Grindstone is north of East Millinocket on Route 11 in Penobscot County. Route 11, which follows the East Branch of the Penobscot River north to south, is the principal improved road. A short portion of the Madden Road in the south along a section of Dolby Pond is the only other improved surface. A tiny…

Edmunds Township

Cobscook Bay from the State Park in Edmunds Township (2004)

Edmunds was incorporated as a town on February 7, 1828, and annexed some land from adjoining Trescott in 1899. However, during the depths of the Great Depression, it surrendered its organized status after over 100 years as a town. As did several Maine towns during the Depression, it became a township on November 27, 1937.…

Herseytown Township

Mount Katahdin from Herseytown (2012)

Herseytown Township should not be confused with the town of Hersey about 25 miles north on Route 11 in Penobscot County. Davidson, the only village in the township, was in the north at Davidson Pond on the Davidson Road off Route 11. A 1942 USGS Topographic map shows Davidson with several buildings (small squares). Other…