Winter in Maine
While winters in Maine have been becoming warmer with the rest of New England, snowfalls still paint the landscape. See also Katahdin Winter Winter Baxter State Park Coastal Maine
Autumn in Maine
Autumn is the season for Maine to show off its varied natural features from the coast to the north woods. Blazing colors from Nature’s palette rival those of the master artist. Captions show the image ID and original size in megapixels: e.g., ID 02100206 1.6 MP. Click to enlarge the images. Morse Mountain Conservation Area…
Nesowadnehunk Campground Baxter State Park
Nesowadnehunk is the most remote of the Park’s roadside campgrounds and provides easy access to Ledge Falls, a popular swimming spot. It provides trailhead access to Russell Pond via the Wassataquoik Lake/Russell Pond Trail and day hikes to Doubletop Mountain. Facilities at Nesowadnehunk Campground, within Nesowadnehunk Township, offers 11 lean-tos, 9 tent sites, and a 4…
Granite Industry in Maine
![Granite moving mechanism in Augusta (2002) [See crane below right]](https://maineanencyclopedia.com/wp-content/uploads/02110116-Copy.jpg)
Granite: The Product and the People The 19th century granite industry provided jobs for men on the islands as well as on the mainland. The Wiscasset, now historic, jail was completed in 1811 with granite walls from the Edgecomb quarries. As early as 1832 many rooms, walls and arches of Fort Knox in Prospect were…
T1 R8 WELS
This township, in Penobscot County, is about eight miles northwest of the town of Millinocket on the Millinocket Lake Road. The long south shore of the Lake is its primary recreational asset. The short Black Cat road skirts the 860-foot Black Mountain toward several outdoor adventure organizations. While their base is here, they transport…
Mills, Janet
Janet Trafton Mills (1947- ) was sworn in as the 75th Governor of Maine on Wednesday, January 2, 2019. She was born and raised in Farmington, where she still proudly lives today. The granddaughter of Aroostook County potato farmers and the daughter of a long-time high school English teacher and the U.S. Attorney for…
Forests of Maine
Maine contains an estimated 17.5 million acres of forest land in 2015. The acreage of forest land has been quite stable since 1960, covering more than 89 percent of the State’s total land area. The number of live trees greater than 1 inch in diameter is approaching 24.4 billion trees. Total timberland estimates reveal the…
Great Diamond Island
Great Diamond, home to Fort McKinley, is just northeast of its neighbor Little Diamond Island, linked only by a sandbar at low tide. The island has a limited network of roads, used primarily by golf carts and bicycles. Access is by about a half hour ferry ride from Portland Harbor, with two landing sites. Landing site…
Little Diamond Island
Once bearing the name Hog Island, Little Diamond has overcome its past and has been a respectable community of the City of Portland for decades. Few people make it their year-round home, even though there are 50+ homes and cottages on the Island. A major reason is that the City turns off the water supply in…
Mushrooms and other Fungi
Mushrooms and Fungi Mushrooms are fungi (plural of fungus), but not all fungi are mushrooms. There are about 99,000 fungi species, including yeasts, mildews, molds, and mushrooms. Some mushrooms a poisonous! Do not eat wild mushrooms unless you are certain they are safe. None of the mushrooms noted or referenced here have been vetted for…
Lower Cupsuptic Township
The Cupsuptic River crosses under Route 16 to feed Cupsuptic Lake in the southern most portion of this township. A boat launch area is on the east bank of the Cupsuptic River near the bridge. Big-Falls is a waterfall in the northwest corner of the township on the Cupsuptic River. It is accessible from Route…
Adamstown Township
This township in Oxford County is the site of Upper Richardson Maine Public Reserved Land and miles of lake shore on Cupsuptic and Mooselookmeguntic lakes. Route 16 cuts a diagonal northeast-southwest swath through the township. West Richardson Pond is…
Republican Party Platform 2018
Final DRAFT 2018 Maine GOP Platform Maine Republican Party Platform Generations of Americans have valiantly fought to preserve the Republic, our freedoms, and the American way of life. We appreciate and honor the service of active duty and reserve military, veterans, fire fighters, law enforcement, first responders and EMTs, and all those who serve our state…
Democratic Party Platform 2018
The Platform Preamble Our American democracy is a powerful and effective form of organization that strives to treat all with dignity and without discrimination, and functions for the betterment of the collective good. Maine Democrats believe that the foundation of a strong democracy is an educated and informed electorate. We believe that Americans…
Cross Lake Township
Cross Lake Township, In Aroostook County is, not surprisingly, named for the long lake in its southwestern quarter. Maine Route 161 from Madawaska to Fort Kent slices diagonally across the township. Route 162 branches northeast along Long Lake to St. Agatha. Ouelette and Guerette are the two principal villages. The township is largely a rural…
Salem Township
Salem, in Franklin County, was first settled by Benjamin Heath, who cleared land in what was then a portion of Phillips, Maine in 1814. The following year, Heath returned with two other men, who cleared additional lots, and permanently settled with their families in 1816. By 1821…
Patch, Edith Marion
Dr. Edith Marion Patch taught entomology at the University of Maine and served as director of entomology at the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station from 1903- 1937. Patch was the first woman to head a state agricultural experiment station department and was honored for her scholarship and educational leadership in 1930 by being elected president of…
A Fading History
As time and tides take their toll, physical remnants of Maine’s history disappear. Fires and intentional demolition, or simple abandonment clean the slate for the next generation. Luckily the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and Maine Preservation, along with local organizations, have protected properties destined for demolition. Unfortunately, many historic community icons have, nevertheless, been lost.…
Gardiner, Sylvester
Dr. Sylvester Gardiner was born in South Kingston, Rhode Island in 1707. He studied eight years in England and France. Returning to Boston he pursued a successful professional career. He established a store for the importation of drugs and acquired a fortune. Gardiner accumulated much real estate in Maine and became proprietor of one-twelfth part…
Timeline of Maine History 12: The Early 21st Century
2005-2020 2015 Portland adopted a single-use shopping bag, and polystyrene bag, ban to encourage reuse and to reduce trash waste. Other municipalities have adopted this approach. 2016 President Barack Obama establishes Katahdin Wood and Waters as a National Monument. 2017 As result of a citizen initiated referendum, possessing and using 2.5 ounces of marijuana is now…