Princeton

Boat Launch and Swimming Area at Lewy Lake (2013)

The town surrounds most of Pocomoonshine Lake, the origins of whose fascinating name is unclear. In 1886, the Gazetteer of Maine referred to it as “Shining Lake.” See photos. Along its northern boundary is a chain of lakes, including Long Lake and Lewey Lake, easily accessible from Princeton Village.

Prisoners of War in Maine

The Spencer Lake camp was built to accommodate 250 prisoners, though it later had to handle 310 men.  Schoolchildren from Forest Hills School 8th Grade Class of 2007 for their service learning project in nearby Jackman have placed a plaque marking the spot near an apparent cooking structure. (See photo above.) Maine’s forest and potato…

Airports

In 2006 Maine had 50 airports, 36 publicly owned.  Of the publicly owned, only 6  were served by regularly scheduled passenger service.  The other 30 serve the general aviation community which flies smaller, unscheduled aircraft.  There are some others reserved for private use only. According to an economic impact study by the Alliance for Aviation…

Nevelson, Louise

Louise Nevelson, ca. 1955, Smithsonian Archives of American Art

(1899-1988) was a prominent sculptor, painter, and printmaker, born on September 23, 1899, in Pereyaslav, Russia. At the age of five, she came to Rockland with her mother, older brother, and younger sister to join her father, Isaac Berliawsky, who had immigrated a few years earlier. Although she took the commercial course at Rockland High…

Movies

Pizza Parlor in Skowhegan Redesigned

“These are feature films with Maine-related themes or locations. Please note that many titles are not known to survive, or are not available.” — Karan Sheldon, Northeast Historic Film As the Earth Turns, 1934 Back to the Woods, 1918 Beans of Egypt Maine, The, 1994 Bed and Breakfast, 1992 Behind the Door, 1919 Behind Masks,…

Indian Township

Peter Dana Point, in the southwest corner, is the village center for the Passamaquoddy people in the township. U.S. Route 1 hosts another cluster of facilities and population. The tribe’s governing body is the policy maker for the Passamaquoddy People of Indian Township with each member elected for a four year term. Municipal offices, public safety building, housing authority and Boys & Girls Club Fitness Center are in the southeast corner near the town line with Princeton and near the shore of Lewy Lake.

Houlton

In 1828 a military post was established and the military road to supply the post was completed in 1832. The garrison stayed until the Webster-Ashburton treaty was completed in 1842. See photos. Served by the New Brunswick and Canada Railway as late as 1886. By 1894 the new Bangor and Aroostook Railroad connected the town to central Maine. The “Houlton Band” of the Maliseet Indians has its tribal offices near the Canadian border.

Fisher, Jonathan

Jonathan Fisher House (2003)

(1768-1847) was, according to The Art of Jonathan Fisher, 1768-1847, “an uncommon common man, the nineteenth century pastor of a little Maine town. More than his occupation or the locale may suggest, Fisher was a universal man–inventor, farmer, architect and builder, surveyor, linguist, naturalist. Above all he was an artist, translating his vision of the…

Elections, Referenda

Wind Power Bond Issue (June 2010)

Votes on referenda since 1911 Most items placed on issue ballots are referenda proposed by the legislature, and most of those are bond issues seeking authorization to borrow large amounts of money over 5, 10, 20 or more years. A small number are “people’s vetoes,” items placed on the ballot by citizen petition in an…

Civilian Conservation Corps

"In apple trees" near Acton, 1934

The CCC was established by Congress on April 5, 1933 as recommended by President Franklin B. Roosevelt. On April 27th Maine received its first quota for 1,800 men, mostly youths between 18 and 24. The quota was divided proportionately among the counties based on population, with Cumberland getting 256 and heavily forested Piscataquis receiving only…

Carroll Plantation

Maple Trees Tapped with Tubing for Maple Syrup on Route 6 in Carroll Plantation (2014)

incorporated in 1845, lies on the old stage line (Maine Route 6) from Lincoln, through Lee, Springfield to Princeton. Named for Daniel Carroll, member of the Continental Congress and signer of the Articles of Confederation and of the Constitution, it is home to an extensive maple sugar harvesting operation. See photos.

Bar Harbor

The Harbor from Newport House (c. 1901)

After Newport, Rhode Island, Bar Harbor was the resort of choice for wealthy eastern Americans until the great fire of 1947 destroyed many homes and forested areas. Acadia National Park dominates tourists’ itineraries when the town’s population swells each summer. The College of the Atlantic is located here.

SAT Scores

Maine v National SAT Performance 1980-2013

Maine’s math scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, administered by the College Board in Princeton, New Jersey, have consistently and substantially lagged the national average scores for over two decades. See also SAT Score for College Bound.  During the 1980’s Maine’s verbal scores exceeded the national averages, but since 1990 they have generally been somewhat…