Presque Isle

Presque Isle Birdseye View 1894

With many fine houses and a historic downtown, Presque Isle has its commercial strip like so many other communities. See photos. The University of Maine campus here provides educational and cultural opportunities for area residents. Aroostook State Park is located at the southern end of the town, on Echo Lake. The French presque isle means “almost an island,” based on the twists and turns of the Aroostook River and the Presque Isle Stream.

Prentiss, Penobscot County

Entering Prentiss Township on Combined Routes 169/170 north of Springfield Village (2020)

This sparsely populated area is remote from even moderately sized towns. Maine Routes 169, 170, and 171 cut through the woods and bogs that characterize the area. Prentiss Village is at the junction of routes 169 and 171 in the south-central area of the township. The township’s population has been relatively stable in recent decades at around 200.

Pownal

Location Map for Portland

Bradbury Mountain State Park offers picnicking, a modest walk to the summit, and a historic cattle pound. See video and photos. “Pineland Center ” is a community of non-profits and local businesses. Most of the town is rural residential, with homes and a few farmhouses widely spaced along the local roads. The few commercial establishments are clustered in Pownal Center Village.

Poverty

Tenement Housing Usually Serves Low-Income People (2002)

Official Poverty Levels by Family Size Size Income 1 $12,140 2 $16,460 3 $20,780 4 $25,100 5 $29,420 6 $33,740 7 $38,060 8 $42,380 – – – – – – – – – – For each additional family member, add $4,320. Standards for 2018 issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The…

Potatoes

Potato Pickers (c. 1950)

I saw mountains of potatoes–oceans–more potatoes than you would think the world’s population could consume in a hundred years. –Steinbeck These girls, probably in the 1950’s, had been hand-picking potatoes, then carrying their baskets to the barrels. The small card, or “ticket” on each barrel identifies the picker by number. The number of completed barrels…

Reed, Thomas Brackett

Thomas Brackett Reed, courtesy Maine State Museum

(1839-1902) was a Representative from Maine and a powerful Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was born in Portland on October 18, 1839, attended the public schools, was graduated from Bowdoin College in 1860, and then studied law. Acting assistant paymaster of the United States Navy from April 19, 1864, to November 4,…

Portland

With its large population, financial and legal services, cultural and historical attractions, and “Old Port” dining and shopping district, the City is the only true metropolitan area in the state. See photos. Portland harbor is a working waterfront serving tankers, tourists, and fisheries, along with recreational boating from year-round and summer residents. Ferries connect the mainland to the many Casco Bay islands. Settled in 1632 and incorporated as a town on July 4, 1786, Portland became a city in 1833.

Porter

Ossipee River in Porter from Routes 25 and 160 (2014)

The main village, Kezar Falls, shares its name with the other half of the community located across the Ossipee River in Parsonsfield, York County. Built in 1876, the two-span 152-foot covered bridge above crosses the Ossipee River. The town, which borders New Hampshire, is served by Maine Routes 160 and 25 (also known as the Ossipee Trail).

Portage Lake

Late Summer Sunset over Portage Lake (2003)

in Aroostook County, settled in 1844, incorporated 1909, the village lies at the southeastern end of Portage Lake, about twelve miles northwest of Ashland. See photos. In 1967 a small community of Tibetan refugees was established, but dissolved in 1970 when their work project terminated. They scattered to other states.

Poland

The Spring House at Poland Spring (2003)

The Poland Spring Bottling Plant and Spring House are local landmarks. See photos. The town, just west of Auburn, has two other large lakefront areas and is served by Maine Routes 11, 26, and 122. One of water bodies is home to Range Pond State Park. The town, just west of Auburn, has two other large lakefront areas. One of water bodies is home to Range Pond State Park. The Maine State Building was built to represent the state at the Chicago World’s Fair, known as the Colombian Exposition, in 1893.

Plymouth

Just south of Newport off Interstate 95, this rural community is dotted with wetlands, the largest of which is Plymouth Bog. Martin Stream runs from Plymouth Pond to empty into Sebasticook Lake in Newport after joining East Brook. The main village is on the northwestern shore of Plymouth Pond at the junctions of Maine Routes 7 and 69. Its population has remained remarkably stable over 40 years.

Pleasant Ridge

Wyman Lake and Dam from the Ridge Road in Pleasant Ridge (2014)

Pleasant Ridge hosts four small ponds, clustered in its northern half: Bean, Brandy, Clear, and Jewett. Lost Pond is isolated in the northeast of the township. Jewett stream runs south through Jewett, Brandy and Clear ponds before emptying into the Kennebec River. The “ridge” overlooks the community’s eastern boundary, which is Wyman Lake formed by the Wyman Dam and the Kennebec River.

Pittsfield

Pittsfield 1889 "Bird

Maine Central Institute, founded in 1866 as a preparatory school for Bates College, is one of the “Big 10” private secondary schools in Maine that still serves the public school population as well. See photos. Downtown Pittsfield, on the Sebasticook River, was wiped out by a fire in 1881 and rebuilt immediately. As did many Maine communities, Pittsfield’s woolen mills provided steady employment during the first half of the 20th century, then literally “went South,” finding cheaper labor in the 1950’s.

Pinkham, Dora

Dora Pinkham, Source: Maine State Senate

(1891-1941) On January 3, 1923, Dora Bradbury Pinkham took her seat in the Maine House of Representatives as the first woman elected to the Legislature in Maine. Pinkham represented Fort Kent and Wallagrass Plantation (now the Town of Wallagrass). She was the only woman elected out of the nine women from across the state who…

Pilgrims

“In the fall of 1620 the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth during a disagreeable storm, and, noting the excellent opportunity for future misery, began to erect a number of rude cabins.”  — Bill Nye Members of the Plymouth Colony began trading with fishermen and Indians in Maine within a few years of their arrival in 1620.…