On August 2, 1909, Mr. Edwin A. Grozier, Publisher of the Boston Post, a newspaper, forwarded to the Board of Selectmen in 700 towns* (no cities included) in New England a gold-headed ebony cane with the request that it be presented with the compliments of the Boston Post to the oldest male citizen of the…
(1896-1900) was born in Bath, son of one of the City’s first shipbuilders, in whose shipyards he worked learning the trade. In 1854, he and his brother Edward formed E. & A. Sewall continuing their father’s business. It became Arthur Sewall & Co. when his brother died. Arthur Sewall’s firm built 80 ships over 50…
(1778-1862) A model of early 19th century upward mobility and entrepreneurial skill, Stephen Parsons came to Edgecomb in 1801 with his wife, Margaretta Frederick Randall, daughter of Benjamin Randall, founder of the Free Will Baptist denomination. His career from that point was marked by continuous success for most of the rest of his life. Beginning…
Harrison Bird Brown was a widely recognized 19th century marine and landscape painter. Born in Portland in 1831 and orphaned at an early age, he was apprenticed to a house and ship painting firm. His best work dates from the 1860’s and early 70’s when his style was delicate and detailed and his colors rich…
As in many states with early European settlements, Maine has a wide variety of cemeteries. They differ in size, design, ownership, religious association, documentation, and physical condition. The Encyclopedia does not intend to document all cemeteries, but to note the variety and context of these sites in Maine. (Enter cemeteries in the Search box upper…
Guy P. Gannett (1881-1954) was born in Augusta and was a successful entrepreneur. He assisted his father, William H. Gannett, in publishing Comfort magazine. William H. Gannett was a major force in the mail-order and publishing business during the late 19th and early 20th century. Based in Augusta, his Comfort was the first magazine in…
Capitol Park is significant as a landscape design, dating from 1827, that survives with its spatial structure intact. It is unique as an early example of a designed landscape and as a remarkable survivor within the Capitol complex. Although the park has accommodated a variety of functions, it continues to perform its primary function of…
The rank of private sector employment by Maine firms varies with both long- and short-term trends in the economy. The table below is a snapshot of the fifty largest private employers in Maine in the first quarter of 2012 and the second quarter of 2014. The largest business category is “General Medical and Surgical Hospitals.” …
Joseph B. Stearns (1831-1895) was born in Weld and moved to Searsmont with is father at the age of fourteen. Three years later he moved to Newburyport, Massachusetts and found work in a cotton mill. After several early failures left him deeply in debt, Stearns found a job in a telegraph office in Newburyport in…
The Commission is responsible for the identification, evaluation, and protection of Maine’s significant cultural resources as directed by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. It is located at 55 Capitol Street in Augusta. It consists of eleven members as follows: The Commissioner of Transportation or representative, the Commissioner of Conservation or representative and 9…
In Harpswell, this is the northern most village on Harpswell Neck, the others being West and South Harpswell. It centers on the intersection of Route 123 from Brunswick and the Mountain Road, which links North Harpswell to the islands via the Ewing Narrows Bridge. Near the intersection: the Merriconeag Grange, the Vegetable Corner grocery, a…
Among Harpswell’s villages at the southern portion of Harpswell Neck is West Harpswell, about two miles south of Harpswell Center. South Harpswell begins about a mile farther, where Route 123 branches to Ash Point Road, Basin Point Road, as well as continuing to Potts Point. West Harpswell is home to Mitchell Field, a 119-acre Town-owned…
Rebecca Sophia Clarke (February 22, 1833-August 10, 1906), daughter of Asa Clarke, was born in Norridgewock. After her education at the Female Academy in Norridgewock, she moved to Evansville, Illinois, living at the home of a married sister while she taught school. In 1858, progressive deafness forced her to give up teaching and she returned…
This famous family had close ties with Maine from “Teddy” to “FDR.” Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, Jr. As early as 1878, Teddy Roosevelt began his long relationship with Maine and his personal guide, William Wingate “Bill” Sewall of Island Falls in Aroostook County. They spent a substantial amount of time exploring what is now Katahdin Woods…
Bruce Poliquin (1953- ) was born in Waterville on November 1, 1953. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, graduating in 1972. He then graduated from Harvard University with a degree in economic in 1976. The 2014 Republican candidate for Congress in Maine’s second congressional district, he won his first popularly elected public office. In…
Etienne Orson was a settler in the area around 1793. McCauley reports that the name came from a mispronunciation of Etienne. In the township-range system it is T6 R7 NBKP. The U.S. Census reported a single resident in 1870, five in 1900, fifteen in 1910, eighteen in 1920, and fifteen in 1930, the last report…
Haskell is an island in the town of Harpswell, not accessible by land. It lies at the edge of Casco Bay on the south end of Merriconeag Sound. A summer home to seasonal residents, the island retains many features of its earlier history. Once known as New Damariscove Island, then Pulpit, it was finally named…
Mattamiscontis (also known as T1 R7 NWP) is located on the west side of the Penobscot River across from Lincoln and north of Howland. Incorporated as a town on March 8, 1839, it surrendered that status on February 21, 1907 and is now an unorganized township. Other than Route 116 that runs along the Penobscot…
Inhabited since 1762, the island has many historic structures, such as the 1855 Meetinghouse and 1900 Chapel, that have survived the test of time. Part of the town of Harpswell, it is home to the Coastal Studies Center of Bowdoin College, on the shore of Harpswell Sound near Casco Bay. Several wooded walking trails offer ocean views.
Also known as North Yarmouth Academy Grant Township, it lies just east of T1 R5 WELS. It has no settled village. Macwahoc Stream and an associated bog dominate the northeastern portion. The only improved roads are U.S. Route 2 in the west (where the town line photo was taken in 2014) and U.S. Route 2A…