Merton Lane (1910-2004) was a fixture in the lore of Maine’s gallery of interesting characters, typifying the State’s culture. In 1905 he became the first fire tower lookout warden in the State located atop Squaw Mountain [now Big Moose Mountain] in Greenville. It was a special breed of men who manned the lookout towers,…
(1803-1879) was born in Hallowell, graduated from Bowdoin College in 1820 and from Andover Theological Seminary in 1825. He was professor of mathematics and natural philosophy at Amherst College from 1825-1829. He was ordained in 1834 at Elliot Church, Boston Highlands. An author, he wrote extensively for juveniles, including his first success, The Young Christian…
was born in Brunswick on September 18, 1805. He was a brother of Jacob Abbott. Having graduated Bowdoin College in 1825, with Longfellow and Hawthorne. He later attended Andover Theological Seminary, serving as a minister between 1830 and 1844 when he retired. John Abbot was a historian and author of fifty-four books, including a partisan…
Abortion has been the center of political conflict for much of the last one hundred years, but especially so since the United State Supreme Court ruled in 1973, in the case of Roe v. Wade, that prohibition of abortion is an unconstitutional invasion of a woman’s right to privacy. However, the Court did allow for…
Early Academies in Maine From the late 1700s through the 1800s, several academies were formed to serve the needs of some Maine communities. Some were founded on religious grounds and some offered boarding programs. For example: Newcastle’s Lincoln Academy was chartered in 1801 by the General Court of Massachusetts ‘for the purpose of promoting Piety, Religion…
Originally a French colony, Acadian lands in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia were passed back and forth between the French and English by various treaties settling European wars. The last of these, the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, gave the land to England. For a time the Acadians lived peacefully with the English. In…
were in Maine at least as early as 1736 when a church in York purchased a slave for its minister. John Brown Russwurm was Bowdoin College‘s first black graduate, in 1826. The third black to graduate from an American college, he went on to become the co-founder and co-editor of the country’s first black newspaper,…
The following maps, created by the Maine Bureau of Health, illustrate the spread of AIDS cases over the past two decades. Click on each map to see a larger, clearer version. Figure 2.3 (figure numbers are from the 2009 DHHS report cited below) below illustrates Maine AIDS diagnoses by year of diagnosis from 1984 to…
Maine was the home of prohibition. In 1846 Maine passed the first laws in the country outlawing the sale of alcoholic beverages except for “industrial and medicinal purposes.” In 1851, a stricter statute known as the “Maine Law” was passed and signed by the “Father of Prohibition,” Governor John Hubbard. It prohibited both the manufacture…
Amish Baskets for Sale, Golden Ridge Road, Sherman (2014) People of the Old Order Amish community have moved to the town of Smyrna in substantial numbers. Arriving in 1996, the Amish community had grown from just a few settlers to approximately 80 people in 12 families by 2002. Their shed-building business, Sturdi-Built, has…
Anson was the home of Francis B. Henderson, who moved there from from New York City in 1940 where he had been Captain of a barge moving critical material, equipment and supplies in New York Harbor for the military during World War II. Soon after moving to Anson, he was appointed Chief Deputy Sheriff and…
April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1852 Incorporation of the town of Holden 1861 Fort Sumpter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina falls to Confederate forces, initiating…
April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1775 Battle of Lexington and Concord begins the Revolutionary War, now celebrated in Maine and Massachusetts as Patriots Day 1800 …
April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1822 Incorporation of the town of Cumberland 1904 John A. Peters, State Legislator, State Attorney General, Member of Congress, and…
April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1771 Incorporation of the towns of Hallowell, Vassalborough (now Vassalboro), Winslow, and Winthrop. 1836 Birth date in Waterboro of Charles…
April 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1815 Birth date of Democratic U.S. Representative (1851-1855) Moses MacDonald in Limerick. He served as Speaker of the Maine House in 1845.…
Maine State Cultural Building in Augusta with the State’s Archives, Museum and Library near the State House (2004) The Maine State Archives, located in Augusta, is the custodian of the permanently valuable records of state government, including early court records and vital records (births, deaths, marriages, etc.). According to its website, “The permanently valuable records…
home to two U.S. Senators: William D. Hathaway and Olympia J. Snowe; 5th largest city by population; Androscoggin County seat; 20+ National Historic Register places. It also hosts Central Maine Community College.
Capital since 1832, originally “Cushnoc,” it was the site in 1628 of the Pilgrims’ trading post, and in 1754, Fort Western. The Blaine House governor’s residence is here. The Pine Tree State Arboretum has 200 acres of rolling hills and meadows and a diversity of habitats.
Tireless worker to complete the Appalachian Trail, Myron Avery (1899-1952), born in Lubec, was a navy veteran of two world wars, and was awarded The Legion of Merit. Avery Peak on Bigelow Mountain was named in his honor.