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…
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.
Bates was formerly the Maine State Seminary. It changed its identity and was incorporated in 1855. Located in Lewiston, it is recognized as one of the nation’s finest colleges of the liberal arts and sciences. In the U.S. News & World Report 2002 edition of “America’s Best Colleges,” Bates was ranked 22nd among 218…
is a liberal arts institution located in Brunswick. In June 1794 Massachusetts Governor Samuel Adams signed an act to establish Bowdoin College promoted by James Bowdoin III, who gave financial support to its formation and named it in honor of his father, James Bowdoin II. Massachusetts Hall, Bowdoin’s first building was constructed, with delays, between…
Parker Cleaveland House, National Historic Landmark [75 Federal Street in Brunswick] Parker Cleaveland, nationally known for his contributions to the study of mineralogy, lived here from 1806 to 1858. A professor at Bowdoin College, he conducted some of the earliest studies of mineralogy in the United States. In 1816 his Elementary Treatise on Mineralogy and Geology was the…
Colby is a liberal arts institution, known in its early days as Waterville College, located in Waterville on its 714-acre campus. Founded in 1813, Colby is one of the nation’s oldest independent colleges. A residential four-year college, more than two thirds of Colby’s undergraduates study abroad during their college career, and international representation in the…
Dempset was the first female to graduate from Maine Maritime Academy. Born and raised in Connecticut, she went to the University of Vermont where she worked for a yacht delivery company. Later she decided to further her education at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, where she was at the top of her class. After…
While commentators and educators had been advocating for schools to include Maine studies in their curricula for decades, the first state mandate was effective on August 20, 1955: Chapter 300 AN ACT Relating to the Teaching of the Industrial and Natural Resources of Maine. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine,…
Kents Hill School, in Readfield, was established initially as the Maine Wesleyan Seminary in 1824 by Luther Sampson, a native of Duxbury, Massachusetts. He was a Revolutionary War veteran who settled in Readfield in the early 1800s. In 1824 he organized, endowed and incorporated the institution. According to the 1886 Gazetteer of Maine, “In 1852…
is a college located in Castine created primarily to educate and train students for service in the U.S. Merchant Marine. Former Governor Kenneth M. Curtis, once its President, is a distinguished graduate. According to the statute establishing Maine Merchant Marine Day each May 22nd, “The purpose of commemorating the United States Merchant Marines is to…
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…
Compared to all other states and the District of Columbia, Maine ranks relatively high when considering the number of students per teacher and on the amount spent per pupil. However, Maine ranks very low when comparing teacher salaries. It does rank fairly high in the percent of residents with high school or bachelor’s degrees, though…
The U.S. Department of Education released a report November 26, 2012 “detailing state four-year high school graduation rates in 2010-11 – the first year for which all states used a common, rigorous measure.” The new calculation, the Department emphasized, is not comparable to previously reported rates. Some news reports in Maine hailed the state’s ranking…
Group Mean Scores for Maine College Bound Seniors That is, each number represents the average (mean) of a group. For example, the average score for all Maine males taking the Critical Reading test in 1972 was 531. All data has been adjusted by the College Board to compensate for changes in scoring over the period…
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…
located in South Portland, is one of several community colleges across the state. It was formerly know as Southern Maine Technical College, but has expanded its offerings to include additional academic courses. The college has been in existence since the mid-twentieth century and had a student body of over 7,000 in 2012. Its Mid-coast Campus…
The 1873 President’s House is an elegant, restored, Victorian-era structure. Historic photographs show the early care given to the house’s landscaping, including newly planted trees. The mature trees on the house’s front lawn comprise native species, such as American beech as well as non-native species. This mix of indigenous and introduced species is true of…