in Kennebec County, named for a town in Massachusetts, incorporated in 1851. Togus Medical Center, known generally as “Togus” is here. Originally it was the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers from the Civil War. The grange, school and town hall are clustered near each other. See photos.
in Penobscot County, incorporated in 1811 under the name of New Charleston. Higgins Classical Institute, for “the promotion of christian education,” was established in 1891. Once the site of a U.S. Air Force radar and communications base, it now hosts a correctional center using the former base facilities. See photos.
in Aroostook County, organized in 1879, includes a major portion of the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. It also hosts a tract of Maine’s Public Reserved Land just north of Mud Lake. Closing of Loring Air Force Base has sharply reduced its population.
was settled by men who were survivors of King Philip’s War having been granted allotments of land in what was then Narragansett, Number One. The first permanent settlers arrived in 1750. Named for Buxton in Norfolk, England, it incorporated in 1762. The Buxton Powder House, one of only three War of 1812 powder houses to survive in Maine, was erected on a vote of local citizens. See photos.
![Fine House and Barn on the Storer Road [Route 155] in Bradford (2014)](https://maineanencyclopedia.com/wp-content/uploads/140129189-Copy-2.jpg)
Bradford is a rural community with no lakes or mountains. In the early 20th century, Bradford Corner hosted an auto garage and wagon shop and Kingsbury’s Store, which housed a post office. A blacksmith had his shop where the library now sits. See photos.
in Lincoln County incorporated in 1889. It is a major attraction for summer visitors with shops, restaurants, art galleries, marinas, and recreational fishing opportunities. Tours to coastal islands, whale watching, and a safe, engaging harbor are some of the attractions. The Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences is here. See photos.
Early settlers from Biddeford in England may have given the area its name. Biddeford was destroyed during Queen Anne’s War, but was resettled beginning in 1714. Lumbering was the major industry until the early 19th century; textiles dominated for 100 years from mid-century. First Irish, then French Canadians came to work in the mills. See photos.
The city’s Customs House was an important center for revenue and recording the history of shipping in the area. The nearby elegant City Hall dominates the downtown. Home to Bath Iron Works on the Kennebec River, the city has had a long history of shipbuilding, including nine clipper ships during the 1850’s.
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…
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.
Winslow is on the east side of the Kennebec River, across from Waterville, on Routes U.S. 201 and Maine routes 32, 100, 100A, and 137. See photos. A reconstructed blockhouse of Fort Halifax, which incorporates many original timbers, stands on the fort’s original site.
has sufficient space to support farming as well as serving as a residential area for people working in Augusta and Waterville. See video and photos. Benedict Arnold stopped here to obtain a canoe on his way to Quebec. Site of Oak Grove Seminary in 1844, then Oak Grove Coburn school in 1970, then the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in 2001.
is site of the 1761 Pownalborough Courthouse, the first built in Maine, visited by future President John Adams, Daniel Webster, and Benedict Arnold on his way to Quebec. The Earle R. Kelley Wildlife Management Area and the Dresden Bog are here in the area first settled in 1752.
Lithgow Library, 2017 Addition to the 1896 StructureRegister of Historic Places – Augusta Photos, and edited text are from nominations to the National Register of Historic Places researched by Maine. Historic Preservation Commission.Full text and photos are at https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp Much of Augusta’s history is tied to…
Originally, the area was known to the Native Americans as Massabesic and was acquired from Chief Fluellin in 1661 by Major William Phipps. Later a Shaker community settled on a hill overlooking what is now called Shaker Pond. Alfred is the county seat of York County and was the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp in the 1930’s.