Lewiston Historic Register

Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston (2001)

National Register of Historic Places – Listings – Lewiston Photos by James Henderson, and edited text are from nominations to the National Register of Historic Places researched by Maine. Historic Preservation Commission. Full text and National Register photos are at https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp Androscoggin Mill Block [269-271 Park Street] Due primarily to demands for an increasing labor…

Westbrook

Immediately west of Portland but part of the Portland metropolitan area, Westbrook is home to industrial, professional, and commercial enterprises, as well as to a campus of Husson University. Flowing through the city is the Presumpscot River, whose name means “many rough places river. ” Now the 12th largest community in Maine by population, it was edged out of its 1990 11th largest position by Saco in the 2000 Census.

Stockholm

Named for the Swedish capital, the village lies on the Little Madawaska River, just off Maine Route 161 and just north of New Sweden, also part of the Colony. The village, essentially off the main highways, is not “on-the-way” to anywhere. This small community, with a continued significant reliance on agriculture and a declining population, still supports three churches: Catholic, Baptist, and Lutheran.

St. John

Location Map for St. John

With the St. John River as its northern boundary, the town is located nearly at the end of Maine Route 161, a dead end road that travels west from Fort Kent to serve the small communities along the River. The Plantation has several modest sized lakes, including Wallagrass Lakes (Lakes 1 and 2) in the southeast, Wheelock Lake in the northeast, and Hunnewell Lake in the west. It hosts two lots of Maine Public Reserved Lands totaling 1,167 acres.

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.

Indian Reservation, Penobscots

Indian Island in the Penobscot River (2005)

The Reservation in Penobscot County, is the home of the Penobscot Tribe of Maine’s Native American population, and is located on Indian Island in the Penobscot River and within the boundaries of the community of Old Town. See photos. The Penobscot Nation Council, headquartered on the Island, is composed of elected members, lead by a Chief and a Vice Chief. It is the birthplace in 1871 of Cleveland Indians baseball player Louis Sockalexis. Dancer and entertainer Molly Spotted Elk was born here in 1903.

Oakland

Waterville’s commercial strip that is Kennedy Memorial Drive continues into Oakland for about a mile before becoming a more scenic road. See photos. Here the village emerges as it sits at Messalonskee Stream. Long the home of the New England Music Camp, recreational opportunities include access to several of the Belgrade lakes.

Newcastle

Deer Meadow Brook from Frank Steele Woods in South Newcastle (2011)

Damariscotta Lake is a major destination for adult alewives with intentions of spawning the next generation. The fishway near the dam at Damariscotta Mills in Newcastle provides access to and from the lake. See photos. Newcastle, located on U.S. Route 1 just west of the Damariscotta River, is home to Maine’s oldest Catholic Church, St. Patrick’s, completed in 1808. Several nature preserves in Lincoln County are in Newcastle. Nearby Great Salt Bay is protected by Maine legislation and is the state’s first marine shellfish protected area.

Lewiston

Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary in Lewiston (2002)

Lewiston Falls, on the Androscoggin River between downtown Lewiston and neighboring Auburn, its “twin” city, was a fishing source for Native Americans. Recently, a park has been developed at the site of the falls, known as Great Falls, and one of the old mills, now a housing complex, that once thrived on its power. The great demand for manufacturing labor in the 19th century drew large numbers of French speaking people from Canada and northern Maine. From 1970 to 2000 the city’s population was again in decline. In 2010 it grew by about 1,000. This time another ethnic group, Somali refugees, were instrumental in the recent growth.

Jackman

James Jackman, was usually called “Captain Jackman.” He was contracted by the State to build the Canada Road from the Forks to the Canadian border. See photos. The village is on the shore of Wood Pond in Attean Township. Attean Pond and Attean Mountain are southwest of the village in an area designated as one of Maine’s “public reserved lands.” The area provides attractive fishing and hunting opportunities, canoe trips on the Moose River, and jobs for workers in the logging industry.

Grand Isle

Our Lady of Mount Carmel (2003)

The Name commemorates the large and fertile island within the town and in the middle of the St. John River just south of the village of Lille. Lille is home to an extraordinary Catholic church, a nationally recognized historic place. See photos. U.S. Route 1 and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad both hug the Maine side of the St. John River.

Bradley

Sign: "Welcome to Bradley, home of Leonard

Named for an early, prominent settler Bradley Blackman, the town economy flourished in 1833 with the coming of the Great Works Milling and Manufacturing Company. Bradley is located on the east side of the Penobscot River, across from Orono and Old Town, just south of Milford. The paper mill in Old Town dominates the landscape. See photos.

Hamlin

U.S. Inspection Station in Hamlin (2016)

a plantation in Aroostook County, organized in 1859 for election purposes and formally organized for general purposes in 1895. Named for Hannibal Hamlin, President Lincoln’s first Vice President, this northeastern community is bounded on the north by the St. John River. See map. The population is concentrated along the river on the Hamlin Road (U.S. Route 1A). Hamlin is subject to the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission, which has identified critical natural areas in the plantation.

Bangor Historic Register

Bangor’s architectural history is influenced by the great houses built in the boom years of the nineteenth century, with its resident lumber barons and its related commerce. The city’s role as a regional hub led to the development of such institutions as the commercial center at West Market Square, the theological seminary, and the mental…

Augusta Historic Register

                   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…