French, George

Schooner and Children at Stonington (c. 1940)

George French (1882-1970) was the recipient of numerous American and foreign awards for his distinguished photography. His work was selected by such firms as American Bell Telephone Company for use in posters, and for many years his photographs were familiar to Americans, as they were reproduced on calendars, postcards and various forms of commercial advertising.…

French, Ezra

(1810-1880) a U.S. Representative was born in Landaff, Grafton County, New Hampshire, September 23, 1810. He attended the common schools and pursued an academic course. He studied law in Bath and Plymouth, New Hampshire, was admitted to the bar in 1833 and began his practice in Portland and Waldoboro. French moved to Damariscotta (then a…

Freeport

L.L. Bean Stores Campus in Freeport (2012)

is a popular center of “outlet” stores, including the legendary L. L. Bean, which has a virtual campus of retail buildings. See video and photos. It was named, say some, for Sir Andrew Freeport, a character in Addison’s Spectator Papers. Freeport-built vessels Lafayette and Blen were captured and burned by Confederate raiders. Arctic explorer Donald B. MacMillan lived in Freeport, as did a young John Gould, later author, humorist, and newspaper editor.

Freedom

Farm with pond, barns, and silos on Route 137 in Freedom (2001)

in Waldo County, settled in 1794 by Revolutionary War soldier Stephen Smith, was incorporated in 1813.The three acre Freedom Park, near the center of town, occupies the original grounds of Freedom Academy. Sandy Pond, also known as Freedom Pond, has a boat launch for easy access. Freedom village is at its northeast tip.

Frankfort

Named for the German city, and bombed by the British in 1814, Frankfort was once a shipbuilding community on the Penobscot River. Granite cutting and shipping was an important industry up to the early 20th century. Mount Waldo supplied the product and Marsh Bay, in the Penobscot River, provided the means of shipping it.

Foster, Stephen Clark

Stephen C. Forster, courtesy Maine State Archives

(1799-1872) a U.S. Representative was born in Machias on December 24, 1799. He attended the common schools, learned the blacksmith’s trade and subsequently became a shipbuilder. Foster was member of the Maine House of Representatives from 1834 to 1837 and a member of the Maine State Senate in 1840, and served its president. In 1847…

Fort Williams

Sign: Brief History of Fort Williams (2001)

Fort Williams is located in Cape Elizabeth and its grounds constitute Fort Williams City Park. In 1873 construction had begun on earthworks fortifications and was known as the Battery at Portland Head. By 1892, concrete batteries had been placed over the original structure. It remained a sub-post of Fort Preble (near Southern Maine Community College)…

Fort William Henry

Fort William Henry (2001)

is located in the town of Bristol, Lincoln County, in the Pemaquid area. Built in 1692, it was destroyed in 1696 by the French under the leadership of Baron de Castin. The tower, and parade grounds are replicas built in 1908. Three forts have stood on essentially the same grounds. After and Indian attack destroyed…

Fort Pownal

Penobscot Bay at the mouth of the Penobscot River near Fort Pownall (2001)

stood on Fort Point in Stockton Springs on the Penobscot River. In 1626 the English set up a trading post at the mouth of the Penobscot River. The French and Indians attacked with great ferocity. In ten years it was abandoned. A crude fortification was build in 1640 and successful enough so that one hundred…

Fort Popham

Cannon Emplacements in Fort Popham in Phippsburg (2001)

Fort Popham stands on Hunnewell Point in Phippsburg at the mouth of the Kennebec River. This semi-circular structure was begun in 1862 but never completed. It was then that the Union realized how vulnerable the area was to potential British incursions in support of the Confederacy during the Civil War.  Concern was greatest for the…

Fort Knox

Fort Knox from Bucksport, c. 1940

named for General Henry Knox, is located in the town of Prospect in Fort Knox State Park on the banks of the Penobscot River across from Bucksport. The British controlled this area of the Maine coast during the War of 1812 and during the tensions surrounding the Aroostook War in 1838, the area felt threatened…

Fort Gorges

Fort Gorges in Casco Bay (2014)

The structure was begun in 1858, a year after Congress authorized funds, on Hog Island in Portland Harbor. By the end of the Civil War it was outdated with the invention of the rifle cannon that could destroy its granite structure. Fort Gorges is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Currently owned by…

Fort Fairfield

Fort Fairfield, established during the Aroostook War, took its name from Governor John Fairfield. The original fort (1839-1843), a duplicate of Fort Kent, was dismantled in 1862. A replica was built in 1976. The 1875 Canadian-Pacific Railroad station is part of the Railroad Museum at the old Bangor & Aroostook rail yard. The town, in the heart of potato country, hosts the Potato Blossom Festival in July.

Fort Baldwin

Islands in the Kennebec River from Fort Baldwin (2001)

is located on Sabino Hill in Phippsburg. Constructed between 1905 and 1912, three batteries are hidden in the woods overlooking the mouth of the Kennebec River and old Fort Popham. During World War I, it housed two artillery companies guarding access to central Maine from Bath to Augusta. In the Second World War, a tall…

Football

Scrimmaging (2001)

      Consecutive Championships School No. Year Marshwood 4 1983-1986   Ties for championships are noted at right with “/”; “CC” denotes “co-champions.” Year Class A Class B Class C Class D 1950 Lewiston Saint Louis 1951 South Portland Skowhegan Dexter 1952 Portland Morse Orono 1953 Stephens Skowhegan/ Brewer Jay 1954 Thornton Acad. Gardiner…

Flye, Edwin

(1817-1886) a U.S. Representative was born in Newcastle on March 4, 1817, attended the common schools and Lincoln Academy. He engaged in mercantile pursuits and shipbuilding. A member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1858, he served for many years as president of the First National Bank of Damariscotta. During the Civil War, he…

Flagstaff Township

rtion of Flagstaff Lake in Flagstaff Plantation from Bigelow Mountain (2003)

[FLAG-staff] plantation was formally organized on March 5, 1895, though it had been organized for election purposes in 1851, 1865 and 1870. Flagstaff and nearby Dead River Plantation were inundated with water from the Central Maine Power Company’s Long Falls Dam on the Dead River in 1949, after a planned and complete relocation of its…

Fisheries, Commercial

Fishing Vessel, Cundy

In 1950, Maine had record seafood landings of 356,266,000 pounds without aquaculture. Maine ranked among the top seafood producing States. In 2009, the last year available for national seafood landings, Maine ranked 11th in pounds landed and 3rd in value. The preliminary 2010 landings were 251,299,375 pounds including aquaculture valued ex-vessel at $450,664,717, an average…