Thomas W. Hyde (1841-1899) was the founder of what is now Bath Iron Works. He graduated with the Bowdoin College class of 1861 and later from the University of Chicago. A Civil War Brigadier General, Thomas Worcester Hyde was involved in several key battles of the conflict, and was recognized by the U.S. Congress with…
As time and tides take their toll, physical remnants of Maine’s history disappear. Fires and intentional demolition, or simple abandonment clean the slate for the next generation. Luckily the Maine Historic Preservation Commission and Maine Preservation, along with local organizations, have protected properties destined for demolition. Unfortunately, many historic community icons have, nevertheless, been lost.…
This township (T4 R6 BKP WKR) in Somerset County contains most of Spencer Lake, along with the 2400-foot Spencer Mountain west of the Lake, and the 2300-foot Hardscrabble Mountain east of the Lake. With no village settlement, it is primarily an area of woods and woods roads. In the early 20th century, Spencer Lake Camps…
This mile-long, 89-acre island is near the southwest shore of Great Chebeague Island. It has been a part of the City of Portland, the Town of Cumberland, and the Town of Chebeague. In 1935 Hope Island, then part of the City of Portland, was owned by Howard S. Eckels and Josephine H. Eckels. The photo…
The Commission is responsible for the identification, evaluation, and protection of Maine’s significant cultural resources as directed by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. It is located at 55 Capitol Street in Augusta. It consists of eleven members as follows: The Commissioner of Transportation or representative, the Commissioner of Conservation or representative and 9…
In Harpswell, this is the northern most village on Harpswell Neck, the others being West and South Harpswell. It centers on the intersection of Route 123 from Brunswick and the Mountain Road, which links North Harpswell to the islands via the Ewing Narrows Bridge. Near the intersection: the Merriconeag Grange, the Vegetable Corner grocery, a…
Among Harpswell’s villages at the southern portion of Harpswell Neck is West Harpswell, about two miles south of Harpswell Center. South Harpswell begins about a mile farther, where Route 123 branches to Ash Point Road, Basin Point Road, as well as continuing to Potts Point. West Harpswell is home to Mitchell Field, a 119-acre Town-owned…
Haskell is an island in the town of Harpswell, not accessible by land. It lies at the edge of Casco Bay on the south end of Merriconeag Sound. A summer home to seasonal residents, the island retains many features of its earlier history. Once known as New Damariscove Island, then Pulpit, it was finally named…
William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was a prolific author, editor, and literary critic. While not a legal Maine resident, his connections to the state include his relationship with Maine-based writers, his two decades at the summer place in Maine at Kittery Point, and its status as a historic site accepted by the National Register of Historic…
Herseytown Township should not be confused with the town of Hersey about 25 miles north on Route 11 in Penobscot County. Davidson, the only village in the township, was in the north at Davidson Pond on the Davidson Road off Route 11. A 1942 USGS Topographic map shows Davidson with several buildings (small squares). Other…
During Harpswell’s early settlement and before a bridge connected it to the rest of the town, Harpswell Neck was the site of several small villages. Harpswell Center hosted a church, the 1759 meetinghouse (later the town office), a 200-year plus old cemetery, and a 1793 cattle pound. The cemetery is the site of “The Witch…
`Do you know why it’s called a whiting?’ [said the Gryphon] `I never thought about it,’ said Alice. `Why?’ `It does the boots and shoes.’ the Gryphon replied very solemnly. Alice was thoroughly puzzled. `Does the boots and shoes!’ she repeated in a wondering tone. `Why, what are your shoes done with?’ said the Gryphon. `I mean, what…
From 1950 through 2005, commercial fishermen have taken an average of 4.5 million pounds of white hake per year. Since 2005 that average has dropped to 1 million pounds, lower than any other period since 1950. Begginning in 1985 the price per pound value of these fish began to increase so that current prices are…
While still below the highs of the 1950s and early 1960s, Atlantic herring landings by commercial fishermen have been relatively consistent since the early 1990s in a range of 75 to 95 million pounds. More Videos! facebook Since 2002 the total value of the landings has increased substantially. In the same period herring was returning…
The volume of halibut landings taken by commercial fishermen has never recovered from the relatively large numbers of the 1950s and 1960s. Following some good years in the 1980s, landings dropped sharply and have yet to recover. The shortage of halibut has driven prices per pound to historic highs. YEAR POUNDS VALUE PRICE/LB 1950…
After declining from 1950 through 1973, landings of haddock by commercial fishermen rebounded sharply to a peak of over 5 million pounds in 1983. However, an equally sharp decline has left the fishery far from the heady days of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Since then, the price per pound has fluctuated in a…
Oliver Otis Howard was born in Leeds, November 8, 1830. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1850 and from the U.S. Military Academy in 1855. On the outbreak of the Civil War, Howard, an opponent of slavery, resigned his regular army commission and became colonel of the Third Maine Volunteers. During the battle at Fair…
Born September 27, 1912, he was a native of Pittsfield where his father, Lewis O. Haskell, was owner and publisher of the Pittsfield Advertiser. When he was only two years old his father died and his mother took the family to Portland where Nathaniel graduated from Deering High School. Determined to be a lawyer, he…
Little Pushaw Pond is in the northwest portion of the town. Pushaw Stream flow from it to Pushaw Lake in the southeast. See photos. Hudson is a growing community in a rural setting with easy access to Bangor and to the University of Maine in Orono.
Att the junction of the Piscataquis River with the Penobscot, and Seboeis Stream with the Piscataquis, it once had a thriving paper mill, The Advance Bag and Paper Company. See photos. The old mill remains empty. Maine Inland Fisheries and Wildlife supervises the Old Pond Farm Wildlife Management Area featuring eagles, osprey, deer, moose, and water birds.