Peleg Wadsworth (1748-1829) was a Representative to Congress from Massachusetts. Born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, he attended public and private schools, and was graduated from Harvard College in 1769. After a brief period in business in Kingston, Massachusetts, Wadsworth served in the Revolutionary Army as an aide to General Artemas Ward in 1776; as an engineer…
On the west bank of the Machias River, it was the site where the vessel Margaretta was hidden from the British after her capture in 1775. Lumbering and blueberry growing have been the mainstays of the local economy over the years. See photos. The town is a long, narrow north-south mile-wide strip of land on U.S. Route 1A between Jonesboro and Machias.
This Washington County fishing and summer residential community projects two peninsulas (Dyer Neck and Petit Manan Point) divided by Dyer Bay into coastal waters. See photos. A small section of Penobscot Indian Territory is located at Dyer Harbor on Dyer Neck. The main village lies at the head of Gouldsboro Bay on U.S. Route 1.
Dubros Times Selected Depositions of Maine Revolutionary War Veterans This is the Introduction to the publication named above and edited by Sylvia J. Sherman of the Maine State Archives. It provides a context for the depositions selected here. More are available in the publication itself, and still more in the holdings of the Maine State…
(1761-1807) was born in Falmouth, now Portland, on August 15, 1761 and has been called the “Father of the American Navy.” He played a decisive role in keeping the waters of Maine safe from Barbary pirates as Commander of U.S. naval forces during much of the Tripolitan War, 1801-1805. On March 2, 1818, in the…
“The Penobscot Expedition during the American Revolution was the worst naval disaster in American history until Pearl Harbor. That a huge force of men, ships and guns failed to take a small British fort in Maine has been largely forgotten.” New England Historical Society. After months of alarm and gathering of resources, on July 19,…
Kezar Falls, a village on the Ossipee River named for George Kezar, is the largest in the area at the junction of Maine Routes 25 and 160. The community is split between Parsonsfield and Porter across the river, and is governed and taxed separately by the two towns. An early 20th century sanatorium, Maple Crest, was “located among the beautiful Limerick hills, the wild and picturesque outlines of which may be seen in every direction from the building. The view is in itself enough to stimulate the interest and mental activity so important to the cure of all diseases.
Framed by the Carrabassett and Sandy Rivers, this irregularly shaped town’s main village lies on Maine Route 27 between New Portland and Farmington. See photos. The Maine Wood Turning company is on Route 27 in the village. Nearby Bauds, Mill, and Lily ponds, and frontage on Porter Lake, provide wide fishing and recreational opportunities.
On May 9, 1775, Captain James Moore sailed the British warship, the Margaretta, into Machias harbor with news of the battles of Lexington and Concord. The vessel had traveled to Maine to insure that a load of lumber was delivered for the British army’s barracks in Boston. In response the people of Machias erected a…
In the 1990-2000 decade Levant, just 8 miles from Bangor, was one of the fastest growing towns in the area with population growing by more than 25%. The next decade it grew by over 31%. The Minerva Grange was formed in1902 when 54 people voted to do so. It is still used for community meetings.
The name means “the long cut bank” for a land formation near the sea. Shipbuilding and shipping were once staples of the economy, now oriented to tourism and light manufacturing. See photos. The conversion of historic buildings for contemporary use and the historic districts have enhanced Kennebunk’s attraction for visitors and new residents.
![Knox Mansion Montpelier [reconstruction] (2001)](https://maineanencyclopedia.com/wp-content/uploads/knoxman2-180x119.jpg "Knox Mansion Montpelier, reconstruction (2001)")
The current Montpelier, built 1929-1931, is a replica of the original. After many years attempting to raise funds for construction, publisher and philanthropist Cyrus H. K. Curtis donated $250,000 to more than match the $50,000 raised by the Knox Memorial Association.The original was designed in part by Knox himself, and to some degree by noted…
The villages of Hiram and East Hiram are divided by the Saco River. Nearby Mount Cutler sports a hiking trail; a chain of ponds hugs the western border above South Hiram. Raymond Cotton, a storekeeper and author, made many home movies. See photos & 1938 video on blueberry farming. The community buildings (churches, library, grange, museum) are within walking distance in Hiram village.
Hebron Academy is a private school established in 1804 by Revolutionary War veteran William Barrows. Maine U.S. Representative Stanley Tupper graduated from the Academy. See photos. The growing community has more than doubled its population since 1980. It lies within easy commuting distance northwest of the Lewiston-Auburn area.
Historically a collection of small villages, some on islands, the closest to a town center is the town office and the recycling center on the Mountain Road. See photos. Its population doubles in summer as seasonal residents return. Several easy hiking trails and nature preserves are at hand. A historic park is at Harpswell Center.
Blueberries and Christmas trees are major crops in this still growing rural community. The Taunton Bay Islands nature preserve consists of two small islands. Named for Benjamin Franklin, the town lies east of Ellsworth.
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…
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…
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…
in York County, settled in the 1630s, on the east side of the Piscataqua River dividing Maine from New Hampshire, is a growing residential community serving Kittery and Portsmouth. See photos. Its population expanded by almost 12% in the 1990-2000 decade. Eliot was home to Maine’s first Quaker Meetinghouse built in 1776.