SKOWHEGAN — Want to know how the town of Skowhegan surreptitiously stole the county seat from the town of Norridgewock — with a little help from the governor of Maine back in the 1800s?

Probate Judge Rob Washburn is scheduled to tell the story Tuesday during the third annual Abner Coburn Day, set for 2 p.m. at the county courthouse.

Coburn, born in the Canaan section of what is now Skowhegan in 1803, was governor of Maine during part of the Civil War from 1863 to 1864. At Washburn’s request, March 22 — Coburn’s birth date — was declared Abner Coburn Day by Somerset County officials and by the Skowhegan Board of Selectmen, Washburn said Monday. Coburn died in January 1885.

“We’re changing the program a little bit this year,” Washburn said. “We’ll tell the story how Skowhegan stole the county seat from Norridgewock and the history of renovations to the courthouse.”

Tuesday’s celebration is to be a tribute to the life and accomplishments of Coburn. The event is hosted by the Skowhegan Heritage Council. Light refreshments will be provided.

“I decided to approach the selectmen to make sure they recognize this guy every year because the kids of Skowhegan — the people of Skowhegan — don’t know anything about him,” Washburn, chairman of the Coburn Day committee, said in 2014, the first year of the celebration. “He’s been forgotten.”

Along with his many land holdings, Coburn had investments in shoe manufacturing, banks, railroads, stock markets and timber. At one time he was considered the richest person in Maine, having accumulated assets that today would be worth the equivalent of more than $170 million dollars, according to the Heritage Council.

“He gave almost all of his money away,” Washburn said. “He never was married. No children. He was a generous man — he shared his wealth.”

Coburn also donated money to help educational institutions and served on Colby’s board of trustees for 40 years, including as president. Coburn built the Somerset County Courthouse and in 1872 presented it to the county, allowing Skowhegan to replace Norridgewock as the county seat, according to the Heritage Council.

Coburn served three terms in the state Legislature and amassed a fortune, much of which he used to establish lasting institutions including the Skowhegan Free Public Library, the Somerset County Courthouse and Oak Grove-Coburn, an academy in Vassalboro that is now home to the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

The Greek Revival Coburn mansion in Skowhegan was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It was listed as threatened and among Maine’s most endangered historic resources by Maine Preservation in 1998. The house is in a state of disrepair. The owner, Doug Corson, who lives next door on Main Street, has said he enjoys his privacy and doesn’t want to be disturbed by crowds visiting the historic site.

Washburn said nothing has changed in terms of requests to fix the place up.

Doug Harlow — 612-2367

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Twitter:@Doug_Harlow