
In 1945, these German POWs posed with the owner of a farm near Houlton where they worked. One prisoner holds a farm cat. Submitted photo
Between 1944 and 1946, more than 4,000 German prisoners of war came to call Maine home. The story of why Maine Congresswoman Margaret Chase Smith and Sen. Owen Brewster petitioned the federal government to ship these prisoners to Maine, and the lasting impact they had on the Mainers who encountered them, has been a largely forgotten chapter of the state’s history.
Until now.

David Greenham Submitted photo
Old Bristol Historical Society, in collaboration with Wiscasset’s Lincoln County Historical Association, are set to host a Zoom presentation with local writer and researcher David Greenham at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6.
Greenham will share a story of cooperation, kindness and enemies who found a way to work for a common good and even become friends, according to a news release from Jim Stano with the society.
In addition to lecturing on drama and theater at the University of Maine at Augusta, Greenham is the founder and creator of Maine History Theater of Ideas. The program combines history, research and presentation to share stories about Maine and of interest to Mainers.
This event is free and open to the public. To register visit lincolncountyhistory.org.
Check out other upcoming area events!
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.