On this date in Maine history: March 20

John Richardson

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March 20, 2020

On this date in Maine history: March 20

March 20, 1838: Franklin County is formed from parts of Cumberland, Kennebec and Somerset counties. Maine’s 11th county is its second-least-populous and one of its most mountainous. It is the location of the Sugarloaf skiing area and the site of the now-defunct Saddleback ski resort. March 20, 1852: J.P. Jewett, a Boston publisher, begins its initial […]
Published
March 19, 2020

On this date in Maine history: March 19

March 19, 1897: The Maine Legislature passes a law that requires hunting guides to register with the state. The first person to sign up is Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby (1854-1946), a woman whose promotional activities and nationally circulated hunting and fishing stories of the Rangeley Lake area attracted thousands of visitors to the Maine woods. Crosby, […]
Published
March 18, 2020

On this date in Maine history: March 18

March 18, 1854: Androscoggin County is formed from parts of Cumberland, Oxford, Kennebec and Lincoln counties. Maine’s 14th county, the second-smallest in area after Sagadahoc, is the location of Maine’s second-largest city, Lewiston. March 18, 1989: The USS Philippine Sea, a Flight II Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser manufactured by Bath Iron Works, is commissioned in Portland. The […]
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March 17, 2020

On this date in Maine history: March 17

March 17, 1912: The Camp Fire Girls, a national organization now known as Camp Fire USA, is incorporated. The organization traces its origin to 1910, when co-founders Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick and his wife, Charlotte Vetter Gulick, set up a program for girls at their camping complex on Sebago Lake in Raymond. The Gulicks want […]
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March 16, 2020

On this date in Maine history: March 16

March 16, 1820: Cannon salutes are fired all day in Portland to mark Maine becoming the 23rd U.S. state the previous day. A celebratory ball is held, with pro-statehood leader Gov. William King as the guest of honor. March 16, 1839: Land from Penobscot and Washington counties is set off to form Aroostook County, Maine’s 13th county. […]
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March 15, 2020

On this date in Maine history: March 15

March 15, 1820: Maine is admitted to the Union as the 23rd U.S. state. It had been part of Massachusetts until then. William King (1768-1852), of Bath, is declared acting governor until elections can be held in April. King later wins that election. Statehood was achieved in Congress through the Missouri Compromise, which allowed Maine to become […]
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March 14, 2020

On this date in Maine history: March 14

March 14, 1909: Arctic explorer Donald MacMillan (1874-1970) drops out of Robert Peary’s trek to the North Pole at 84 degrees, 29 minutes north latitude, turning southward because of frozen heels. MacMillan, a Freeport High School and Bowdoin College graduate, goes on to becomes a teacher, lecturer, researcher, sailor and philanthropist. He eventually makes more […]
Published
March 13, 2020

Portland cancels season’s first 2 cruise ship visits, may tell others to steer clear of city

The scheduled visits in late April were the first of 119 stops that cruise ships were scheduled to make in Portland this year.
Published
March 13, 2020

Portland cancels events at Merrill Auditorium and other venues

All events scheduled for the next 30 days at the Merrill, Expo and Ocean Gateway are canceled to curtail the spread of coronavirus.
Published
March 13, 2020

On this date in Maine history: March 13

March 13, 1877: Teenager and Farmington native Chester Greenwood (1858-1937) patents a type of earmuffs that he designed with his grandmother’s help to cover his large ears while he went ice skating. While Greenwood did not invent earmuffs – contrary to popular myth – he did improve them by adding a V-shaped hinge that holds the […]