June 25, 1789: Hancock and Washington counties, the fourth and fifth Maine counties, are set off from Lincoln County, temporarily making the map of Maine counties look like five north-to-south zebra stripes. Hancock County, located on the state’s east coast, is now the home of Acadia National Park and the Maine Maritime Academy. It also […]

June 24, 1794: The Massachusetts State Legislature charters Bowdoin College, which is named after the late Massachusetts Gov. James Bowdoin II, an amateur scientist and influential advocate of American independence. At the time of its founding, Bowdoin is the easternmost college in the United States. The Massachusetts state government and the governor’s son, James Bowdoin […]

June 23, 1862: The first issue of the Portland Daily Press appears. The four-page tabloid newspaper is published on Exchange Street. Subscriptions cost 50 cents a month or $5 per year. The Press later is merged with The Portland Herald in 1921 to form the Portland Press Herald. June 23, 2017: About 100 firefighters combat […]

June 22, 2013: The Bangor Theological Seminary graduates its final class after nearly two centuries of operation. Founded in 1814 in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ, it was northern New England’s only graduate school of religion. The school had announced in 2011 that it was planning to close. Forty-seven students receive […]

June 21, 1954: U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995), running for election to a second Senate term, defeats Robert L. Jones in a Republican primary election by a 5-to-1 margin, even though U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy, a Wisconsin Republican noted for his accusations about communists infiltrating the federal government, surreptitiously backs Jones. Smith aide William […]

June 19, 1760: Most of York County, which had comprised all of Maine since the late 17th century, is carved into sections to create Cumberland and Lincoln counties. Those new counties later will be subdivided to create additional counties. Cumberland County, with a population of 281,674 in 2010 and home to many of the state’s […]

June 18, 1794: Twenty-five delegates representing 17 Maine towns gather in Portland to discuss yet again the prospect of the District of Maine’s separation from Massachusetts, a proposal first raised in 1785. The delegates’ report, 300 copies of which are sent to towns in the district, concludes that by becoming independent of Massachusetts, Maine could […]

June 17, 2019: Gov. Janet Mills signs a bill into law banning single-use plastic shopping bags. Maine becomes the fourth state to do so, after California, Hawaii and New York. The law is scheduled to take effect April 22, 2020, which is Earth Day. However, on March 17, Mills announces the ban won’t start until […]

June 16, 1745: New England Colonial fighters under the command of William Pepperell (1696-1759), a wealthy Kittery merchant, seize control of the French fortress of Louisbourg after a six-week siege during King George’s War. One-third of the attacking Colonials are from Maine. The fortress stands on Cape Breton Island. The island remained under French control […]