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, […]
Bicentennial
News and information about Maine’s 2020 bicentennial from the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.
Posted inBicentennial, Local & State, News
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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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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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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Happy 200th birthday to Maine, but virus zaps the celebration
The state is celebrating the bicentennial of its liberation from Massachusetts, with or without a party.
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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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Colony, Chapter V: Liberation
The War of 1812 and Boston’s complacency toward foreign occupation fuel Maine’s drive for statehood.
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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 […]
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Maine bicentennial postage stamp to be issued this weekend
But the stamp’s official Statehood Day dedication has been postponed because of concerns about coronavirus.
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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 […]