March 4, 1805: Oxford County, Maine’s seventh county and the second without a seacoast, is formed from parts of York and Cumberland counties. The home of many summer camps, the rural county is the most populous in Maine to lack a portion of the interstate highway system. March 4, 1861: Hannibal Hamlin (1809-1891), a Hampden […]

March 2, 1797: Massachusetts Gov. Sam Adams signs a bill approved by the state’s legislature, known as the General Court, calling for a referendum in the District of Maine about whether Maine should separate from Massachusetts. The General Court acted in response to petitions received from Maine. The vote is scheduled for May. Unlike a […]

Feb. 28, 1890: Bath Iron Works wins its first contract for the construction of complete ships – two iron gunboats for the U.S. Navy. Flags are hoisted at the shipyard and the yard’s whistles issue three loud blasts at noon to celebrate the occasion. The award accelerates the rush to convert the yard’s South Division […]

Feb. 27, 1813: The commonwealth of Massachusetts, of which Maine is still a part, establishes the Maine Literary and Theological Institution in Waterville. It becomes Waterville College in 1821; Colby University, to honor major donor Gardiner Colby, in 1867; and finally Colby College in 1889. In 1871 the school becomes the first all-male college or […]