May 21, 1847: William H. Waldron and Dr. Alonzo Garcelon (1813-1906) publish the first issue of the weekly Lewiston Falls Journal. Waldron, a printer, also is a co-founder of the Boston Herald. Garcelon is a medical doctor who also serves as a surgeon general of Maine during the Civil War and is elected Maine’s governor […]
This Day in Maine History
Posted inBicentennial, Local & State, News
On this date in Maine history: May 20, narrated by Melissa Smith
May 20, 1676: Jacques de Chambly is re-established as governor of the French colony of Acadia, the capital of which is Fort Pentagouet, at the site of the present-day town of Castine. A Dutch force commanded by Capt. Jurrien Aernouts aboard the corsair Flying Horse had seized the fort two years earlier and imprisoned de […]
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On this date in Maine history: May 19
May 19, 1930: “The Silent Enemy,” a silent movie, gets its premiere at the Criterion Theater in New York with Indian Island, Maine, native Mary Nelson Archambaud (1903-1977) in one of the key roles. The film wins critics’ praise but is a box office failure, probably because in an era when the industry is in […]
Posted inBicentennial, Local & State, News, Uncategorized
On this date in Maine history: May 18, narrated by Cherry Lemonade
May 18, 2018: A Turner man is accused of dodging about $1,300 in Maine Turnpike tolls systematically over six years. State troopers charge Danny Olson, 61, a long-haul trucker and owner of Olson Transportation, with one count of felony theft of services and several misdemeanor offenses, including failing to take a legally prescribed rest after […]
Posted inBicentennial, Local & State, News, Uncategorized
On this date in Maine history: May 17
May 17, 1605: The English ship Archangel, under the command of George Weymouth, lands around noon on the north side of Monhegan island, which he names for St. George. The ship’s voyage was organized by the Earl of Southampton, who wanted to establish a colony for discontented English Catholics. The ship left England on March […]
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On this date in Maine history: May 16, narrated by Tony Reilly
May 16, 1868: In the last of three U.S. Senate votes on whether to convict President Andrew Johnson after the U.S. House impeached him in connection with his attempt to fire U.S. Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, U.S. Sen. William Pitt Fessenden (1806-1869), a Republican from Portland, and six other Republicans break ranks with […]
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On this date in Maine history: May 15, narrated by Elizabeth Peavey
May 15, 1933: Eight days after a massive fire destroyed about 130 buildings in Ellsworth, another fire starts in the early afternoon in Pontbriand’s Garage on Mill Street in Auburn’s New Auburn district. The southwesterly wind drives the fire in three directions. “A triangular space containing nearly 20 buildings was a roaring furnace almost before […]
Posted inBicentennial, Local & State
On this date in Maine history: May 14, narrated by Paul Janus
May 14, 2006: Gov. John Baldacci declares a state of emergency for York County in the midst of a three-day deluge that drops more than 15 inches of rain and turns streets into rivers. Across New England, rising water floods homes, forces dozens of schools to close because the buses can’t use the roads, and […]
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On this date in Maine history: May 13
May 13, 1803: U.S. Navy Capt. Edward Preble (1761-1807), a Portland native, recommissions the USS Constitution – “Old Ironsides” – as his flagship during the First Barbary War. Given a promotion to commodore, Preble sets sail Aug. 14 on the Constitution, heading for the Mediterranean Sea. The painting “Bombardment of Tripoli,” by Michele Felice Corné, […]
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On this date in Maine history: May 12
May 12, 1999: Linda Greenlaw’s book “The Hungry Ocean,” the first of many books by the swordfishing boat captain, is published. It remains on The New York Times bestseller list for three months. The book recounts the day-to-day perils and personality clashes that emerge during a monthlong swordfishing voyage. It describes racial prejudice, drug use, […]