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 […]
This Day in Maine History
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On this date in Maine history: March 1
March 1, 1642: Gorgeana, a Maine community named after Sir Ferdinando Gorges, a co-founder of the Colonial-era Province of Maine, becomes the first incorporated city in America. It is now the town of York. Gorges sent his cousin Thomas Gorges in 1639 from England to Maine as his deputy. The latter, a trained lawyer who […]
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On this date in Maine history: Feb. 29
Feb. 29, 1820: The Portland-based Eastern Argus newspaper reports that William King, soon to become Maine’s first governor, led a successful effort to convince the Massachusetts General Court to grant a two-year extension to Maine on the terms of its separation from Massachusetts. The court’s action removed one of the final obstacles to Maine’s statehood, […]
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On this date in Maine history: Feb. 28
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 […]
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On this date in Maine history: Feb. 27
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 […]
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On this date in Maine history: Feb. 26
Feb. 26, 1972: Sen. Edmund S. Muskie, D-Maine, defends his wife in a speech he delivers during a snowstorm outside the offices of the Manchester Union Leader while campaigning for the March 7 New Hampshire presidential primary. The newspaper’s editor, William Loeb, had printed an article accusing Muskie’s wife, Jane, of drunkenness and using off-color […]
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On this date in Maine history: Feb. 25
Feb. 25, 1791: The Massachusetts General Court approves a petition for the incorporation of the town of Bangor, which, like the rest of Maine, is part of Massachusetts. The new town has about 170 residents. The Rev. Seth Noble traveled to Boston to incorporate the town as Sunbury but either changed his mind or misspoke, […]
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On this date in Maine history: Feb. 24
Feb. 24, 1827: Maine Gov. Enoch Lincoln signs a bill determining that beginning Jan. 1, 1832, “the permanent seat of government shall be established at Augusta.” The bill makes Augusta the state’s capital city, replacing Portland, which became the capital when Maine achieved statehood in 1820. The bill, the latest of several on the subject, […]
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On this date in Maine history: Feb. 23
Feb. 23, 2009: A brief but intense storm dumps heavy, wet snow across much of Maine, knocking out electrical power to about 130,000 Central Maine Power Co. customers. The storm hits the Brunswick area particularly hard, prompting Gov. John Baldacci to go there to see the damage firsthand. By that evening, more than half of […]
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On this date in Maine history: Feb. 22
Feb. 22, 1864: The three-masted steamer Bohemian, bound from Liverpool, England, to Portland, strikes Alden’s Rock, a ledge near Cape Elizabeth, at night in a dense haze. The accident kills 42 people, including two crew members. The ship, an iron vessel owned by the Ocean Steamship Co. of Montreal, was carrying 219 passengers, most of […]