Sept. 6, 1786: A two-day convention on a proposal to separate Maine from Massachusetts, the third such gathering to be held on the subject within a year, opens in Falmouth (now Portland). Thirty-one delegates representing 22 towns attend. The convention appears to be divided, with the pro-separation group having a slight edge. Eventually it decides, […]

Sept. 5, 1813: In a War of 1812 encounter, the U.S. brigantine Enterprise intercepts the British brigantine Boxer as it chases and fires upon a merchant ship heading to port in Bath. Capt. Samuel Blyth, 29, the British commander, was trying to disrupt commerce along the New England coast, especially in Maine. After a morning […]