July 13, 1658: Twenty-nine men in the town of Spurwink, now part of Portland, sign a document submitting to the authority of the Massachusetts Bay colony.
Massachusetts authorities already seized Saco, Biddeford, Cape Porpoise and Kennebunk earlier. At this point, it has taken seven years for Maine to lose its autonomy. Maine won’t get it back for another 162 years.
July 13, 1925: WCSH, Maine’s first commercial radio station – that is, one that earns its income by selling advertising – is born.
The station is the brainchild of Henry Rines, president of the Congress Square Hotel Co. (hence the last three call letters, “CSH”) in Portland, and Bill Foss, who sells and repairs home radio receivers.
July 13, 1977: Gov. James Longley signs a bill banning most billboards in Maine. The culmination of years of effort, the new law takes effect the following Jan. 1.
Presented by:
Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. To get a signed copy use promo code signedbyjoe at checkout. Joe can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.
Copy the Story LinkSend questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.