March 20, 1838: Franklin County is formed from parts of Cumberland, Kennebec and Somerset counties. Maine’s 11th county is its second-least-populous and one of its most mountainous. It is the location of the Sugarloaf skiing area and the site of the now-defunct Saddleback ski resort. March 20, 1852: J.P. Jewett, a Boston publisher, begins its initial […]
This Day in Maine History
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On this date in Maine history: March 19
March 19, 1897: The Maine Legislature passes a law that requires hunting guides to register with the state. The first person to sign up is Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby (1854-1946), a woman whose promotional activities and nationally circulated hunting and fishing stories of the Rangeley Lake area attracted thousands of visitors to the Maine woods. Crosby, […]
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On this date in Maine history: March 18
March 18, 1854: Androscoggin County is formed from parts of Cumberland, Oxford, Kennebec and Lincoln counties. Maine’s 14th county, the second-smallest in area after Sagadahoc, is the location of Maine’s second-largest city, Lewiston. March 18, 1989: The USS Philippine Sea, a Flight II Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser manufactured by Bath Iron Works, is commissioned in Portland. The […]
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On this date in Maine history: March 17
March 17, 1912: The Camp Fire Girls, a national organization now known as Camp Fire USA, is incorporated. The organization traces its origin to 1910, when co-founders Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick and his wife, Charlotte Vetter Gulick, set up a program for girls at their camping complex on Sebago Lake in Raymond. The Gulicks want […]
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On this date in Maine history: Bates College started as the Maine State Seminary
March 16, 1820: Cannon salutes are fired all day in Portland to mark Maine becoming the 23rd U.S. state the previous day. A celebratory ball is held, with pro-statehood leader Gov. William King as the guest of honor. March 16, 1839: Land from Penobscot and Washington counties is set off to form Aroostook County, Maine’s 13th county. […]
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On this date in Maine history: March 15
March 15, 1820: Maine is admitted to the Union as the 23rd U.S. state. It had been part of Massachusetts until then. William King (1768-1852), of Bath, is declared acting governor until elections can be held in April. King later wins that election. Statehood was achieved in Congress through the Missouri Compromise, which allowed Maine to become […]
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On this date in Maine history: March 14
March 14, 1909: Arctic explorer Donald MacMillan (1874-1970) drops out of Robert Peary’s trek to the North Pole at 84 degrees, 29 minutes north latitude, turning southward because of frozen heels. MacMillan, a Freeport High School and Bowdoin College graduate, goes on to becomes a teacher, lecturer, researcher, sailor and philanthropist. He eventually makes more […]
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On this date in Maine history: Chester Greenwood patents his earmuffs
March 13, 1877: Teenager and Farmington native Chester Greenwood (1858-1937) patents a type of earmuffs that he designed with his grandmother’s help to cover his large ears while he went ice skating. While Greenwood did not invent earmuffs – contrary to popular myth – he did improve them by adding a V-shaped hinge that holds the […]
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On this date in Maine history: ‘Great White Hurricane’ hits state
March 12, 1888: The two-day, Great Blizzard of 1888, also known as the “Great White Hurricane,” locks up the East Coast from Chesapeake Bay to Maine, resulting in more than 400 deaths, including about 100 sailors. The storm drops 22 inches of snow in New York City, but heavy wind forms snowdrifts that are dozens […]
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On this date in Maine history: Androscoggin River in Auburn reaches its highest level on record
March 11, 1936: Rain begins falling on the first day of a three-day rainstorm that causes flooding that results in major destruction and damage across New England. In Maine, the Kennebec River bridge linking Richmond and Dresden is washed away, and the Androscoggin River in Auburn reaches its highest level on record. More than 150 […]