On this date in Maine history: March 20

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, […]

On this date in Maine history: March 18

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

On this date in Maine history: March 14

On this date in Maine history: Chester Greenwood patents his earmuffs

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 […]

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 […]