The Forks Plantation

This Slate article on place names with definite articles calls to mind Maine's only municipality beginning with "The."The Forks Plantation lies at the confluence of the Dead and Kennebec Rivers in Somerset County. Benedict Arnold's expedition passed here on its way to Quebec in 1775; construction of the Old Canada Road made the way easier for subsequent travelers. The plantation was once home to The Forks Hotel, which burned a century ago.[T]he entire...

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Neighbor by Neighbor

Neighbor by Neighbor is a locally produced film about a grassroots effort to save a Lewiston neighborhood.In the summer of 2004, the Mayor of Lewiston, Maine announced a plan to develop a four-lane boulevard across downtown’s low-income neighborhood. This project was called “The Heritage Initiative.” Contrary to its name, this plan was going to eliminate the downtown’s heritage by displacing 850 people from their homes as well as destroy playgrounds,...

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Lakenwild: Maine's Swampland Scam

In the 1880s, N. S. Reed bought 500 acres of bog land and untamed forest in Hinckley Township (now Grand Lake Stream Plantation and marketed it as "Lakenwild."On the extreme tip of the point he built a handsome residence for himself. He had a boat house and a substantial wharf. An elaborate prospectus, printed by a map publishing company in Philadelphia, his original home, showed this residence as the scene of a pleasant bustle. Around it spread...

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The Cross on Maiden's Cliff

Barbara F. Dyer explains the origins of the cross on Maiden's Cliff in Camden.A parking lot filled with automobiles very frequently is seen at the foot of Mt. Megunticook. Locals and tourist like to make the easy climb to Maiden's Cliff to see the view of Megunticook Lake from the cross.If one is seeing it for the first time, their question may be, "Why [is] there a white cross as a sentinel on the sheer cliff?"Answer: The cross marks a tragedy that happened many years a...

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Maine Book Search

The Book Search feature on my Maine Genealogy website narrows the scope of a Google Book search to nearly 1,500 volumes about Maine and its residents. Included are town and state histories, government reports, genealogies, travel guides, and biographies of notable Maine...

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Captain Enoch Snow, Maine Clambaker

The character Enoch Snow in Carousel was named for a real sea captain from Scarborough known for his clambakes.After moving his family to Wells and later, Scarborough, in the 1840s, Enoch began harvesting clams to use as bait for commercial cod fishing. At that time, locals enjoyed the white-shelled clams cooked on the shore over seaweed on heated rocks, as the Indians had taught them in the 1600s.After the Civil War, the Boston and Maine Railroad came to Pine Point. As a result, clambakes became a tourist attraction. The railroad also enabled...

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Wayne's Circular Cemetery

Wing Cemetery near Pocasset Lake in Wayne is laid out in concentric circles, with an obelisk at the center.The concentric circle design of the cemetery was an engineering feat, Ault said. Those working on the cemetery, for example, had to temporarily move at least 39 graves while the redesign took place. Then they had to carry out a sophisticated plan for the property, cutting arcs from granite and shaping grave plots around them.The concentric circles turned out to be a carefully conceived plan to reflect Wing family genealogy. The eight-sided...

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