Colony, Chapter I: Dawnland

Maine's path to statehood began long before you think it did.

On this date in Maine history: Feb. 16

On this date in Maine history: Feb. 15

Feb. 15, 1898: The armored battleship USS Maine explodes in the harbor at Havana, Cuba, killing 266 of its 354 crew members and accelerating the decline in U.S. relations with Cuba’s parent nation, Spain. The U.S. goes to war against Spain later that year. The ship, commissioned in 1895, was the first U.S. Navy vessel named […]

On this date in Maine history: Feb. 14

On this date in Maine history: Feb. 20

Feb. 20, 1797: The Massachusetts legislature votes to partition the Maine town of Hallowell, with the northern part being incorporated as the town of Harrington, named after an English nobleman. Immediate dissatisfaction among residents prompts the selectmen to petition the Boston authorities for a name change. The legislature bows to the people’s wishes, and on […]

Maine Events: Join the party at bicentennial celebrations across the Pine Tree State

Dances, concerts, exhibits, bean suppers, historical talks and a film festival are among the special events planned in Maine this year to mark the 200th anniversary of statehood.

On this date in Maine history: Feb. 13

Feb. 13, 2019: The town of Skowhegan and the Main Street Skowhegan organization receive confirmation from Guinness World Records that their community set the world record for moose calling on June 9, 2018. On that date, registered Maine guide Robert Lambert led 1,054 people in a thunderous moose call that lasted 30 seconds during the Skowhegan […]

On this date in Maine history: Feb. 12

On this date in Maine history: Feb. 11

On this date in Maine history: Feb. 10

Feb. 10, 1886: At 4:45 a.m., the wooden passenger steamship Cambridge strikes Old Man’s Ledge off Port Clyde and sinks in 50 feet of water. The 248-foot vessel, carrying heavy freight, completely breaks apart, becoming the only Boston-to-Bangor steamer to be lost in more than a century of service. All crew members and the 40 […]