Jan. 8, 1825: Having set up shop on the southeast corner of Bridge and Water streets in downtown Augusta, Russell Eaton (1800-1888) and Luther Severance (1797-1855) publish the first issue of the Kennebec Journal, which begins as a weekly newspaper. They were recruited for the job while working as printers in Washington, D.C. In a […]
This Day in Maine History
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 7
Jan. 7, 1925: Ralph Owen Brewster, a Republican supported openly by the Ku Klux Klan, takes office as Maine’s governor. The election campaign put the division in Brewster’s party on full display. His predecessor, Gov. Percival Baxter, accused Brewster of being a sympathizer of the Klan, which had gained traction in Maine because of its […]
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 6
Jan. 6, 1854: Novelist Sarah “Sally” Sayward Barrell Wood, known colloquially as “Madame Wood,” Maine’s first novelist and the first female American writer of gothic fiction, dies at the age of 95. She published four novels and a collection of stories, all under pseudonyms – either “A Lady,” “A Lady of Massachusetts” (when Maine was […]
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 5
Jan. 5, 1786: A report issued by the second convention to discuss the possibility of Maine separating from Massachusetts, held the previous day, asserts that Boston merchants benefit unfairly at Maine’s expense because of trade regulations involving lumber. It also says Boston officials didn’t represent Maine interests well and Maine residents are at a disadvantage […]
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 4
Jan. 4, 1832: The Maine Legislature convenes in the newly completed Maine State House for the first time. The building, located on Weston’s Hill in Augusta, took three years to erect and is built of Hallowell granite. Despite its completion, Portland officials try for decades to convince the Legislature to move the state capital to […]
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 3
Jan. 3, 1787: A fourth convention about a proposal to separate Maine from Massachusetts is held. An “Address to the People” about Maine residents’ grievances had drawn a 645-349 vote in favor of separation, but the total vote count was a tiny minority of those citizens eligible to vote, and they came from only 32 […]
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 2
Jan. 2, 2019: Janet Mills, a Farmington Democrat and Maine’s attorney general since 2013, becomes the state’s 75th governor and the first woman to hold that office. At age 71, she is also the oldest person sworn in as Maine governor. Two-term Republican Gov. Paul LePage, a former Waterville mayor, leaves office having vetoed a […]
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 1
Jan. 1, 1785: Maine’s first newspaper, the Falmouth Gazette, publishes its first issue. The founders, Benjamin Titcomb and Thomas B. Wait, establish the paper for express purpose of advocating for Maine’s separation from Massachusetts, according to historian William D. Williamson (1779-1846). That goal takes another 35 years to achieve. Williamson advocates for Maine’s statehood as […]