Maine Trivia & Tidbits - Page 4

Looking for Maine trivia? Try our list Maine little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—The cone and tassel of the white pine tree, Maine’s state flower, was adopted by the state Legislature in 1895. The tree’s needles are soft, flexible and bluish-green to silvery green and are arranged in bundles of five.

first appeared: 4/8/2007

—Bar Harbor (pop. 4,820) is home to Kebo Valley Golf Club, founded in 1888. In 1911, President William Taft played the Kebo Valley course, taking 27 strokes to complete the par-4 17th hole. Since then, it has been called the Taft Hole.

first appeared: 3/25/2007

—Towering white pine played an important role in developing Maine’s economy, in part because of a shortage of trees in England appropriate for ship masts. A 1691 English law required Colonial pines measuring 24 inches or more in diameter within three miles of water to be marked with an arrow, reserving them for the Royal Navy.

first appeared: 3/11/2007

—The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard anchors an island in the Piscataqua River between New Hampshire and Maine. Although the island was long deemed to be in Kittery, Maine, (pop. 9,543), a claim by New Hampshire that it rightly belonged to Portsmouth (pop. 20,784) was resolved in Maine’s favor in 2001 by the U.S. Supreme Court.

first appeared: 2/27/2007

—In 1909, the Maine Legislature passed the Fernald Law, making it illegal to export hydroelectric power outside state boundaries. The law was designed to boost Maine businesses while dampening competition from factories and mills in Massachusetts.

first appeared: 2/11/2007

—James Shepherd Pike of Calais (pop. 3,447), a journalist and later U.S. minister to the Netherlands, also was a racehorse enthusiast. In 1870, to time his steeds accurately, Pike placed a dozen red granite milestones along the highway—now known as Route 1—that remain in place today.

first appeared: 1/28/2007

Built in 1810 as a battery and blockhouse, Fort Sullivan in Eastport (pop. 1,640) gained fame in 1814 when a dozen British warships loaded with 200 guns came into sight. Against such overwhelming odds, the fort’s six officers, 80 men and nine guns surrendered upon demand. MARYLAND—The state’s first brewery was established in Annapolis (pop. 35,838) in 1703 and remained in operation until 1716.

first appeared: 1/14/2007

—Bob Legendre of Lewiston (pop. 35,690) was the bronze medalist in the pentathlon at the 1924 Olympics in France, setting a world record at that time in the long jump. His jump measured 25 feet, 5½ inches.

first appeared: 12/17/2006

—The Nature Conservancy has joined the Penobscot River Restoration Trust and other environmental groups in an effort to reclaim much of the Penobscot River’s former glory. A project is under way to remove two dams and restore native sea-run fish to more than 500 miles of habitat along New England’s second-largest river system.

first appeared: 12/3/2006

—The nation’s first educational institution that focused exclusively on agriculture was the Gardiner Lyceum, established in 1823 in Gardiner (pop. 6,198). While existing for only a decade, the private school was a forerunner of contemporary agricultural colleges.

first appeared: 11/19/2006

—The Mount Agamenticus region covers nearly 30,000 acres in southern Maine and provides exceptional wildlife habitat and opportunities for recreation. The region is one of the largest coastal forest blocks between Acadia National Park and the Pine Barrens in New Jersey.

first appeared: 11/5/2006

—The Dead River provides the longest stretch of continuous whitewater in the Northeast, 16 miles of it through remote timber country. Among its many rapids, Poplar Hill Falls is the longest and offers a memorable one-mile run of churning, fast-moving water. Rafters frequently run the river from just below Grand Falls, through Class IV and V rapids, to the confluence of the Kennebec River in The Forks.

first appeared: 10/22/2006

—The Grafton Notch/Mahoosuc region encompasses spectacular mountain terrain and is an increasingly popular destination for hikers and backpackers. The Grafton Loop Trail, once completed, will connect to the Appalachian Trail at two points on either side of Grafton Notch, creating a 42-mile loop across a series of scenic peaks.

first appeared: 10/8/2006

Although it hasn’t operated since the 1930s, the 1774 Olde Grist Mill in Lebanon (pop. 5,083) is still intact. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

first appeared: 9/24/2006

During the 1800s, when interest in gold and silver was surging nationwide, the discovery of a significant silver vein in Acton (pop. 2,145) led to the drilling of a number of mine shafts. The effort proved unprofitable, however, and mining operations eventually were abandoned. Today, visitors can see the now-water-filled shafts and building foundations.

first appeared: 9/10/2006

"Downeast" Maine gets its name from a nautical term referring to the region downwind and northeast of Boston. The term usually refers to the part of coastal Maine that is northeast of Ellsworth (pop. 6,456) and Bar Harbor (pop. 4,820).

first appeared: 8/27/2006

The Red Paint People lived more than 4,000 years ago along the coast of Maine and in a few other northeastern locations. They were so named because their gravesites contain quantities of brilliant red ocher, a mineral from which paint can be made.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

The Auto Museum in Wells (pop. 9,400) features more than 75 cars, including gas, steam and electric-powered vehicles, built between 1900 and 1963. Visitors can view everything from a Stanley Steamer built in 1904 to a sleek 1935 Lagonda.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, headquartered in Baring (pop. 273), is the nation's easternmost wildlife sanctuary that sits along the Atlantic flyway, an avian migration route along the east coast of North America. The refuge is comprised of two divisions, the Baring with about 20,000 acres, and the Edmunds, located between Dennysville and Whiting, with more than 8,000 acres.

first appeared: 7/16/2006

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