Maine Trivia & Tidbits - Page 5

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

The Hannah Weston gravesite in Jonesboro (pop. 594) honors the Revolutionary War heroine who carried ammunition 16 miles through the woods to Machias (pop. 2,353) to aid patriots who had captured the British ship Margaretta.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

The first naval battle of the Revolutionary War occurred in 1775 off the coast of Machias (pop. 2,353), near Fort O'Brien, when the British ship Margaretta was captured by American patriots.

first appeared: 6/25/2006

Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, near Calais (pop. 3,447), is an important wildlife sanctuary for breeding birds. Located along the Atlantic flyway, a migration route that follows North America's east coast, the refuge protects wildlife, including migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds and birds of prey.

first appeared: 6/4/2006

The 3,200-acre Kennebunk Plains, a rare sandplain grassland community located along the Mousam River near Kennebunk (pop. 10,476), is the largest intact example of this ecosystem in New England.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

Dedicated entirely to Maine's American Indian history and culture, the Abbe Museum includes a trailside museum operated within Acadia National Park and a contemporary museum in downtown Bar Harbor (pop. 4,820). The Bar Harbor museum contains more than 50,000 artifacts spanning 10,000 years of history. Today, the descendants of Maine's American Indian culture are known as the Wabanaki or "People of the Dawn."

first appeared: 5/14/2006

Margaret Chase Smith (1897-1995) served in the U.S. Congress from 1940 until losing a bid for re-election in 1972. The story of her life and career is chronicled at the Margaret Chase Smith Library, located in her hometown of Skowhegan (pop. 6,696).

first appeared: 4/23/2006

In 1888, U.S. Geological Survey employees in Maine, establishing a line of coastal "benchmarks," placed an additional temporary marker at the point where the 45-degree line of latitude crosses Route 1 in Perry (pop. 847). The marker, now permanent and made of stone, marks the spot where one can stand halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

One of the world’s largest whirlpools is nicknamed the Old Sow and lies off the shore of Eastport (pop. 1,640). People who successfully cross its roiling waters automatically become members of the Old Sow Whirlpool Survivors’ Association.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

In the 1990s, Maine aquaculturists began farming nori, a species of algae used to wrap sushi. Large nets are seeded with nori and placed in an area of strong ocean current. The harvested seaweed is sent to Eastport (pop. 1,640), where it is processed into sheets of dried nori.

first appeared: 3/12/2006

Born in Maine, Abbie Burgess (1839-1892) tended lighthouses for 38 years at the Matinicus Rock and White Head Light stations. Burgess was a heroine on several occasions, but it was not until she married Isaac Grant and bore four children that she received recognition and a salary.

first appeared: 2/26/2006

Bartlett Maine Estate Winery in Gouldsboro (pop. 1,941) opened in 1983. Annually, it produces almost 7,000 cases of wine, ranging from dry and semi-dry blueberry reds to pear-apple whites.

first appeared: 2/12/2006

Eastport (pop. 1,640), located on Moose Island, was incorporated in 1798. The town was held from 1814 to 1818 by British troops under King George following the War of 1812.

first appeared: 1/29/2006

The Hermitage, a majestic stand of towering white king pine trees covering 35 acres in Piscataquis County, is a National Natural Landmark. The Nature Conservancy owns the land.

first appeared: 1/15/2006

MISS MAINE 2006—Megan Beals is a University of Maine student who is so dedicated to helping youngsters that she submitted legislation to fund youth mentoring programs and lobbied at the state’s Capitol. She’s also busy earning her flying wings from her father, a pilot.

first appeared: 1/8/2006

Thomaston (pop. 3,748) inventor John Blondell received a patent for a doughnut-hole cutter in 1872. His original design was made of wood; a tin cutter followed and was patented in 1889.

first appeared: 1/1/2006

The 1999 hit movie Message in a Bottle, starring Kevin Costner, Robin Wright Penn and Paul Newman, was filmed in several coastal Maine locations, including Popham Beach in Phippsburg (pop. 2,106) and Bath (pop. 9,266). The film is based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks.

first appeared: 12/18/2005

After the Revolutionary War, the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, Canada, remained undetermined for several years. The Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, drawn up by U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster and English minister Lord Ashburton, finally settled the question.

first appeared: 12/4/2005

Marcus Hanna, a keeper of Cape Elizabeth (pop. 8,854) Light, is reported to be the only man to have won both the Medal of Honor and the Gold Lifesaving Medal. The first was for bravery in battle at Port Hudson, La., during the Civil War; the second, for saving two men from the wrecked schooner Australia in 1885. In 1997, the U.S. Coast Guard launched a buoy tender named in Hanna’s honor.

first appeared: 11/20/2005

The Desert of Maine, a 40-acre sand dune near Freeport (pop. 7,800), has been a tourist attraction since 1917 and was the result of poor farming practices two centuries ago that destroyed the topsoil, exposing the glacially deposited sand below.

first appeared: 11/6/2005

Joey Gamache of Lewiston (pop. 35,690) won the World Boxing Association’s junior lightweight title in 1991 and briefly held the WBA lightweight title in 1992. He retired in 2000 with an overall record of 55-4.

first appeared: 10/23/2005

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.