Jan. 29, 1890: U.S. House Speaker Thomas Brackett Reed, a Republican from Portland, takes action to end the “disappearing quorum” tactic used by House Democrats to prevent House business from being conducted. He marks members “present” even if they refuse to respond to a roll call. The procedure survives a court challenge and becomes part […]
This Day in Maine History
Posted inBicentennial, Maine, News
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 28
Jan. 28, 1768: Moses Little and Jonathan Bagley, both of Newbury, Massachusetts, receive a grant for land around the falls on the Androscoggin River from the Pejepscot Proprietors. A condition of the grant is that 50 families live there in 50 houses by June 1, 1774. In the fall of 1770, Paul Hildreth becomes the […]
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On this date in Maine history: Jan. 27
Jan. 27, 1893: Former U.S. House Speaker James G. Blaine of Augusta dies at his Washington home. Blaine was the Republican nominee for president in 1884, when he lost the general election to Grover Cleveland. Blaine’s body is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood. The remains of his wife, Augusta native Harriet […]
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On this date in Maine history: Jan. 26
Jan. 26, 1739: The Massachusetts General Court, having received a petition on the subject the previous year, incorporates Brunswick as the 11th town in Maine, which then was part of Massachusetts. The town holds six town meetings in 1739 and allocates 153 pounds and 15 shillings for expenses in the town budget. The town’s voters […]
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On this date in Maine history: Jan. 25
Jan. 25, 1953: Bangor-based WABI-TV begins broadcasting as Maine’s first television station, on VHF channel 5. Its first owner is Community Broadcasting Service, which was founded in 1949 by former Gov. Horace Hildreth, owner of WABI radio station, from which the TV station got its call letters. Originally a multi-network affiliate, WABI-TV became a full-time […]
Posted inBicentennial, Maine, News
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 20
Jan. 20, 1998: Central Maine Power Co. submits to federal officials a report estimating that the cost of restoring electrical power to about 632,000 Maine residents who lost it in a regionwide ice storm would reach $55 million. The amount is more than double the $25 million figure the company cited on Jan. 12, five days […]
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On this date in Maine history: Jan. 19
Jan. 19, 1929: The National Park Service changes the name of Lafayette National Park, on Maine’s Mount Desert Island, to Acadia National Park. The park became a public land preserve in 1916 as Sieur de Monts National Monument. When it was elevated to national park status in 1919, it took the name “Lafayette” in honor […]
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On this date in Maine history: Jan. 18
Jan. 18, 2012: In Augusta, Capitol Police Chief Russell Gauvin reports that a new security checkpoint at the west entrance of the State House is complete and operational. Workers at that entrance run scanning machines similar to those found in airports. The public no longer is able to enter the State House through any of the […]
Posted inBicentennial, Maine, News
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 17
Jan. 17, 2002: Fire severely damages buildings on Main Street in Lincoln. Three days later, a second fire breaks out. The two blazes combined wipe out a quarter of the Penobscot County town’s business district, including the three-story Lake Mall, and displace 10 businesses. Firefighters ultimately contain both fires and save other downtown businesses. The […]
Posted inBicentennial, Maine, News
On this date in Maine history: Jan. 16
Jan. 16, 2009: Realist painter Andrew Wyeth dies in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, his birthplace, at age 91 after a 70-year career. He later is buried near his summer home in South Cushing, Maine, where he once observed Christina Olson (1893-1968) shuffling slowly up a hill toward her home, using her hands to propel herself because […]