Civil War hero Joshua Chamberlain came to the rescue, risking his own safety to keep peace as armed Republicans surrounded the State House claiming the 1879 gubernatorial election had been stolen.
Insight: 2020 was a good year – for reading Maine history
The anniversary of Maine statehood gave a retired editor a vantage point to tell the story of the last 200 years, one day at a time.
By Joseph OwenSpecial to the Telegram
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A common theme running through recent political cartoons and Facebook posts has been how happy many of us will be to see the year 2020 draw to a close.
The sentiment is understandable, but of course it’s naïve to assume that the mere flip of a calendar page grants us a global do-over, a chance to get things right after so many wrongs crammed into a single year. The rampant spread of the coronavirus, the accompanying sudden onset of an economic recession, the epic corrosiveness of our national politics and racial inequality that has provoked a fresh surge of outrage are only the most obvious crises we’ve had to face.
Glenn Adams, retired AP correspondent in Maine, dies at 70 sfgate.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sfgate.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
On this date in Maine history: Dec. 31
By Joseph Owen
Maj. Gen. Richard Montgomery Image courtesy of the Library of Congress
Dec. 31, 1775: As the first year of the American Revolution draws to a close, American Revolutionary forces led by Col. Benedict Arnold and Maj. Gen. Richard Montgomery attack the British fortress at Quebec City while a snowstorm rages. The assault fails.
Arnold, who led his men on an epic, hardship-filled journey up Maine’s Kennebec River and through the wilderness of northwestern Maine and the countryside of what is now southeastern Quebec to reach the fortress, is wounded.
Montgomery, whose forces descended the St. Lawrence River valley to join Arnold after having occupied Montreal, is killed in combat.
On this date in Maine history: Dec. 30
By Joseph Owen
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A large sailboat leads a boat parade under the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory, Oct. 14, 2006, during Bridgewalk, a celebration of the newly constructed bridge. Photo by Derek Davis/Staff Photographer
Dec. 30, 2006: The $85 million Penobscot Narrows Bridge, which carries Route 1 across the Penobscot River and links the towns of Prospect and Verona Island, opens to traffic for the first time.
The cable-stayed 2,120-foot bridge features two 430-foot-tall towers, the western one of which contains the world’s highest public bridge observation deck.
Dave Milan, the economic development director for nearby Bucksport, tells the Bangor Daily News that in addition to being a means to cross the river, the bridge should attract tourists, because the enclosed observation deck is the only one of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.