RonnieAdventure #108 - Maine, 2014 Part V

The Maine Capitol Building in Augusta is currently undergoing a $1.2 renovation to replace the green copper dome, which is to be completed in October 2014. The original copper dome was installed in 1909 and is currently pockmarked with hail damage and corrosion, with some holes in the dome as large as a dime. When the renovation is completed, it will take about 35 years for the brown copper to oxidize into a green color once again. Located across the street from the capitol building are a number of beautiful apple trees that were in bloom.

Old Fort Western is located across the river from the State Capitol Building and is the oldest wooden fort in New England. The fort was constructed in 1754 as a fortified storehouse for Fort Halifax during the French & Indian War. Just south of the Fort is the site of the earliest mercantile store in the area. The Cushnoc Trading Post was established in 1628 and the William & Samuel Howard’s Store was constructed in 1767, after the completion of Old Fort Western. Looking back across the river are beautiful views of the city's waterfront. Our timing was great, because throughout the area the lilac bushes were in bloom.

The Castle Tucker home is located at 2 Lee Street in Wiscasset, overlooking the Sheepscot River. The home is open for public tours and docents are available to explain the 150-year history of how one family survived the boom and bust periods of the Maine costal economy. Because the property remained in the Tucker family since 1858, the home contains an extensive collection of original furniture and other artifacts. Many of the original sales receipts for object in the home were found in the attic and are now on display along the tour route.

By 1905 the number of Catholic parishioners in Lewiston had grown so large that approval was given to start construction on a new church building. The basement of the new building was completed in 1906, but then the parish was split and there was insufficient money left to finish the building. In subsequent years, every time the funds needed to finish the building were saved, the parish was split again and half of the savings went to the new parish. Finally, in 1933 enough money was obtained to finish the top part of the building, which was completed in 1936 and dedicated in 1938. The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is now on the National Register of Historic Places and is the second largest church in New England.

The Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village located near New Gloucester is the only remaining active Shaker community in the world. In the entire world there are only three Shakers still living (the Shakers practice celibacy); so in 2007 the Shakers partnered with the Trust for Public Land, Maine Preservation, Royal River conservation Trust, and the New England Forestry Foundation to place the Shaker property into a Preservation Trust. The Shaker Village’s buildings and property are now forever protected from future development in the area or from any inappropriate use. It was interesting to tour the facilities and learn about the Shakers.

No trip to Maine would be complete without a stop in Freeport at the world headquarters for L.L. Bean, Inc. In 1912 Leon Leonwood Bean founded the company and it is still a privately held, family-owned business; thus, they release very little financial and operating information. The only thing that I could find out is that the company has about 5,000 full-time employees, and about the same number of additional seasonal employees. Annual sales are about $1.52 billion, and they did not want to adopt me as one of their children.

To say that L.L. Bean is located in Freeport is a little misleading, because when you visit the area, it seems like Freeport is located in L.L. Bean. The 200,000 square-foot flagship store is open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, and contains a restaurant, trout pond, 3,500-gallon freshwater aquarium, and part of a streambed. Over 3 million people a year visit this store. Adjacent to the flagship store is the L.L. Bean Hunting & Fishing Store, then next door is the L.L. Bean Bike, Boat & Ski Store, and across the street is the 33,000 square-foot L.L. Bean Home Store. But that's not all! For those on a budget, the L.L. Bean Outlet Store is located in Freeport Village Station, and if you need some adventure in your life, you can sign up for a L.L. Bean Outdoor Discovery School course. Needless to say, we didn't make it through all of the stores, but we did eat at the L.L. Bean 1912 Café.

Kennebunkport has a reputation as a summer haven for the upper class and is one of the wealthiest communities in the State of Maine. Kennebunkport is also the summer home of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush. The house was originally built by President Bush’s maternal Grandfather George Herbert Walker, and has always been under family ownership. We did not get to see the Bush home; however, we did get to see the First Families Kennebunkport Museum. 

In 1874 Congress approved $15,000 to construct a lighthouse on Nubble Island (located  just off Cape Neddick Point) to warn sailors of the rocky shoreline. The Cape Neddick Lighthouse was constructed in 1879 and quickly gained the nickname “The Nubble,” or “Nubble Light.” The lighthouse is still in use today and it is one of the last eight lighthouses in Maine to still have its original Fresnel lens. “The Nubble” is the most famous lighthouse in the Universe because the Voyager spacecraft, which carries pictures of prominent manmade structures on Earth, includes a photograph of the “The Nubble,” along with photographs of the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, etc.

Fort McClary started as a private enterprise in 1689 when local shipbuilder William Pepperell acquired Kittery Point at the mouth of the Piscataqua River and erected a crude defense works to protect his business. However, in 1715 the Massachusetts Bay Colony recognized the site’s strategic position and voted to erect a permanent defense structure on the site with six canons to protect the Portsmouth harbor and the U.S. Naval shipyard.

In 1808 an official fort was constructed on the site and named for Major Andrew McClary, an officer killed in the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. Then, the current blockhouse was constructed in 1844. During the Civil War, US Vice President Hannibal Hamlin enlisted in the Maine Coast Guard and served in the fort as a cook. The fort was decommissioned in 1918 and the State acquired the property for a park in 1924.

 

The entire time that I was in Maine I kept looking for a moose, as they were reported to be everywhere in Maine. Several times while looking for a moose I about ran off the road or had a wreck while driving and looking in the marshy areas along the highway. I saw deer, but no moose! I had just about given up on seeing a moose in Maine when I stopped at a little candy store to buy an ice cream cone, and there was Lenny -- A 1,700 pound chocolate moose! He was even surrounded by some little chocolate bear cubs, so, I did get to see a moose and bear before I left Maine!