Quick History Stops: Southern Maine

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A black, white, and light blue header image with the words 'Quick History Stops in Southern Maine'

After a hiatus from the blog due to lots of traveling and photo editing, I’m back with an overview of quick history stops in southern Maine, where I visited back in August.

A white, Georgian-style, two-story building The Maine State House seen from the bottom of the front steps near sunset

A fun feature of many Maine towns is Museum in the Streets, described on its website as a “heritage discovery trails for the benefit of a community’s inhabitants and tourists”. Panels with easy-to-read text, images, and maps describe the buildings and past events in the local area. The ones I read were in Wiscasset, where Castle Tucker and Nickels-Sortwell House are located, and Augusta.

A sign titled AUGUSTA, MAINE - THE CIVIL WAR THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS with a detailed map Detail of the sign explaining the origin of Museum in the Streets A sign with text and photos titled WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 16 HILTON HOUSE SUNKEN GARDEN View of Nickels-Sortwell House from across the street A two-and-a-half story symmetrical red brick structure with a steeple A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 6 LINCOLN COUNTY COURTHOUSE A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS with a map of Wiscasset surrounded by photos of buildings A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 2 Wood-Foote House A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 1 CASTLE TUCKER A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 15 NICKELS-SORTWELL HOUSE A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 2A Moses Carlton House A white, three-story, Georgian style house A yellow, two-story, maritime, federalist style house with a cupola and semi-circle window above the main entrance A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 7 The Common A pair of signs. The top reads WISCASSET PUBLIC LIBRARY 1799 in a circle around an illustration of a building. The second reads Celebrating Lincoln County 250 years A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 3 Lincoln and Kennebec Bank, Wiscasset Public Library A round hanging sign with the words WISCASSET PUBLIC LIBRARY 1799 in a circle around an illustration of a building A sign reading WISCASSET, MAINE THE MUSEUM IN THE STREETS 5 Meeting House, First Congregational Church A classic white wooden New England Congregationalist church as seen across a lawn and shaded by trees

Other quick outdoor history stops in Augusta include visiting the Maine State House and the nearby Capitol Park and its Vietnam War Memorial. Maine’s state capital building was constructed based on a design by Charles Bulfinch beginning in 1829. Bulfinch’s other notable architectural works include the Old State House in Connecticut, the Massachusetts State House, and the rotunda and dome of the United States Capitol. Additions to the Maine State House were added based on a design by John C. Spofford in 1891, and another by G. Henri Desmond in 1910.

If you want to get out of the city, although Augusta is not a busy area, walk through the Vaughan Woods trails. These carriage roads were constructed by the Vaughan family for over a hundred years beginning in 1890 and culminating a land donation to Kennebec Land Trust in 1991. The stone bridges and waterfalls are a gorgeous photo opportunity.

A monument made of two isosceles triangles. The silloette of three soldiers is carved into the front triangle. Rocky shallow rapids in front of a stone bridge Small waterfalls in front of a dam Trail kiosk with a pair of signs reading The story of Vaughan Woods and Welcome to Vaughan Woods A rustic rectangular sign reading Trail Parking Vaughan Woods with a pair of arrows A sprawling house at the end of a dirt road

Halfway between August and Wiscasset and not far from beautiful Bowman House are a few quick history stops. Major Reuben Colburn House State Historic Site is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is now home to Arnold Expedition Historical Society, an organization commemorating an ill-fated and nearly forgotten march taken by Patriots during the American Revolutionary War in an attempt to capture Quebec. Colburn was tasked with building boats for the expedition, but due to lack of time and resources, the boats leaked. Colburn would attempt to recoup his losses by becoming a slave catcher for hire. On a lighter note, the First Congregational Church of Pittston is a classic New England white wooden church and perfect for a picture.

A classic white wooden New England church with a black shingled roof. A black sign with white text reading MAJOR REUBEN COLBURN HOUSE 1765 BENEDICT ARNOLD'S HQ WWW.ARNOLDSMARCH.COM A classic red, three-story, Georgian-style house with a single story addition and a pair of matching outbuildings A metal tablet embedded in a rock commemorating Arnold's Headquarters A white sign with a green header reading REUBEN COLBURN HOUSE, 1765 and text describing the Arnold expedition with accompanying portraits and a sketch of a boat An oblong wooden sign reading ARNOLD EXPEDITION HISTORICAL SOCIETY around the edge and a painting of three men in a small boat in the middle

Down the road is Pownalborough Courthouse, built beside the Kennebec River for Judge Jonathan Bowman, first owner of Bowman House, in 1761 and now managed by the Lincoln County Historical Association. This building is on the National Register of Historic Places as the “only pre-revolutionary courthouse in Maine”. A well-marked trail system across the street, appropriately called Pownalborough Courthouse Trails, provides additional hiking and even more photo opportunities, with old stone walls lining the paths.

A white, wooden, three-story, Georgian-style building with a single story addition on the left. White rectangular sign reading in part POWNALBOROUGH COURT-HOUSE 1761 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES A metal plaque on the wide of a white, wooden building with horizontal siding that reading in part POWNALBOROUGH COURT-HOUSE 1761

Southern Maine is full of delightful stops not far from the highway or the main tourist areas. If you are looking to learn history on a budget and just off the beaten path, this is a great region of New England to visit.

Location: Maine, USA