Augusta, Maine

, Welcome to Augusta , Indigenous people occupied the Augusta area for thousands of years before European explorers arrived. Little evidence remains of their time here, but patches of forested land along the Kennebec give us a glimpse of houw the area looked to the early inhabitants., The first recorded explorers were English from the Popham Colongy, who came in September 1607. Plymouth Colony Pilgrims came to trade in 1625 and established a trading post by 1628, but sold the post and trading rights to four Boston merchants in 1661. Settlement increased, but the area was abandeoned around 1676 due to develping conflict on the Main frontier. King Philip's War marked the beginning of decades of unrest. Not until the mid-18th century did settlers reappear when descendents of the Boston merchants re-claimed the land, formed a company named the Kennebec Proprietors, and built Fort Western in 1754. Garrisoned until 1767, the Fort was commanded by James Howard who later purchased the property. The Proprietors' plan to settle the area brough many seeking land, lumber, and business opportunities. In addition to the Howards, early settlers included family names of Cony, North, Sewall, Davis, Lithgow, Savage, Williams, Weston, Crosby, and Brooks, to name a few. These family names survive into today through descendents and names of buildings and streets., Incorporated first as Hallowell in 1771, the north and middle parishes broke off in 1797 to form Augusta, known briefly as Harrington. Through Daniel Cony's efforts, the first bridge over the Kennebec was built near the fort in 1797. Augusta became county seat for Kennebec County in 1799 and state capitol, although the Legislature did not meet here permanently until 1832 when the capitol building was completed. Incorporation as a city came in 1849, and Alfred Redington became the first mayor in 1850. A 1909 amendment to the Maine Constitution made Augusta forever the capital city of Maine., The late 18th and early 19th centuries brought civic, cultural, and business development. Construction for the first meetinghouse began in 1782, Water STreet was laid out in 1785, and 1799 saw the first organized firefighters. The first newspaper, the Intelligence, was published in 1795, and the Kennebec Journal first appeared in 1825. It is still published today. The 19th century brough more accomplishments: the Kennebec Dam, banks, theaters, the arts, and new schools. The Kennebec Arsenal, still standing on the Kennebec's eastern bank, was built 1827-1835. Lumber mills and gristmills were major businesses, with textiles, paper, and shoe manufacturing following over the 19th and into the 20th centuries. The thriving downtown of the mid-century burned in 1865, but the brick and granite structures we see today quickly replaced the devastation. Irish and French Canadian immigrants came in the 19th century, bringing their skills and labor to build the dam and run the factories and mills. Grand buildings, public and private, religious and secular, were built in downtown and along the major thoroughfares. Esteemed architects Francis H. Fassett, John C. Spofford, and John Calvin Stevens designed many structures, and prominent local architects George G. Stevens, John C. Tibbetts, Charles Fletcher, and ARthur Wing contributed to the city we know today., By the mid-19th century, Augusta sported amenities such as a steamboat line (1832), railroad service (1852), and gas street lighting (1859). The city was a major rallying point for Civil War soldiers and the site of the only Federal Hospital in Maine (1864-65). The later part of the century saw a public water system (1886), telephone service (1880), streetcars (1890), and a local hospital (1898). By late centuy, texile and pulp mills, shoe factories, and magazine publishing were in full swing. The 20th century brought a YMCA to serve the community (1914), movie productions (1918-1921), a restored Fort Western (1921), and an airport (1935). Augusta has been home to state the national political leaders and artists. Political leaders include James G. Blaine (1830-1893), John F. Hill (1855-1912), Nathan Weston (1782-1872), William Penn Whitehouse (1842-1922), Florence Brooks Whitehouse (1869-1945), Olympia Bouchles Snowe (b. 1947), Melville Weston Fuller (1833-1910), and Reuel Williams (1783-1862). Artists include W. Herbert Dunton (1878-1936), Eastman Johnson (1824-1906), photographer Henry Bailey (1822-1894), and contemporary actors Richard Dysart (b. 1929) and Rachel Nichols (b. 1980)., Augusta saw major changes in the mid-20th century. Development took its toll on historic strucutres, and continued growth changed the core city. Despite these changes, Augusta still boasts many historic places, The National Trust for Historic Preservation list 40 separate sites in Augusta, four of which have National Landmark status. The 21st century portends a renewed interest in the city's past, a past that was central in our country's and state's development. It is a proud past that can lead to an exciting future, and The Museum in the Streets™ in downtown is part of that effort.,