Ellsworth, ME to Old Orchard Beach, ME (US 1A to Belfast, Hwy 3 to Augusta, I-95 to Old Orchard Beach)
Maine is the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi River with the vast majority of Maine’s population living on the southern edge of the Great North Woods in a swath about 50 miles wide and 180 miles long bordering the southeastern coast from Bangor on the north to the New Hampshire state line on the south. Here the great cities of Maine were built based upon logging, shipbuilding and fishing. Bangor, on the northern end of the stretch, was built at the tidewater edge of the Penobscot River and logs from the interior of Maine were floated down the Penobscot and its tributaries to the mills of Bangor before being shipped down the river and out to the rest of the world.
Bangor, ME
The area around Bangor was first visited in 1524 by the Portuguese explore Gomes as he came up the Penobscot searching for the fabled Northwest Passage. The town of Bangor was officially founded in 1791 and quickly grew into one of the most important cities in New England because of its crucial role in the burgeoning logging and shipping industries. By 1860 Bangor was the world’s largest lumber port with over 150 mills along the Penobscot processing timber that was then shipped all over the world on boats built in Bangor’s shipyards. The town grew on both sides of the small Kanduskeag Stream where it joined the mighty Penobscot from the west. The stream was formed into a canal as part of the shipyards and the transformation between stream and canal is still very obvious right in the middle of the modern city. Standing on a bridge the view west is of the stream in its’ natural state, to the east is the walled canal channel.
As with the rest of Maine, there’s little flat ground along the Penobscot and Bangor climbs up steep hills from the river bank. The defining moment in the history of the current city center, which hugs the river bank area, was the Great Fire of 1911. Much of the city center was destroyed and most of the current structures were built after the fire during an intense period of reconstruction.
Union Street on the south side of the Kanduskeag is home to some of the oldest buildings in Bangor, including the 1836 Thomas Hill House.
East of the Hill house is the 1820 Manson House.
Across Union Street to the south sits the 1833 Isaac Farrar mansion, now part of the YMCA.
North of the Union Street neighborhood down along the Kanduskeag are the great public buildings, including the “new” 1905 county courthouse and the 1911 public library.
The timber barons of the late 1800’s built their mansions along Broadway as it climbs the hill behind the current library. Here is a small selection!
As I leave Bangor my path takes me south along the eastern bank of the Penobscot River and on to Belfast, one of the many ports along the Maine coast now home to fishing boats and recreational boaters.
At Belfast I turn east on Hwy 3 and plunge back into the forest as I head to Augusta, the state capital.
Augusta, Maine
Augusta sits at the head of the tidewater of the Kennebec River, another of the rivers that flow from the Great Woods to the sea through central Maine (Skowhegan in the Great North Woods chapter is farther west up the Kennebec.) Fort Western was established on the eastern bank of the river in 1754 and now is the oldest remaining wooden fort in America. Standing in the city center and looking east across the river, the fort still commands the eastern side.
Standing on the bridge in front of the fort I look south and north across the river at the historical city center. The city looks more substantial that it is. The row of buildings along the river line the only street in the downtown area, which follows along the river for a short stretch.
Never a large city, today Augusta is home to about 20,000 people with most modern retail and commercial activity focused on the I-95 interchanges a couple miles west of the old city center. The historic city center is essentially along Water Street, running along the western bank of the Kennebec River.
Anchoring the southern end of Water Street is the old federal courthouse and post office, built in 1890.
And, rising above it all, fittingly looming above the ever present forest, is the 1832 Maine state capitol building.
Government is clearly the primary activity of the area. The legislature is not in session and there’s not much going on downtown. I now head south on I-95 to the largest city in Maine, Portland.
Portland, Maine
More than one third of Maine’s total population live in the greater Portland area, radiating out from the city center located on a small peninsula in Casco Bay. The first permanent settlement on the bay occurred in 1632 and the fishing and trading port was initially called Falmouth but was renamed as Portland in 1786. This map shows the original shape of the peninsula in 1776 contrasted with the current peninsula where both the west and east sides have been filled in over the years to accommodate the port. The pink section denoted “Falmouth” in the center is now the Old Port neighborhood of Portland. Today’s city fills all of the peninsula and spills out to suburbs to the south and west.
I had planned my visit to downtown Portland for a Sunday morning. This strategy is one I often follow when trying to visit larger cities as there tends to be much less traffic on Sundays. This definitely proved NOT to be the case on the day I chose to visit. It was a very foggy morning in Old Orchard Beach (where I am staying about 15 miles south of Portland) but the fog had thinned by the time I got to Portland. However, the town was crawling with people! There was no chance at all for me to snag a parking spot so I was reduced to grabbing pictures when stopped at crosswalks and traffic lights. The drive along the old port was slow as the place was just jammed with people. Turns out that two large cruise ships had docked for the day and not only were the cruise ship passengers roaming the streets, but street vendors were also crowding the waterfront. In addition, it appears that Portlanders were taking advantage of one of the last nice days of September. In any case, here’s the Old Port section of Portland.
The crown jewel of the waterfront is the US Custom’s House, completed in 1872 after the Great Fire of 1866.
To my right is one of the cruise ships.
I gave up on Old Port and decided to try and see if I could visit the Portland Observatory, high atop a hill just north of downtown. The Portland Observatory was built in 1807 and by using signal flags and a telescope, communication could be held between the port and ships entering from the ocean. This helped merchants on the docks prepare for arriving ships. The 86 foot tall tower is octagonal in shape to reduce the impact of the wind. As everywhere parking is a problem, streets are narrow and parking is non-existent. I take a gamble and park in a loading zone for about 20 minutes while I make a quick visit.
Five narrow flights of stairs climb the tower (which is NOT a lighthouse!)
Each landing is a small room where guides give talks about the tower and history of Portland.
The stairs get narrower and the ceilings shorter as you approach the top.
At the top a narrow balcony around the peak allows spectacular views of Portland. Even on a foggy day it’s pretty impressive. Here’s a 360 degree tour of Portland.
North (That’s fog and the ocean blending together in the background)
East (There’s a massive cruise ship in the fog bank)
Southeast (A smaller cruise ship and the docks along the Old Port)
South (the “new” town)
West (looking towards the interior of Maine over the north arm of Casco Bay)
I decide to leave the city center and cross over the south arm of the bay to South Portland. Bug Light is the lighthouse on the south side of the bay and it gives great views of downtown Portland across the bay.
Bug Light was built in 1875.
Even though I did not get a very detailed visit in Portland, I left feeling that this was one of those places that might merit a more in-depth look. Definitely worth checking out! I head back to my home base in Old Orchard Beach, hoping the fog will lift.
Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Old Orchard Beach is a summer playground for Northeasterners, sitting in the middle of seven miles of sandy beach about 15 miles south of Portland and one hundred miles north of Boston. The name comes from an old apple orchard planted in 1657 by Thomas Rogers. An Indian attack drove Rogers from the area but his apple orchard flourished and was a local landmark for many years. Today Old Orchard Beach (or OOB as locals refer to it) is a seaside resort town, replete with all the trappings. Its off-season now but a classic car show brings the crowds to the main street, Old Orchard Avenue, which runs down to the ocean. The view from the top shows the street filling up with cars, the views from the bottom about an hour later shows the growing crowd.
At the foot of the street is The Pier and the Palace Playground, one of the last old-time beach amusement parks in the Northeast.
The current reincarnation of The Pier stretches 500 feet into the ocean, a much smaller version than the first one built in 1898.
The boardwalk inside the pier is lined with restaurants, bars and tourist shops. As this is a weekday in the off-season, many are closed.
The view from the pier both north and south are of the long sandy beach.
Next to The Pier is the Palace Playground, one of New England’s last seaside amusement parks.
The crowds are primarily Canadians down from Quebec. Bi-lingual English/French signs are in most businesses as they cater to the “loonies” as the tourists are called, echoing the nickname Canadians have for the Canadian dollar. Of course, one can’t leave the Maine seashore without eating the quintessential Maine dish, the lobster roll.
Ahhh, doesn’t get much better than this!
Next up: Southern New Hampshire and Vermont
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