Descendants of Gettysburg “Witness Tree” in Bath

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The 140th Arbor Day celebrations in Bath will be honoring Abraham Lincoln with the planting of two Honey Locusts that were cloned from root cuttings of an original tree that witnessed Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

The following is quoted from the press release:

Immediate Release –
Bath to celebrate Arbor Week with the planting of descendants of Gettysburg “Witness Tree” Bath, Maine (May 9, 2012) – During Arbor Week, the lawn of the Customs House on Front Street in Bath will become the new home of a commemorative Lincoln Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos f. inermis) tree. The tree is a direct descendant of the famous “Witness Tree” under which Lincoln gave his Gettysburg address in 1863. The sapling will be planted during a ceremony scheduled for 11:30am, on Monday, May 21st, and dedicated to the memory of Edward D. True II, who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the historic Customs House building from 1978 until his death in 2007. Continue reading →

Ambejejus Lake Boom House

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My friend, Hilary Nangle, the Maine Travel Maven, has a nice article about the restoration and preservation of one piece of Maine’s logging history, the Ambejejus Boom House, near Millinocket and Baxter State Park.

Quoted from the article:

Sited northwest of Millinocket, where the West Branch of the Penobscot River flows into Ambejejus Lake, this National Historic Register-listed property is the only structure remaining from the West Branch drives. Its heritage as a shelter for river drivers and boom workers dates back to 1835. “This one was built in 1907 and transported across the ice in three sections,” says Harris, the self-appointed caretaker. It remained in use until the last West Branch log drive in 1971. Continue reading →

4th Maine Infantry Flag

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I often get email with questions I can’t answer. But I do my best.

Today’s question:

I’m trying to locate a picture of the 4th Maine Regiment Infantry volunteers flag. I would actually like to get a copy of the flag made. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I am by no means an expert on the 4th Maine, the history of it’s flag or flags in general. I’m just an avid enthusiast of all things! Continue reading →

11th Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry

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Eleventh Regiment Infantry

Organized at Augusta and mustered in November 12, 1861. Left State for Washington, D.C., November 13. Attached to Davis’ Provisional Brigade, Army Potomac, to January, 1862. 1st Brigade, Casey’s Division, Army Potomac, to March, 1862. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 4th Army Corps, Army Potomac, to June, 1862. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Corps, to December, 1862. Naglee’s Brigade, Dept. North Carolina, to January, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 18th Corps, to February, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 18th Corps, Port Royal, S.C., Dept. South, to April, 1863. District of Beaufort, S.C., 10th Corps, Dept. South, to June, 1863. Fernandina, Fla., Dept. of the South, to October, 1863. 1st Brigade, Morris Island, S.C., 10th Corps, Dept. South, to April, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 10th Army Corps, Army of the James, Dept. Virginia and North Carolina, to May, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 10th Corps, to December, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 24th Army Corps, to July, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 24th Corps, to August, 1865. Dept. of Virginia, to February, 1866. Continue reading →

Joshua Chamberlain’s Non-Existing Road

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The Brunswick Town Council last Monday unanimously voted to do away with a road requested by Joshua Chamberlain but was never built.

The article from The Forecaster explains it all well, includes much more information and is worth reading. But here is a short quote:

In 1907, Chamberlain received approval from the town to establish a subdivision that included provisions for a Hawthorne Street (which is completely different from the nearby Hawthorne Street that exists in Brunswick today).

But when Chamberlain died seven years later, the subdivision remained unbuilt, and Hawthorne Street remained only as lines on a surveyor’s map.

In 1923, the town purchased the property, and inherited the street along with it. Chamberlain’s will had specified that nothing could be built on the land with the exception of schools or “dwellings to cost not less than $2,000,” a significant sum at the time. Continue reading →