Bangor, Maine, was first settled by Europeans in 1769. The effort was led by Jacob Buswell and the town was originally named Condeskeag Plantation. It was a small settlement made of just 12 families, a sawmill, a store and a school. The town survived the American Revolution and the War of 1812 and was a center for anti-slavery politics before the Civil War. In the 19th century when one of the major resources that America harvested was lumber, Bangor was known as the “Lumber Capital of the World.” It was a hugely successful lumber port.
All of the logs harvested in the surrounding forests, for miles around, were fed through the rivers and driven through Bangor. Then they were sold to help build the big cities like Boston and New York. Businessmen in Bangor owned most of the surrounding forests where all of the lumber came from. They used their wood and the massive amounts of money it created to build huge beautiful houses that still stand today.
Currently, Bangor is still a very important city in Maine and in the northeast. The historic nature of the city makes it popular for tourists. There are many museums, old houses and landmarks to visit and enjoy. Bangor is also surrounded by beautiful forests so there are many outdoor activities to enjoy, as well.
It is a 90-minute drive from Acadia National Park, Baxter State Park and the Moosehead Lake Region. Inside the city there is also all the fun of a thriving northeastern town. There is art and culture, such as Bangor Symphony Orchestra, which is the oldest continually operating symphony orchestra in the United States, founded in 1896. The town is an incredible combination of modern and historic.
MORE about Bangor, Maine…
• The local Native American tribe were the Penobscots
• The town was called Sunbury in 1787
• It was renamed Bangor in 1790
• The name Bangor comes from a popular hymn about the American Revolution
• It has been called “Maine’s Queen City” since 1834
• Most of Boston and New York were built using lumber harvested from Maine
• The total area of the city is 34.26 square miles
• There are many museums in Bangor that record the long history of the city such as the Police Museum, Fire Museum and Cole Land Transportation Museum
• Paul Bunyan is an American folktale about a logger, there is a statue of him in Bangor
• Many of the houses are on the National Register of Historic Places
