"Thursday last witnessed the birth of a new State and ushered MAINE into the Union," announced an article in Portland's Eastern Argus on March 21, 1820. "The day was noticed, as far as we have heard from the various towns by every demonstration of joy and heart-felt congratulation, becoming the occasion ... May the day, which has so auspiciously commenced our political existence as a State, long be remembered with complacent feelings, and every annual return bring with it, by the many blessings it may produce, additional inducement for its celebration."
As Maine's Bicentennial events unfold, institutions, scholars, students and residents are once again looking to examine the events that culminated in Maine’s statehood. To support these efforts, we have gathered from our collections items that we hope will be of particular relevance and will provide a variety of perspectives on sensitive topics related to political, economic, social, business, and ethical issues related to boundaries and land use that remain pressing in discussions in the state today.
In an effort to make these primary texts as accessible as possible, in addition to PDF format, we have made selected publications available in ePUB format. We hope this allows readers to optimize their research experience using personal reader technology. Please feel free to provide feedback regarding the availability of these ePUB documents.
We were particularly pleased that these items could be available in advance of the Maine Statehood and Bicentennial Conference held in Orono May 30-June 1, 2019. Visit their conference space for full event content, including videos of all the sessions.
For more information about this digital collection and other items available in the Special Collections Department of Fogler Library, contact us at 207.581.1686 or um.library.spc @ maine.edu.
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A Plan of the North Half of Township No. 5, Washington County
John Gardner
Pen and ink map drawn on craft paper of "Township No. 5 north half." Map is badly damaged and incomplete. The document was originally drawn in pencil which was later traced over in pen and ink. Lots contain lot numbers and notations regarding acreage. The map is marked with grease spots and foot prints and long-hand calculations.
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Blue Hill Academy Lot, Washington County
John Gardner
Pen and ink, hand-drawn map of Blue Hill Academy property containing 12,320 acres. Map includes a survey of tree species and landscape features along one of the property boundaries. The map is faded and includes lightly penciled notes and additions. A red-bordered contact adhesive sticker on the face of the map reads: "T.ship 1." Virso is marked "Tship 24." The map does not include a scale.
Key
b — Burnt land
h — Heath
S — Sedar [sic] swamp
g — hardwood stand
v — Rocky land
l — Ledgy land
m — Meadow land
p — Pine
sp — Spruce
J — hackmatack -
Lewys Lake Indian Township
John Gardner
A pen and ink on vellum lot plan of Lewys Island in Princeton township. Projections are on a scale of sixteen rods to an inch or 1:3168. Map includes labeled streets and path of the railroad. Lots are numbered. Some lots labeled with the last names or initials of owners.
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Plan of Lands Set off to Settlers on the St. John
John Gardner
Undated, plan "of lands set off to settlers on the St. John River in Township letter L & M R 2nd W E L S by the C---- s------ of Maine & Massachusetts app---- to carry into effect the 4th article of the Treaty of Washington [1842]."
The Treaty of Washington, also known as the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, resolved border issues between the United States and British North American colonies in the region that became Canada. This treaty resolved the Aroostook War, disputing the location of the Maine-New Brunswick border. The creator of the map is not identified but the document is part of the collection belonging to John Gardner.
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Township Number 15
John Gardner
Pen and ink map of Township Number 15 on paper. The map is damaged and incomplete. The map includes Wabash and Scotts Streams. The plots are numbered and include notations regarding acreage. The map includes faint pencil notations. Bodies of water are outlined in blue ink.
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Undated Lot Survey Bordering South Line of Plymouth Township
John Gardner
Undated, hand-drawn map in pen and ink on vellum. Map has no recorded title, date or scale. A red bordered adhesive stamp is labeled T.ship 3 in pencil. A faded pencil inscription at the bottom of the map is illegible. Lovely Brook is identified as laying south of the identified "South Line of the Plymouth Township," but a larger river bisecting the land block is unidentified. The creator of the map is not identified but the document is part of the collection belonging to John Gardner.
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Untitled Washington County Lot Survey on Vellum
John Gardner
Undated, pencil, pen and ink map of a portion of the eastern border of Washington and Hancock Counties, Maine and include townships No. 5, No. 6, No. 42, No. 43, No. 36, No. 37, No. 30 and No. 31. Pencil notations indicate the location of dams and woods camps. Names included on camps include: J. Hayward and N. Bowker. Many of the landscape features are labeled.
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Plan of Townships. Nos. 21 & 27 E.D. East Half No. 43 M.D. No. 6 & N. Half No. 5 with the Two Mile Strips North, N.D. Situated in the County of Washington, State of Maine
Richard N. Hayden and John Gardner
Undated, printed map of townships in Washington County, Maine, made from surveys by R. N. Hayden and John Gardner. The map includes 92,160 acres, exclusive of Native American holdings. The map label reads: "Plan of Townships. Nos. 21 & 27 E.D. East half. No. 43 M.D. No. 6 & N. half No. 5 with two mile strips north, N.D. Situated in County of Washington, State of Maine." The map scale is 1:63,360, or one inch to a mile.
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No. 38 Middle Division #53, Washington County, Maine
Rufus Putnam
Township N.38 Middle Division, six miles square bounded North on unlocated lands of the North Division, South on N.32 and East on N.39 of the Middle Division; West on unlocated lands of the First Division. Contains 23,040 acres. Scale 200 rods to an inch (or 1:396). Attest Rufus Putnam
On the back of the map, there is a list of proprietor names, the number of lots, acres in each lot and "number of the tickets drawn against."
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Plan of Township No. 6, East Division and Part of Township No. 7, East Division in the County of Washington
Rufus Putnam
Copy of a Plan of Township No. 6, East Division and Part of Township No. 7, East Division in the County of Washington containing 17,375 acres. The map includes a notation of the parish of St. Stephens, New Brunswick. Faint pencil notations can be seen on some lots. The map includes a compass point indicating magnetic north. The map does not include a scale for measurements.
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Proprietors of Lots in Township No. 23 Middle Division
Rufus Putnam
Township N23. Middle Division, is six miles square bounded north on N29, south on N17, west on N22, east on N24 of the same division contains 23,040 acres, Scale 200 rods to an inch [1:396]. Attest Rufus Putnam (copy).
Township N31 Middle Division is lotted the same as N23 above, & is six miles square, bounded north on N37, south on N25, west on N30 of the same division, east on N25 & N26 of the east division, contains 23,040 acres.
Township N26 Middle Division is lotted the same as N23 above & is six miles square bounded north on N32, south on N20, east on N27 of the same division, west on N10 & [illegible] lands of the first division, contains 23,060 acres.
Facing page records proprietors lots in Township No 23 Middle Division.
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Township N. 25 East Division is Bounded as Described on the Several Lines Thereof
Rufus Putnam
Township N. 25 East Division is bounded as described on the several lines thereof and lyes [sic] for 23040 acres. Scale 200 rods to an inch [1:396] (Copy) Attest. Rufus Putnam. Lots drawn in Township No 25 East division orig.
Ticket: N143 Lot: N27 Acres: 160 Proprietor: Jonathan Duright of Springfield
Ticket: N675 Lot: N30 Acres: 320 Proprietor: The Heirs of Sylvester Gardner of Boston.