Settled in 1628 by Thomas Purchase and other fishermen, the area
was called by its Indian name, Pejepscot, meaning "the long, rocky
rapids part [of the river]." In 1639, Purchase placed his
settlement under protection of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During
King Philip's War, Pejepscot in 1676 was burned and abandoned,
although a garrison called Fort Andros was built on the ruins
during King William's War. The Treaty of Portsmouth of 1713 then
brought peace to the region between the Abenaki Indians and English
settlements.
In 1714, a consortium from Boston and Portsmouth bought the
land, thereafter called the Pejepscot Purchase. The Massachusetts
General Court constituted the township in 1717, naming it Brunswick
in honor of the House of Brunswick and its scion, King George I. A
stone fort called Fort George was built in 1715 near the falls. But
on July 13, 1722, warriors from Norridgewock burned the village.
Consequently, Governor Samuel Shute declared war on the Abenakis.
In 1724, 208 English troops left Fort Richmond and sacked
Norridgewock during Dummer's War. Brunswick was again rebuilt in
1727, and in 1738 incorporated a town. It became a prosperous
seaport, where Bowdoin College would be chartered in 1794.
The Androscoggin River falls in 3 successive stages over a
distance of 41 feet, providing water power for industry. Brunswick
became a major producer of lumber, with as many as 25 sawmills.
Some of the lumber went into shipbuilding. Other firms produced
paper, soap, flour, marble and granite work, carriages and harness,
plows, furniture, shoes and confections.
Cabot Mfg. Co. mill c. 1908The town was site of the first cotton
mill in Maine, the Brunswick Cotton Manufactory Company, built in
1809 to make yarn. Purchased in 1812, the mill was enlarged by the
Maine Cotton & Woolen Factory Company. In 1857, the Cabot
Manufacturing Company was established to make cotton textiles. It
bought the failed Warumbo Manufacturing Company and expanded the
brick factory along the falls. Needing even more room, the company
in 1890 persuaded the town to move Maine Street.
Brunswick today has a number of historic districts recognized on
the National Register of Historic Places, including the
Pennellville Historic District, to preserve shipbuilders' and sea
captains' mansions built in the Federal, Greek Revival and
Italianate architectural styles. Principal employers for Brunswick
include Naval Air Station Brunswick, L.L. Bean, Bath Iron Works, as
well as companies that produce fiberglass construction material and
electrical switches. A number of health services providers serving
Maine's mid-coast area are located in Brunswick.
The book Uncle Tom's Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe
while she was living in Brunswick because her husband was a
professor at Bowdoin. She got a key vision for the book in the
First Parish Church. A scene in the 1993 movie The Man Without a
Face was filmed in the town.
I don't know is it should be called a two way or three way tie for
the FTF.? Congratulations Pwcachu and Doolittle, Working as a team,
And to S-Ray For the FTF'S