This evening the Jewish community of Bangor is celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the founding of its Hebrew School. For forty years there has been a sufficiently cohesive group of Jews in Bangor not only to maintain such a school, but also to change the methods and physical surroundings of the school in keeping with the developments in modern educa-tional methods as well as in relation to the community's growth and needs.
Beginning at 9:00 AM, May 31, the Book of Honor, in its special case, flag guarded, will be on perpetual display in the foyer of the Bangor Public Library, there to remain until other provision may be made. A page of the Book will be turned each day, God willing, forever. The title page of the Book reads "Bangor Remembers Her Sons Who Died for Victory, 1941-1945". Following pages which carry the speeches read during tonight's program, are 101 separate pages each one carrying the photograph and brief biography of a Bangor man who died for victory. Then follows a page carrying the names of nine Bangor men who died but of whom photographs were not available to the City in time for inclusion in the Book. Lastly comes a colophon page telling how and by whom the Book was made. The biographical pages are arranged in the order in which the men died. The photographs are of uniform size, enlarged or reduced from originals lent by relatives. All biographies are of identical length--fifty words--whatever the rank or grade of the man. Each biography gives the man's military record, his decorations, his schools, his civil occupation, and something of his personal interests, his serial or file number, his dates of birth and death, his rank, grade, or rating and his unit at death. The Book is entirely engrossed and illuminated by hand. It is bound by hand in the finest leather, gold tooled, and with the seal of the City and the insignia of the services on its cover. There is no other copy.
Foreword: It seems desirable for me to write down that most of my knowledge of the early life of Cliff Cottage has come directly from the letters of my grandfather Godfrey to his sons Frank and Fred whose full names were John Franklin Godfrey and George Frederick Godfrey. Some of my knowledge came directly from my father to me and some of it came to my brother as he had heard it from his parents. My grandfather, my father and my mother all wrote diaries which, together, give a real picture of their periods. Of course my own memories have been called on to a great extent but none of these sources could have produced a connected story if it had not been for the kindness of Mrs. Henry Elliott in helping me read old diaries as well as in copying and helping me reread and correct what I have gathered and tried to put into readable language. For all of her assistance I wish to express my gratitude.--A. G. Clifford
Bangor's proximity to the many and varied recreational centers of Eastern and Northern Maine, is many times a magnet in bringing conventions to the City. One-day side trips to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor and Mt. Desert Island will add to the enjoyment of a stay in Bangor, while a motor trip to Moosehead Lake, only 75 miles distant, will offer you scenic and panoramic views of Maine's wonderful advantages and resources. The opportunity for fishing trips to the many lakes within 50 miles of Bangor is ever present.
Bangor in an important tourist and recreational center. It is the gateway for toursists and vacationists to Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor and Mt. Desert Island, the Moosehead Lake and Mount Katahdin regions, to the many near-by seacoast resorts, to Aroostook and Washington Counties, to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and to Quebec and the famous Gaspe Peninsula.
Souvenir program of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to Bangor on May 20, 1941. Provides a brief biography of Eleanor Roosevelt, her schedule in Bangor, a snapshot of Bangor's civic organizations, and reprint of publicity that appeared in the Bangor Daily News and Bangor Daily Commercial.
Bangor at the confluence of the Penobscot and Kenduskeag Rivers, and at the head of tidewater, is site of the legendary City of Norumbega, which Champlain sought in 1604. Across the Penobscot from Bangor is the City of Brewer. In the surrounding territory are numerous cities and towns, which, with their agricultural communities, comprise a population of over 250,000. Among these are Orono, the seat of the University of Maine; Old Town, famous for canoes and Indian Island, the reservation of the Penobscot Tribe; Millinocket and its gigantic paper mill; Houlton, Fort Fairfield, Caribou, Fort Kent, and Presque Isle, of the great potato fields.
Facts, photographs, and anecdotes about Bangor's first century as a city, including reminiscences of several residents in their late nineties who witnessed Bangor grow from a small city to a logging industry metropolis.
Scrapbook consisting of newspaper clippings from a February 1934 issue of the Bangor Daily Commercial commemorating the first 100 years of Bangor, Maine, as a city. Features many historical narratives and photographs of Bangor sites and citizens.
One may follow the rugged coast farther East through the blueberry barrens into Washington County, the heart of the sardine and blueberry canning industry and the entrance to Canada. Again, one may turn North to the rich farming region of Aroostook, famous for its potatoes, forests and grain. Still another North road leads up the Piscataquis Valley to Mooschead Lake, the great fishing and hunting territory and the starting point of many canoe trips. To the West and North lead the highways to the White Mountains, the Rangeleys, Quebec and Montreal.
Regulations cover Vehicles in Motion; Right of Way; Speed of Vehicles; Stopping, Standing, and Turning; Control of Horses; Stealing Rides; Obedience to Police; and more.
"Ask the man who knows," and he will tell you that Bangor, Maine, is one of the liveliest, most energetic, most attractive cities in all New England. It is a good city to visit--easy to reach, by a pleasant run over good roads--and there are many and varied attractions around about the town to keep the visitor well entertained, even though his stay is of considerable duration. A lot of automobile parties have declared they have had "the outing time of their lives at Bangor, Maine"; it is logical, therefore, to believe that you and your party will find this widely popular recreation city well worth visiting.
Metropolis of Eastern Maine: As will be noticed, the present number of the Chamber of Commerce Journal of Maine gives considerable space to setting forth the attractions, the business enterprises and the schools of Bangor, which is fittingly called the metropolis of Eastern Maine. Long ago Bangor took a front place among the progressive cities of New England, and the disastrous fire of April 30, 1911, which burned over an area of fifty-five acres, destroying about three million dollars' worth of property, proved only a temporary setback. Bangor, to-day, shows many improvements over the city of four years ago. Larger and handsomer buildings, in the majority of cases, have replaced those that were burned, and the spirit, enterprise and indomitable energy of her citizens have continued unabated.
In Observance of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Publication of the Initial Issue of Bangor's First Newspaper, The Bangor Weekly Register by Peter Edes. Bangor House, Saturday, November Twenty-seventh Nineteen hundred and fifteen.
Transcription of a newspaper article published in the Bangor Daily Whig and Courier commemorating the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of Bangor as a city. Also includes transcriptions of obituaries for Charles P. Roberts, editor of the Bangor Evening Times during the Civil War and superintendent of Bangor schools in the late 1860s to 1877.
The important features of the revision of the present charter of the City of Bangor are, in the main, as follows: The elimination of the common council. Full appointive powers to the mayor. Provision for an auditor and purchasing agent. Initiative and Referendum. Recall. Provision for municipal ownership and control of public utilities. The Police Department. The Water Board. The Public Library and Hersey Fund.
Special issue focusing on the construction of new buildings in Bangor following the fire of April 1911. "The building record in Bangor for 1913 is particularly notable because of the completion of the magnificent Public Library and the splendid High School, these two superb edifices representing an investment considerably in exress of a half million dollars, while in beauty of design, splendor of execution and richness of furnishings they are worthy of a city nuch larger than Bangor and their equal cannot be found in Maine today."
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in Legislature assembled. The charter of the City of Bangor is hereby amended so that same shall read, as follows: Section 1. That the inhabitants of the Town of Bangor shall continue to be a body politic and corporate by the name of the City of Bangor, and, as such, shall have, exercise and enjoy all the rights, immunities, powers, privileges and franchises, and shall be subject to all the duties and obligations now appertaining to, or incumbent on said town, as a municipal corporation, or appertaining to or incumbent upon the inhabitants or officers thereof...
It is with combined pleasure and pride that we present to the Journal readers this month the story of Bangor, the Queen City of the East; a city coming out of her ashes more queenly than ever before. We say with pleasure and pride because it is a real pleasure to be able to speak well of friends, and Bangor and Portland are becoming closer friends as they become better acquainted, and too, the whole state viewed with pride the splendid "Maine spirit" evinced by the citizens of Bangor when they met the calamity of 1911, when some $4,000,000 worth of her best business and residential property melted away in a mighty conflagration. The writer was on the scene within twenty four hours of the incident and was much impressed by the buoyant spirit evident on all sides. As one man put it: "It is a severe loss but in the end is going to prove a mighty good thing for Bangor. lt is going to afford her a much-desired opportunity to develop a city-planning scheme which otherwise would have been impossible, and you are going to see a bigger, better and more beautiful Bangor come of these ashes than would have seemed possible two days ago.''
Sample paragraph: Bangor is recognized as one of the busiest and most progressive cities in New England. In no other eastern city does the so-called "western spirit" prevail to such an extent as in Bangor. The conflagration of 1911 which did damage to the amount of $4,000,000 has served to cement the common interests and Bangor is building and booming in a manner which has evoked wide commendation. The new Bangor will be even better and busier city than the old.
Article focusing on the damage and planned recovery from the April 30, 1911 fire in downtown Bangor. Includes maps and photographs. Author Fletcher Steele was one of the architects tasked with the post-fire recovery. Opening paragraph: Among the interesting reports that have been prepared on the subject of Civic Improvements during the last few years, the recommendations that were made for Bangor, Maine, are unique. On April 30, 1911, fifty-five acres, extending from the heart of the business district nearly to the outskirts of the city through a good residence district, was devastated by fire. One hundred business blocks, two hundred and eighty-five dwellings, the Library, High School, seven churches, and many magnificent trees, were swept away.
The Bangor Fire started in a hay shed on Broad Street, at 4:10 PM, Sunday, April 30, 1911. High wind carried burning brands diagonally across Kenduskeag Stream and ignited a shed in the rear of The Fairbanks Company, on Exchange Street, and almost at the same time one of the steeples of the Universalist Church on Center Street. In a few minutes the wooden buildings in the rear of Exchange Street were a furnace, the intense heat and flames from which, swept onward by the wind, fairly melted everything before them, leaping from one large block to another with great rapidity.
"April Thirtieth, Nineteen Hundred and Eleven, dawned clear and bright on the historic old city of Bangor. It was the first Sunday of the year to show signs of the joyousness of Spring and throughout the day hundreds of pleasure seekers thronged the streets. No sign of the coming catastrophe marred the happiness of the young or the contentment of the old. It was a day of beauty and the horror of its aftermath was beyond conjecture. Shortly after four o'clock in the afternoon an alarm of fire was nmg from Box 24, the origin of which will remain unaccountable, calling the fire department to the burning hay shed of ]. Frank Green on Broad street. Hundreds thronged to view the spectacle of the blazing building, little dreaming that from this small beginning a conflagration, covering an area of over sixty acres, would result. Chief Mason soon realized the danger of the situation on account of the high wind and sent in a call for the remainder of the fire apparatus. Several small fires in the immediate vicinity of the hay shed were quickly extinguished and it appeared to the casual observer that the fire was under control. Some of the people were leaving the scene of the Broad street blaze, when the sight of fire on Exchange street, in the building occupied by the Telephone Exchange, arrested their movements for a time."
