Many who Calais claims as its own have made a mark in the wide world. They have founded large cities (Portland, Oregon by Francis Pettigrove), served as Abraham Lincoln’s representative at the Hague during the Civil War (James Sheppard Pike), … Continue reading
The Portland Penny The 1835 coin shown above is now in the possession of the Oregon Historical Society. The coin has an interesting history and may well have come from Calais where its owner, Calais native Francis Pettygrove, sometimes spelled … Continue reading
Main Street Calais about 1900 North Street to right, St. Croix Hotel to left The St. Croix Valley 100 years ago was a far different place than it is today. Calais, St. Stephen, Eastport and all the outlying communities had … Continue reading
Postcard circa 1920 We have had inquiries recently with questions about Milltown- is it part of Calais or a separate town, did it ever have its own government, police department, etc. and where does Calais end and Milltown begin? We … Continue reading
In days past Calais and St. Stephen was truly one community—everyone had close friends and/or relatives across the border which was crossed by the three bridges over the river shown above. Until the mid-‘50s the bridge at Ferry Point was … Continue reading
Calais Hospital Groundbreaking 1953 Tommy back row third from the left From the early 1930s until his death in a plane crash in 1973 Thomas DiCenzo was one of the most accomplished and successful businessmen in Calais history. Locally few … Continue reading
In an earlier article we covered a 1895 “Letter From Maine” written by HMT, no other identifying information, which described for the folks in his hometown of Shepherdstown West Virginia HMT’s trip from Shepherdstown West Virginia to Calais and his … Continue reading
If you had a nagging toothache back in 1847 you likely let it nag for as long as you could stand it, but as the pain worsened you would have scraped together 15 cents, a lot of money in 1847, … Continue reading
Ancestry.Com has recently added hundreds of national newspapers, some as early as 1820, to its site. This allows us to research the Bangor Daily News, the Bangor Whig and Courier and national newspapers for articles and other items of interest … Continue reading
Ernest Hemingway with officers of the International Brigade Spain 1937 The international news in 1937 was dominated by the civil war in Spain, with nearly daily reports of fierce battles, atrocities and political intrigue. Many Americans fought Franco’s forces in … Continue reading