Bangor Historical Society

08/30/2026

Did you know?
From the Bangor Jeffersonian. December 3, 1861.

08/29/2026

Behind the scenes of the Hill House!
This chandelier was added to the front parlor during one of the renovations of the Thomas A. Hill House in the 1840's. They were originally gas lamps but have since been electrified. The pattern of the chandeliers is called “Morning Glory.”
To continue supporting the Bangor Historical Society, visit our website and learn more about becoming a member.

https://bangorhistoricalsociety.org/membership/

08/28/2026

Did you know?
This Hammond Street residence was built in 1893 by noted architect Wilfred E. Mansur. Known as the Francis B. Denio House, it was originally the faculty residence for the Bangor Theological Seminary.

08/26/2026

Tickets for our upcoming tours will be available for public purchase at noon on Friday, August 28th:
-Soldiers at Rest: A Civil War Walking Tour of Mount Hope Cemetery, scheduled for Saturday, September 19th, at 10am.
-Ghostly Bangor walking tours throughout October.
-A special History in Focus: The Brady Gang scheduled for Saturday, October 24th, at 10am.
We will have purchase links on our website available at that time.

Not a member and want early access to purchase tickets? Visit the link below and become a member today!

Membership & Corporate Partnerships Preserve. Protect. Promote. The Bangor Historical Society (BHS) is a 501(c)3 member based organization. BHS is susta ...

08/26/2026

Did you know?
Jonathan F. Parkhurst founded his trunk manufacturing business at 281 Main Street in 1866. His son, Frederick, would join him in 1881 and the company would be incorporated in 1892.
One of New England's top trunk producers, J.F. Parkhurst & Son Company sold 50 styles of trunks in 3-4 sizes per style.
With 175-200 employees, the company was Bangor's largest employer in 1910.
The Main Street location grew to include 12 buildings and occupy the block between Barker and Rowe Streets (Rowe Street no longer exists).
Frederick Parkhurst was elected Governor in 1920, but died in office in 1921.
Pictured: J.F. Parkhurst and one of the company buildings.

08/24/2026

Did you know?
Roller skating competitions were very popular in Bangor. In fact, 1,000 spectators packed the Bangor Auditorium in 1905 when the "craze" launched in Bangor. The sport had come and gone in the city since the 1880s. At one time or another rinks were found in Norombega Hall, Union Hall and Bangor City Hall. (Photo: two unknown roller skating champions from Bangor)

08/23/2026

Did you know?
This Harthorn Avenue Colonial Revival house, built in 1932, was first home to Harry J. and Marceline M. (Bouley) Dowd and family.
A native of Massachusetts, Harry was state manager for vacuum cleaner Air-Way Corporation. Sons Harry Jr. and Richard also worked for the firm while in Bangor.
In the early 1920s, the family lived in Fort Kent where Harry had a photography business. They then moved to Portland and Harry worked for Air-Way.
After a few years in Bangor, the family moved to Old Orchard Beach and then to Biddeford while Harry continued working in sales.
In 1961 at Old Orchard Beach, Harry died at age 83, and Marceline died in 1963 at age 77

08/22/2026

Did you know?
This home on Birch Street was built around 1875 and first owned by David Jordan, a "truck man". He lived there with his second wife, Matilda and their combined family of 5 children.
David died in 1893 but one of his sons, David N. Jordan, would continue to live in the home with his own family. The younger Jordan was a retail grocer and horse dealer.

08/20/2026

A BIG Thank You to everyone who joined us at Mount Hope Cemetery Corp. Bangor, Maine last night! We can't thank our sponsors enough for their support. Thank you Cross Insurance , Maine Trailer, Inc., United Technologies Center (UTC), , Hannaford Supermarkets, and Pepsi for helping make this a great event every year. Thank you, The Emporium Spooky Goods & More LLC, for bringing the spookiness. Thank you, FUSION:Bangor, the Maine Black Bears, and everyone else who volunteered to make this event successful. The biggest thank-you of all goes to Mount Hope Cemetery Corp. Bangor, Maine , for allowing us to continue hosting this amazing event in your beautiful cemetery.

We also want to thank the 50/50 winner for donating their winnings back to the BHS. Thank you for being so generous and supporting local history!

Tag your pictures of the event in the comments.

Don't forget to stop by the Thomas A. Hill House to see our Words That Made A Nation: Maine, the Declaration, and the War for Independence exhibit. We are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm.

08/19/2026

Our showing of IT tonight(8/19) in Mount Hope Cemetery will be going on as planned. It's time to bring your yellow raincoats and prepare for a chance of showers and clearing skies this evening.

The buses will depart UTC starting at 6pm and the last bus leaving at 730pm.

We all float here, right?