A vivid reconstruction of a once-vibrant African American community in northern New England.

Few New England cities have changed as much as, Bangor has in the twentieth century. Much of Bangor's, downtown burned to the ground in the Great Fire of, 1911, and disastrous flooding in 1902, 1923, and 1936, inflicted extensive damage along the Penobscot River, and Kenduskeag Stream. Even more devastating, in the, eyes of historians, were the losses due to Urban Renewal,, like the Union Station (1961) and the Bijou Theater, (1974). But Bangor survives with its early charm and, appeal remarkably intact. Familiar friends and places are, represented in this book, alongside the glorious landmarks, and familiar personalities of yesteryear., In this fascinating second volume, Richard R. Shaw has, carried his devotion to Bangor history a step further, this, time focusing on the twentieth century. Key events and, people of all walks of life are featured--librarians, firemen,, cops, even visiting dignitaries like Harry Truman, Eleanor, Roosevelt, and Jack Benny. Contemporary folk, like, novelist Stephen King, Bangor's spookiest and best-known, resident, are abundantly pictured. Included are nearly 200, rare images from every decade of this century, with an, emphasis on the pivotal World War II years when the city, went all out to win the war on the homefront.,

On April 30, 1911, a fire ignited in Frank Greens hay shed that changed the city of Bangor forever. From the ashes of the Great Fire, the logging and mill town emerged as a modernized metropolis. In this collection of retrospective articles, Wayne E. Reilly takes a look at the town of Bangor in the years before the fire, when illegal barrooms and brothels were as rampant as the outbreaks of typhoid and smallpox. He explores Bangor in its boomtown days, when ice harvesting and logging were thriving industries, steamboats ferried passengers between cities and a lively theatre scene drew audiences to see the little Broadway in the Great North Woods. One look through this vibrant window into the past will leave you with your nose pressed to the glass, nostalgic for the olden days of Maines Queen City.

Since its settlement in 1769, Bangor's greatest resource has been its people. Long before 1834, when the town on the Penobscot became a city, future legends were born who transformed it into a world-class community. Hannibal Hamlin served as Abraham Lincoln's first vice president. Timber tycoon Sam Hersey financed urban development while less affluent folk such as Molly Molasses also made their mark. When philanthropists Stephen and Tabitha King are not writing best-selling novels, they are spreading their wealth throughout the community. Bangor's melting pot includes the Italian Baldacci family and the Jewish baker Reuben Cohen, who, with his wife Clara, raised their son Bill, a US senator and defense secretary. More infamous but equally legendary is brothel keeper Fanny Jones. Paul Bunyan earned a statue on Main Street. Airport troop greeters Kay Lebowitz and Bill Knight round out the list of notables. They are all jewels in Bangor's crown, and each in their own way is a bona fide legend.

The lighted clock tower of Union Station, the marquee of the Bijou Theater, and the spacious lobby of the Penobscot Exchange Hotel are memorable images from Bangor's past. Settled in 1769, Bangor boomed as the lumbering capital of the world in the nineteenth century and as a retail hub in the twentieth century. For one hundred years, picture postcards have showcased West Broadway's mansions and the steamboat and railroad terminals along the Penobscot riverfront. Bangor in Vintage Postcards includes images from the city's past, ranging from a World War I victory parade to the 1923 flood.