Brunswick, Maine: A Coastal Gem

Brunswick, Maine is a charming town nestled at the north end of Casco Bay, where the Androscoggin River meets the sea. With a rich history dating back to the early 17th century, Brunswick was once inhabited by indigenous peoples before European settlers arrived in the late 1600s. The town was formally established in 1717, named after the House of Brunswick, the ruling family of King George I of Great Britain. Located in Cumberland County, Brunswick is part of the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan area and is known for its vibrant culture, waterfronts, and shipbuilding heritage. The town boasts a thriving arts scene, a designated Main Street Community, and a convenient Amtrak station with connections to Portland and Boston. Brunswick is also home to Bowdoin College, which has shaped the town's development and intellectual atmosphere. With a population of over 20,000 people, Brunswick offers a blend of historical charm, natural beauty, and cultural attractions, making it a captivating destination in the heart of Maine.

Brunswick's location on the Androscoggin River

Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, in the United States. It is located at the north end of Casco Bay and is considered a quintessential college town, with Bowdoin College sitting at its heart. The town is also home to the Maine State Music Theatre and the Maine State Music Trail.

Brunswick is situated on the Androscoggin River, which separates it from the neighbouring town of Topsham. The Androscoggin River is one of the largest rivers flowing into Merrymeeting Bay. It flows south from Umbabog Lake to Gorham, New Hampshire, then east to Jay, Maine, before finally turning south again to empty into the Gulf of Maine. The river's name comes from the Eastern Abenaki term /aləssíkɑntəkw/ or /alsíkɑntəkw/, meaning "river of cliff rock shelters".

The Androscoggin River has a rich history. Historically, it was one of the most polluted rivers in the nation due to discharges from textile and paper mills, which inspired the Clean Water Act of 1972. Today, the river is much improved and is known for its fishing, hunting, and boating facilities. It provides important habitats for wildlife, including bald eagle and great blue heron nesting sites, and offers great recreational opportunities for boating and fishing.

The Androscoggin Brunswick-Topsham Riverwalk is a 1.25-mile recreational loop that links the Frank J. Wood Bridge to the historic Androscoggin Swinging Bridge along the river in both Brunswick and Topsham. The Androscoggin River Bike and Walking Trail is another popular attraction, offering scenic overlooks and a pedestrian and bicycle connection between the two towns.

The town's Amtrak station

Brunswick, Maine, is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, in the United States. It is served by Amtrak's Downeaster train service, which terminates at the Brunswick Maine Street Station. The station is located on Maine Street, in the heart of the town, just steps away from downtown and the Bowdoin College campus. It is also within walking distance of Inns, the retail district, and other attractions. The town's Visitor Center is located adjacent to the train platform and is open daily from 9:45 am to 4:00 pm.

The Brunswick Maine Street Station is part of a multi-modal, multi-use real estate development, consisting of commercial offices, service centers, healthcare facilities, retail stores, restaurants, theatres, and residential spaces. The development is split into two sides—the "West" and "East"—with the former consisting mostly of residential spaces and some retail, and the latter consisting mostly of commercial and retail spaces, with some apartments. The passenger train station is located on the east side.

The Downeaster train platform is outdoors and accessible for all arrivals and departures. The Amtrak self-service ticketing kiosk, restrooms, and other passenger services are available in the Visitor's Center. Limited parking for Downeaster patrons is available across the street from the train platform, with a parking fee of $2.00 per 24-hour period. However, ample free parking can be found at the Cedar Street Park and Ride.

The Brunswick Link provides public transit service from the Brunswick Visitor Center throughout the town. Additionally, the METRO Breez provides daily express bus services between the Visitor Center, Freeport, Yarmouth, and the Portland Transportation Center.

Bowdoin College

Brunswick, Maine, is a quintessential college town, home to Bowdoin College, which was founded in 1794. Bowdoin is a private liberal arts college, with a total undergraduate enrolment of 1,915 students as of Fall 2022. The college offers 35 majors and 40 minors, as well as several joint engineering programmes with prestigious institutions like Columbia, Caltech, Dartmouth College, and the University of Maine.

The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River in Brunswick, covering 207 acres (some sources state 215 acres) and including 120 buildings. The campus features the college's oldest building, Massachusetts Hall, as well as the Parker Cleaveland House and the Harriet Beecher Stowe House. Bowdoin also owns a 118-acre coastal studies centre on Orr's Island and a 200-acre scientific field station on Kent Island in the Bay of Fundy.

The college's athletic teams are known as the Bowdoin Polar Bears, with a mascot chosen to honour alumnus Robert Peary, who led the first successful expedition to the North Pole. The college offers over 30 varsity sports and was a founding member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Bowdoin has over 100 student organisations, including the Outing Club, which is one of the largest and most active groups, offering around 150 excursions each year. The college's student newspaper, *The Bowdoin Orient*, is the oldest continuously published college weekly in the United States.

The college's dining services have been ranked highly, with The New York Times commenting, "If it weren't for the trays, and for the fact that most diners are under 25, you'd think it was a restaurant." Bowdoin uses food from its organic garden in its two main dining halls, and each academic year starts with a lobster bake outside Farley Fieldhouse.

Notable alumni of Bowdoin College include:

• Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the United States
• Nathaniel Hawthorne, novelist
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet
• Robert Peary, explorer
• Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix
• William Cohen, former US Secretary of Defense and US Senator
• Paul Adelstein, actor

Harriet Beecher Stowe, resident and author

Beecher Stowe and her family rented the Greek Revival-style home from 1850 to 1852. During this time, she wrote 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' in chapters that were published in the 'National Era' in Washington, DC. Stowe was a supporter of the Underground Railroad and, during her time in Brunswick, she sheltered John Andrew Jackson, a fugitive slave from South Carolina. Beecher Stowe's novel, 'Uncle Tom's Cabin', is said to have been inspired by a vision she had at the First Parish Church in Brunswick.

The Harriet Beecher Stowe House is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 12 pm to 4 pm, from June through October. Visitors can expect to see period furniture in the writing room, including a beautiful fireplace with hand-painted glass trim panels on the mantel. The mantel was added after the Stowes moved away. The house also features information panels on the walls detailing the history of the family and their time in Brunswick.

The town's history

Brunswick, Maine, is a town in Cumberland County, United States. It is located at the north end of Casco Bay and is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The town was settled in 1628 by Thomas Purchase and other fishermen, who called the area by its Indian name, Pejepscot, meaning "the long, rocky rapids part [of the river]". In 1639, Purchase placed his settlement under the protection of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

During King Philip's War in 1676, Pejepscot was burned and abandoned, but a garrison called Fort Andros was built on the ruins during King William's War. In 1713, the Treaty of Portsmouth brought peace to the region between the Abenaki Indians and the English colonists. A year later, a consortium from Boston and Portsmouth bought the land, naming it the Pejepscot purchase. In 1717, the Massachusetts General Court constituted the township, naming it "Brunswick" in honour of King George I.

Brunswick was burned again in 1722 by Abenaki warriors, and was subsequently rebuilt and incorporated as a town in 1739. It became a prosperous seaport, with a thriving lumber industry and as many as 25 sawmills. It was also the site of the first cotton mill in Maine, the Brunswick Cotton Manufactory Company, built in 1809.

Brunswick is also known for its cultural, religious and artistic significance, particularly with the founding of Bowdoin College in 1794. The college was chartered in 1794 and became a hub for cultural and intellectual pursuits. The town is also famed for its residents, including authors Harriet Beecher Stowe and Robert P. T. Coffin, Civil War general Joshua L. Chamberlain, poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and president Franklin Pierce.

Brunswick has a rich history and has been designated a Main Street Community. It is served by several transport links, including Amtrak's Downeaster train service, which connects the town to Portland and Boston.

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