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Gale General OneFile
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Bangor History:
1900s |
April 30, 1911 is a day that forever
changed Bangor. That is the day of the great fire. It began in a hay
barn and because of high winds spread rapidly across the Kenduskeag
and in the nine hours it raged, it destroyed over 100 buildings and
285 residences. Most of the waterfront sawmills, warehouses and
icehouses were not rebuilt afterward.
A change had taken place; the old economies of lumbering and ice
were on the decline and these were being replaced by retail
businesses and numerous other small enterprises. Bangor never did
cultivate any new industries to replace the resource based ones. The
current Bangor Public Library and the Bangor High School were
rebuilt next to each other, on Harlow Street in 1912. In 1913,
Milton R. Geary graduated from the University of Maine and opened
his law practice in Bangor.
During World War I Bangor was represented in the ranks of the 103rd
Infantry 26th Division. In 1917 women’s suffrage appeared on the
ballot for the first time and it was overwhelmingly defeated. The
1918 influenza hit Bangor and over 1600 people contracted the virus
and over 100 died.
The Post-war years saw the influx of new technology in the Bangor
landscape and some new issues. Automobiles and the related parking
problem was the biggest change. In November of 1924, WABI began
broadcasting as the first radio station in the area.
The years of the depression did not hit Bangor as hard as some
cities. No banks closed and only a few businesses closed. An
airfield opened in the early 1920’s, and was visited by General
“Billy” Mitchell with fifteen Martin Bombers and eight fighters.
This landing field soon became Godfrey Field and scheduled air
service arrived in the 1930’s. Steamship service, however, did cease
in 1936 reflecting not only the effect of the depression, but also
the effect of the new and emerging modes of transportation
supplanting the old.
One day in October of 1937 one could find Central Street littered
with bodies. Federal Agents gunned down public enemy number one,
Al
Brady, and a couple of his associates after patronizing a local
gun shop. By 1940, Freeses, the largest department store in town
expanded even more.
During World War II the airfield became a large air base known as
Dow Field, which became the eastern end of the ferry route to
Europe. Again, as in previous national emergencies, Bangor
contributed her share of service personnel for the Second World War.
One hundred twelve did not return and are memorialized in the Bangor
Book of Honor at the Bangor Public Library.
In 1945, the Penobscot Interracial Forum held events celebrating
African American History opposing discrimination and insensitivity.
Following World War II, Bangor and Dow Field (later Dow Air Force
Base) played an important roll in the defense of North America
during the “Cold War,” as part of the “first line” of defense. Dow
AFB closed in1969 and the facility became the Bangor International
Airport.
During the Korean Conflict, the 132nd Fighter Squadron was activated
and a number of Bangor people served once again in a far off land.
In December of 1959, Bangor became the first city defended by
missiles with the installation of the first BOMARC at what is now
Bomarc Industrial Park. Bangor again sent her share of sons to fight
in the name of democracy to South East Asia during the 60’s and
70’s.
In 1960, John F. Kennedy visited Bangor on his campaign tour and
later was awarded an honorary degree at the University of Maine. In
the years following, the changes in Bangor have been gradual. Racial
conflict was a part of Bangor citizen's lives in the 60s. March 14,
1965, approximately 500 people marched to protest the denial of
civil rights to African Americans in Alabama.
The Interstate arrived in the mid 1950’s and the Bangor Mall opened
in 1978 changing the downtown area for good. In 1976 Bangor was once
again flooded, this time the area surrounding the Kenduskeag was
inundated and over 200 cars were stranded.
In 1991 Bangor was a center of the welcome home for troops returning
from the Gulf War. Crowds greeted the returning service persons as
they made their first stop on US soil at the Bangor International
Airport. In 1992 the first balloon race to Europe started here in
Bangor on September 17th, and in 1996, Bangor native and long time
congressman and Senator, William Cohen was selected to be Secretary
of Defense by President William Clinton. The final big event of the
20th Century happened in January of 1998 when the
great
ice storm hit. Bangor, and the whole North East, was shut down
and power was out for many businesses and residences from three days
to weeks.Continue
to read Bangor History in the 1500-1700s
or 1800s. |
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