After many years of being a district of Massachusetts, Maine earned its independence and became the 23rd state in 1820. Portland served as capital until the current state house in Augusta was completed in 1832. Augusta was designated capital in 1827 but was not chartered as a city until 1849. The entire state house was recently restored and modernized.
The statue atop the State House is of Wisdom, a Greek goddess. She represents mercy, fairness and strength. It was designed by sculptor W. Clark Noble of Gardiner.
The United States Department of the Treasury selected a foundry in France to cast 55 full-sized replicas of the Liberty Bell. States and territories of the United States each received a bell as a gift to be displayed and rung on special occasions. Maine's is located out of the rear entrance and to the right.
The House of Representatives consist of 151 members; one each from the 151 representative districts. Two non-voting members also exist; they represent the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy tribe.
The Senate consists of 35 senators. One each from the 35 senatorial districts. Each senator serves a two year term and is limited to four consecutive terms.
Baxter was a member of the Main House of Representatives and then a member of the Senate. He was Senate President in Pro-Tempe in 1921 and became governor on the death of Governor Frederic H. Parkhurst; he did ran for governor and served another term.
He was the main force behind the development of Katahdin ("Greatest Mountain" in the Penobscot Indian language) as a state park. It was named Baxter in his honor. He was also responsible for setting Mackworth Island aside as a legislated bird sanctuary.
One of four dioramas by Klir Beck located in the tunnel connecting the State House and the Cross Office Building. There is one diorama for each season. This is the winter diorama: The winter scene contrasts two of Maine's commonly seen animals. The huge bull and cow moose, breaking through crusty snow on a long walk out of the deep woods, startle a small snowshoe hare that peers from its den.
The State Library of Maineis dedicated to serving library patrons and supporting the state's public libraries.
The State Museum mandates are to collect, preserve and exhibit Maine's cultural and natural history.
"In 1982, ten year old Samantha Smith wrote a letter to Yuri Andropov, the leader of the Soviet Union asking, "Why do you want to go to war with the United States?" Mr. Andropov's reply to that letter, his invitation for Samantha to visit, and her subsequent trip with her parents to the Soviet Union, began a personal dialogue between the peoples of the Soviet Union and the United States that many believe contributed to the thaw in the dangerous Cold War of the late 20th Century.
Samantha's untimely death at age 13 in an airplane accident was mourned by adults and children world wide. Maine is proud of her native daughter and we remember the message she taught us: One child can play a powerful part in bringing peace to the world."
This statue dedicated in 2001 honors the young men of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). From 1933 t 1942 they changed the face of Maine by building parks, roads, trails, forests and citizenship, leaving a lasting legacy to the conservation of natural resources for which all citizens of Maine owe a debt of gratitude.
This memorial is located across the street from the capitol in Capitol Park. Of Maine's 16,000 Viet Nam veterans, 322 died and 18 are listed missing in action.
The memorial is two steel triangles with cutout silhouettes of two soldiers supporting a third between them on one of the triangles. The sign states "For those who fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know."
