Downtown Bangor Maine Walking Tour

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1. The Bangor Public Library and the Great Fire of 1911 Historic District

Located in the Center of the “Great Fire of 1911 Historic District” of Bangor, Maine lies the Bangor Public Library. Active to this day in multiple capacities, the Bangor Public library is a fantastically preserved piece of Bangor’s history from a period that was largely lost to fire. The Great Fire Historic District contains a number of other surviving structures as well, though none are quite as prolific as the library itself, which houses historic art and documents in its spacious halls. The history of each notable building and structure within the district, including the library, is explored in full below.

2. University of Maine Museum of Art

The University of Maine Museum of Art is located on the first floor of Norumbega Hall in downtown Bangor. It was established as the University of Maine Art Collection in 1946 by Vincent Hartgen, who served as its first curator (he was also a faculty member). Thus far, it is the only museum in Maine to have a permanent art collection. The collection, which focuses on contemporary art, amounts to over 3,800 works of art. Artists in the collection include those by Any Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Edward Hopper and many by Maine artists. The downtown location enables the museum to serve as fine arts center. As such, it offers art camps for children, special events, family programs, adult education classes, and other programs.

3. Hannibal Hamlin Statue

Erected in 1927 in Kenduskeag Stream Park, this statue commemorates the life of Maine resident Hannibal Hamlin who served as Abraham Lincoln's Vice President. Hamlin began his political career in the Maine House of Representatives before being elected to first the House of Representatives in Washington D.C. and then the Senate. In the Senate, Hamlin changed to the Republican Party and was put on the 1860 ballot for Vice President alongside Abraham Lincoln. Hamlin eventually returned to Bangor, Maine, after a long political career, where he died in 1891. The statue is accompanied by a historical marker.

4. Maine Discovery Museum

The Maine Discovery Museum is the largest located children's museum in New England beyond Boston. The movement to create a children's museum in Bangor began with a public forum in 1997. With public and private support, the museum opened in 2001

5. Charlie Howard Memorial

Charlie Howard and companion Roy Ogden were walking near this bridge when they were attacked by three teenagers on the night of July 7, 1984. The teenagers harassed the two men simply because they were homosexual. They chased and beat Charlie Howard and threw him over the State Street Bridge despite his pleas for mercy and despite Howard telling the three young men that he could not swim. Howard's body was recovered hours later and news of the murder galvanized gay and straight residents throughout Bangor. The Bangor city council approved a memorial for Howard in 2007. When vandals desecrated the monument in 2009 and again in 2011, residents of Bangor again came together to stand against intolerance through demonstrations and the restoration of the monument. One of the three young men, now an adult who lives in Bangor, regularly speaks out about the consequences of intolerance and his fateful actions that led to Howard's death-something he thinks about every day.

6. All Souls Congregational Church

All Souls Congregational Church of Bangor, Maine is a grand church that sits in the center of the city on one of Bangor’s busiest roads. It was constructed in 1911 to designs by nationally respected architect Ralph Adams Cram. The church is a Latin cross with a unique roof design that gives it characteristics of ship churches in England. It is one of a small handful of buildings that retains its original style on the road, surrounded by modern buildings such as gas stations and groceries. Another historical building, John Bapst Memorial High School, stands a short distance down the road.

7. Congregation Beth Israel

Built in 1912, this Temple is home of Maine's oldest, continuously functioning Jewish congregation. A conservative congregation, Beth Israel was founded in 1888. This is the second synagogue belonging to the congregation. The first one was built in 1907 but was destroyed in the great Bangor fire of April 30, 1911. The congregation got work on the current structure and completed it in 1912. Beth Israel was an orthodox congregation until 1948 when it adopted the changes of the conservative movement.

8. John Bapst Memorial High School

Established as a private Catholic school on the 10th of September in 1928, John Bapst Memorial High School serves as a living monument to the history of the city of Bangor, Maine. The school was named after Jesuit missionary Johannes Bapst, whose work was central to the growth of Catholicism in Bangor. While the school was once restricted to men, it was closed and subsequently reopened in 1980 as a non-sectarian school open to all. Since that time, the school has continually grown in size and became a residential school with an international student body by 2011. As of 2017, the school houses approximately 50 international students from all over the world. The school is best-known locally for its award-winning teachers and its regular community art events including art exhibits and theater performances.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Downtown Bangor Maine Walking Tour

Created by James Ransby on February 11th 2020, 3:30:46 am.

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Description

This short walk through Bangor starts at the city's central library and includes the Maine Discovery Museum as well as a monument to the city's most famous resident, Hannibal Hamlin who served as Lincoln's Vice President during the Civil War. The tour includes a memorial to Charlie Howard, the victim of a tragic hate crime, as well as stops at some of Bangor's most important civic landmarks and historic buildings.

Entries on This Tour

Downtown Bangor Maine Walking Tour

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