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Our Bowdoinham, ME real estate website provides a wealth of information for home buyers and home sellers. Below, you will find information on the history and culture of Bowdoinham as well as links to more detailed information such as demographics and schools. You may view a virtual tour, search homes for sale, and access information on different types of properties such as condos, farms, foreclosures, and vacation homes. This website will give you everything you need to buy or sell a home in Bowdoinham, ME.
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Bowdoinham ME Community Profile & History
Bowdoinham, Maine is a town in southern Maine. Nestled on beautiful Merrymeeting Bay, Bowdoinham was incorporated as the fourteenth town in the Province of Maine in September, 1762. Local traditions tell of settlers within the present limits of the Town as early as 1623, and there are records establishing settlers in the area in the late 1600s and early 1700s. Bowdoinham's first European settlers lived on the points of Merrymeeting Bay and on the western shores of the Kennebec and Abagadassett rivers. The early inhabitants were driven off by Indians several times before permanent footholds were established in the 1730s.
One of the earliest shipbuilding centers on the Kennebec River, Bowdoinham emerged as an industry leader by the 1850s. The first vessel built in Bowdoinham was launched in 1768, well before the American Revolution, and the last known vessel of any size was launched in 1912. In all, more than 250 vessels were constructed in Bowdoinham.
Bowdoinham Village, called Cathance Landing in the early days, wasn't settled until 1800. But the small landing developed very quickly into a bustling center for trade, providing the closest tidewater access for the inland towns of Lisbon, Bowdoin, Webster, and Lewiston.
By 1810, warehouses and mills lined both shores of the Cathance River. The bridge across the river to Topsham was built as a toll bridge, and the development of Patten's Woods -- soon to be "Brooklyn" -- was underway. Boarding houses, two hotels, and more than two dozen stores, businesses and manufacturing operations shared Main Street frontage with private homes, estates and churches.
Advances in the shipbuilding trades eventually made the ships of Bowdoinham obsolete, and the town that helped foster the state's shipbuilding industries had to stand aside helplessly and watch her master builders and seamen pack their tools and move to shipyards and towns with wider rivers and the ability to build ever bigger ships. By the 1870s, Bowdoinham reverted to what it had always been at the grassroots: a small, agriculturally-based community of self-sufficient farms. Residents raised market crops like apples, wheat, hay and potatoes.
Today, Bowdoinham takes great pride in its illustrious history and bountiful natural resources. The community has seen renewed growth in recent years, with an influx of commuters and retirees attracted by Bowdoinham's small-town ambiance and easy access to nearby cities.
Bowdoinham Maine Community Information
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Different financing alternatives are available depending on whether you are purchasing a single family, condo, multi-family, or investment property. Understanding the pros and cons of each may help you decide which option is the best for you. Speak to our buyer agent professionals and mortgage partners to understand and evaluate your options.