Bath (see map at Sagadahoc County and Its Towns) is known as "The City of Ships;" a proud city with a lot of heritage and life.  Bath is ranked 17th Best Small City in America and is one of the most populated cities in Maine (approximately 10,000).

Bath was named for the famous watering place of English Avon - Bath, England.  For this name, the city is indebted to Dummer Sewell, Esq., Bath's first postmaster and a representative in the General Court.  Bath got its nickname from its long history of shipbuilding and fishing and the first ship ever built in the New World was constructed about 15 miles from Bath at the Popham Colony, the first attempt at a permanent settlement in the area in 1607 at the mouth of the Kennebeck River.  This settlement failed due to lack of leadership and harsh weather.  The surviving settlers sailed back to England the following year, some of them aboard the pinnace Virginia, the first seagoing vessel built in North America by Englishmen.

The area that now encompasses Bath, Maine, is believed to have been first inhabited by the prehistoric Red Paint people, then subsequently by the "People of the Dawn," the Abenaki Indian nation within the Algonquin group.  Viking explorers may have visited the Maine coast and rivers early in the eleventh century, followed later on by European fishing parties.  A progression of expeditions then occurred, each looking for wealth and a short passage to the Indies.  In 1605 Captain George Weymouth sailed along the coast and Samuel de Champlain went up the Kennebec River to the area that is present-day Bath.

Bath is situated on the Kennebec River (in Abenaki means "long level water") near the center of Sagadahoc County.  Woolwich and Arrowsic - both separated from Bath by the Kennebec River - bound it on the east; West Bath, Brunswich (in Cumberland County), Topsham, and Bowdoinham lie on the west - the latter two being separated from Bath by Merrymeeting Bay (see also Where is Merrymeeting Bay?); and West Bath and Phippsburg lie to the south.  The town lies on a long peninsula along the Kennebec River from north to south, is about five miles long and its average width is about 1-1/2 miles; hence, the oftentimes used nickname in the 1600s of "Longreach." 

During colonial times, Bath and other present surrounding towns (West Bath, Woolwich, Arrowsic, Five Islands) were referred to as The Parish of Georgetown.  Just at the time when Greene was campaigning against Cornwallis in the Carolinas, the Parish petitioned to be made a town and, in 1781, incorporated as Bath.  Bath was the first town incorporated after the new constitution of Massachusetts was adopted.  In 1844 the southwestern portion was set off as West Bath; in 1847 Bath received a city charter; and on the establishment of Sagadahoc County in 1854, Bath became the county seat.  Shortly thereafter, western residents of Bath formed West Bath, and in recent times, West Bath has become a municipality.

The Carlton Bridge, one of Bath's oldest landmarks, was built over 75 years ago, to permit trains to pass over the Kennebec River instead of being ferried across.  The Carlton Bridge's replacement is now completed and the old bridge is coming down.  It will probably (according to rumor and recent newspaper articles) be named The Sagadahoc Bridge for the county where it is located.

Every community along Maine's southern coast has its own tradition of shipbuilding and fishing; however, the best can be realized at Bath.  Of the many shipyards, the Percy & Small Shipyard was the last surviving one to build large wooden sailing vessels and its buildings.  With the acquisition of the Percy & Small Shipyard acreage on the south side of the City in 1971, the Maine Maritime Museum has preserved the State's shipbuilding heritage exactly as it was for hundreds of years.  In 1964 the Marine Research Society of Bath (formed in 1962) opened a storefront exhibit to the public.  In that same year, the Sewall House at 963 Washington Street was donated to the Society, which was reorganized as the Bath Marine Museum, and in 1989 became the Maine Maritime Museum.  The earliest recorded shipbuilding venture in Bath was in 1743 by Jonathan Philbrook and his sons, who built two vessels in the vicinity of present-day Lambard Street.  Another pioneer in the shipbuilding industry of Bath was Captain William Swanton, a soldier in the French wars, who served in the reduction of Louisburg in 1758.  In 1762 he established a commercial shipbuilding business and built a ship each year for 15 years, up to the year 1776.

The Bath Iron Works (affectionately called the "BIW"), Maine's largest private employer, is located in Bath and has been in business for over 100 years.  Originally named the Bath Iron Foundry, the BIW has a proud history of making seaworthy vessels for the U.S. Navy.  During WW-II, the BIW built more ships than the entire Japanese Navy had, launching a new ship every 17 days.  The BIW is currently constructing the Arleigh Burke Class Aegis Destroyers for the U.S. Navy.

Another eminent citizen, also engaged in shipbuilding and a great promoter of commerce, was William King, who later became the first Governor of Maine when Maine became the 23rd state admitted to the Union in 1820.  King also led the local militia during the War of 1812 with England.  Dummer Sewell (mentioned above) served during the American Revolution and when news came about the battles of Lexington and Concord, he led a group of men to North Bath to stop British workers from chopping down trees for British ship masts.

Bath has changed in many ways during its existence, but the community still cherishes its valuable heritages from the past.  The results of Bath shipbuilding can be seen throughout the City.  Self-guided walking and driving tours are available from Sagadahoc Preservation, Inc., (see below) that includes the Customs House (built in 1858), the Chocolate Church (built in 1847), and a visit to the Patten Free Library (built in 1889) where the Sagadahoc History and Genealogy Room, operated and maintained by the Bath Historical Society, is located.  This room contains an abundance of genealogical research materials and is used by researchers from the US and Canada.

Bath provided many of its sons (and daughters) to the defense of home and country.  Henry Wilson Owen in his History of Bath, Maine (pp 501-526, published by the Bath Area Bicentennial Committee 1976) provides an excellent accounting of military history for Bath beginning with the Second Parish Company, organized almost as early as the town itself, up through WW-I.  During the Civil War, Bath sent 765 soldiers to aid the Government in the preservation of the Union, of which 117 are known to have been lost; a monument was later erected to commemorate this sacrifice in the city park.

Old Bath Pictures

Received an e-mail 2 May 2001 from Dorothy Burns ([email protected]), who is sharing some old Bath pictures on Webshots http://community.webshots.com/album/6953972GcRASNjjUA  Dorothy also has a file on some of her Grandfather Marks and some of his fellow employees http://community.webshots.com/album/49457341pkuqhnbmF and some old class pictures http://community.webshots.com/album/5214525raLJCRrODF.  If you're from Bath, these photos are verrryy interesting.

Sagadahoc County, Maine	Sagadahoc County Courthouse Probate Office/Registry of Deeds 752 High Street Bath, ME 04530 (207) 443-8218 or [email protected]
Sagadahoc Preservation, Inc.	880 Washington Street (in Winter Street Center) P.O. Box 322 Bath, ME 04530
Bath City Hall	55 Front Street Bath, ME 04530 (207) 443-8332 or [email protected] Hours: Please call when planning a trip
Bath Cemeteries and Parks	1 Oak Grove Avenue Bath, ME 04530 (207) 443-8345 or [email protected] Hours: Please call when planning a trip
Bath Historical Society	Patten Free Library 33 Summer Street Bath, ME 04530 (207) 443-5141 Sagadahoc History and Genealogy Room Hours: Winter - M-Thu 12-4, Sat 12-4, closed Fri Summer - M-F 12-4, closed Sat (207) 443-5141 Ext 18 or [email protected]
Maine Maritime Museum	243 Washington Street Bath, ME 04530 (207) 443-1316 Hours: Open seven days a week (please check as hours may be seasonal).  Library open by appointment.
Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber	Information Center at 15 Commercial Street (in the Historic Train Station) Bath, ME 04530 Hours:    Sunday � Wednesday, 10 -4, Thursday � Saturday, 10-7, Memorial Day � Columbus Day (Approx)

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This Sagadahoc County Website was designed, created, and is maintained by Arlene L. Brown Ackermann.  Any comments or suggestions are welcomed and encouraged.

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Last updated: 16 May 2008