Bowdoinham (see map at Sagadahoc County and Its Towns), located on Merrymeeting Bay and the Kennebec River, was named for Dr. Peter (or William) Bowdoin, a French refugee who came to America in 1685.  The following brief history is taken in part from an essay written by a local Bowdoinham student...

Bowdoinham was incorporated as the 14th 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 settlers lived on the points of Merrymeeting Bay and on the western shores of the Kennebec and Abagadassett Rivers.  Settlers occupied the area at various times and were driven off by Indians several times before permanent footholds were established in the 1730s.

In 1765, townspeople built a crude meetinghouse on ledges overlooking the Abagadassett River.  In 1775, however, all of the colonies were in the throes of a rebellion against the King, and the town's first church caught fire and burned to the ground, reportedly torched by Tories in the area who were still loyal to the Crown.  In its original charters, Bowdoinham included all of present-day Richmond and portions of present-day Topsham and Bowdoin.  Bowdoin was incorporated as a town in 1788, and Richmond -- called White's Landing in those days -- was set off from Bowdoinham in 1823.  Excluding a series of boundary disputes with Topsham over the Bay Road area of town -- then called Cathance Neck -- Bowdoinham town limits have remained essentially unchanged since the 1820s.

Bowdoinham was one of the earliest shipbuilding centers on the Kennebec River, and for several years around the 1850s, was a leader of that industry.  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 (known as 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 (present-day Sabbatus), and even 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.

For several decades, Bowdoinham rode its shipping industry to unparalleled prosperity. The town's population peaked with the 1850 census at 2,382.  The 1860s brought America to near-ruin during the Civil War, and Bowdoinham declined into a depression from which it never fully recovered.  Young men went off to war and settled in the south and west when the conflict ended.  Advances in the shipbuilding trades 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.  Bowdoinham's only bank was robbed in 1867, and much of the Town's remaining fortunes were wiped out.  More than $73,000 was taken and never recovered.

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 of apples, wheat, hay, and potatoes; they harvested fish and ice from the rivers; and wood from the forests, earning a decent -- if not extremely profitable -- living.  When the Kendall brothers came to town, their sheep-raising, grain, and fertilizer businesses spurred new industry.  This enterprise would rise with the fortunes of the state's agricultural tide, only to be squashed by the depression of the 1930s.

In 1902, on the evening of December 14, fire swept unchecked through the heart of the business district, destroying nearly all of it.  Fire struck again in March 1904, burning another section of Main Street.

"The History of the Town of Bowdoinham 1762-1912" by Silas Adams, which includes 100 photos, portraits, and an 1858 map, is the most definitive account ever published of this important Sagadahoc County community.  This book can be obtain from the Bowdoinham Historical Society, currently housed at Coombs School Municipal Building (Contact:  Wayne Dorr at (207) 666-8186), or from Picton Press.

Sagadaho County Courthouse	Probate Office/Registry of Deeds 752 High Street Bath, ME 04530
Bowdoinham Town Hall	Kim Sparks, Town Clerk [email protected] Pam Ross, Deputy Clerk 13 School Street Bowdoinham, ME 04008 (207) 666-5531  FAX: (207) 666-5532 Hours:  M-T-Th-F 8:30am - 4:00 pm, W 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Please call when planning a trip to verify Town Clerk's hours or to inquire about any charges for genealogical requests and certified documents.  Researchers should provide a self-addressed stamped envelope with any request for assistance. Click here for directions to Bowdoinham Town Hall.
Bowdoinham Historical Society	currently housed at Coombs School Municipal Building (Contact:  Wayne Dorr at (207) 666-8186).
Bowdoinham Library	13A School Street Bowdoinham, ME 04008 Phone: (207) 666-8405 Located on 2nd floor of town office Librarian: Beth French Library Hours:  Tuesday 10-noon, 2-5, 7-8; Wednesday 2-6; Friday 2-5; Saturday 10-3
Curtis Memorial Library	23 Pleasant Street Brunswick, Maine 04011 Phone: (207) 725-5242; FAX: (207)725-6313 email: [email protected] Library Hours -- Mon.-Thurs. 9:30-8:00; Fri. 9:30-6:00; Sat. 9:30-5:00 (June-Aug. til 1:00); Sun. 12:00-4:00 (June-Aug. closed)
Patten Free Library	home of the Sagadahoc History and Genealogy Room,located on the second floor of the new north wing of the library (handicapped accessible) 33 Summer Street Bath, Maine 04530 (207) 443-5141 Library hours:  Monday 10-5; Tues-Thurs 10-8; Friday 10-5; Saturday 10-5 (closed summer) Sagadahoc History and Genealogy Room hours:  Winter (Sept 18 - May 22) Mon-Thur 12-4pm; Saturday 12-4pm; CLOSED FRIDAY Summer (May 23 - Sept 16) Mon-Fri 12-4pm; CLOSED SATURDAY email: [email protected] Please call to verify hours of operation.

The Bowdoinham, Maine Weather page
Bowdoinham Deaths, by Doris M. Rowland, submitted by Robert L. Rowland.    10 Sep 2006

Please Adopt Me !!

I'm looking for someone who is keenly interested in the history and genealogy of Bowdoinham Township to assume responsibility of this Sagadahoc County, Maine GenWeb page.  Previous knowledge and skill in building and maintaining web pages is not a requirement; however, a basic knowledge of HTML coding and uploading via FTP (or other software) to a server would be very helpful.  Primarily, all it takes is a passion for the area of interest and genealogy in general to maintain the pages and extend a helping hand and direction to all those visitors seeking information.  There is a friendly and helpful community of GenWeb hosts who are always willing to offer direction, advice, and assistance.  Will you take on your ancestor's town and make it something more?

Please send me an e-mail at [email protected] if you would like more details on this opportunity.  The US/Maine/Sagadahoc GenWeb projects have grown only because many individuals volunteer to do a little bit to contribute to the whole.  We'd love to have you join us.

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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: 24 Apr 2007