Happy 199th Birthday to the State of Maine! On March 15, 1820, Maine officially became the 23rd state in the Union. Now in the song, “Portland, Maine,” Tim McGraw may have sung, “Portland, Maine, I don’t know where that is, And I don’t want to know,” but he’s missing out on a lot of fun facts about our favorite state!
For example, early explorers certainly knew where Maine was located. Bartholomew Gosnold explored the Maine coast in 1602, seeking a suitable location for a British colony and making his first landfall at Cape Elizabeth. A few years later in 1607 there was an attempt to establish the first permanent English settlement in the New World in the area now known as Popham Beach. However, as opposed to their contemporaries who settled Jamestown, Virginia that same year, things didn’t go quite as planned for the brave men of Maine. Let’s just say these early inhabitants would have agreed with Tim McGraw’s lyrics of “leave your bags in the car, keep it running,” because by 1608 they were back on their ships headed for England. However, one of those ships they left on had the distinction of being the first British vessel constructed in North America.
Although people continued to settle in Maine, we have to wait until 1647 for the first official incorporated town. Sorry McGraw, that wasn’t Portland, either. That honor goes to Kittery, followed by York in 1652. Now it is understandable though as to why McGraw is confused in his 2014 hit country song, “Portland, Maine.” That’s because before finally settling on Portland, that area had three other names. It was called Machigonne by the Algonquin Indians who first inhabited the area around Casco Bay. Then the English remained it Casco, followed by Falmouth. Finally in 1786, the citizens of Falmouth formed a separate town in Falmouth Neck and named it Portland. No wonder McGraw has no idea where his girlfriend was moving to in this song!
Luckily Tim McGraw’s sad breakup song is not the official state song of Maine. That honor goes to the toe tapping “State of Maine Song,” written by Roger Vinton Snow, and adopted as the official state song in 1937. So as we gear up to celebrate Maine’s birthday, we leave you with the lyrics of our favorite state’s song!
Grand State of Maine, proudly we sing
To tell your glories to the land
To shout your praises till the echoes ring
Should fate unkind send us to roam
The scent of the fragrant pines,
The tang of the salty sea will call us home.
Oh, Pine Tree State
Your woods, fields and hills
Your lakes, streams and rockbound coast
Will ever fill our hearts with thrills
And tho’ we seek far and wide
Our search will be in vain
To find a fairer spot on earth
Than Maine! Maine! Maine!
