This week Asa’s World Tour of Maine is rolling down the river into Dresden. Settled in 1752 by French and German Huguenots, the settlement was originally called, Frankfort. Then it was renamed Pownalborough, after Governor Pownall, when it was officially incorporated as a town in 1760. Following the American Revolution, in 1794 the town received its current (and hopefully final) name of Dresden. However, Dresden was chosen not as a nod to the original German Huguenots who settled there, but because Lincoln County Probate Judge Jonathan Bowman “liked the sound of it.” Or at least that’s what the Gazetteer of the State of Maine (1886) claimed. However, since they didn’t give a source for this revelation, and considering the original settlers were German, we’re going with it is named for the town in Germany, for the sake of Asa’s World Tour of Maine.
Asa: I see from the sign that they have an active historical society here in Dresden. Is that where I’ll be performing for my world tour?
Chuck Billy: No, we’ll spare the members. But the fascinating history of Dresden is what brings us to this Maine town, specifically to visit the Pownalborough Court House. Built in 1761, this building served as a courthouse, tavern, and family home; as well as a post office, church, and…dance school!
Chuck Billy: Within these walls, in 1765 future president, John Adams, successfully argued a case for his client. Although in true Adams fashion, he complained in his journal about the trip to reach this remote courthouse, calling it “a very unpleasant excursion,”…”encumbered with the greatest number of trees,”…and not to mention the roads were rough, “where a wheel had never rolled from the creation.” But John Adams concluded, “This journey, painful as it was, proved much to my interest and reputation,” having earned him more work in Maine.
Asa: Perhaps John Adams should have traveled by water, which was how another notable visitor arrived at the Pownalborough Court House in 1775. Benedict Arnold stopped here on his way up the Kennebec River as part of his failed attempt to capture Quebec during the American Revolution.
Chuck Billy: Yes, if you notice, the front of this building faces the riverfront, which was the main means of transportation in the 1700s. This brings me to another reason why we are here today, to explore the approximately 3 miles of trails, some of which follows the riverbank of the Kennebec.
Chuck Billy: The trail also brings us to the final resting place for the families who called this building home over the centuries. In fact, the first occupant’s descendants lived in this building from 1761 through 1954, when it became the museum that it is today.
Chuck Billy: Today the Pownalborough Court House (23 Court House Road, Dresden) is maintained by the Lincoln County Historical Association. Tours of the house for humans are available 3 days a week from Memorial Day through Indigenous Peoples Day. Dogs are allowed to explore the grounds year round, as long as they are on-leash and cleaned up after. Speaking of exploring the grounds, Asa, come over here. I have something to show you.
Chuck Billy: This is a stock, which was used for punishment and public humiliation, by placing boards around the ankles and / or wrists. This is a replica of one used by the courthouse, and probably prior to that when Fort Shirley was built on these grounds in 1752.
Asa: If you’d like to visit the Pownalborough Court House in Dresden, Maine, and perhaps set me free from these stocks, go to LincolnCountyHistory.org. There you will also find more information on the fascinating history of this building. Tune in next week, for our next stop on Asa’s World Tour of Maine!
