Bangor (City port of entry)

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

city, port of entry, and county-seat of Penobscot co., Me.; at the junction of the Penobscot and Kenduskeag rivers, on the Maine Central, and Bangor and Aroostook railroads; 140 miles N. E. of Portland. It is at the head of navigation on the Penobscot river; is divided into two parts by the Kenduskeag; and derives excellent power for manufacturing from the Penobscot river, by means of a dam near the water works. The city has direct connection with the Canadian Pacific railway, and also by steamers with New York, Boston, and important points on the New England coast. Water for domestic, fire, and small manufacturing purposes is also obtained from the Penobscot river by the Holly system. Bangor is one of the most important lumber centers in the country, and, besides its many saw, planing, and molding mills, has several wood-pulp mills, iron foundries, carriage factories, ship-building yards, agricultural implement works, boot, shoe and moccasin factories, pork packing establishments, etc. It is a trade center for five counties, and is connected by electric railway with their principal cities and towns. There several National are banks; daily, weekly, and monthly periodicals; and various educational and charitable institutions, the most important of which is the BANGOR THEOLOG- ICAL SEMINARY (q. v.). The site of the city, called by the Indians Kenduskeag, was visited by by the French, who erected a fort here, called Norombega, in 1656. The place was permanently settled in 1769; was incorporated as a town in 1791, and became a city in 1834. Pop. (1910) 24,803; (1920) 25,978.