Bangor: The Twentieth Century

Few New England cities have changed as much as, Bangor has in the twentieth century. Much of Bangor’s, downtown burned to the ground in the Great Fire of, 1911, and disastrous flooding in 1902, 1923, and 1936, inflicted extensive damage along the Penobscot River, and Kenduskeag Stream. Even more devastating, in the, eyes of historians, were the losses due to Urban Renewal,, like the Union Station (1961) and the Bijou Theater, (1974). But Bangor survives with its early charm and, appeal remarkably intact. Familiar friends and places are, represented in this book, alongside the glorious landmarks, and familiar personalities of yesteryear., In this fascinating second volume, Richard R. Shaw has, carried his devotion to Bangor history a step further, this, time focusing on the twentieth century. Key events and, people of all walks of life are featured–librarians, firemen,, cops, even visiting dignitaries like Harry Truman, Eleanor, Roosevelt, and Jack Benny. Contemporary folk, like, novelist Stephen King, Bangor’s spookiest and best-known, resident, are abundantly pictured. Included are nearly 200, rare images from every decade of this century, with an, emphasis on the pivotal World War II years when the city, went all out to win the war on the homefront.,