Hype for the Future 64G: Town of Brunswick, Maine

Introduction

The Town of Brunswick effectively represents the northern end of Cumberland County, Maine, directly across the Androscoggin River from the Town of Topsham in Sagadahoc County. Located near the Atlantic Ocean, the community of Brunswick is most notable for hosting Bowdoin College, part of the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium with Colby in Waterville and Bates in Lewiston.

Bowdoin College

Along with Colby and Bates Colleges in Waterville and Lewiston, respectively, Bowdoin College represents a significant private institution located within the State of Maine. Though each of the colleges are fairly similar in relatively suburban campus form, with historic features similarly associated with the three clearly distinct institutions, only Bowdoin is included within the Six Colleges, along with five other significant elite private institutions: Amherst, Carleton, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Williams. Though Bowdoin hosts the Bowdoin College Museum of Art on campus, as is the case with Colby and Bates Colleges further north, Bowdoin College also hosts the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum.

Off Campus

Just outside the official Bowdoin College campus limits is the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum for his Civil War service at Gettysburg and his association with the college as well as the historic Brunswick Hotel directly opposite Noble Street. The Pejepscot History Center is also of significance within the community, and the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge to the northwest intends to separate the community from the Town of Topsham in Sagadahoc County over the river.

Geography

The Town of Brunswick is located near the northern end of the Casco Bay, with associated islands being home to the East Brown Cow, the Halfway Rock Lighthouse, the Eagle Island State Historic Site, and associated attractions. Also located relatively nearby within Casco Bay are the Little Whaleboat and Pettingill Islands, as well as Battery 202; South Point and Griffin’s Cove on Cliff Island; and the seasonal Museum of Chebeague History on Chebeague Island.

Hype for the Future 64E: Sagadahoc County, Maine

Introduction

Sagadahoc County is the smallest county in the State of Maine by land area, with the largest community at Topsham and the county seat at Bath. Within the county, the Androscoggin Swinging Bridge is a recreational swinging bridge located along the river between the communities of Topsham to the north and Brunswick to the south. Topsham is located in Sagadahoc County, though the City of Brunswick, home to Bowdoin College and the associated Bowdoin College Museum of Art and Perry-MacMillan Arctic Museum, is located within the northernmost portion of Cumberland County along U.S. Route 1, still a significant distance north of Portland.

Sagadahoc Attractions

Though Sagadahoc has no significant urban attractions nor amenities as the community of Topsham is primarily residential, the southern part of the City of Bath is home to the Maine Maritime Museum while the even more southern Town of Arrowsic is home to Squirrel Point Light and the Town of Phippsburg is home to a notable historic site related to the old Popham Colony related to modern Maine. From the Fort Popham State Historic Site, ferry service may occasionally provide access to the Pond Island Lighthouse and, more directly, to the Seguin Island Light Station. The East Brown Cow is located within Cumberland County, and as such, the island attraction shall not be identified as part of Sagadahoc.