Everyone in Maine has grieved for the people of Lewiston, and been inspired by their strength and dedication to their community over the past week, in the wake of the mass shooting there on Oct. 25. In honor of them and their resilience, here are seven of the most fascinating, fun and inspiring historical and factual tidbits to come out of the Lew.
Bates College’s trailblazing history
The first coeducational university in New England was the Maine State Seminary, founded in Lewiston in 1855 by local preacher Oren Burbank Cheney. It was also one of the first universities in the country to admit Black students. In 1863, business tycoon Benjamin Bates — for whom the city’s Bates Mill complex is named — donated a large sum of money to the school, which changed its name to Bates College and it became a liberal arts university. In 1865, the first woman to receive a college degree in New England graduated from Bates.
A seminal moment in labor rights
With a proud, working-class history, Lewiston was also the site of a seminal moment in New England labor rights history. In 1937, thousands of textile workers and shoemakers in Lewiston’s mills began to strike en masse, demanding better pay, working conditions and union representation. The strike was violently suppressed by Gov. Lewis Barrows, who called in the Maine Army National Guard at one point, resulting in an eventual loss for the workers. A year later, the Fair Labor Standards Act enshrined things like the minimum wage and overtime pay into federal law.
An inspiring sports story
In the late 1990s, thousands of Somali immigrants moved to Maine, the majority of whom settled in the Lewiston area. Though initially there was some racial tension, over the past decade the Somali-American community has thrived — exemplified by Lewiston High School’s boys soccer team, which won state championships in 2015 and 2017 with a roster composed of both Somali and white students. Their uplifting story about teamwork and understanding inspired both a documentary film and the book One Goal: A Coach, a Team, and the Game That Brought a Divided Town Together.
An infamous sports story
One of the most controversial and iconic fights in boxing history took place in Lewiston on May 25, 1965, between Muhammed Ali — then known as Cassius Clay — and Sonny Liston. After an upset in February in Miami Beach in which Ali won, a rematch was scheduled for Lewiston three months later at the Central Maine Youth Center, today known as the Androscoggin Bank Colisee. Ali took Liston down with one punch in the first round, with a so-called “phantom punch.” It was the only heavyweight title fight ever held in Maine, and a photo from it is one of the most iconic images in sports history.
Maine’s first Nobel Prize winner
A bridge over the Androscoggin River between Lewiston and Auburn is named for one of two Nobel Prize winners from Maine. The Bernard Lown Peace Bridge is named after Lown, who was born in Lithuania in 1921 but moved to Maine as a young teen, where he attended Lewiston High School. In 1985, Lown was one of the winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work with International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. The bridge was named for him in 2008. Lown died in 2021.
Maine’s favorite alcohol
A few years ago, Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey dethroned Allen’s Coffee Brandy as Maine’s most popular liquor. Many may not realize that much of the country’s supply of Fireball is bottled in Lewiston, at maker Sazerac’s bottling plant. After a 2017 expansion, in 2020 the plant began bottling the beloved booze 24 hours a day, and now employs 169 people.
Canada’s Mr. Rogers
Patrick Dempsey is the most famous entertainer to come out of Lewiston, but Ernie Coombs is a close second — at least, in Canada. Coombs was born and raised in Lewiston, and later attended North Yarmouth Academy a few miles down the road in Yarmouth. After assisting Fred Rogers on his original Pittsburgh TV show, Coombs helped Rogers develop an early version of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” on Canadian TV. Rogers moved back to the United States in 1965, but Coombs stayed north and eventually created “Mr. Dressup,” which ran for 29 years on the CBC, between 1967 and 1996. It was among the most beloved children’s television shows in Canadian history, for which Coombs, who died in 2001, was named a member of the Order of Canada. A documentary, “Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make Believe,” premiered on Amazon Prime this year.
