Stephen Longfellow II (1728-1790) added diary entries throughout the year 1775 to his copy of Bickerstaff’s “Boston Almanack.” In October, Longfellow added six entries. Most entries were rather mundane, listing corn quantities and the activities of a person named Nathan or Nathaniel. On Oct. 10, however, the entry reads “Falmouth burnt by the Kings Troops.” A very subtle entry for the burning of Falmouth by Capt. Henry Mowat for an act that devastated the town, including the destruction of Longfellow’s own home. While Longfellow himself resided in Gorham at the time, family members lived in his house destroyed at Falmouth.
In commemoration of Maine’s bicentennial this year, The Forecaster is featuring historical highlights and artifacts from our communities’ past 200 years. This feature can be found in print and online every other week.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less