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Augusta is the capital of the State of Maine. It is located on the Kennebec River at the head of navigation or "head of the tide". As of the 2000 census, it had a population of 18,560. It is the county seat of Kennebec County. The center of population of Maine is located in Augusta [1]. History
The area was first explored by members of the ill-fated Popham Colony in September 1607. It was first inhabited by English settlers from the Plymouth Colony in 1625 as a trading post. The settlement was located on the Kennebec River at highest tidal eddy. Around that time, it was known by the Indian name "Cushnoc" (or "Coussinoc" or "Koussinoc"). Highly profitable fur trading continued for about 32 years, and the area was abandoned by the English for more than 75 years. In 1754, Fort Western, now the oldest wooden fort in America, was built on the east bank of the Kennebec. It was built, along with two others elsewhere on the river, to attract settlers to the region. The area was incorporated as part of the town called Hallowell in 1771. In February 1797, the upstream area of Hallowell know as "the Fort" was incorporated as a separate town called Harrington. However, the name was changed to "Augusta" in August of that year. The city was named for "Augusta Dearborn" daughter of Henry Dearborn. The city of Dearborn, Michagan was named after Henry Dearborn. Mr. Dearborn was a Congressman from NH and the Sec. of War in the Jefferson administration. There is a portrait of Henry Dearborn in the NH Statehouse. In 1799 Augusta became the county seat for Kennebec County.[1] Augusta was officially designated the state capital in 1827. However, the Maine State Legislature continued to meet in Portland until completion of the new capitol building in 1832. Augusta was chartered as a city in 1849. Research Tips
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