250th Anniversary of Waldoboro

Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the town of Waldoboro, ME. Waldoboro was built with a spirit of determination and resiliency that still guides the community today, and this is a time to celebrate the generations of hard-working and caring people who have made it such a wonderful place to live, work, and raise families.

The year of Waldoboro's incorporation, 1773, is but one milestone in a long journey of progress. For thousands of years, the land where the Medomak River meets the Atlantic Ocean was the home of the Abenaki Tribe, who hunted and fished in the abundant region. The reverence the Abenaki had for the natural beauty and resources of the area is upheld by the people of Waldoboro today.

Waldoboro's roots run deep into American history. It originally was part of the lands granted by the British Crown to the Plymouth Colony in the early 1600s but remained unsettled frontier for more than a century. In 1729, a portion was acquired by General Samuel Waldo of Boston and a village called Broad Bay was established. Ongoing conflicts between England and France for control of the region stifled settlement until a peace treaty was reached in 1748.

In order to stimulate growth, General Waldo visited his family's ancestral home in Germany in 1752 and recruited about 1,500 immigrants. The industrious settlers created productive farms, saw mills and grain mills, churches, and a school to build a true community. On June 29, 1773, the settlement was incorporated as Waldoboro in honor of its founder.

The arrival of the railroad in the 19th century spurred greater development, including ironworks and textile and furniture mills. As Maine became a shipbuilding center, Waldoboro was at the forefront. On December 1, 1888, the first five-masted schooner and the largest cargo vessel in the world at the time, the Governor Ames, was launched at the Leavitt-Storer Shipyard in Waldoboro. Today, Waldoboro proudly cherishes its role in creating the pinnacle of wooden shipbuilding as ``The Home of the Five-Masted Schooner.''

The German influence in Waldoboro is evident in such cottage industries as cheesemaking and brewing. The town is known for its contributions to the fabric arts, and the luxurious ``Waldoboro Style'' of hooked rugs is a favorite among collectors. Among Waldoboro's architectural treasures is the well-preserved 1772 Old German Meeting House.

The cemetery of that historic Lutheran church is the final resting place of Conrad Heyer, a Revolutionary War veteran who possibly crossed the Delaware with General Washington in 1776. In 1852, he posed for a photograph at age 103 and is believed to have been the earliest born person ever to have been photographed.

Today, visitors and residents alike enjoy Waldoboro's thriving arts community, beautiful historic buildings, and exciting outdoor recreation opportunities. The energy and planning that are going into the town's 250th anniversary celebration demonstrate the pride townspeople have in their town.

Waldoboro's 250th anniversary is not merely about the passing of time. It is about human accomplishment. We celebrate the people who, for longer than America has been a nation, have pulled together, cared for one another, and built a great community. Thanks to those who came before, Waldoboro, ME, has a wonderful history. Thanks to those there today, it has a bright future.

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