[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 102 (Thursday, June 15, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOWN OF LEBANON, MAINE

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate the 250th 
anniversary of the town of Lebanon, ME. Lebanon 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 Lebanon's incorporation, 1767, was but one milestone in a 
long journey of progress. For thousands of years, the land of fields, 
streams, and forests of what is now southwestern Maine was the home of 
the Abenaki, who called the area ``Towwoh,'' meaning ``a place to grind 
corn.'' The many archeological treasures unearthed in the region 
include a large ancient stone mortar used by the Abenaki for that very 
purpose.
  In 1733, the Massachusetts General Court granted Towwoh Plantation to 
60 colonists, and European settlement began. When the town was 
incorporated on June 11, 1767, the name Lebanon was chosen in reference 
to the Biblical land of fertile soil and towering trees.
  With the Salmon Falls River and Little River providing power, Lebanon 
soon was home to many lumber, grain, and textile mills. The wealth 
produced by the land and by hard work and determination was invested in 
schools and churches to create a true community.
  Among the many prominent residents of the town over the years was the 
Reverend Oren Burbank Cheney, who established the Lebanon Academy in 
1849. His courage and vision as an outspoken opponent of slavery and 
advocate for full rights for women and Native Americans so impressed 
Boston industrialist Benjamin Bates that, when Bates College was 
established in Lewiston in 1864, the Reverend Cheney was named as the 
first president of the esteemed school.
  The coming of the railroads in the late 1800s helped to make Lebanon 
a tourism destination, with fine hotels, inns, and restaurants. An 
early visitor was the famed Norwegian violinist, Ole Bornemann Bull, 
who performed a concert at one of the town's remarkable attractions, 
the enormous cavern entrance known as Gully Oven, in 1871. The virtuoso 
was so impressed by the acoustics of the natural amphitheater that he 
bought a home in Lebanon, becoming one of the town's first summer 
residents.
  Today visitors and residents alike enjoy Lebanon's quiet parks, 
beautiful historic buildings, and exciting outdoor recreation 
opportunities. The energy and planning that are going into Lebanon's 
250th anniversary celebration this July demonstrate the pride 
townspeople have in their town.
  The celebration of Lebanon'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, Lebanon, ME, has a wonderful history. Thanks to 
those there today, it has a bright future.

                          ____________________