[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 107 (Thursday, June 22, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S3729]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 225TH ANNIVERSARY OF BUCKSPORT, MAINE

 Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 225th 
anniversary of Bucksport, ME, an active town set along the banks of the 
Penobscot River. The town has a long and proud history dating back to 
the late 1700s, and I am pleased to join with Mayor David Keene, town 
officials, members of the Bucksport Historical Society, and residents 
as they gather for a founder's day celebration to honor the town's 
history.
  First settled in 1763, Bucksport was incorporated in 1792 and named 
for its original surveyor, Colonel Jonathan Buck. However, Bucksport's 
history begins long before the 18th century. The town's first known 
inhabitants were the prehistoric ``Red Paint People'' who were 
discovered through an archaeological dig in the late 19th century. 
Originally known as the territory of the Penobscot Abenaki Native 
Peoples, the town of Bucksport today encompasses an area surveyed by 
Colonel Buck in 1762. After returning in 1763, Colonel Buck built the 
first sawmill, store, and home, and by 1775, there were a total of 21 
families living there. During the Penobscot Expedition in 1779--notably 
one of the greatest defeats in American naval history--the British 
overtook and burned the town. As a result, in 1783, the town was 
resettled and named Buckstown Plantation, later changed to Buckstown, 
and finally renamed Bucksport in 1817.
  Bucksport's history is deeply engrained in the papermaking industry. 
In 1930, Bucksport's Maine Seaboard Paper Company opened its doors as 
the first paper mill on the Penobscot River. The mill and the town have 
experienced significant changes as the paper industry has declined, 
with the paper mill finally closing its doors in 2014. Despite these 
hardships, the town of Bucksport has opened new doors both through 
creative uses of the former mill site, as well as by capitalizing on 
the town's deepwater port, rail service, and location at the 
intersection of two loops of the ``three Ring Binder'' broadband 
network. The resiliency of the town is a testament to its residents' 
hard work, innovation, and commitment to Maine.
  Bucksport is home to nearly 5,000 people and continues to grow. 
Bucksport is centrally located 18 miles from three major employment 
centers and is also home to numerous cultural and arts organizations 
like Northeast Historic Film, the Alamo Theater, and the Lighthouse 
Arts Studio. The town also features the Downeast Waterfront Walkway, a 
mile-long walkway along the Penobscot River with views of Fort Knox and 
informational panels that detail Bucksport's important past, as well as 
its potential for the future. I am proud to commemorate 225 years since 
the incorporation of Bucksport, a town that has greatly contributed to 
Maine's economic prosperity and a community known for providing the 
unique Maine experience.

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