Book Description

In as much as it has endowed the region with a rich heritage, plentiful stories, and a host of colorful characters, history has been kind to Androscoggin County. But history can also be dark and uncanny, as when Francis E. Stanley, a Lewiston resident and inventor of an early steam-powered vehicle, died in an automobile accident. It can be eerie, like when his twin brother opened an enormous hotel--now purportedly home to his ghost--that became the inspiration for Stephen King's novel The Shining. These twists of fate begin to unravel the tale of Androscoggin County's legendary locals. Some, like Benjamin Bates and Edward Little, are remembered for the institutions they helped create. Others raised the hopes and spirits of their neighbors, like Joey Gamache, who won two boxing world titles in the early 1990s. Still others are remembered for the subtler ways they affected change, like Rita Dube, who saved Lewiston's St. Mary's Church from demolition and helped create the Franco-American Heritage Center. Some notable residents ascended to the highest offices of government, others to national fame, but many are remembered for the significant ways they shaped their communities, and Androscoggin County, from within.