Howdy Neighbor!
Happy 2026! We have reached that marvelous year at last — and though our nation’s 250th birthday is not properly until July 4, and so technically it’s not yet the 250th year of American Independence, I still want to celebrate right here at the start of it. Get down the drum and beat it, get out the flag and fly it, the spirit of the Revolution yet lives! Which is why this year, in and around my ongoing occasional series on the history of the Revolution, I will be making a point to feature in this column other noteworthy patriotic moments from America’s, Maine’s, and Bridgton’s history. To begin this year, I think there is nothing better than to look back on than the eve of the Civil War, and what is certainly my favorite local patriotic organization to ever call Bridgton home.
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