Historical Note:

Beware the Ides of March . . .

Maine was a district of Massachusetts from 1652 until the "Ides of March" in 1820 when it became the 23rd state admitted to the Union. Maine became a state as part of the Missouri Compromise, wherein Maine's admittance as a free state enabled Missouri to be admitted as a slave state. This compromise temporarily assuaged the fiery debate raging in Congress over admitting any more slave states, but the astute Thomas Jefferson warned that this was "like a fire bell in the night" on the hot issue of issue of slavery.

Trivia Question: How many states does the Appalachian Trail cross? (Answer at bottom of this page).

Name Origin: French. (From an ancient French province in the western part of France)

Capital: Augusta

Population: 1,240,000

Area: 33,265 square miles

Statehood: March 15,1820 (23rd state)

Nickname: The Pine Tree State

Motto: "I direct"

Famous For: Lobsters, Lighthouses, Rocky Coastlines, Potatoes, Pines, Ports, Paper

Answer to Trivia Question: Fourteen (14): Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia.