Brunswick, ME Summary

Brunswick (population 20,778) is 20 miles northeast of Portland via I-95. It is the home of Bowdoin College, which was established in 1794. Bowdoin was built in an era when colleges and universities had beautifully landscaped campuses, impressive well-proportioned buildings, and grassy squares laced with wide paths. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the popular poet and linguist, was a senior here and became a professor of modern languages at the age of 22.

The 110-acre campus is worth a wander, particularly the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Here you can see paintings from Wyeth and Homer (both lived in Maine), Cassatt, and Raushenberg, as well as French, Italian, and Flemish masters, and portraits of Jefferson and Madison by Gilbert Stuart.

The Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum documents the first expedition to the North Pole, in 1909, by Admiral Robert Peary and Donald B. MacMillan. There are photographs, instruments, and other memorabilia.

Brunswick was also the home of Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-96), the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Her novel, published in 1852, helped to change public opinion about slavery.

Portland International Jetport is the nearest major airport and buses service the area.