Lewiston, ME Summary

photo by gusto

Lewiston is on the Androscoggin River, on the opposite bank from its twin city, Auburn. It is 35 miles north of Portland, on I-95/495, and has a population of 39,390.

It is the home of the renowned and respected Bates College, founded in 1855.Bates College’s Museum of Art displays new exhibitions — four or five times per year—from its collection of nineteenth- and twentieth- century prints and drawings.

Bates College’s Special Collections, in the Ladd Library, are for lovers of rare books and handwritten manuscripts. Visitors can view hand-bound leather volumes made with handmade paper pages to understand the work involved in making books before binding became mechanized. The collections are strong in the areas of religion and natural history, and in photography and oral history.

The Edmund Muskie Archives preserve the personal papers and files of this former Democratic senator. There are also papers of the former governor of Maine, James B. Longley.

Portland International Jetport is the nearest major airport, and there is also the Lewiston-Auburn Municipal Airport, which is about 4 miles southwest of the town. Buses also service Lewiston.