Penobscot County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, named for the Penobscot people in Wabanakik. As of the 2020 census, the population was 152,199, making it the third-most-populous county in Maine. Its county seat is Bangor. The county was established on February 15, 1816, from part of Hancock County when the area was still part of Massachusetts. Penobscot County is home to the University of Maine.
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's third-most populous city, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Bangor is known as the “Queen City.”
Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,431 at the 2020 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on the relatively large Marsh Island, but its boundaries extend beyond it. The island is surrounded and defined by the Penobscot River to the east and the Stillwater River to the west.
Orono is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. Located on the Penobscot and Stillwater rivers, it was first settled by American colonists in 1774. They named it in honor of Chief Joseph Orono, a sachem of the indigenous Penobscot nation who long occupied this territory.
The Penobscot River is a 109-mile-long (175 km) river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to 264 miles (425 km), making it the second-longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains 8,610 square miles (22,300 km2).
Fort Knox, now Fort Knox State Park or Fort Knox State Historic Site, is located on the western bank of the Penobscot River in the town of Prospect, Maine, about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the mouth of the river. Built between 1844 and 1869, it was the first fort in Maine built entirely of granite; most previous forts used wood, earth, and stone. It is named after Major General Henry Knox, the first U.S. Secretary of War and Commander of Artillery during the American Revolutionary War, who at the end of his life lived not far away in Thomaston. As a virtually intact example of a mid-19th century granite coastal fortification, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and declared a National Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970. Fort Knox also serves as the entry site for the observation tower of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge that opened to the public in 2007.
The Penobscot Narrows Bridge is a 2,120-foot-long (650 m) cable-stayed bridge that carries US 1/SR 3 over the Penobscot River. It connects Verona Island to Prospect, in the U.S. state of Maine. It opened in December 2006, replacing the Waldo–Hancock Bridge, built in 1931.
Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor, Maine, is the second oldest garden cemetery in the United States. It was designed by architect Charles G. Bryant in 1834 and built by the Bangor Horticultural Society soon after, the same year that Bangor was incorporated as a city. The cemetery was modeled after Mount Auburn Cemetery (1831) in Boston, Massachusetts. Bangor was at that time a frontier boom-town, and much of its architecture and landscaping was modeled after that of Boston. The site has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wilfred E. Mansur (1855–1921) was the most prominent architect in late 19th and early 20th century Bangor, Maine.
Emily Ann Cain is an American politician from Maine and Executive Director of EMILY's List. A member of the Democratic Party, Cain served in the Maine Senate from 2012 to 2014, representing the 30th district which includes part of Penobscot County. She was previously a member of the Maine House of Representatives from 2004 to 2012, where she served as Minority Leader from 2008 to 2010 and as House Chair of the Appropriations & Financial Affairs Committee from 2010 to 2012.
Marsh Island is an island on the Penobscot River in Penobscot County. The Penobscot River borders the eastern side of the island, while the Stillwater River, a side arm of the Penobscot, borders the western side of the island.
The Great Works Dam was a dam on the Penobscot River between Old Town and Bradley in Penobscot County, Maine, USA. The original Great Works Dam was constructed in the 1830s and replaced between 1887 and 1900. The dam was originally owned by the Penobscot Chemical Fibre Company and was acquired by Diamond International Corporation in 1968 along with the adjacent mill. The dam and powerhouse were sold several more times, and in 2010 the Penobscot River Restoration Trust bought the dam from PPL Corporation based on an agreement that was signed in 2004. On June 11, 2012, deconstruction of the dam began as a part of an extensive project involving four dams to restore eleven species of sea-run fish to the Penobscot River.
The Veazie Dam was a hydroelectric dam on the Penobscot River between Veazie and Eddington in Penobscot County, Maine. In 2010 the Penobscot River Restoration Trust bought the dam from PPL Corporation based on an agreement that was signed in 2004. Deconstruction of the dam began on July 22, 2013 as a part of an extensive project involving four dams to restore eleven species of sea-run fish to the Penobscot River. The Veazie Dam was the furthest downstream of the dams on the Penobscot River; now the Milford and Orono Dam dams are furthest downstream, albeit on separate side of Marsh Island. The Great Works Dam, which was 8 mi (13 km) upstream of the Veazie Dam, was removed in 2012.
The Orono Bog is a bog that covers 600 acres (240 ha) and is part of the Caribou Bog complex in Penobscot County, Maine. The bog is known for the Orono Bog Boardwalk, which is a 4,200 feet (1,300 m) long boardwalk open to public use. The bog is in both the city of Bangor and the town of Orono. The bog is also partially protected as part of both the Bangor City Forest and land owned by the University of Maine. Orono Bog became a National Natural Landmark in 1973.
Donna M. Loring is a Penobscot author, broadcaster, and former Senior Advisor on Tribal Affairs to Janet Mills, the governor of Maine.
Great Northern Paper Company was a Maine-based pulp and paper manufacturer that at its peak in the 1970s and 1980s operated mills in Arkansas, Georgia, Maine, and Wisconsin and produced 16.4% of the newsprint made in the United States. It was also one of the largest landowners in the state of Maine.
Searsport is an incorporated town and deep water seaport located at the confluence of the Penobscot River estuary and the Penobscot Bay immediately northwest of Sears Island and Cape Jellison in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,649 at the 2020 census. Searsport includes the village of North Searsport. The town is known as "the home of the famous sea captains" and the "Antique Capital of Maine".
June Sapiel, a citizen of the Penobscot Nation, is a Native American activist and public speaker from Maine.
Piney Knoll Conservation Area is a protected area of Orono, Maine, United States. Located at the southern end of Marsh Island along the Penobscot River, it is noted as a site for bird-watching as well as local wildlife. It includes 4.5 miles of intersecting trails.
Bangor Old Town and Milford Railroad is a defunct railroad and the first to be incorporated within the state of Maine, in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.
