In Bangor, Maine, just off of State Street on the Kenduskeag Parkway, you'll find a statue of former Vice President Hannibal Hamlin. He was born on Aug. 27, 1809, in Paris Hill, in Oxford County. From 1861 until 1865, Hamlin served as vice president under Abraham Lincoln. Hamlin died on July 4, 1891, in Bangor, Maine. Former Maine Gov. Ralph O. Emerson dedicated the memorial in Hamlin's memory on Sept. 15, 1927.
If you go to Lincoln, Maine, and visit the Lincoln Town Office, you'll find a memorial dedicated to Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon, who grew up in Lincoln. Gordon was fatally wounded on Oct. 3, 1993, while serving as a sniper team leader overseas. Gordon, along with Randy Shughart, volunteered to protect fellow injured team members who were aboard a helicopter that crashed in Mogadishu, Somalia. Gordon was later awarded the Medal of Honor for the bravery he exhibited that day. Gordon's story, along with that of his fellow sniper team comrades, was featured in the movie "Black Hawk Down," which starred Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Gordon. The Gary Gordon Memorial was dedicated in his memory on July 23, 1995.
The Maine Korean War Memorial, located in Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor, was built to memorialize the more than 200 men and women who lost their lives or went missing in action during the Korean War. The stone slab memorial was dedicated in their memory on July 29, 1995. If you would like to visit the Maine Korean War Memorial, there are special observances held for those fallen soldiers on Memorial Day, United Nations Day, Flag Day and Veterans Day, which you can attend.
In the town of Bucksport, Maine, you'll find a tomb memorial for Col. Jonathan Buck, one of Bucksport's founders and a veteran of the Revolutionary War, who died on March 18, 1795. The monument was later erected in 1852 by Buck's grandchildren. What makes this monument extra noteworthy is the lore behind the mysterious "footprint" located on it. One tale says the footprint appeared as a result of a curse uttered by a suspected witch whom Buck sentenced to death. Whether any of the folklore surrounding the monument is true, it still makes for an interesting stop for monument enthusiasts.
