Local Claims to Fame:

Bernice Abbott   
            Abbott, born 1898, deceases 1991, was a photographer best known for her black and white photographs of  New York City and 1930s-era urban design. Abbott owned a home in the tiny town of Blanchard, where she once entertained her friend Jaqueline Kennedy Onasis.

Bert’s Bees 

            This wildly popular creator of preservative-free soaps, lotions, hair care products, cosmetics, lip balms and other products had its humble beginnings in the former Edes Building (since torn down) in Guilford.

Harold Alfond 

            Alfond, born 1914, deceased 2007, not only founded the Dexter Shoe Company, with manufacturing plants in Dexter and Milo, but he is also credited with inventing the idea of the factory outlet store. Dexter Shoe has since relocated, but Alfond left behind the Alfond Arena at the University of Maine in Orono, a scholarship that makes all Maine newborns eligible for a $500 grant for college and several other philanthropic ventures.

Kennedy Memorial  

            This famous family resting place in Arlington National Cemetery features slate from Monson. The first piece was commissioned by Jaqueline Kennedy as a gravestone for her slain husband, former President John F. Kennedy. More Monson slate has been commissioned for the memorial since that time.

Maine’s Tallest Mountain: Mount Katahdin, located within Baxter State Park, is Maine’s tallest peak.

Maine’s Largest Lake: Moosehead Lake in Greenville is the largest lake within one state’s borders anywhere east of the Mississippi.

McKusick Twins 

            Victor McKusick, MD, born 1921, deceased 2008, was a native of Parkman. McKusick was a university professor of Medical Genetics at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also widely acknowledged as the father of genetic medicine, and was a recipient of many honors, including the National Medal of Science from President George W. Bush.

            Vincent McKusick, born 1921, attended the same one-room schoolhouse as his twin during the first eight years of their education. Vincent began practicing law in 1952. In 1977, he was appointed Chief Justine of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. He served in that capacity for more than 14 years.

Myron Avery 

            Avery, born 1899, deceased 1952, was a Lubec native. He is known as the first 2,000 Miler of the Appalachian Trail. After his death, a mountaintop on the AT was renamed “Avery Peak” in his honor. The AT runs through Monson, where the “100 Mile Wilderness” winds from Route 15 in Monson to the terminus of the AT near Mount Katahdin. This is the longest unsupported stretch along the entire 2,100-mile trail.

Percival Baxter 

Baxter, born 1876, deceased 1969, served as Governor of Maine from 1921 to 1925. He is perhaps best known for his generous and forward-thinking donation of 202,064 acres of land to the state that became Baxter State Park. He requested that the land remain forever wild.

Ricky Craven 

Craven, born in 1966 in Newburgh, has become a top competitor on the NASCAR circuit. Craven raced his first full season in 1990 in the NASCAR Busch Series. He went on to win NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and to join the prestigious NASCAR Winston Cup Series. In 1998, Craven founded the Ricky Craven Snowmobile Ride for Charity, held in Greenville where his family owns a home. Craven’s efforts have raised more than one million dollars for numerous charitable organizations.

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