Colonel John Brewer formerly of Worcester, Massachusetts, first
settled on Sedgeunkedunk Stream in 1770 in what is now the City of Brewer and named the
area New Worcester. On March 21,1788, the area was incorporated as a town under the name
of Orrington. The area so designated included the towns of Holden, Brewer, and Orrington.
In 1812, Brewer was separated from Orrington and later Holden was separated from Brewer
leaving the community with its present 10,106 acres of land.
The navigable waters of the Penobscot River as well as the water power afforded by the
streams encouraged industrial, commercial and residential expansion throughout the 1800's.
The river provided an excellent means of transportation for travelers as well as the
shipping and receiving of goods and supplies.
Industries and commercial businesses were established creating economic opportunities
which reflected in a population increase. The town grew from a population of 734 in 1820
to 4,835 in 1900. Bangor, the community across the Penobscot from Brewer, was also
participating in the expansion of the 1800's at a much more rapid rate, however, than
Brewer.
Bangor became the financial and commercial center of a region which was flourishing
most of the 1800's participating in a "lumber boom" that was creating large
enterprises and huge fortunes. Bangor's population in 1900 was 21,850. This figure gives
some comparison of the growth between the two communities.
Though the Penobscot aided in Brewer's growth by providing a mode of transportation,
the river also hindered growth because of the problem of crossing the river. The earlier
crossings were by ferry boat until 1832 when the first bridge connecting Brewer with
Bangor was constructed. The bridge was demolished by flood in 1846 and reconstructed in
1847. Though bridging the river provided an access between the two communities, travel was
still handicapped. In 1906, the State Street bridge was constructed replacing the bridge
constructed in 1847.
Brewer, through the years 1900 to 1950 remained in its lumbering state. The population
increased by only 2,027 people over this fifty year period whereas Bangor's population
increased to 9,708 people. Since this time, however, the tide has changed. The people of
the region, realizing the availability of desirable land areas in Brewer, have constructed
a large number of residences. Investors following the trend have established more
industries and commercial businesses and the trend is still continuing.
Growth was later aided by the construction of a new bridge,
the
Joshua
L.
Chamberlain
Bridge, across the Penobscot in 1954 providing easier commuting between the two
centers. In 1986, I-395, a spur off I-95, was extended across the river to
Brewer with the opening of the
Veterans
Remembrance
Bridge. Brewer officials took full advantage of this third bridge connection to
attract several manufacturing plants to locate in the city’s new
East-West
Industrial Park
.
More recently, the City of
Brewer
has been undergoing a rapid transformation through economic development.
In 2001 the city expanded its business development opportunities with the
establishment of the
Brewer
Professional
Center. In less than a year, Eastern Maine
Healthcare announced its intention to develop a major health care campus in this
park. Wal-Mart announced that year that it
will locate a super store in the area in 2002, providing a significant retail
anchor to an already bustling commercial corridor. In addition, the City began to aggressively implement a redevelopment
program for its waterfront area, known as “Penobscot Landing.”
Today Brewer is a prosperous city with a healthy mix of
quality residential neighborhoods, excellent schools, and a progressive business
community.
