Waterville Public Library

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July 21, 2026 | July 28, 2026

Post #1: July 21, 2026

This year the United States celebrates two and a half centuries since its founding, offering a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the history of our nation and our community. Throughout this semiquincentennial year Waterville Public Library will share stories about our community and the people and events that have shaped it over the past 250 years. All stories will connect to items from our archives and Local History Room, giving us a chance to share library resources that may not be as well known. (Note: We are currently processing and organizing resources that are not yet accessible to the public--these posts will provide a peek at some of these special resources.) 

Milestone years like this offer an opportunity to think about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we would like to be. Join us as we share stories to celebrate, stories to challenge, and stories to contemplate. 

 

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Post #2: July 28, 2026

While no major battles of the American Revolution were fought on the land that would become Waterville, Maine, our city does have Revolutionary War connections. In 1775 Benedict Arnold led about a thousand troops along the Kennebec and Chaudière Rivers in an effort to conquer Quebec. The troops had to carry their boats around the Ticonic Falls at what is now Waterville. While there aren’t any documents from this journey at the library, we do have a document with an interesting (if tangential) connection to this story.

Henry Dearborn of New Hampshire was on that long and arduous march to Quebec. Dearborn would go on to fame and renown for his Revolutionary War service and serve in Congress and the Jefferson administration. However, in 1775 things did not go well for him. He was captured by the British at Quebec, but sent home on parole to New Hampshire in 1776. While he was home he purchased land from a fellow New Hampshire militiaman who had served with him at the Battle of Bunker Hill, Obadiah Williams. Both Dearborn and Williams worked as doctors and both had immediately volunteered to serve in the New Hampshire militia after the Battle of Lexington and Concord.  

Why is this property deed from New Hampshire with the name of a famous early American war hero and political figure here in Waterville, Maine? Obadiah Williams, the man who sold Henry Dearborn the property in New Hampshire, made his way to Maine after his service in the Revolutionary War. In the 1790s he became one of the first people to build a frame house on the western side of the river in Winslow (the part of town that became Waterville).  Obadiah Williams was an early leader in the community and is buried here in Waterville. 

To learn more about Arnold’s March, stop by the library and check out Through a Howling Wilderness: Benedict Arnold’s March to Quebec, 1775 by Thomas Desjardin. You can order it online here: https://minerva.maine.edu/search/?searchtype=t&SORT=D&searcharg=through+a+howling+wilderness&searchscope=41 

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Updated: 07/22/26