Androscoggin County (pop. 107,702), northeast of Cumberland County, was named for the Androscoggin River. “Androscoggin” comes from a Native American word meaningĀ “river of rock shelters.”
The county seat of Androscoggin County is Auburn (pop. 23,055), which was a center of shoe manufacturing from the late 1800s until the 1950s.
The Charles A. Jordan House in Auburn dates from 1880.
The Barker Mill (1873) in Auburn was turned into apartments for senior citizens in 1979.
Auburn is across the Androscoggin River from its “twin city” of Lewiston (pop. 36,592), largest city in the county.
Lewiston is the home of Bates College, a private liberal arts college founded in 1855 by abolitionists.
The Bates Mill, a textile factory in Lewiston, was Maine’s largest employer for many years. Today, the complex has offices, restaurants, and a museum.
The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul was built in 1936.
Lewiston’s City Hall was built in 1892.
The town of Poland (pop. 5,376) was the home of the Poland Spring House, a well-known resort.
Lisbon Falls (pop. 4,100) is where author Stephen King went to high school. The annual Moxie Festival in Lisbon Falls celebrates the carbonated beverage known as Moxie.
The “Androscoggin Creature” was an unidentified animal that was hit by a car and killed in the county in 2006.
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