Riverside Inn History
Built: Bangor General Hospital was founded in 1892 and leased the Mace building, now known as Graystone, until 1894 when it was then purchased for $8000 when their lease was running out.
Nursing Program begun: It opened on June 7, 1892 along with the School of Nursing whose first class graduated in 1894. Bangor General was incorporated in December 16, 1892 and became Eastern ME General Hospital in 1897. Beginning in 1915, Maine began registering nurses and the school was approved by the State. To solve an acute need for housing for nursing students, the 1925 construction began on the Nurses' Residence. The building was completed at a cost of $235,000 and opened in October of 1926.
Last Nursing Class Graduated: 1985
Retrofit to an Inn: After an RFP inviting candidates to submit designs for a compatible business use for the building, the team of Dawson & Company & RH Campbell Construction were awarded the contract / lease with their design for an Inn.
Inn square footage: The entire Inn’s total is nearly 30,000 sq.ft. including the basement. The total number of sleeping rooms on floors 1 - 5 is 56 and consists of a number of room types including those with one or two twin or double beds, one king bed, and suite combinations with either whirlpool tubs or an additional parlor with extra seating. Most suites also include sleeper-sofas.
Opening Day: July 21, 1986 @ 7am w/ Gerry O., who is still employed at the Inn, on the opening shift at the front desk.
Renovations & Updates: The Inn underwent a significant renovation project from Nov 1998 until Sep 1999 including new electrical wiring, joined EMMC’s phone system, installed new roof, total vinyl window replacements, new carpeting, etc. In 2005, the 6 rooms that had been left as offices were decommissioned and returned to use as sleeping rooms. In 2007, Time Warner finished their wiring and equipment upgrade; Wi-Fi was installed. In 2009 – 2010, the elevator system was modernized, and a brand new 4-pipe heating system was installed replacing the antiquated steam pipes that had rattled and banged through the Inn for over 50 years. Guests can now control the heat in their individual rooms to the comfort level desired. BANGOR HISTORY Reference: http://bangorinfo.com/history The first European, David Ingram, sailed up the Penobscot River in the late 1500’s, followed by Samuel de Champlain in 1604 who established trading with a tribe called the Tarrantines. Even so, it wasn’t until 1769 that Europeans arrived to settle in this area by the mouth of the Kenduskeag Stream. The settlement grew to several hundred people and they petitioned Massachusetts General Court in 1791 to incorporate as a town because Maine at that time was part of Massachusetts. There are many stories about the different names that the original settlers in the area called the small plantation, although how it came to be known as “Bangor” is commonly regarded as a mistake. The pastor presenting the petition in Boston was also a pianist and composer, and the Irish hymn “Bangor” was one of his favorite songs that he was whistling while he waited. In error, he gave the clerk the name “Bangor” instead of the settlers agreed upon name of “Sunbury”. And Bangor it was. On Feb. 25, 1791, the General Court approved Bangor, not Sunbury, for incorporation. The lumber industry was a natural for the wooded area and, in 1772, the first of more than an eventual 300 or so Bangor sawmills was built. For more than a century, Bangor was the capital of the world lumber industry and by the 1830’s was known as "Lumber Capital of the World." In recognition of this rich heritage, there is a massive statue of Paul Bunyan holding a “peavey” (named for its inventor whose descendents still live in the area). Pictures of early log runs down the Penobscot River to the Bangor mills are located in several area museums and show lumberjacks walking across the logs that reached the shores on both sides. The last river drive took place in the 1970’s as the mighty Penobscot River was on the national top ten list of endangered and polluted rivers. After decades of reclamation and clean-up, the wild salmon are once again running in the river. This revived a custom of the first salmon caught each fishing season being sent to the White House. Along with lumbering, the shipping industry thrived as ships loaded up with logs and traveled around the world. At one point, Searsport, a small community just below Bangor, claimed to have living in or near its boundaries more than half the US sea captains who made their living from sailing. The massive homes along the Penobscot River, many that are now tourist B & B’s, are well-preserved testaments to this rich heritage. Bangor and the Penobscot River saw battles in both the Revolutionary War and in the War of 1812. During the Revolutionary War the British navy seized Castine and began building Fort Hood. The Americans sent ships with nearly 1,000 men to attempt to recover Castine. The British sent reinforcements and, even though the Americans outnumbered the British, the American commander who was later court-martialed for cowardice, ordered the men to flee. American ground troops, led by Paul Revere, abandoned their ships and scuttled half of them near Winterport. In the late 1990’s, an archeological expedition uncovered some of the remains of these ships. The British returned to the Penobscot River in 1814 and defeated the Americans in the Battle of Hampden, after which they sailed to Bangor and forced its selectmen to surrender unconditionally. Between 1844 and 1864, Fort Knox, Maine’s first granite fort, was built and positioned at the narrows of the Penobscot River to protect the river valley from future naval attacks. It was named in honor of Major General Henry Knox, America's first Secretary of War. Although it never saw combat, Fort Knox was manned and provisioned for about 500 soldiers during the US Civil War and the Spanish American War. It is Maine's largest historic fort and one of New England’s best preserved fortifications. Even though it was never fully completed and still claims to have a sod roof, Fort Knox serves as a wonderful example of architecture and military design. In May 2007, a new bridge opened, crossing the river span, and included an observatory that is 420’ above sea level - the only one of its kind in the western hemisphere. Ref: http://fortknox.maineguide.com/ Hannibal Hamlin, one of Bangor's favorite sons, came within weeks of becoming president. He had been the 15th vice president of the United States for Abraham Lincoln’s first term and declined a second term in the election shortly before Lincoln’s assassination. Another favorite son, William Cohen, the former Secretary of Defense in the Clinton administration, is a Bangor native. Author Henry David Thoreau was so taken by Bangor’s charm when he visited that he wrote: "There stands the city of Bangor, 50 miles up the Penobscot at the head of navigation, the principal lumber depot on this continent, like a star on the edge of night, still hewing at the forests of which it is built." There are some who believe this to be the origin of Bangor being called the “Queen City”. The tallest structure in Bangor, the Thomas Hill Standpipe, has been adorned with lights encircling its diameter representing a crown with jewels.