Settled in 1628 by
Thomas Purchase and other
fishermen, the area was called by its
Indigenous Peoples' name,
Pejepscot, meaning "the long, rocky
rapids part [of the river]". In 1639, Purchase placed his settlement under protection of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony. During
King Philip's War in 1676, Pejepscot was burned and abandoned, although a
garrison called
Fort Andros was built on the ruins during
King William's War. During the war, in Major
Benjamin Church's second expedition a year later, he arrived on September 11, 1690, with 300 men at Casco Bay. He went up the
Androscoggin River to Fort Pejepscot (present day Brunswick, Maine). From there he went upriver and attacked a native village. Three or four native men were shot in retreat. When Church discovered five captive settlers in the wigwams, six or seven prisoners were butchered as an example, and nine prisoners were taken. A few days later, in retaliation, the natives attacked Church at
Cape Elizabeth on Purpooduc Point, killing seven of his men and wounding 24 others. On September 26, Church returned to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The
1713 Treaty of Portsmouth brought peace to the region between the
Abenaki Indians and the
English colonists. In 1714, a
consortium from
Boston and
Portsmouth bought the land, thereafter called the
Pejepscot purchase. The
Massachusetts General Court constituted the township in 1717, naming it "Brunswick" in honor of the
House of Brunswick and its scion,
King George I. A stone fort called
Fort George was built in 1715 near the falls. But during
Dummer's War on July 13, 1722, Abenaki warriors from
Norridgewock burned the village. Consequently, Governor
Samuel Shute declared war on the Abenakis. In 1724, 208 English colonial militia left
Fort Richmond and sacked Norridgewock during
Dummer's War. Brunswick was rebuilt again in 1727, and in 1739 incorporated as a town. It became a prosperous
seaport, where
Bowdoin College was chartered in 1794. In 1857, the
Cabot Manufacturing Company was established to make cotton
textiles. It bought the failed Worumbo Mill and expanded the brick factory along the falls. Needing even more room, the company in 1890 persuaded the town to move Maine Street. Principal employers for Brunswick include
L.L. Bean,
Bath Iron Works, as well as companies that produce
fiberglass construction material and electrical switches. A number of
health services providers serving Maine's mid-coast area are located in Brunswick. The former
Naval Air Station Brunswick was a major employer in Brunswick prior to its closure.
National Register of Historic Places Brunswick has a number of
historic districts recognized on the
National Register of Historic Places: •
Androscoggin Swinging Bridge •
Henry Boody House •
Brunswick Commercial Historic District •
Parker Cleaveland House •
Crystal Spring Farm •
John Dunlap House •
Federal Street Historic District •
First Parish Church •
Lincoln Street Historic District •
Massachusetts Hall, Bowdoin College •
Pennellville Historic District •
Richardson House •
St. Paul's Episcopal Church •
Harriet Beecher Stowe House •
Whittier Field ==Geography==