Editing Bowdoin, Maine (section)

==History==

Bowdoin was part of a tract of land extending from [[Merrymeeting Bay]] to the [[Androscoggin River]] that was conveyed in 1752 by the Kennebec Company to William Bowdoin of [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], older brother of [[James Bowdoin]]. Originally called West Bowdoinham Plantation, it was settled some years before the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. In 1773, William Bowdoin died, and by 1779 James Bowdoin had legal claim to the area and was granting deeds. It contained about 121 families when the town was incorporated by the [[Massachusetts General Court]] on March 21, 1788, named after the Bowdoin family. In 1799, it ceded land to form Thompsonborough, whose name changed in 1802 to [[Lisbon, Maine|Lisbon]]. In 1834, it ceded more territory to Lisbon.<ref name=Coolidge>{{Cite book  | last = Coolidge  | first = Austin J.|author2=John B. Mansfield  | title = A History and Description of New England| publisher = A.J. Coolidge  | year = 1859| location = Boston, Massachusetts| page = [https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ/page/n91 60]| url = https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_OcoMAAAAYAAJ| quote = coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.  }}</ref>

Bowdoin developed as an [[agriculture|agricultural]] town, raising [[sheep]] and producing [[apple]]s, [[wheat]], [[hay]] and [[potato]]es. Other industries included an [[ice]] company, [[sawmill]], [[gristmill]], [[carding]] mill and [[brickmaking|brickyard]]. Since 1993, [[alpaca]]s have been raised in the town.<ref>[http://www.link75.org/bcs/grade4/BowdoinHist/bowdoinhist.html History of Bowdoin, Maine] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007064921/http://www.link75.org/bcs/grade4/BowdoinHist/bowdoinhist.html |date=October 7, 2008 }}</ref>

In 2023, four people were [[2023 Bowdoin–Yarmouth shootings|killed in a shooting]] and three more were injured. The same year, [[Lewiston shootings|18 people were shot dead]] in a shooting rampage in nearby [[Lewiston, Maine|Lewiston]]; the suspect’s house was in Bowdoin, and was the scene of a massive police search.