Bangor, Maine
Davenport Park
GPS coordinates: 44.797387,-68.773853
Take a photo of your rally flag with the above image.

On the night of 15 February, 1898 the crew of the USS Maine were anchored in Havana Harbor as part of a show of U.S. military force in support of the Cuban rebels seeking independence from Spain. The Maine’s mission foreshadowed America’s entry into global affairs.

But on this night, just after Taps, the forward section of the Maine exploded, its ammunition magazines obliterating a third of the ship and killing 274 of the 363 men on board. Blaming the sinking on Spanish sabotage, the “yellow journalism” papers of the day raised the battle cry – “Remember the Maine, To Hell With Spain.” The 274 casualties on the Maine were a precursor to the 3,289 Americans who died in the resulting 10 week war with Spain. (The Spanish lost as many as 60,000 men – mostly thru disease – and virtually all of their colonies including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.)

Pictured above is the cast iron scroll and shield recovered from the sunken ship. The brightwork includes flowers that are not the traditional acanthus leaves but authentic representations of Maine wildflowers.

Also in the area: The nearby Penobscot Narrows Observatory in Prospect is the tallest bridge observatory (420 feet) open to the public in the world. From the top, visitors can see all the way to Acadia National Park. Next door is the massive Fort Knox, one of the best preserved seacoast fortifications in America.

In Hancock, there's a Chainsaw Museum and Stage Show every night at 7pm from June 17 to September 30. Ray Murphy is THE original chainsaw artist (since 1952) and performs such feats as carving the alphabet on a pencil and creating animals smaller than a dime. If you're coming during the day, he says to call him at (207) 460-5905 to get a tour. He may not hear the phone ring, but leave a message.

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Tour of Honor-New England is sponsored by Jim Hatch of Simsbury, CT.