1647 – Kittery is incorporated as a fishing and trading town in the Province of Maine, a territory held by Sir Ferdinando Gorges of England; it was named after Kittery Court, a manor in Devon, England, that was the birthplace of a town founder, Alexander Shapleigh.

1745 – Kittery native William Pepperrell leads successful attack on French fortress at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, during French and Indian Wars; he’s later named major general in the defense of Maine and New Hampshire frontiers.

1775 – Continental Navy leases Badger’s Island off Kittery to build privateers during the Revolutionary War.

1800 – Fledgling U.S. government buys Dennett’s Island off Kittery to establish first federal shipyard; it would be joined with four other islands to form Seavey’s Island, home of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, which had more than 25,000 civilian workers during World War II and employs about 4,500 today.

1808 – Fort McClary is built at Kittery Point and named for Major Andrew McClary, the highest-ranking American soldier killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

1917 – First submarine is launched at the shipyard; more than 70 subs were built there during World War II; though the last sub was launched in 1969, the shipyard continues to overhaul and refuel the nation’s fleet.

1923 – Memorial Bridge is completed, linking Route 1 and the downtown areas of Kittery and Portsmouth; the aging lift-span bridge was closed to vehicle traffic in July 2011.

1938 – Philip “Bing” Adams buys a one-room hunter’s trading post and gas station on Route 1 for $4,000; today, the modern, lodge-style Kittery Trading Post sells apparel and outdoor gear in 90,000 square feet of retail space.

1940 – Federal government builds Admiralty Village, a development of 225 duplexes and 150 single-family homes, to house shipyard families on 100 acres along Spruce Creek; about half of the homes are now privately owned.

1972 – Piscataqua River Bridge opens as the first fixed span between Kittery and Portsmouth and a major link in Interstate 95; the six-lane structure carries 70,000 to 100,000 vehicles daily.

1980 – Factory outlets start sprouting up near the Kittery Trading Post; today, 120 outlets cover a mile-long stretch of Route 1 and attract 3.5 million shoppers from around the world every year, mostly in summer.

Copy the Story Link