Union, Maine, was settled between 1772 and 1776 and incorporated in 1786. Like many inland towns in the region, the population steadily grew after the Revolutionary War and into the early decades of the nineteenth century as people moved to the rural areas of Maine for the opportunity to build homesteads and establish livelihoods. The Common in Union is a town-owned green space that became a community space. The first record of the Common dates to 1790, but the land was not deeded to the town until 1809. Originally, the land was used by residents to pasture their livestock, hold town meetings, and commence in military training. Soon after, landscape improvements occurred including the planting of elm trees. After the Civil War and World War II, monuments to the town's veterans were erected. The Commons function also evolved into a focal point for entertainment and ceremonies with the construction of a bandstand. Currently surrounded by nineteenth- and twentieth-century homes, businesses, and civic buildings, the Common serves as an example of a designed landscape reflecting early community development.
Year Listed: 2007
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=74665ac9-d7e1-4da5-8b22-61fe05d49e29