1669Disaster
Relations soon deteriorated over colonial expansion, and conflicts with colonists and epidemics of infectious diseases devastated the Androscoggin, which responded by migrating ...
1680History
European contact began in the 17th century, but disease and conflict led to the tribe's displacement by 1680.
1760Government
Lewiston was first settled in 1760 and incorporated as Lewistown in 1795.
1768History
=== Colonial beginnings ===
A grant comprising the area of Lewiston was given to Moses Little and Jonathan Bagley, members of the Pejepscot Proprietors, on January 28, 1768, on ...
1770History
Paul Hildreth was the first man to settle in Lewiston in the fall of 1770.
1795Government
By 1795, Lewiston was officially incorporated as a town.
1809Architecture
In 1809, Michael Little built a large wooden sawmill next to the falls.
1814Architecture
Burned in 1814 by an arsonist, it was later rebuilt.
1840History
This development attracted large numbers of Irish and later French-Canadian immigrants; the population grew rapidly from 1,801 in 1840 to 21,701 in 1890.
1849Infrastructure
In 1849, the Androscoggin & Kennebec railroad, running through Lewiston and Auburn, connected these towns to Waterville and the St.
1850Architecture
In the spring of 1850, some 400 Irish men recruited in and around Boston by construction contractor Patrick O'Donnell arrived in Lewiston and began work on the canal system.
1854Culture
By 1854, one quarter of Lewiston's population was Irish, the highest concentration in any settlement in Maine.
1855History
In 1855, a Maine preacher traveled from Parsonsfield to Lewiston to establish an institution of higher learning in the city.
1861Disaster
In 1861, a flood of French-Canadian immigration into Maine began, spawned by industrial work opportunities in Maine cities with water power from waterfalls.
1863Government
The town was renamed Lewiston and reincorporated as a city in 1863, with the seminary becoming Bates College the following year.
1864Education
In 1864, the Maine State Seminary was renamed Bates College in honor of Benjamin Bates.
1866History
Lewiston Evening Journal ran from 1866 to 1989.
1880History
In 1880, Le Messager, a French-language newspaper, began printing in Lewiston to serve its predominant ethnic population.
1891History
The local Kora Shrine was organized in 1891 and held its first meetings in a Masonic temple on Lisbon Street.
1901Sports
Between 1901 and 1919, Lewiston teams played home games at A.A.A.
1905Architecture
Construction of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul began in 1905 and ended in 1938, funded mostly through thousands of small donations from Lewiston residents.
1908History
This group would from 1908 to 1910 build the Kora Temple on Sabattus Street, the largest home of a fraternal organization in the state.
1926History
Beginning in 1926, the Lewiston Twins played home games at Lewiston Athletic Park.
1928Sports
Baseball Hall of Fame member Jesse Burkett managed the Lewiston Twins in 1928 and 1929.
1937History
=== Lewiston-Auburn shoe strike ===
In 1937, one of the largest labor disputes in Maine history occurred in Lewiston and Auburn.
1970History
The population stopped increasing at its previous rate and began to slowly decline after 1970, then at a greater rate in the 1990s.
1973Sports
=== Maine Nordiques (1973–1977) ===
The Maine Nordiques were a professional hockey team that operated in the former North American Hockey League from 1973 to 1977.
1982History
Peck & Co., closed in 1982 after more than a century in business.
1989History
Heritage Books, Inc., 1989
Hodgkin, Douglas I., Lewiston Memories: A Bicentennial Pictorial.
1994History
Jostens Printing & Publishing, 1994
Finnegan, William, Letter from Maine: New in Town, the Somalis of Lewiston.
1996History
It was renovated and expanded in 1996.
1999Government
=== Somali and Bantu migration ===
In 1999, the United States government began preparations to resettle an estimated 12,000 refugees from Somalia to select cities throughout th...
2000Government
=== Native language ===
Survey Year 2000 Source:
=== Voter registration ===
== Politics ==
== Economy ==
=== Large businesses ===
Central Maine Medical Center: Founded b...
2001Architecture
In 2001, the city sold three mill buildings to local developers.
2002Culture
In 2002 and again in 2006, the L-A area led the state in economic development activity, according to the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development's list of busines...
2003Architecture
In 2003, Platz Associates sold the Bates Mill Complex, with the exception of Mill 5 and a small support building.
2004Infrastructure
While the Diocese of Portland did not relocate to Lewiston, the church nevertheless became a basilica in 2004.
2006History
In a 2006 KPMG International study measuring the cost of locating and maintaining a business, Lewiston ranked first among the New England communities analyzed, and finished 24th...
2007Military
Lewiston earned a 2007 All-America City Award designation by the National Civic League.
2008History
The Sun Journal was the recipient of the 2008 New England Daily Newspaper of the Year and the 2009 Maine Press Association Newspaper of the Year.
2009Culture
In June 2009 the museum acquired Camden Mill and plans on moving to those facilities once it is refurbished.
2010Economy
The Bates Mill complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2010.
2011History
The Maineiacs were disbanded in 2011.
2013Infrastructure
During the 2013–2014 American Hockey League season, the Portland Pirates played their first 12 home games at the Colisée while the Cumberland County Civic Center is being renova...
2014Culture
=== Events ===
==== Emerge Film Festival ====
The Emerge Film Festival was first held in June 2014 in downtown Lewiston and Auburn.
2015Education
Somali-American players contributed to the Lewiston High School boys soccer team's state championship wins in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2023 under coach Mike McGraw.
2018Sports
During the 2018–2019 season the team recorded a 50–5 record, winning the NA3HL regular season championship and the Coastal Division championship.
2019Culture
In 2019 the festival was held at Rinck Advertising and the Franco Center.
2020History
In 2020, the racial makeup of the city including Hispanics in the racial categories was 77.9% White, 13.9% Black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.4% Native American, and 1.0% ...
2023Crime
=== Spree shooting ===
On October 25, 2023, a spree shooting occurred at two locations in Lewiston.
2025History
In May 2025, a statue of Ali would be unveiled in Lewiston 60 years after the fight took place.