Milhaven is actually a conglomeration of two smaller towns. These were the towns of Millerstown, founded by the Englishman, James Prescott Miller and Firestone, founded to the north by the French Canadian, Jean LaRue. Early on the two forged an alliance against outside attacks which were common in the day. The two towns trade between each other freely, first with their fish and furs and later with lumber. Firestone, which was built on sacred land of the local natives, was always attacked more severely and in fact, was burnt to the ground both in 1735 and 1740.

Through cooperation, the twin towns managed to survive into the Revolutionary War, by which time, the British soldiers had constructed Fort Millerton on the outskirts of Millerstown. The American Patriots constructed makeshift bunkers in and around the town of Firestone, utilizing the nearby hot springs as a base camp, and travelling south, for three miles to strike at the fort. However, the British managed to hold onto the fort until late in 1775, when they reteated back to a small port on Black Lobster Island.

After the revolution, the two towns began to branch toward one another, and by the time of the War of 1812, the towns were only a few hundred yards apart. In 1820, the two towns celebrated Maine's new statehood by declaring themselves one city, named Millstone. The fledglng city quickly began to expand as the Industrial Revolution took hold. Manufacturing, logging and mining began to call more and more immigrants to the city, providing them with jobs. However the city also became far more unpleasant to live in as pollution from the factories began to fill the city. It was at this time that the hot springs were declared off limits as more and more wolf attacks and disappearances occurred. Ghost stories began to arise.

In the late 19th century, a mayor was elected with a new way of thinking, a revolutionary named Jacob Haven. He set about muscling companies into going along with his radical plans of ecological reform. While the corporations didn't like this, all of their attacks on Haven failed and they were forced to reform. The closest they ever came to him, was the murder of his beloved fiance, Cassandra Locke. The best they could do, was buy off other politicians and cut off the Mayor of Millstone. By the turn of the 20th century, Milhaven was a far cleaner place. Unfortunately, some of the businesses had pulled out and the city had lost a lot of funding. Black Lobster Island was sold to a private individual and converted from a fishing harbor to a private home. When Jacob Haven died in 1910, the city was re-christened Milhaven.

After the Great War, the city entered the "Roaring Twenties" in full swing. Prohibition struck and so did organized crime, though it never found the foothold it would elsewhere. Neither did the polluting corporations who had been chased out before. For some reason, neither could explain it was extremely difficult to establish a firm power base. Circumstances always seemed to turn against them. Time passed and the party that was the 1920's moved into the Great Depression.




Prominent Landmarks


Prominent Citizens


Maps


Notes


*****


Home








As the factories shut down and the jobs dried up, people began to drift away. Many turned to fishing, not wanting to leave the city that had been their home their entire life. However, without Black Lobster Island, fishing became more difficult. The disenfranchised fishermen established a rough base camp several miles south, on the rocky banks of Founder's Point. To this day, relics can be found, half-buried in the sands there, from those unlucky ships that sailed into the wrong part of the harbor. Others turned to farming for sustenance, and while many lost their lands, many squatters had to be forcefully driven from their homes. The years dragged on and the economy began to pick itself up. In the early 40's, it was announced that Matthew Murphy, a member of the U.S. Armed Forces who had been posted at Pearl Harbor had died in the surprise bombing by Japanese planes. Almost overnight, Industry reared it's ugly head and the citizens of Milhaven prepared for war. Almost overnight, the corporations who had been driven out by Haven's term of office found a new foothold, and again pollution began to ruin the skies, streets and waters. This continued until the 1960, when hippies celebrated the memory of Jacob Haven, a man before his time and took the initiative to fight for their environment. Laws were passed and the pollution of the past 20 years was covered up as much as could be.

Not a lot has happened in Milhaven since the 1970's. Industries are still present and still cutting corners wherever they think they can get away with it. People are more content with their lot in life, or maybe just less motivated to change it. Either way, such is the Milhaven of the early 21st century.