Bowdoin College, founded in 1794, is Maine's oldest institution of higher learning. As such, it has featured prominently in Maine's and America's histories. Alumni include such literary figures as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Civil War general and Maine governor Joshua Chamberlain, President Franklin Pierce, and first female Olympic marathon gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson. Whispering Pines explores the rich historical contributions of the college as they pertain to the world and national events occurring at the time. Taken as a whole, it supplies a surprising and fascinating context to the overall course of American history.
