Mount David (also known as Mount Davis, Davis Mountain, and David's Mountain) is a rocky summit in

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

, on the

campus of Bates College The campus of Bates College includes a main area, in Lewiston, Maine, and which is maintained by Bates College. It also includes a Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area, and an Coastal Center fresh water habitat at Shortridge. The eastern cam ...

in back of Rand Hall. It is one of the highest points in Lewiston at 381 feet and offers views of the White Mountains including

Mount Washington Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at and the most topographically prominent mountain east of the Mississippi River. The mountain is notorious for its erratic weather. On the afternoon of April 12, 1934, ...

on a clear day.

History

The peak was originally named David's Mountain after David Davis (1775-1851) son of one of Lewiston's first settlers, Amos Davis (1741-1815), a Quaker, who was an early supporter of education and churches in the area. David Davis purchased the mountain with 100 surrounding acres for $5 in 1803. Davis and his father are buried in the Davis family cemetery near Frye Street. At the opening ceremony of College in 1857, a pastor told the new students that if David Davis were still living he would have exhorted them to “go up that mountain, where you will obtain a view of our united villages. Make your principles as firm as the granite base on which the mountain rests.” Several of Davis' descendants attended Bates. In the 1860s, Davis' heirs, including Mrs. Archibald Wakefield and Mrs. John M. Frye donated a site on the summit of Mount David to

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

to build an observatory. The City of Lewiston allocated $5,000 to build a road to the observatory once it was constructed. The observatory was never completed on the summit of Mount David as planned, but in 1929

Stephens Observatory The Stephens Observatory is located atop the Carnegie Science Building at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. It houses a Newtonian reflecting telescope, built by Roscoe G. Stephens of Kennebunk, Maine, and donated to the College in 1929. It is us ...

was built nearby atop Carnegie Science building. Various organizations in the Lewiston area have used the name Mount David. The Mount David Summit is an annual academic presentation of student work at Bates College and the Mount David Society is a college giving society. There is also a Mount David Housing group and in the past, a Mount David Shakespeare Club at Bates and a Mount David Lodge in Lewiston.Lewiston and Auburn Directory - Page 214 https://books.google.com/books?id=AuoCAAAAYAAJ

References

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David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

Lewiston, Maine Bates College

History

See also

References