PARIS, Maine — We've heard a lot about Paris during the Olympics, but Mainers have their own Paris to celebrate.
Paris, Maine sits off Route 26 and neighbors Norway and Hebron. It's 44 miles northwest of Portland and about 119 miles southwest of Bangor.
The town was incorporated in 1793, just a few thousand years after its counterpart in France.
So, it's fair to assume that the first settlers of the Oxford County town paid homage to the European city when they brainstormed a name, but Vickie Matero, from the Paris Cape Historical Society and Museum, said that after doing some research, no one has been able to confirm if that was true.
However, when settlers from the Cape Ann Peninsula in Massachusetts came to the western hills, they named the historical society "Paris Cape."
Matero and her husband have volunteered and worked at the historical society for eight years. She showed off dozens of old photos of the town she grew up in and pointed out old drug stores, factories and other local businesses.
Her family has had deep ties to the area for generations. More recently, she said her grandfather had a dairy farm and her father was a barber.
Matero said she enjoyed growing up in the area, especially the views from Paris Hill and admitted she did her best to stay out of trouble.
While she does her part to keep the history of the town in pristine condition, the true historian of the area recently passed away.
Ben Conant was the long-time curator of the museum and Matero said he could look at an old picture and tell you when it was taken and knew where all the old businesses were, even if the buildings or the roads no longer exist.
The Paris Cape Historical Society will hold an event this month to honor Conant's legacy.
History is very much on display on Paris Hill, where Abraham Lincoln's first Vice President Hannibal Hamlin was born. His house is located next door to the original Oxford County Jail which now serves as the Hamlin Memorial Library & Museum.
You can find 1860 campaign flags and other pieces of history upstairs and there's a public library on the first floor.
Fun fact: NEWS CENTER Maine learned that it takes about 13 hours to mow the lawns of the Hamlin property, which is done every week. It makes sense when you see the condition its in.
Life-long resident Jennifer Lewis works there and at the Paris Public Library.
"It’s a beautiful area, I’ve always loved it here," she said. "We have so many hiking [trails] and outdoor places, it’s wonderful."
The Paris Public Library played into the Paris-Paris relationship and held some Olympic-themed events for local kids which included a summer reading challenge and an event day where kids and teenagers competed in some fun activities.
"The summer is my favorite time, we get to see the most kids coming, they’re out of school, they’re ready to do some fun things and [they can] read for fun which they normally don’t have time to do," Lewis added.
Oxford Hills High School is located in South Paris and Mainers in the area are very passionate about their Vikings sports teams.
The close-knit community has also seen some new residents move in over the years.
Louis Berkowitz and his friends and business partners came to South Paris from Virginia and grow mushrooms at Timberwoods Farm.
"They don’t grow like anything else we’ve grown in the past," he said.
Berkowitz now works with Maine restaurants and businesses to supply them with locally grown mushrooms. You can also buy them at farmers markets, or even at the farm itself.
The barn where the mushrooms are grown is nearly 200 years old. Berkowitz said in the early 1800s, the barn was in another location and was pulled to its current home by oxen. While some aspects have changed, the original barn looks as good as ever.
"It connects you with the past and it’s a good thing to be connected to the past," Berkowitz added.
The Virginia native said he worked on his own family's farm back home before pursuing other careers, but he's back in the industry for a new challenge and works with new people.
"The Maine people are probably the [friendliest] people that I’ve ever run into," he shared. "We’re big South Paris fans and we appreciate the relationship we have with everyone."
The farm also has a mission to give back to the community by starting a heating assistance program and the farm allows people to pick up bags of substrate for their own gardens or other uses. Berkowitz said 3,000 pounds of substrate are taken every 10 days.
The next time you're driving through Oxford County for a hike or to head to the ski mountains, be sure to check out Paris, Maine.