UNE dedicates Champlain Hall

The beach area on the University of New England's Biddeford Campus is one of the most important historic and archaeological sites on the coast of Maine.

It is the location of the Native American village visited by French explorer and cartographer Samuel de Champlain in the early 17th century and reported in his now-famous journals.

On April 22, 2009,  the University of New England celebrated the Dedication of Champlain Hall (formerly South Hall) in the Champlain Hall Lounge.

Speakers included Provost Jacque Carter, as well as Professor Emeritus Dr. Norman Beaupre, a knowledgeable historian on the topic of Champlain and the local area. 

In July 1605, Champlain's ship dropped anchor in the Chouacoet River, so called by the Almouchiquois Indians, and now known as the Saco River.

Champlain made the first detailed and accurate maps of the area.  His explorations took him through six Canadian provinces and five American states.  He is also responsible for having founded, colonized, and administered French settlements in North America.  Champlain made 27 Atlantic crossings without losing a ship.  He was religiously tolerant and encouraged intermarriage between French colonists and the natives.