The Donut Hole Was Invented by a Mainer
It's no secret I love donuts. I have always heard the story of how the donut hole was invented by a sailor sticking fried dough on a ship's wheel. However, I never knew that helmsman was from Maine.
According to roadsideamerica.com, Hanson Gregory, born in Rockport, ate fried dough while sailing his ship.
One day in 1847, he impaled the blobs on the handles of the ship's big steering wheel for easy snack access. Bingo. The idea of the doughnut -- dough with a handy hole -- was born.
In 1947 on the 100th anniversary of his discovery, a plaque was erected at his birth site, where a Lutheran Church now stands.