A Mainer by the name of John B. Curtis embarked on a venture back in 1848 that would forever change the way people around the world satisfy their oral fixations.
Did you know the very first chewing gum factory was built in Portland? Back in the early 1850's businessman John Bacon Curtis saw a market for chewing gum and set up shop at 291 Fore Street, now the Hub Furniture building.
The gum was made by boiling resin then cutting it into strips that were coated in cornstarch to prevent them from sticking together...