Stephen King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. His books have sold more than 350 million copies, and many have been adapted into films, television series, miniseries, and comic books. King has published 62 novels, including seven under the pen name Richard Bachman, and five non-fiction books. He has also written approximately 200 short stories.
King has received Bram Stoker Awards, World Fantasy Awards, and British Fantasy Society Awards. In 2003, the National Book Foundation awarded him the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He has also received awards for his contribution to literature for his entire bibliography, such as the 2004 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and the 2007 Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. In 2015, he was awarded with a National Medal of Arts from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts for his contributions to literature. He has been described as the King of Horror, a play on his surname and a reference to his high standing in pop culture.
STEPHEN KING'S HOUSE
DATE(S) VISITED: JULY 4, 2020
LOCATION: BANGOR, ME
In 1980, Stephen King purchased this Victorian mansion that he and his wife Tabitha would call home for over 40 years. Originally constructed in 1858, the residence has certainly become a tourist destination over the years. Fans often snap photos (us included) in front of this classic styled Gothic haunted house. It boasts an ornate spikey ironed fence complete with spiderweb gates topped with iron bats and a 3 headed dragon which seem like they could come alive at any given moment to ward off any intruder.
Since King's road accident he and Tabitha spend most of their time now in sunny Casey Key, Florida or Center Lovell, Maine. The house will eventually be turned into the official Stephen King Archive and also serve as a retreat for working writers. King's attorney told the Bangor Daily News that neighbors like the idea because "it will be nice to see some lights on in the building at night."
FOGLER LIBRARY
DATE(S) VISITED: JULY 4, 2020
LOCATION: ORONO, ME
Whilst studying English at the University of Maine, King wrote weekly articles for the school newspaper called The Maine Campus. This University is also where he met his wife, Tabitha. They both attended the University and met in the Fogler Library. They wasted no time, marrying in 1971 only a year after King’s graduation.
BENCH AT THOMAS HILL STANDPIPE
DATE(S) VISITED: JULY 4 2020
LOCATION: BANGOR, ME
Located next to the Thomas Hill Standpipe, which features in King's story IT, is a park bench. King sat at this bench for multiple days handwriting pages of the story, gaining inspiration from his surroundings in the process.
We noticed a pair of glasses left on the bench. We were not sure if these were left by accident or as a tribute to King perhaps?
STEPHEN KING'S ROCK RADIO STATION
DATE(S) VISITED: JULY 4, 2020
LOCATION: BANGOR, ME
WKIT (100.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station located in Bangor, Maine and owned by Stephen and Tabitha King, which makes it one of the few commercial stations in the United States that is still locally owned. They have been a classic rock station since 1990, calling themselves "The Rock of Bangor" in which they serve the Bangor area and Central Maine. It has studios and offices on Target Industrial Drive in Bangor, these we did not go to locate unfortunately. The transmitter is off Center Drive in Orrington, which we did find after traversing some back roads.
In King's novel 11/22/63, Jake saves most of the Dunning family and when he comes back to 2011 he looks up Ellen Dunning (who was 7 in 1958) and calls her, finding she's a "jock for WKIT in Bangor, you know, a disk jockey?".
BANGOR PUBLIC LIBRARY
DATE(S) VISITED: JULY 3 2020
LOCATION: BANGOR, ME
In 1997, this library was renovated and a new wing added (designed by Robert A. M. Stern Architects), thanks to a donation from Stephen and Tabitha King. King's story The Library Policeman was inspired by his 10-year-old son's expressed fear of returning overdue books to the Bangor Public Library because of The Library Police.
CLOTHES PRESS
DATE(S) VISITED: JULY 3, 2020
LOCATION: BANGOR, ME
Whilst we were in Maine doing all things Stephen King related, we stayed at The Charles Inn. When we checked in the receptionist upgraded us to the King Suite when she found out what the purpose of our visit to Bangor entailed, which was really sweet of her. This in turn also got us another piece of King history to witness in the process.
Before becoming a famous writer King worked in an industrial laundry named New Franklin Laundry, and it was here where he found part of the inspiration for the movie The Mangler. In the King inspired hotel room there is an old clothes press on display which was saved from the laundry after it closed down. This wonderful antique machine was most likely operated at one time by Stephen King whilst he worked at the facility.
KING PARK BENCH
DATE(S) VISITED: JULY 3, 2020
LOCATION: BANGOR, ME
As you can imagine, it's quite the norm to stumble upon little dedications to Bangor's famous author. This park bench located on the historic Norumbega Parkway has a mural depicting King and his pet dog, Molly, relaxing in front of what looks like it could be an open fire. Due to weathering and usage the bench has seen better days, but it was a nice find whilst we traversed the Bangor streets.
For even more photo's of our search for all things Stephen King, check them out via our Facebook page.
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